Huron Expositor, 2009-10-21, Page 4hags44 The Huron Expositor • October 21, 2009
Opinion
Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Wilted, 11. Main St, Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO
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had been co w�
e community planed to build a $1.4 million corn
m itt' centre, fundraising $518,000 of the total by ask*
for a three-year commitment of $350 from every local
To make up the shortfall for families who couldn't
aft"ord quite so large a onation, a donor wall was created
for those who contributed 1,'0004f -
A fundraising committee, led by Marlen Vincent,
eluded captains for each street and concession of the re-
gion who went door-to-door asking for contributions.
"It was driving somewhere else all winter that got peo*
ple behind the cause. People were motivated," rememM3!:
hers Vincent.
Maybe a large and enthusiastic group of fun raisers`
has not yet volunteered because the current arena and
community centre is still in good structural shape and
we continue to have full use of the facility.
But, it's been argued by user groups for at least the last'
decade that more dressing rooms are necessary as more.
and more girls and women join hockey, broomball and
ringette teams.
Maintaining an aging building with roof repairs and
mechanical replacements is also vital if the community
is going to avoid the condemned arena situation faced by
fundraisers a quarter of a century ago.
As a Huron Expositor editorial said 27 years ago, "Now
folks, it's up to us. When you're asked to help, say yes."
Susan Hundertmar
It's uplifting to watch kids working to
`be the change' like local volunteers
My daughter was one of the
lucky 16,000 kids to get the
chance to travel to Toronto's
Air Canada Centre recently.
for this year's Me to We confer-
ence, put on by Free . the Chil-
dren.
Sort of a cross between a so-
cial activism pep rally and a
rock concert, the day -long event brought to-
gether a number of inspiring speakers to em-
power students to take some action in their
daily lives to contribute to the improvement of
kids' lives in developing countries.
While she was excited by her first train ride
ever there and back, wowed by the rock con-
cert atmosphere where a multitude of lit -up
cellphones were used to do the wave back and
forth throughout the packed stadium (but un-
impressed by the Jonas Brothers, one of the
performing pop groups), she certainly came
home with the central message of day.
"Be the change," she reported back some-
what wearily after the long day.
And, she - probably like every other kid who
took part that day - began considering what
sort of fundraising project she might embark
upon to do just that.
I find it fascinating and uplifting to observe
how many kids are becoming global citizens
and social activists these days..
Little girls growing their hair long enough
. to donate it to become wigs for cancer patients
are now commonplace while young people `are
often planning trips to developing nations
where they can help build schools or help with
education campaigns to prevent the spread of
AIDS.
Local elementary school students will be col-
lecting canned goods for the food bank along
with their trick or treat candy this Halloween
Susan
Hundertmark
and their families are bringing
in their used soccer shoes to the
Catholic church so kids in Ghana
can get some use of them.
Yes, it's true thatovert war
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and injustice persists around the
world and that none of it is going
to stop any time soon. And, de-
spite a recession that has plenty
of people suffering in North America, there is
still a huge gap between the haves and have
nots in the developed and developing worlds.
But, it shines some light into the gloom to
know that thousands of youngsters are em-
bracing the idea that they are not helpless
to make a difference in a world; with so many
serious challenges. I'm hoping that "be the
change" becomes a way of life and doesn't
eventually become a stale cliche on a worn-out
t -shirt.
Watching events close to home, however,
keeps me hopeful. Covering the CKNX Health-
care Heroes radiothon on Saturday, probably
the most visible of Seaforth Community Hos-
pital foundation's fundraising campaigns each
year, I couldn't help but be struck by the num-
ber of people in the community who eagerly
pitch in to make the day a success and to im-
prove the resources available to local hospi-
tals.
From the elementary school students who
find the courage to get on stage and share
their talents in the form of music and dance
to the tireless efforts of longstanding hospital
volunteers who show up year after year to col-
lect donations, the day is an eight-hour dem-
onstration of volunteerism at its finest.
With multi -generational examples like that,
our kids should be inspired to "be the change"
for quite some time.
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