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Times-Advocate, 1980-11-19, Page 17Foster parents, 19. Special Kids' made their home with Denommes Times dvocate Serving. South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lanabton Since 1873 Huron Church Camp gets bishop as new director By MARY ALDERSON The living room is small, but very cozy and warm. Framed snapshots sit on the buffet, the television and, the coffee table. Photographs cover the walls. During the past nine years. 19 different children have called this place home. And they have called Helen and Bob Denomme Morn 'and Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Denomme have been taking in foster children of all ages, shapes and sizes for nine years. The day I visited with them, their home was unusually quiet. There were no children at all• that day -- a very strange thing for the Denommes. Just that morning a foster child --a tiny three month old baby -- moved out. The baby had lived with the Deriom- mes since her birth. Now she was going home with her real mother. Her mother was an unwed teenager, who didn't think she could look after the baby when it was born, so she gave it to. Huron County Family and Children Services. The baby was placed under the Denern- Tries' foster care. However, the baby's mother talked things over with her parents, and sorted out ether problems. She and her family decided they could keep the baby in their home. While the Denommes hate to see the baby go, they are pleased to know that it will have a good home. Most of the 19 children who have lived with the Denommes have gone back with their parents, Four were adopted into new families. One girl, now 19, left the Denommes to live on her own, but still keeps in touch, In every case, when the children left their home, the Denommes felt like they were losing a member of a very close family. This is a second marriage for both Helen and Bob Denomme. She has three children of her own, while he has two, Their children are grown. Between them, the Denommes have 18 grand- children. They have no children of their own, except for their 19 foster children. They call their foster family, their "special" kids. Louanne Taylor, foster care co-ordinator with Huron County Family and Childrens Services says that the Denommes are "special" people. She has nothing but praise for the warm atmosphere in the Denomme household. The Denommes can talk about each and every one of their 19 special children. Mrs. Denomme brings out photo albums -- one for each kid. "We must be lucky, they are all terrific kids," Mr. Denomme stresses. There are sometimes horror stories that go with the children's pictures. A tiny girl was badly abused when the Denommes got her she had been beaten with a wire brush. Her first photos show ugly scratches -- later her complexion was perfect, Often the children come from homes where alcohol is a serious problem. The family and childrens services steps in, and with counselling and working together with the family, they hope to solve problems so that the child can go home again, Sometimes the foster parents arrange for visits so that the children can see their real parents. Sometimes the real parents can talk over problems with the foster parent. Flexibility is obviously a virtue that the Denommes. possess. They can handle all these problems, plus open their home to a family member on an hour's notice. When asked about what other requirements foster parents need, the Denommes stress that it is team work. looks over photo albums of the with them. Staff photo Mr. Denomme is a pen- sioner, and bath of them make foster caring a full time job. They took turns getting up in the night when the latest baby arrived. The only other prerequisite appears to be an ability to love and demon. strate love. Mr. Denomme describes one girl that lived with them who became very embarrassed if she saw the Denommes kiss. She had never seen love demon- strated before. Soon, however, she began to ac- cept it, and became a close member of the special family. Another necessity for foster parents is trust, You have to trust the foster child before he or she will trust you, Mr. Denomme explains. Talking and listening is the best way to develop trust. The Denemmessay that on occasion they have sat up past midnight talking to their special children. "When a teenager asks questions, you sit and talk," Mrs. Denomme says. "But you'd like to have a couple days to think over your answers," Mr. Denomme adds. The. Denommes have also found that pets ale a good way to develop trust among adolescents. By giving the. child a pet of his own to care for, the child develops a sense of responsibility, Birds, rabbits, dogs and cats abound in the Denomme yard. Opening your home to foster children requires a lot of give and take on all parts. Mrs. Denomme says that the children don't always just fit in to the foster parents' life style. "We have to mold for them, too," she adds, But even though it requires giving, the rewards of foster parenting are many, the Denommes stress. One Mothers Day, Mrs. Deonm- me had 13 kids crowding into her home with good wishes. Mr. Denomme says that he enjoys the school concerts, and events like that. "Our special kids really stand out," he says. The Denommes have kept in close touch with several schools over the years, Their special kids have attended. Exeter Public School, Precious Blood school, South Huron District High School, central