HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-04-23, Page 641q4AL-STAR1 THLI4S APRIL; 23 1970.
Miss Clare McGowan, local director of the Huron County
Children's Aid Society, discusses some plans with'her secretary'
and receptionist, ,Bonnie Culbert, Dungannon. The office at
181 Victoria St. North is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12
noon and from1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to serve people in Huron
County with 'family problems. — staff photo
Supervisor of protection and family services, Mrs. Ewan, Ross,
is a busy womah. She is just one of the staff at the Huron
. County Children's Aid Society who really cares what tampons
to folks tO whom life has dealt a cruel blow. — staff photo
The Arthur Circle of Knox
Presbyterian Church rnet. on
Monday evening in the church
Parlour for, the April meeting.
Following the opening
exercises, the business period
was conducted. The secretary's
and treasurer's reports were read
and adopted. An announcement
was made of the Presbyterial
meeting to ,be held in. Seaforth`
on May 13.. Phu* were finalized
for the -rummage sale scheduled
for Saturday, May 23.
A ladies' trio *comprised of
Lauriiie Mae, Jean Knight and °
Madeleine' , with
adeoMpatist Marion Valls
offered two.beautiful Sacred
-numbers ' "When I 'siirlesi the
wondrous, cross," and "Welcome
happy "morning." The group
lea,der, Madeleine Edward then
took charge of the meeting.
The devotional period was
conducted by Edna Rayner who
read the Scripture passages and
Agnes Cutt who- gave a
meditation on the scripture
reading. Prayer was offered by
Beth Wark. The offering was
received by Dorothy Blake and
Children's Aid Society benefits community
"They've .got to know you
care." .
That's the key to success in
social work according to Miss
'Clare McGowan, local director
of the Huron County Children's
Aid Society. „
"Everybody has something in
them that you can like."
continued _Miss McGowan. "The
social worker must rind ,this
something and build on
She praised her staff at the
„CAS.
"I wassurprised and delighted
to find that all members of the
staff like the faiiilies theYwork
-
--with," said Miss McGowan..
And there are many people in
'Huron County whd are receiving
help from the dm. There are
presently 121 children in care;
112 families receiving various
kinds of assistance; and 22
unmarried mothers on the role.
'Children in care may only
„-:-remain in foster homes for A few
. weeks under the present system
because GAS case workers pit
first priority on solving the
problems which - caused the
children to be take,n out of the
home initially. Social workers go
.to all ends to get to the roota
he trouble and correct. it so that
the children can return home to
their God -give parents, whether
• family or not.
Miss McGowan cited instances.
• where children have come to the.
• CAS •asking to be taken into
• care. She has known of cases,
• where teenagers want to V4
• taken out Of the home because
,their parts are allowing them
so much freedom that they feel
unwanted and Unloved.
,Sometimes the main problem
• in destitute families is simply, a
lack- of understanding when it
comes to money management.
• Sometimes though, the problerhs
are much more serious than that
and CAS case workers are Called
upon to find . solutions for a
myriad of troubles ranging from
1
incompatibility between
husband and wife to severe
mental breakdowns in sOme
member of the -family.
An important p.art of the
work, too, is counselling
unmarried expectant *mothers
girls who may or may not have
the understanding and sympathy
of theltparents, °
Mis„ s McGo-wamsaid the TAr
social workers are with the girls
throughout • their entire
pregnancy, talking . with 'them,
advising. them without putting
on any_presiure, helping them to
liee up toIII iieIakiij
decisions which must be made.
In the. cities, Miss McGowan
remarked, unwed mothers are
being encouraged to- keep their'
babies because of the, increasing
number of children let out for
• adoption. . However, Miss
McGowan feels this is a difficult *
role for many young women to
accept responsibility* and has
known cases where the child has
to be taken into Care when it is
Oldet It is. for this reason that
she works. carefull'y and
deliberately with the unwe&,.
mother to make absolutely
certain that the right decision
for both mother and child is
made in the first place.
-"Sometimes a mother is being
'
_up for adoption," mused Miss
McGowan.
• Does Miss McGowan become
emotionally involved?
A 'faint smile crossed her
kindly face.
4‘ "You have got to keep ,
yourself separate or you would
drain ,yourself Of absolutely
everything," she said.- "This
work can do that to you, you
kriow. But the people with
whom you are working must
know you care or you can
accomplish nothing. All -my staff
. paths- about the •people with
whom they are working:"
- "Going the second mile isn't
enough," Miss McGowan stated
with a degree in soci wor . e time to reflect on all the
worked in China for . several generosity shown to her and to
years and returned to Huron the families and children with ,
• County to teach in East • whom she works by all the
Wawanosh before joining the CAS volunteers in the years gone
•local CAS. • by. -
Retirement won't really mean - She speaks with .tespect
leaving the work to which.. Miss abOut the folks who ,drive
Mc Gowan has devoted her mothers • to meetings and
children' 't o ed ic al
—time --to -complete some of the appointments - hi the city; the
studies which she has not had helpers in the `clothing room at
time to undertake, such as the the CAS, the people who work
effect upon childxen who are to provide holiday hopes for the
raised by unwed mothers in youngsters in care and at the
- homes where there-istrio father: - -same-time, a break -rt
fohe-foster -
And she probably will have T, parents who have Opened their
April 16 to 25 is Children's Aid Week throughout Mikado.
