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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 9, 20 20 | 8 We care about your hearing! Professional Arts Building 99 Sinclair Ave., Suite 210, Georgetown 905-873-6642 Serving the community of Halton Hills and surrounding areas since 1992 The Georgetown In Ontario, the Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners was derived from the former Ontario Hearing Aid Association and the Association of Hearing Aid Dispensers. As the Professional Association for practitioners in Ontario it outlines provision for registration, which includes the requirement of education and competency standards, sponsors the most strict code of ethics in the industry and enforces sound grievance and ethics procedures. The Hearing Clinic is proud to adhere to the strict regulations and guidelines put forth by the Association. For more information feel free to call.… . . . Lend MeYour Ears HEARING INSTRUMENT PRACTITIONERS By Cory Soal R.H.A.D. You may have heard that LifeLabs recently experienced a cyber-attack involving unauthorized access to some of its computer systems that contain customer information. LifeLabs serves customers in our service centres, but also on behalf of hospitals, medical clinics, private and public lab providers. Steps you can take to safeguard your information: • Any individual who is concerned about this incident can receive one free year of cyber security protection services that include dark web monitoring and identity theft insurance. • For more information about how to activate these services, please visit: customernotice.lifelabs.com or call our dedicated customer care line at 1-888-918-0467 We are sorry that this happened. As we manage through this issue, we remain focused on the best interests of our customers. You entrust us with important health information, and we take that responsibility very seriously. Community Notice town, with eight along Mountainview Road, two in front of King Cove plaza on Guelph Street and two in Dominion Gardens Park. The local woman says she was in- spired by a similar program she saw in a Wasaga Beach Facebook group. With a Christmas gift of $150 tucked in her pocket, she decided to use the funds to pay it forward, and Project Warmth was born. "I've been involved in charitable things before, and I know that a lot of the time people hesitate to take the things they need," she said. "So I thought by putting the items randomly out there in the community, it will make it easier and a bit more anony- mous." Ogger reports that she's received a wonderful response from the commu- nity so far, with several people offering to donate items for her care packages. Although homelessness is largely hidden in affluent Halton, Ogger noted Project Warmth isn't necessarily tar- geting that issue, but rather people who are temporarily displaced or struggling to make ends meet. "When you're living hand to mouth, even buying those types of items is a challenge," she said. The challenges some local residents face in this regard were revealed in the latest statistics put forth by Halton Re- gion, which indicate that 1,925 house- holds were supported in 2018 by the municipality's homelessness preven- tion services - an increase from 1,746 in 2017. An enumeration conducted in 2018 also showed that 271 people were expe- riencing homelessness in Halton, up slightly from the last count done in 2016 that identified 264 individuals. "Homelessness is an extremely complex issue with a multitude of con- tributing factors that can include lack of affordable or assisted housing, phys- ical and mental health challenges, sub- stance use, family breakdown and eco- nomic hardships," said Halton com- missioner of social and community services Alex Sarchuk during a discus- sion on the issue at council. Back in Georgetown, the local mother is thrilled to see that some of the care packages have already been taken. She plans to replenish the items weekly throughout the cold months of winter and also expand to areas like the downtown core and the bus stops in front of the Georgetown Marketplace. "So far, it's been a great experience," she said. "I tell my kids that life is short - you have to be kind." For more information on Project Warmth or to become involved, contact alisa_ogger@hotmail.com. NEWS Continued from page 1 PROJECT WARMTH ENJOYING GREAT SUPPORT STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After hearing about Project Warmth through the social media grapevine, we connected with Alisa Ogger on the new initiative that will benefit vulnerable local residents. "When you're living hand to mouth, even buying those types of items is a challenge." - Alisa Ogger