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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007 9THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 20078 Acton Citizens Band Christmas Concert ??????????????????????????????? Bethel Christian Reform Church Sunday Dec. 16 2:00pm A wide variety of Christmas music, Carol singing, Refreshments Donations to Acton Food Share gratefully accepted Celebrations come because of something good, Celebrations we like to recall. Mary had a baby boy in Bethlehem. Greatest celebration of them all. Sandy Patty Were celebrating. Are you? Merry Christmas Blue Springs Funeral Home ? ? To the editor, I want to say thanks for the wonderful evening on Tuesday night, Nov. 27 at the Legion. We enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner and delightful music. Thanks to the Legion and Rotary for all the work that went into preparing it for us. It was lovely. An appreciative senior, Betty Holmes Appreciates seniors dinner To the editor, As a local mother with two children under the age of three, Im often behind in my reading. With that in mind I recently tackled a pile of The New Tanner back is- sues. As a result I would like to thank The New Tanner for their article in the August 2, 2007 edition highlighting the Harm Reduction Model currently being used to ad- dress substance abuse in our community. The front cover article outlined many of the great services provided by the Peer Outreach Support Services and Education Project (POS- SE) including: help(ing) local youth deal with sexually transmitted diseases, harm reduction, human rights, discrimination, support and crisis intervention. Your ar- ticle motivated me to learn more about this program and become more involved in my community. But now that I have researched this topic both online and in the community, it seems very important not to confuse the Harm Reduction Model of care with simply pay(ing) for crack kits as the article suggested. Harm Reduction works to address the negative effects of needle use (which includes both steroids and illicit drugs) with a individual before that person may have the capacity to do by themselves. So it is an early intervention model of service that seeks to assist those persons who are at risk or already using needles. In other words, rather than wait- ing for problems to begin or ever worsen, such as failing at school, job loss, engaging in criminal activity, or even committing suicide, it engages in the individual now. Moreover Harm Reduction is a program used successfully across Canada to minimize the negative health effects of needles based on drug use. As noted in the article by Acton Councillor Clark Somerville even a single person con- tracting Hepatitis C or AIDS cost so much more than this program in both individual and societal terms. The irony is that unlike some other pro- grams, the success of Harm Reduction is often difficult to quantify since it intervenes before issues aggravate. Its success will often result in fewer persons requiring the service. But this is only one aspect of POSSEs involvement in our community. A quick stop by their office revealed their support of the communitys youth in many thoughtful and resourceful ways. How they give youth voice through a magazine produced by and for kids, as well as via more traditional methods such as regional committees, HIV conferences and Youth/Police outreach forums. As well, they supply food vouchers and crisis intervention, support diversity and provide a hub for the youth community. Again, I would like to thank The New Tanner for giving me the opportunity to learn about the POSSE Project. Particularly in a town such as ours where so many of the regional and town services are not locally provided, having a service such as this nearby supporting our your and com- munity is certainly a great resource. Melinda Brown, Acton POSSEs work in community often difficult to quantify CANCER FIGHTERS: The Paul Murr Memorial Golf Tournament Committee presented a cheque to the Acton branch of the Canadian Cancer Society for a record $62,000 on Wednesday, Dec. 5, bringing their 23 year total to $658,000, for all reciepts from their annual tournament. In front, Shirley Dye, left, and Kathy Gerrow, right, accept the cheque from Allan Hall. In back are other members of the committee including Ron Heller, Wade Vickery, George McPhail, Ray Gaudet, Fred Reinders and Tim Ware. Absent were John McNabb, Jon Hurst and Bev Mattocks. - submitted photo To the editor, I read with interest the ar- ticle regarding the Traffic calming light on Main St. North in Rockwood. I think that this light has been installed at the wrong end of town. Huge trucks, buses, etc. come bar- reling through Main St. South at 80 km/h or more, and that is also a 50 km/h zone. The amusing thing is that the Traffic calming light in Main St. North is right across the road from the OPP office and people are not likely to be speeding past there in any case. I have phoned the OPP a few times regarding the speeding traffic on Main St. South to no avail. I guess they will wait until some child walking home from school gets killed before anything is done about it. M. Kirk, Main St., Rockwood Traffic light in wrong place To the editor, The door-to-door canvass- ing for the Arthritis Society, organized by the Knights of Columbus, collected a grand total of $3,200 in Acton and its environs this fall, a record. On behalf of the society, I want to express my sincere thanks to the canvassers and all people who donated money for the fight against Arthri- tis. Jos Bosboom, R.R.2, Acton Arthritis Society says thanks The Prosperity One Chari- table Foundation is pleased to partner with the Halton Learn- ing Foundation as part of their Adopt a School Program. McKenzie-Smith Bennett School in Acton was selected to receive $2,000 to support their expanded breakfast program. This program was piloted early in 2007, feed- ing over 150 children twice a week. With this additional funding, the school plans to expand their program to four days a week. Sharon French, principal of McKenzie-Smith Ben- nett remarked, Thank you Prosperity One Charitable Foundation for this gener- ous donation to support our breakfast program. We know that research supports the importance of nutrition in development of the brain. Our staff appreciates the positive tone that the breakfast sets, as approximately 200 students drop in for a healthy start to their day. Quite simply, this is good for the kids, said Brad Clem- ents, chair of Prosperity One Charitable Foundation. You cant expect children to learn the three Rs without having breakfast. By expanding the existing breakfast program, this will allow more children the opportunity to share that first important meal of the day together, which gets them started off the right way. Wed like to thank Pros- perity Ones Foundation for partnering with us to ensure that these students are ready to learn children who eat nu- tritious breakfasts and snacks perform better in school, said Susan Busby, chair, Halton Learning Foundation. Prosperity One, MSB partner Whats Your Beef? Put it in a letter to the Editor! Deadline is Tuesday at noon. Dear Editor, I just wanted to let everyone know that the final tally is finally in for the Acton Golf Classic tournament held at the end of August at the Acton Golf Club. Although we had a small group of only 14 par- ticipants in the tournament, we were able to raise $897.29. This tournament was a fund- raiser for diabetes research for the Canadian Diabetes Association. I would like to thank all donors, both per- sonal donors, as well as local businesses, volunteers & of course the golfers themselves for making this tournament a success. We look forward to seeing everyone again at next years tournament. Jordan Burton Acton Golf Classic Small group raise big bucks for diabetes