Huron Expositor, 2007-04-18, Page 4J
Page 4 April 18, 2007 • The Huron Expositor
Opinion
Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO
:S
of a healthy
community
Our society is supported by healthy, solid and
diverse roots, like a tree with healthy foliage. Its
well-being depends on volunteer activities in which
a quiet strength is determined by its connectedness
in all communities.
Through individual efforts, often without fanfare,
thousands of people contribute, each in their own
way, to the growth and development of all.
These people of all ages and diverse cultural com-
munities are our best resources. United by the
same desire for a better society, they are the roots
that feed our ability to act.
National Volunteer Week 2007 this week, from
April 15 to 21, is therefore characterized by a tree.
A symbol of leadership and vitality, the tree.. repre-
sents a society that grows by drawing equally on
the strength and diversity of volunteer activities.
It clearly expresses the dynamic leadership and
the mission of volunteer organizations.
This image reinforces the idea of solidarity and
dynamic action by highlighting all the unsuspected
richness that is hidden "under the tree", and mir-
rors the true but seldom noticed importance of vol-
unteering. •
Clear and faithful to the true nature of volunteer
activities, the slogan "Volunteers Grow
Community" suggests all the strength of a multi-
tude of small acts, accomplished through gentle
determination, quietly and without fanfare, by the
thousands of volunteers that have the well-being of
society at heart.
Volunteering is this gentle strength, sure and dis-
crete, that each citizen possesses and can put into
action in his or her own community. And when the
impact of all these individual acts are evaluated,
it's obvious that volunteerism definitely contributes
to building a better world.
Here in Huron East, just a few of these volun-
teers - our longest serving ones - had a brief
moment in the spotlight when the Ontario Ministry
of Citizenship and Immigration officially recog-
nized them with Ontario Volunteer Service Awards
along with the 200 -plus others from Perth, Huron
and Oxford counties on March 30.
Thankifor your'efforts. It truly is appreciated.
Moving to Seaforth is a lot
like moving home
An hour and a half is a
heck of a commute.
Today's my first day on
the job as the Expositor's
new reporter. Wednesday
will be my first day in
Mitchell at the Advocate.
But today I woke up in
Guelph at about 6 a.m.
Within an hour my girl-
friend Christa and I had
finished packing my car, I'd said bye to both
her and our cat and was on the road.
Thankfully, this is not something I'll be
doing every day.
We found an apartment in town on
Saturday. I'll be moving in gradually over the
next several weeks. The first load came with
me today.
Christa, the cat and the remainder of our
stuff will stay in Guelph until the end of May,
when our old lease and Christa's contract as a
lab technician at the university there ends.
She and the cat will join me here in Seaforth.
Moving to Seaforth is like moving home in a
lot of ways. Unlike your last reporter - I've
been reading old columns for inspiration - I
didn't grow up in a city.
I'm from Shelburne, Ont. Ever heard of it? I
won't hold it against you if you haven't. It's 20
minutes north of Orangeville and an hour
north of Brampton.
Statistics Canada says Shelburne had a
population of 5,149 last year, but it's grown
significantly since I left at 18 to study crimi-
nology at the University of Guelph.
And while we're on it, I
might as well explain
how I got here.
In my third year of uni-
versity I started volun-
teering for the Ontarion,
the campus newspaper.
After graduating, I
worked on staff there for
a year before moving to
Toronto to study journal-
ism at Humber College.
It didn't take too long to adjust to life in
Canada's largest city.
Everything I could want was within a short
walk or a quick bus or subway ride. I could go
to a movie or eat food from anywhere in the
world. But everywhere I went, I was a
stranger.
I didn't like Toronto much, so I got a job at a
factory between first and second year at
Humber so I could buy a car. Then I moved
back with my parents and commuted to
school.
The day after my last day at Humber, I
started full-time work at- the Guelph campus
paper again, this time as their editor. Within
a week I'd moved back to that city. That's
where I've been for the last year.
In fact, my last day was last Friday. My girl-
friend and I spent Saturday finding an apart-
ment in Seaforth. We spent yesterday pack-
ing.
And here I am today.
That's my story so far. I can't wait to learn
Seaforth's.
(on & bave
Instead of all that
boring stuff about the
school board
and the football team
...it will have information
about things that today's
studentrare passionate
about.
by David Lacey
I see that Jimmy
threw up again
in the lunch room.
i
I got an
exclusive
on that!
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