The featurette on this page is designed to help Godarich
Signal -Star readers become better acquainted with what the
Huron County CAS is doing here. "-
We trust that after you have read the articles, you will want
to help in some may with the tremendous work the local CAS
is accomplishing so quietly and efficiently each and every year.
Firemen kept
Goderich fire department was
kept btisy--Wedriesday, April 15,
answering fire alarms.
• An alarm, phoned ° in from
• Edwards Fuel CompanY on ,
Anglesea Street, .-about four
ye her baby
o'clock Wednesday afternoon,
• brought the ire trueor
the secon time that day.
• with a faraway look in her eyes.
HARBOORLITE INN
ANNUAL
MOTHER'S DAY
BUFFET
DINNER
Sundity,May /0.•
Reservations
524-9371 or 524-9264
•
•"You have to go that tenth
mile." *
Miss McGowan will be retiring
towards the end of this year. She
came to the Huron -CAS
September 1, 1946 and was
made director in 1962 after the
resignation of - 'Rev. •, 'R. • G.
McMillan. She. was born near
Blyth- and became a school
teacher. • It wa% while she was
teaching school i; Guelph that
she became interested in social
'work. She vent to China in the
Summer of 1933 after gradilating
from the University of Toronto
.11 fire, which •had started
burning amongst dry weeds and
trash along a fence, had been
brought Wider control by the
time the Firetruck arrived.
An employee, . Marcel
FROM TI4
In view of the exasperatingly
• tardy Spring this year it may be
'of some consolation to note the
following from old copies of The
• Huron Signal: ,
April 18,1850 "We had
promise of an early Spring; and
• ploughing and seedtime had
partially • commenced TWO
WEEKS ago, but the last few
days have given us a second
busy
homes to them; sewers; knitters;
menders; and so • many others
who provide all types of services
so Appreciated by the CAS.
Miss , McGowan will likely
remain on the lookont for good
homes for troubled children,
especially teenagers, and for
service *groups' throughout the
county who will •follow the
example of so many others and
adopt a needy family in their
own district to help opt with
clothes and shoes and medical
expense& -
"They've got to know you
care,"--• IVIiss- McGowan reminds
CAS _friends again and again.
peaker on Chit
Evelyn Sandy and Itva4 dedicated
with the singing of the hymn
"Thine are all the gifts," ‘, °
The guest speaker; Mrs, tiejap
Pirie, gave a most interesting and .
informative lecture on sorhe
Political Life of China," both
past and present MrS. Pirie
traced the background of
"China's politics from the time of
the dynasties through the
revolution around the year 1900,
and the following republic under
the nationalists. Conditions
began . to deteriorate in -1937
when the moirement of protest
began among the students and
mutinous atinies, then followed
.
the invasion ' by Japan whieh
-lasted till Japan Was, finally
Ousted in 1949 - the -cOuntry
turned to 'communism with the
new leader Chairman Mao
Tse-tung. A resume of * the
"Great Leap Forward," arid
"Cultural ' Revolution," and.
events up to the present day
brought us up-to-date with the
life as it is being lived, now in
China.
Mrs, Pirie concluded her
frisphing message with the words
"China's challenge to us today is
Tray, pray, pray'."
Madeleine Edward thanked
Mrs. Pirie for the excellent way
she portrayed this difficult
subject to the group, and asked
that the hymn "Come Thou
Fount of every, blessing" be sung
as a thankoffering for gl the
favors we receive in this blessed
Dominion of Canada and Ohr
privileged way of life here.
Buchanan, who had been
burning some garba%e °• in an
incinerator outside the Edwards
office bnilding, believed the fire
an
Was csed by Sparks carried to
.the fence bottom by a strong
wind.
o-chances-tliough"-
said Marcel, "that it might get
out of control. There's Several
thousand gallons of fuel in those,
storage drums over there."
The fire department was
called to a house on Lighthouse
Street earlier to extinguish a fire
in a tree house.
e e
E PAST
winter, and Saturday and
Tuesday nights' last, were as
intensely cold as -were any nights
• in January. Today is a change
for the better and. a second
promise of Spring."
• May 9, 1850: "This is the
coldest, lateSt and least genial
Spring that the oldest inhabitant
remembers." .-
(with thanks -to George Ellis)
SPRING SALE
FIGHT
CANCER
with
a
check up
and a
cheque
o
; 'Ow. closing hynutTh
. "roinli,
Cthe day Thy love has.spared PO;
was sung,. and the. preSklent,
Lucy Johnstone offered. tire -
benedictory prayer.
A social hour followed with
the grOlAp in charge serving
lunch. it was announced that the
May meeting would be held on
Monday, May 25, due to the
holiday on the regular Circle
night.
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