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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1983-08-10, Page 1Single copy 35c Published in Lucknow, Ontario, Wednesday,' August 10, 1983 20 Pages gingham vocational centre for handicapped expands The Jack Reavie Vocational Centre officially opened June 17 bringing to fruition a giant step in the history of the Wingham and District Association for the Mentally Retarded. About five years ago the projected clientel for the Jack Reavie Workshop was 25 in- dividuals and the Association identified the need to build a new facility. Looking to the future they planned to incorporate the residents from a group home, to be estab- lished in the town of Wingham, in the programs at the workshop. Having already established the Silver Circle Nursery School and the Golden Circle School, the Association was providing services for the pre-schooler and the school aged child through young adulthood, but following graduation from the Golden Circle School there was a dead end. As the Ministry of Community and Social Services had no funds available, the Association met the challenge starting the workshop for adults, funded by the Associa- tion in January 1975. "Shorty" Brooks, who was a volunteer worker at the Golden Circle School in woodworking and a favourite with the pupils, was hired as manager. He took a short course in workshop management and the workshop opened with one client, Bill Kirton. Very shortly there were three clients. Following Shorty's resignation due to other commitments, Esther Cantelon, a graduate in Mentally Retarded Counselling, became the manager in September and a life skills program was added to the workshop program. The workshop was named the Jack Reavie Opportunity Workshop in October, 1977 as a memorial to the late Mayor Jack Reavie in recognition of his untiring efforts in working to establish the workshop and his dedication throughout the years to the mentally handicapped. Soon the Ministry of Community and Social Services was funding the workshop's operating costs on an 80 per cent grant basis and the staff was able to expand the program. In 1977 the workshop moved from the office, formerly used by the police department in the basement of the Town Hall, to the building vacated by the Silver Nursery School. Connie Jamieson was appointed to assist Mrs. Cantelon who resigned to become a full time mother in the summer of 1979. Connie became manager and retains the position today. The program continued to expand and presently Joan Chamney and Karen Reid co-ordinate the vocational program and Chris Dickson is life skills instructor. A portable was moved to the grounds in Turn to page 5• Farm Credit cannot meet farmers long term needs The federal governmen is hampering the efforts of the Farm Credit Corporation (FCC) to meet the credit needs Jf Canadian farmers, the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) charged today. "Last year five out of six farmers who wanted FCC loans walked away without any money," Ralph Barrie said. "This year, things could be even worse." In the first three months of its fiscal year, the FCC allocated its entire budget for the year. But when it sought approval to lend an additional $600 million to meet the approved loans on file, the government said it could only loan $250 million. The credit situation is so severe that the FCC has refused to process loan applications since June 10. To make matters worse, FCC sources say the chartered banks are pulling out of long-term mortgage lending to the farm community. "Where are farmers to turn for long-term financing?" Barrie asked. "The FCC doesn't have the money and the banks aren't interested in the long-term mortgage market." in the news Barrie called on the federal government to make the FCC a primary source of credit to the farm community, as it was in the 1970s. He pointed out that in 1977 the FCC accounted for 43 per cent of long-term farm credit extended in the country. But in 1981 the agency accounted for only 21 per cent of long-term farm credit extended. "It's quite obvious the government isn't letting the FCC live up to its mandate as a major source of farm credit," Barrie said. "These days the agency is little more than a lender of last restart." Barrie said a first step towards revitalizing the FCC would be to let it increase its budget to meet the loan request on file. And to provide for adequate long-term capital in the future, the government should introduce Agri -bonds. Agri -bonds would offer farmers a source of long-term funding at interest rates below the going market rates. Agri -bonds would do this by granting investors tax concessions. so a lower interest rate could be paid on the bonds, but the after-tax return would be comparable to conventional bonds. Vandals broke into the Lucknow Arena sometime between 8:30 a.m. Saturday and the same time Monday morning stealing a cassette tape player belonging to the Lucknow Figure Skating Club and a small amount of money from the soft drink machine. The vandals gained access through the window in the men's washroom. Two Ashfield Township men were slightly injured in a traffic mishap at the Brookside corner on Huron County Road 1 about 2.30 Saturday afternoon. A truck driven by Gordon Drennan, 33, R. 7. Lucknow was in collision with a vehicle driven by Robert Wilkins. 