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Arts and Ideas Seniors Sctiool News the HERALD- SECTION B Wednesday November 27 1991 E HILLS Jane B Palmer Youth Page Entertainment Oscar is not a grouch to senior citizens By ISA POT The Herald Oscar is a name associated with the grouch on Sesame Street But to seniors at the Bennett Centre in Georgetown Oscar a golden beacon of light love and happiness into their lives This Oscar is a year old Lab cross who along his owner Deborah Newell of Georgetown make weekly visits to their friends at the Bennett Centre It obvious that Oscar and Ms Newell enjoy the Tuesday night visits as much as the residents spends the night gambolling from person to person earning a pat here and giving a nuzzle there While Oscar keeps busy with the doting affection of the seniors Ms Newell is passing around home- baked cookies presenting a thday cake to help celebrate a residents birthday or just chatting with the residents about every day things It s more like a family reunion than a visit which is exactly the way Oscar and Ns Newell like it I feel so close to these people they have so much to give said Ms Newell Oscar and I get as much from therfi as they ve told me they get from us A perfect symbiotic relationship is what has developed from its initial inception almost four years ago when Ms Newell acquired the dog from a neighbor who no longer wanted Oscar A keen lover of animals Ms Newell couldn t resist Oscar s af fctionate nature but soon found the dogs constant need for affection overwhelming I think he had been very starved for affection and it seemed no mat ter how long I patted him and played with him it was never enough admits Ms Newell So she decided to shire Oscar love and gentleness After reading an article about programs in institutional settings Ms Newell got the that Oscars love of humans could be used to give some joy to people who really need it Soon after she approached Kelly Herbert the Bennett Centres director of resident care who got caught up in Ms Newell en She s such a marvellous person She understands how important pets are to people and wanted to share her pet said Ms Herbert Three- and a half years later Ms Herbert still has nothing but praise for Oscar and Ms Newell hey re just wonderful Ad jectives can describe the warmth of feeling and presence they bnng here We re always extending our thanks to Ms Newell because she has given so much she said But Ms Newell want thanks I don do this as some sort of volunteer chanty I forward to coming here she honestly revealed These people are my friends I feel so attached to them we talk as if we re family It may be a strange family a dog a young woman and over long term care residents but it s a loving and caring family The best kind Oscar a Golden Retr ever cross and his owner Deborah Newell centre of Georgetown have become fast friends with Wheeler left and Bill Gibbs right and many other res dents at the Bennett Health Care Centre located Oscar and Deborah have been visiting residents weekly for almost four years and Deborah says she and Oscar get as much from the visits as the residents do Herald Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel Pot School bus noshow raises mothers ire By LISA BOONSTOPPEL POT The Herald A Georgetown mother said her child s school bus has gone from being late to dangerous and she wants something done Kelly of Normandy Boulevard in Georgetown said the bus that takes her child and others in the area to Harrison Public School is usually late and one day didn t show up at all I m scared something will hap pen to the children who wait there for the bus to come she said I know I sound paranoid but in this day and age parents can afford not to be paranoid Her concerns came to a head last Wednesday when the bus didn t show up at all All the kids who wait at that bus stop are in Grade or younger and most parents don t wait for the bus to show up just leave their kids there she said When the bus didn t show up I took my son and two other children whom I didn know to school I couldn just leave them there But what would have happened if I d been in an accident with those kids she wondered Ms said she called Harrison Public School to complain about the sen ice but anted to call the Herald to make sure the issue goes public Max Jackson principal of Harrison Public School admits there was a problem with the bus route but said he s confident it being looked after I contacted the Halton Board of lift 2d I A III Cheque presentation The Georgetown and and Acton Sen or presented the cheques ng Monday s Assoc ations have Sid more to use in their town meeting to Georgetown seniors attempt to establish sen centres their respec Assoc at on represents Los and Acton communities The mo was raised through a seniors on representat ve Gerald char golf tournament organized by P ctured above left to are town Mayor Reg on Chairman Peter this past summer Milter Mr Rennie Mr and Chairman it Blue Spr nqs Go Club n Acton Chairman Pomeroy Photo Education s Transportation Depar and track down the reason for the lateness he said Reg itoszkin is the sportation Officer for the Board and he said were working now to make sure the problem is being rec Though he received am calls from parents he knows the particular bus routeiRoute3l2has been experiencing problems and sud there are a number of reasons for the s One of the reasons is that the bus drivers on Route 312 hae to first complete a bus route for Georgetown Distnct High School which begins at 7 a The bus dmers then start the Harrison School bus route at 20 a Some of the lateness is due to the double route Another reason the bus was often lite was that one of the two bus assigned to the route had difficulties keeping on schedule Mr To rectify the problem we re starting both routes five minutes sooner and keeping in eve on that route to make sure its working As for the di the bus never showed up that w is because the bus owned the Hilton School Transit broke down and was unable to communicate to its base he said Because the bus driver couldn t reach the mam office thecompan t aware of the problem got a call from Harrison Public School said Mr As soon as thev the bus company thev sent another bus down the route to pick up anv kids that were still waiting Now that the situation has been investigated Mr itoszkin said he longer sees the situation as a con tinual problem But Ms wonders if the re having so many problems getting kids to school on time why doesn t the transportation depart ment put another bus on the route Mr Witoszkin said it just comes down to cost We save a lot of monev if we can hire one bus to do two routes in stead of hiring two buses he said He also dismisses Ms concerns that bus lateness could contribute to child abductions The parents are responsible for their children until they get on the bus he stated Due to unforeseen mechanical problems and weather conditions we can t guarantee the buses will be on schedule and it sup the parents to look after their kids before the bus picks them up Unacceptable increase Georgetown Halton Board of Education trustee Dick said a forecast of the board ex which reveals a possible percent cost increase is The preliminary expenditure forecast amounts to million an increase of per cent over the budget Supenntendant of Business Ser vices for the Board Jerry Jenkins stated in his report that in order to prepare a preliminary forecast the following assumptions were made inflation staying at five per cent for supplies services and books no change in enrollment for 1992 and that salaries be adjusted for economic increases He also states the forecast t include costs of year programs or any new requests for 1992