Huron Secondary in Clinton, That's a lot of parent-teather nights to go, to, they say,. Although the Denommes stress that the rewards are many, they say the financial rewards are few. The Family and Children Ser- vices say that the foster parents should not be out of pocket, but budgets are tightening, and inflation grows, The foster parents get a daily allowance which varies depending on the age of the child. This should cover the child's, room and board. Other expenses such as medical and dental bills, clothing, school books and special items such as • bicycles are covered by Family and Children's Services. They will also pay for such things as piano lessons, or hockey equipemnt, if they are desired. Yet the Denommes stress one can't go into foster parenting for the money They are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. Louanne Taylor says that more foster parents are needed who can see that rewards are not financial. "There's always a shortage of foster parents," Ms. Taylor says. Particularly, they need foster parents for children with special needs, such as handicapped or retarded children. They also need foster parents for teenagers. Ms. Taylor says that the best recruiters of foster parents are other foster parents. Friends and neigh- bours take an interest in someone else's foster family, and soon they decide to try it themselves. As Mr. Denomme says, "If we don't do it, who's going to?" Ms. Taylor tells him that the Family and Childrens Services slogan is "Where in the world would they be without us?" The 900 children who an- nually attend the Huron Church Camp near Hayfield will have a new director this summer, the Rev. T. David B. Ragg, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Huron, which owns and operates the camp on the shore of Lake Huron. He succeeds the Rev. Blair Dix- on, rector of Christ Anglican Church, London. "The camp has been steadi- ly growing in popularity dur- ing the last two direc- torships," Mr. Smith said, and he anticipates another full programme this summer. Besides such activities as swimming, canoeing, hiking, archery and orienteering, the k camp offers periods of worship and religious instruc- tion. "Well, some people call it religious instruction," Mr. Smith said, "but we call it an eye-opener." "It's kind of a fun way of both learning about their faith and experiencing their faith." Yet the camp is not limited to members of the Anglican Church. "We get a number of denominations represented during the summer" Mr. Smith said. With rising costs, Mr. Smith expects that fees ($66 for a junior camper this year) will have to be increased slightly. The camp relies heavily on donations from individuals and organizations such as the Anglican Church Women and receives grants from the Diocese but additional money is needed to offset higher food and staffing costs and to provide for expansion. • "Many of the buildings at this stage are getting 'beyond their life, Mr. Smith said. "We hope for long range plans that will develop the camp to perhaps enable a fuller cam- ping period." Mr. Smith, who is rector of the thiee-point parish of St. Paul's, Kirkton, St. Thom's, Granton, and St. Partick's, , Saintsbury, is a native of Lon- don. He was ordained deacon in 1978 and priest in 1979. Until this spring lie served as assis- tant curate at St. John the Evangelist Church, London. FOSTER PARENTS - Helen and Bob Denomme sit on both sides of Louanne Taylor as she Denommes' foster children. Mrs. Denomme keeps an album on each child that has lived November 19, 1980 Hensall hopes to secure pharrticmis One of the items which may be on the agenda for Hensall's new council could be the securing of a phar- macist for the village. At the final meeting of the current council Wednesday councillor Harry Klungel said many of the com- munity's older people had mentioned during his campaign for reeve that they were forced to take a bus to Exeter in order to have their prescriptions filled. Klungel said he agreed with the concerns expressed by the seniors and inquired if it would be under council's jurisdiction to advertise for a pharmacist. He suggested that there could be a market for such a person as he could serve the surrounding townships and smaller municipalitites. Reeve Harold Knight said the last pharmacist in Hensall found there was not a large enough market. Klungel replied that fewer physicians are selling drugs these days and suggested the community could support a semi-retired pharmacist. Knight then brought up the issue of cable TV for the community and said this might be the time for the new council to re-activate its industrial development committee. On the cable TV question Knight said the only way the village might get action on the matter would be to present a brief to the Canadian Radio and Television Commission when the company's licence comes up for renewal. Council gave their blessing in principle to a request by Hensall Motors for a change in their licence. Alvin Campbell told council that the change would allow the firm to buy accident-damaged vehicles for the purpose of repair. Campbell said the company had no intention of operating a wrecking yard which Would be permitted under the licence and that the change would make it easier for the company to buy the damaged autos. On a suggestion by councillor Klaus Van Wieren, the village will consult with the Huron County planning department before making a final decision on the