28. R. 1. Lucknow, Raymond Leddv returned home on Saturday. August 6. after spending over three weeks in St. Joseph's Hospital. London. where he underwent surgery. Vandals also brokc into the Lucknow Legion some time during the night Sunday or early morning on Monday through the rear upper storey door. They pried open the safe and stole a sum of money. Doug and Ruby Allen, Dawn and Todd of For McMurray, Alberta, visited with Clara Webster of Lucknow last week. Mr. and Mrs. Murray Mewhinney, Shawn and Tyler of Peterborough; Mr. and Mrs. Doug Mewhinney, Christine and Darrick of Milton; Mr. and Mrs. Bev Hunter and Jeff of Stratford; Mr. and Mrs. Mike McAuley and Jessica of St. Catharines: Mr. and Mrs. Dave Mewhinney of Stratford and Mr. and Mrs. Rae Nicholson and Curtis of Lucknow spent the holiday weekend with Doris 'viewhinnev and Ken. The Jack Reavie Vocational Centre officially opened in June, replacing the former Jack Reavie Opportunity Workshop In Wingham. The new centre has capacity for 25 clients in two programs, vocational training and life skills. Sandra Staples of Wingham, left, a client in the vocational program is shown rewebbing a lawn chair, one of the various Jobs the clients do and Wayne Proctor, Blyth, who is a client in the life skills program, is shown baking muffins. (Photo by Sharon Dietz) Jack Reavie Centre offers vocation and fife skills program The Jack Reavie Vocational Centre offers mentally handicapped individuals the opportunity to learn life skills or to train in a vocation. Five clients are participating in the life skills program. A daily schedule includes exercise, personal hygiene, education preparation of snacks and lunch, baking, grocery shopping. laundry. cleaning up including washing dishes as well as group and leisure activities. Clients also learn to budget money. to use the telephone and mail letters. Of the five clients, one is already a resident at the Wingham group home, one is moving in in September, two are living at home with their families and one is in a nursing home. Life skills instructor, Chris Dickson of Belmore, works with the clients individu- ally as they learn the skills of caring for oneself on a daily basis. There are presently 15 clients particip- ating in the vocational program at the Centre each day under the direction of Joan Chamney of Lucknow and Karen Reid of Wingham. 1 he clients do contract work for local industry as well as preparing mink wrappers for drawing mink pelts for mink farms near St. Marys; stamping lids and pails for logos for honey products; rewebbing lawn chairs and making survey stakes for road crews. They also do assembly work including sewing kits for motel rooms which include buttons. safety pins. needle and thread. In the clean contract area they make kleenex flowers and wedding favours and handcrafts for the Christmas sale they hold each year. Special requests include the repair of paint easels for the Wingham day care centre. it's a personal workshop, says Joan Chamney, where there is time to spend with the clients and there isn't the pressure of completing an industry project every day. Joan and Karen are trying to teach the clients that the money they earn can be used to purchase something they want for themselves. Each client chooses something they wish to buy and then sets a goal to earn the money to purchase it. One of the clients is moving into the group home and is working to purchase a bedspread for her bedroom. Three university and college students, working on a summer student employment program funded by the federal govern- ment, have developed three new programs for the clients. Marni Tugwell of Clinton, Darlene Raynard of Bluevale and Chris Orien of Wingham have developed a craft program teaching leisure activities which includes making a quilt and new crafts to be done for the Christmas sale; a domestic cleaning program where clients will go out to private homes to do house cleaning and the establishment of a second hand store in the basement of the Centre where clients can learn to handle money and meet the public by serving customers. Clients participating in the vocational program also do the maintenance work for the centre washing windows and walls and cleaning floors. Their day is structured like a work day and each brings his or her lunch. Some days they take a half hour for lunch so they can go swimming in the town pool during Turn to page 9.