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"A Family Tradition for 130 Years" To the Editor: Last Thursday my daughter had her coat stolen from Port Perry High School. After work- ing part-time all fall, she had saved enough money and had bought the coat two days before this happened. In the few seconds it took someone to steal a coat from a locker, they changed a situation that should have made my daughter feel proud and given her self-esteem, to make her feel discouraged and helpless. That is why I am writing; are we helpless? After speaking to the school staff and other stu- Disabled children forgotten by Tories To the Editor: Iam a parent of a child with a serious physical and develop- mental disability who lives at home. This would not be possi- ble without the in-home sup- port we receive through Special Services at Home (SSAH), a program from the Ministry of Community and Social Servic- es. When it came time for our an- nual renewal however, we were cut by 50 per cent. I have been told that no family served by the Peterborough Area Office will receive over the $10,000 "guide- line ceiling" upon renewal, even though these families represent only 3 per cent of those who re- ceive SSAH fundingin our area, and even though they are recog- nized by the area office as those with the highest needs. If you are known to be the most in need, you get a 50 per cent cut. If you are known not to have the greatest need you might get cut, but by a lesser percentage. And if youlive in an institution or group home, you geta 5 per centcut. : If they'd used a dart board to pick the 16sers it would have had a random logic but to target only those families with the greatest need who live in the community clearly states the government's priorities, and our kids aren'tit. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten SANTA'S ON HIS WAY SO MERRY CHRISTMAS As | write this column late Friday afternoon, just days before Christmas, a trace of snow is beginning to swirl outside my office window, the first sign we _ et enjoy a white Christmas. Rr. abd filled with Christmas gifts and bundled against the cold wind, can be seen strug- gling to the parking lot behind the post office to stash their gifts, then retuming to Queen St. for another load. There's a constant flow of traffic across the street as cars pull up and drivers rush into the liquor store to stock up for the festive season. Yes, Christmas is finally in the air. To be exact, LETTERS Thief erases daughter's hard work dents I got the impression that theft among students is com- mon, almost an accepted part of high school life. That is more unsettling than the loss of an expensiveitem. Maybe, given human nature, we can't stop all the actions of people with this low life mental- ity, but don't let it become an ac- cepted part of our lives. Stu- "dents find it too easy to look the other way, not to get involved if it doesn't involve them. Parents should question where new items come from; all these coats, shoes and school The 28 families with the greatest need are hearing the message that providing ade- quate support to our children is not important, despite the "community" rhetoric of Minis- ter Janet Ecker. We are being told to suffer quietly or give up. I want to join forces with the others in this bizarre Catch 22, and make the minister account- Dr. Jones sends greeting Tothe Editor: I thank you for your indul- gence in allowing me to convey my best wishes to my former pa- tients and thank them for their cards and kind comments. It has been challenging to move to a new country, and your kind- nesses have been very suppor- tive. ' As well, myself, Allynne, and our children would like to wish our neighbors and all oun friends in hockey, softball, the schools, Delta Fitness, the hos- pital, Country Style, and the Medical Associates staff our bags must be showing up some- where. : It is hard to resist buying a stolen item because the price is so good, but that makes us just as much part of the problem as the student who stole it. I know this letter won't get my daughter's coat back, but if it gets parents and students to open their eyes, maybe even talk about the situation, it shouldn't be so easy for the next thief to just take what someone else worked hard for. Colleen Park, Port Perry able for this insanity. Would those who receive or did receive about $10,000 in SSAH funding through the Peterborough Area Office please contact me at 905- 686-0630. Together we can fight for fair- ness for our kids. J Dawn Roper, evening, f : Ajax 9. frantically t taken care Having b day, because 25th. I'm sure n compliments of the season. We now, and 0 miss Port Perry and all of you > who made our stay there a great chapterin our lives. We'd also like to thank Peter and the Star for keeping us up- dated about our "home" and our friends there. "Go Port Go" - "Go MoJacks Go!" We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that 1997 will bring you health, joy and happiness. Keepin touch! we're at the ti Gordon Jones MD, atic This Allynne, Andrea, Chris for happiness, and Tim Jones, | 10.0 NOW. oo Meadville, Pa. | To the many co Fax your letters: 985-3708 week, my sincere writers of letters. here, it's a ple advertisers, who r department. All the best to € there's just five days as | write this, and by the time from this paper reaches the homes of our readers, Christmas Eve will be upon us. How did it get here so fast? Where has the time gone? : It seems like only yesterday the kids were beg- ging me to put up the tree, and that was three weeks ago. Their constant prodding and whining finally broke me down, so our tree went up almost two weeks earlier than is traditional in our household. ; But quite honestly, I've enjoyed having the tree up earlier this year, so it will no doubt become the "new" tradition within our house. Christmas is a great time of the year, and one of the things | like most about the season is the change it brings about in people. People seem to be friendlier and more sincere at Christmas than any other time of the year. It's not uncommon to walk down the street and be wished Merry Christmas by a dozen people the last week before the big day, and the greetings come not only " mally Christ