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Pa ge 6 T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 29 , 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Coun- cil, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Community citizens Letters to the editor Will the low Canadian dollar affect your winter travel plans? • No (50%) • Yes (50%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 classified@theifp.ca Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. Knox Concert aids local artists Family grateful for Realtor's help Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: cvernon@metroland.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters policy Community has been defined as "a group of people liv- ing in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common; a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. A picture of the Halton Hills should be beside this definition in the dictionary, because day in and day out, the citizens of this town embody the word "community." Take the Georgetown neighbours of Rob and Sharon Jesus-- they took on the job of organizing a fundraising dance for the local family dealing with a medical crisis. The Valentine's Fundraiser Dance featuring The Wheat Kings (a Tragically Hip cover band) will be held on Fri- day, Feb. 13, 8 p.m. at Nashville North. This local business stepped up to the plate, donating their venue and paying for the band. Another example is CAShh (Cancer Assistance Ser- vides of Halton Hills), a vital non-profit organization that is celebrating 15 years of serving more than 2,500 people, who too have had to deal with a cancer diagnosis. In 2014, 59 drivers volunteered their time and made 1,901 trips to and from doctors and hospital appointments, contributed 7,913 hours and travelled 199,653 kms to help CAShh clients. Over 280 canvassers and coordina- tors volunteered their time to knock on doors during the April "Give Where You Live" residential campaign and helped raise over $111,000. Well done, community. Just this past weekend, volunteers in Acton worked together to host the BIA-sponsored Acton Winter Carni- val to provide fun and laughter for children and adults alike in the middle of an unrelenting winter. The Georgetown Lions Club is looking for that per- son, couple or organization to honour as Georgetown's Citizen of the Year. The award can be given to an indi- vidual, couple, group or organization that has served our community as an outstanding volunteer, in sports, cul- ture, health or social services. To nominate an outstanding volunteer, send a letter or if you prefer use a Lions application form and return it to Lions Club Citizen of the Year, P.O. Box 73, Georgetown, L7G 4T1 or email dpenrice1@gmail.com by February 20. This is your chance to truly recognize someone in our community that makes a difference in the lives of many in our town. We would like to thank all who made our 4th Annual Artist Benefit Concert a success. We gratefully acknowledge the brilliant perform- ers and artists who gave freely of their time. We thank everyone who attended this event and helped in our yearly effort to assist local talent. We also thank Sobeys, Giant Tiger and No Frills for providing food and funds for the refreshments, and The Acton Tanner and The Georgetown Independent & Free Press for the great publicity. This year the featured performer was Dr. George Elliott, winner of the 2014 Ralph Ursel Award for volunteerism, presented by the Cul- tural Centre, Town of Halton Hills. Dr. Elliott is also the esteemed leader of the Acton Citizens' Band, music director of Trinity United Church and a member of the Acton Heritage Society. The winners of the art competition are, Kendall Meth (6-9 age group); Elly Sweezie for drawing and Cora Bailey for writing (10-13). They each received a Giant Tiger gift card. The free-will offering from the concert will be used to help local artists to further their education or skills. This is a way that we are able to help! We encourage your readers in Last summer my family and I moved from Georgetown to B.C. My parents, who were also my neighbours, also made the move a few months later. All the while my dad was fight- ing cancer, a move he wanted to make for my mom, a last gift to her to leave her with family when he could no longer go on. Unfortunately, their house took longer to sell than anticipated and they decided to move before it sold. A decision that turned out to be the right one as my dad declined every day and passed away less than three months after leaving Georgetown. Thankfully, after interviewing several local agents, we had decided to trust Ray Chesher OPINION the Acton area who have a passion for any of the arts to apply for financial help from the Artist Assistance Fund. An application form is available from Knox Presbyterian Church, 44 Main St. N. Acton, 519-853-2360. Completed applications must be returned to the church by April 30, 2015. Many thanks, Knox Presbyterian Church Acton from HeyRay.ca and his team to sell our homes. A decision we would not regret. Ray turned out to be the complete package: a professional, upbeat, trustworthy, down-to-earth, get-the- job-done kind of guy but luckily for us also a man with compassion and integrity. While we were so far away, dealing with our own life is- sues, Ray and his team picked up the ball. They looked over the unsold home and after some time got it sold. But the story does not end there and Ray continued to be loyal. Several problems oc- curred before closing and had to be dealt with. In fact, even after closing, Ray and his team continued to take care of us on an issue in- volving a repair. We really felt like we were in good hands. We would like to thank Ray (and his team) for always having our back. My dad would have been proud!  The Stamm'ler Family