matter. Campbell said he was in favour of the drawing-up of an agreement between the company and the village to ensure that a wrecking yard was not operated from Hensall Motors' present location. In keeping with their counterparts in Zurich, the Hensall parks board com- mittee has recommended to council that the committee have representation from the surrounding committees. The parks board requested representation from Hay and Tuckersmith townships who presently contribute $4,800 per year to the village for recreation. Stanley township con- tributes $1,000 a year for recreation and have said in the past that they're not interested in having a member on the board. Knight said under the present par ks board bylaw the township representatives would not be permitted a vote. A decline in revenues and higher costs will see the parks board over budget by $2,800, a report to council said. In other business, council; Went into a committee-of- the-whole to consider an application by General Home Systems to decrease their taxes in accordance with section 505a of the Municipal Act. Endorsed a resolution from the regional municipality of Peel which called for the licensing of mini bikes to control their noise levels. Filed a request from the Ontario Humane Society asking for research funds. Learned $40,000 has been received under the Ontario Home Renewal Program for 1980-81. Will send a letter to the owner of Elizabeth Court Apartments asking that tenants refrain from driving over a grass boulevard which the village is responsible for. Approved a request from the South Huron and district association for the Mentally handicapped for an ad- ditional $100 this year to cover the costs of a Hensall student who attends a school operated by the association, Learned an anti-rabies clinic will be held December 15 at the community centre under the auspices of Agriculture Canada. Learned two building permits totalling $2,500 had been issued in the month of October. AN AFTERNOON SNACK - Julie Woodhouse offers cheese and crackers to graduate stu- dent May (Vink) Horenberg and Director of Student Affairs Don Orth at Wednesday's Open House at Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. .T-A photo TALK ABOUT NUTRITION - At Wednesday's Open House at Centralia College of Agricultural Technology, Jean Cann of Exeter talks with students Dianne Scott, Joyce Burr and Martha DeWitte. T-A photo FOR A 1948 CANADIAN SILVER DOLLAR IN EXTRA FINE CONDITION. WE ALSO ,BUY OLD SILVER COINS FROM GERMANY, FRANCE, GREAT BRITAIN AND THE NETHERLANDS. BRING IN YOUR OLD STERLING SILVER OR SCRAP GOLD FOR CASH MONEY IN RETURN. DUE TO THE RECENT DROP OF SILVER AND GOLD PRICES ON THE WORLD MARKET THE FOLLOWING PRICES WILL BE PAID By SHELLEY McPHEE Redirecting anger and coping with hostility from oneself and others will be the topic of discussion when Women Today meet in Clinton Thursday, November 27. Susan McPhail from the Hawthorne Co-operative in London will speak on the subject at the 7:30 p.m. meeting. It will take place in 0 ace Where it's Christmas all year 'round Fall Hours OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK moo- 5:00 SANTA'S HOURS Saturdays and Sundays 12:30 to 2:30 WE CARRY • Gifts • Decorations • Children's Toys 0 Candles Hwy. 21 South in Grand Bend 238-2245 C riscimas Handling anger will be topic the Huron County Board of Education offices, situated at the corner of Albert and Princess Streets in Clinton. The Hawthorne Co- operative is a group that deals with counselling people who are faced with role changes in their family. The co-operative, for instance, advises women who are entering the work force to support a family and also Watch For our S unday Specials counsels men who are for- ced, or have chosen to remain in the home. Women Today is a recently formed Huron County net- work for women. The organization's aim is to communicate with women of all interests about current, topical issues that concern them. They are interested in educating, expanding their horizons and enhancing their professional and personal lives through informal group discussions, special guest speakers and slide presentations. Women Today welcomes women of all ages and in- terests to participate with the informally based group. The organization meets on a monthly basis and there are no membership requirements or fees needed to take part. $5.00 1966 and before- 25' $2.50 1966 and before- 10' . ..• • • $1.00 1967 25' • $1.75 1967 10' 70 1968...Silver 25' $ 1 .50 1960...Silver 10' .60 5$ Gold Canadian Proof Like Sets 98.00 10$ Gold Canadian Olympic Sets 5 75.00 20$ Gold ONE DAY ONLY ,FRI., NOV. 21,, 1980 AT LES PINES HOTEL - 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. MAIN STREET, EXETER PHONE 235-0151 1935-1937 1938 1939 1945 1946 1947 BT 1947 ML and PT 1948 1949 1950.1967 For 1967 and before 504 CANADIAN SILVER DOLLARS: '16.00 $40.00 $10.00 $150.00 '35.00 $70.00 '150.00 $900.00 '15.00 '10.00 2 1 .25 Gold Canadian 10$ 1912 and 1913 $500.00 Canadian 10$ 1914 $700.00 1967 Gold Set $375.00 1976 Unc. 100$ $ 1 60.00 1976 Proof 1005 $350.00 1977 Proof 100$ 5375.00 1978 Proof 100$ $350.00 1979 Proof 100$ $35 0.00 British ' 2 SOV 5 80.00 British 1 Soy 5 1 50.00 Canadian 5$ 1912 and 1913 $2 5 0.00 Canadian 5$ 1914 $700.00 Dollars 1935 and before 5 14.00 1964 and Before 50' 5 6.00 1964 and before 25' $3.00 1964 and before 10' '1.20 CANADIAN GOLD COINS: AMERICAN SILVER: AMERICAN GOLD: $140.00 $150.00 $170.00 $300.00 $700.00 •