HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-01-11, Page 5Huron County's first birth of 2017
Submitted
With great joy, Steven
and Cheryl Scott gave birth
to their firstborn son Hen-
drik Douglas, 9.lbs 12 '/a oz,
on Jan. 1, 2017, at 5:53 p.m.
Hendrik was born at home
with assistance from a great
team at Huron Community
Midwifery Services: Regis-
tered Midwife Susan Wilts,
(also Cheryl's mother),
Registered Midwife Ellen
Peel, second birth atten-
dant Kendra Wilts (Cheryl's
sister-in-law) and a very
proud new grandmother,
Nolda Scott. Hendrik car-
ries the names of both his
grandfathers and is
expected to he a great
helper to his daddy on the
farm. His birth marks the
final delivery for Susan,
who will now be retiring
after 27 years of working as
a midwife.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017 • Signal Star 5
Courtesy Steven and Cheryl Scott
Hendrik Douglas was bom 9 lbs 12' oz, on Jan. 1, 2017, at 5:53 p.m.
Steven and Cheryl Scott with their first born son Hendrik Douglas.
Huron County homeless shelter to open in Goderich Jan. 20
Submitted
Hesitantly, he wandered
into the church office.
Clearly not dressed for suc-
cess, he asked if we helped
with food or food cards. He,
his wife and three children,
including an infant, had
been staying with his sister-
in-law. That morning the
tension of having a family
of five on the sister-in-law's
doorstep erupted and they
were kicked out. The food
had to be something they
could eat without cooking.
His wife and children could
make their way to the
Women's Shelter, but he
would have to find some-
where out of the cold until
they could figure things
out. Although helped with
a bit of ready to eat food
and a grocery store card it
is a helpless feeling to
watch someone without
much hope walk out into
the cold.
Too many stories like this
are told too frequent in
Huron County, its villages
and towns. Whether we
want to recognize it or not,
homelessness exists here in
Goderich and throughout
the county, although it may
be more hidden than in a
large city. "Couch Surfing,"
that is, staying with a family
member or friend until the
welcome wears out, is still
homelessness - as the indi-
vidual is at the mercy of the.
host. It is not a permanent
residence and is precari-
ous at best. Increasing
hydro rates, rising food
prices, rising rents have all
surpassed hourly wages
and social assistance pro-
grams. More families and
individuals are experienc-
ing or at risk of experienc-
ing homelessness in our
own community. This is
not just a problem for large
urban centres.
Over a year ago, county
staff and the Goderich
Ministerial began meeting
to see if we could address
the need for emergency
shelter beds for men in the
County. Big questions were
raised: are there enough
people who would use the
services to make it viable,
and could. we recruit
enough volunteers to make
it work?
A pilot project was envi-
sioned that would help us
answer those questions.
Lakeshore United Church
needs very little in terms
of renovations to accom-
modate the shelter tempo-
rarily. However, it is a
busy place most evenings,
,so the shelter doors do not
open until 9:30 p.m. after
all church and community
programs are finished.
Guests will spend the
night, with a mattress,
warm bedding, a bowl of
soup or something warm
and caring staff and vol-
unteers will ensure safety,
dignity and respect.
Guests will be provided
with breakfast and then
leave the Shelter by 8 a.m.
Because of the late hour
for opening the Shelter
doors, there will be a
warming centre offered at
First Baptist Church on
Montreal St. from 7 p.m. to
9:30 p.m. There will be
warmth, volunteers and
simple food available for
those intending to use the
overnight Shelter later
that evening. Should the
need prove sufficient to
continue the project - a
permanent site will be
secured for next shelter/
cold season likely begin-
ning in November 2017.
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Early Deadline
Please note that we have
an early deadline this week for the
Wednesday, January 18th
Goderich Signal Star & the
Thursday, January 19tH
Focus News Magazine.
Deadline for booking is:
Thursday, January 12"' @ 4pm
At a permanent site, the
doors would receive
guests at 7 p.m.
The success of the pro-
ject will rely on the com-
mitment of volunteers to
assist the staff each night.
We require individuals
over 18 years who are will-
ing to stay awake through.
the night, once a week,
once a month, or whatever
suits the volunteer. The
usual volunteer shift will
be from 9:15 p.m. to 8:15
a.m. Volunteers need an
open and caring heart and
a willingness to treat eve-
ryone with respect and
dignity. Volunteers are
also needed to help at the
Warming Centre from 7
p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Training
and support will be pro-
vided to all volunteers.
The intended opening
night of the shelter will be
Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
If you would like to vol-
unteer or more informa-
tion, email huronoutof-
cold@gmail.com or call
Kate at 519-524-2103 or
Stephen at 519-441-0128.
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