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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1988-06-01, Page 5Refuge for homeless teens now in Huron Local teenagers who find themselves without a home now have a place to turn to for help and shelter rather than spending a night out on a park bench. A new Huron Safe Homes for Youth pro- gram has been established to provide help for adolescents in crisis situations where they can no longer stay with their parents. Usually this occurs on a temporary basis as a result of personal or emotional problems at home. Safe Homes uses. a coordinator to collect calls from the youths themselves, hospitals, the police, schools, or other organizations, and to arrange for shelter with one of the program's volunteer families. The program's office is in space provided in the Exeter United Church, and is equip- ped with a phone and paging system for emergency situations. The Anglican church was first to finan- cially support the creation of the program with a $5,000 donation from the Bishop's Social Action Fund. In addition $10,000 was raised from the South Huron community and this attracted the attention of the Ministry of Community and Social Services, who have provided another grant of $50, Candidates forathe shelter will be screen- ed to make sure they are from the im- mediate community and are not migrates from other urban areas. Families who do take in the homeless teens will be reimburs- ed $12.50 per day. "The heart of the program is the homes in which the children will be helped," said R e v e r end Duke Vipperman of the Anglican Church. "Already a number of families have con- tacted us and we're really excited about that," added Reverend Deborah Carter from the Centralia and West Zion Churches. "It is wonderful to see the level of plann- ing, dedication and outreach here in South Huron County," said the program's coor- dinator Sharon Warm. The program will also work with the coun- try unit of Family and Social Services to both train and support the volunteer families. South Huron District High School guidance counsellor r;'c Graham, who sits on the project's board of rectors, describ- ed the program as an experimental pilot project. Nothing on this scale has ever been tried in a rural area before. He noted its ex - Progress of women teachers pa Dr. Jean Hewitt, guest speaker at the an- nual dinner meeting of the Huron Branch of the Federation of Women Teachers Association of Ontario held in Varna, began her remarks to about 130 teachers, education officials and trustees by draw- ing a parallel between women's progress to human rights and that of other social movements, especially US blacks. Noting that this is the 17th anniversary of the Federation of Women Teachers Association of Ontario, Hewitt credited the organization with providing the needed strength as women teachers continue to chip away at the wall barring them from being equals in their own profession. Hewitt, who began her teaching career 28 years ago, referred to the women teachers in her audience as "vets of the third wave". She reminisced about the first wave to strive for equality, the women in England and Canada whose ac- tions at the beginning of this century got women the vote. The second wave was epitomized by "Rosie the riveter", as women involved in the war effort in the '40s discovered their talents. The third wave swept in during the late '60s, as women recognized their own leadership abilities, and attained access to some power and authority. Once the vote had been attained, both women and American blacks wanted power and position. During this transition, blacks tried to look and behave like whites, and women sought to emulate men in dress, speech, and behavior patterns. In the late '70s, Roots made blacks aware of their distinctive culture and history. Women now realize individuality should be encouraged; they as women and teachers can bring something unique and special to the leadership role. Hewitt went on to describe the many facets of leadership. Some lead simply by the way they conduct their own lives. Others run headlong at the walls blocking their path, while a third group quietly chip away. Still others hand over the chisel, give others a footstool to get them higher up the wall, and support and encourage their efforts. Hewitt pointed out that men and women have different ways of arriving at solu- tions. One workshop she attended distinguished between the spiral speech patterns of women and the more direct male pattern. In a turnaround, the Har- vard Business Review recently stated that the female method of reaching a consensus and getting cooperation was superior, and men were encouraged to learn from female patterns. "We must stop apologizing for not always doing things the same way. Leaders must stop looking for clones of themselves, stop looking for people who `do it like the guys do', stop believing that is the right way. In education particularly we have to be very aware that people are multi -faceted. In today's world we need as many kinds of opinions, as many ways of coming at things, as possible", Hewitt said. The well-known London principal went on to define winners, calling them the in- spiring people in our lives. Not all are in positions of authority and, conversely, holding such a position doesn't necessarily make one a winner. The essence of a win- ner comes from the inside out. She disagreed with one definition she had heard, that a winner was someone of im- portance on one's board, whether one liked that person or not, and strongly urged her listeners to remain true to their principles. "It's a great feeling to accomplish your goals without compromising", she =THE HURON EXPOSITOR, JUNE 1, 1988 — 5A perimental nature was partly responsible for attracting the government funding. The ministry will be closely watching Safe Homes' development to determine if it can be put into effect elsewhere. "Hopefully if it goes as well as we're an- ticipating, then within a year or two, we'll go county -wide," predicted Mr. Graham. He praised the program as offering an alter- native to the self-destructive paths usually followed by teens who have nowhere to turn. Mr. Graham cited the 1986 study which originally proved a need for such a program existed in South Huron. It showed in the en- tire county 1 youths found themselves in a homeless situation in the course of the year. This gives Safe Homes a figure on which to base their organization. "'t''e should be ready to deal with 50 (homeless)," said Mr. Graham. He added the $65,000 at the organization's dispos should be able to sustain the pro- grm well past its first year. The project will begin with the coorindator and five volunteer families. If more host families are required, they can be added later. Anyone wishing to contact Safe Homes for information, can mill 235-0433, or write to P.O. Box 1883, Exeter. HEALTH ON THE HILL A series of hi -weekly reviews of activities at SEAFORTH COMMUNITY HOSPITAL OCCUPY NEW OFFICES The new Seaforth Community Health Centre came into use on Monday when doc- tors of the Seaforth Medical Clinic occupied their offices in the new Health Centre building that they rent from Seafahth Community Hospital, the owners of the building. ANNUAL MEETING JUNE 28 The annual meeting of the Seaforth Community Hospital will be held in the Board Room at the hospital at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28. The public is invited to attend. REPRESENTS COUNTY The Board has been informed that Board Chairman Fred Tilley has been reap- pointed as Huron County representative for the period 1'.' i - 89. rallels others remarked, adding a biblical paraphrase "What shall it profit a woman if she gains a directorship and loses her own soul." In stressing the vital importance of in- tegrit. ted the five marks of true success . ;.ace of mind, health and energy, loving relationships, financial freedom, and pursuit of worthy goals and ideals. Hewitt challenged the teachers to think ahead to what they would like to see ac- complished in the next 70 years. • "There is a need for all of us to have dreams and visions and goals, and a need for all of us to make a commitment", Hewitt concluded. Retiring teachers, Maxine Allison, J.A.D. McCurdy, Lois Ottewell, Brookside, Freda Crawford, Greg and Carol Simons, Education Centre, were called on to speak a few words at the meeting. In -coming president Florence Keillor was presented with a president's pin by her predecessor, Marie Parsons. A slide show paying tribute to Parsons during her term of office brought the evening to a close. PURCHASES PULSE OXIMETER Purchase of a pulse oxu •r at a cost of $431,1,1 was authorized recently by the Board. The dec..ti( foil n resentation by Dr. F. Wong who explained that the equipment will show the . .ioncentration of oxygen in the blood system and pulse rate when a patient is L r anaesthesia. Dr. Wong explained the advantages of the monitoring device and demonstrated its use. NEW USE FOR SURPLUS MEDICATIONS At one time any expired or surplus drugs would be discarded. Now, Pharmacy Department Manager, Yvette Binnendyk has found a new use for these in Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico. She is participating for the second year in the project of the 'Canadian Foundation for World Development'. The C.F.W.D. encourages companies and institutions with surplus medicines, antibiotics, foodstuffs, hospital and clinic equipment, welding and plumbing equipment ar ' iso used eye glasses to channel it through their organizations for distribution to Third World countries to make a significant contribution to the neediest people. MANDATORY COURSE SE&:S RESULTS Non -nursing personnel are currently being re -certified for the second year in the Heart Saver Course (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario), under the direction of nurse Darlene Hetherington. Nursing staff have been required to update for over the past ten years. The program teaches how to recognize the signals and learn the actions to help a victim of heart attack, as well as performing one-person Car- diopulmonary Resuscitation and recognizing and managing a choking victim. Currently two Lifesaver Awards have been issued to hospital personnel who per- formed a rescue attempt while not on a regular shift of duty. me Lawn Muster 27-1750 THE JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS at the Seaforth Community Hospital will be selling tickets for a draw for this quilt, donated and made by Mrs. Airey of John Street. The draw for the quilt will be made in September, and it will be on display at the Seaforth Sewing Centre during June. Holding the quilt are Junior Volunteers Niki Phillips, Leanne Dolmage, Marianne Moylan, Eric Johnston, and Brian Van de ban. Corbett photo. OUTSTANDING BALER PERFORMANCE MEANS GREATER NUTRITION AT AN ECONOMICAL PRICE 7/1/;/ MAPLE TREE DECLINE is becoming a bigger problem every year. The problem: ACID RAIN. The Lawn Master is equipped to tap and insert sup- plimentary calcium to offset this problem. We are also equipped to tap with insecticide, an environmentally safe, carefree way of controlling insects. Fertilizer taps can make yellowing evergreens green again and help trees to grow. For all your Landscaping, Lawn and Garden needs call the professionals. Conestoga College eci Arts Case International 8520/8530 Rectangular Balers SEE THE NEW LINE OF BALERS AND HAYING EQUIPMENT SEE US U -4 -U -BUY (used trades coming now) HAY DEMO - Friday, June 17 1:00-5:00 p.m. Frances Hunt farm, 5 miles north of Seaforth Come in soon for the rest of the story! SEAFORTH 527-0120 nology SEPTEMBE'R ...GREAT: PRECISION SKILLS LEAD TO PROFITABLE CAREERS Technical businesses and industries need professionals with precision skills. Starting in September at Conestoga College, you can get those skills and become an important part of the mechanical engineering, metal fabrication, welding or printing industries. An exciting career could be yours as a CAD operator, NC programmer, film strip- per, welding technician, paste-up artist, design draftsperson, or metal fabricator -- just to name a few possibilities. Openings are still available in the following full-time.programs which start in September. Mechanical Engineering Technician/Technology (2 and 3 years: Doon) Metal Fabrication Technician (2 years: Guelph) Welding Engineering Technician (2 years: Guelph) Printing Technology - Pre -Press Graphics (00 weeks: Waterloo) Graduates of these programs can expect excellent employment prospects and above-average starting salaries. Enrol now and start in September. FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED rrs�* i S(MORl1 r AYR cA MBar(T r wuu()SYO. �i'i. FOR DETAILS COINTAC11 Student Services, Stratford Campus 271-5700