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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,September 28, 2010 OPINION Giving kids While there may be only a handful of winning candidates in the upcoming municipal election responsible for making our community a better place, there are numerous youth who accomplish this each day, without recognition. These extraordinary young people intuitively understand what the word `community' is really about and selflessly give their time to various causes, making them community leaders in their own right. These young people are all over this community-- volunteering with local groups, churches and sports teams. It's just a matter of picking them out of the crowd. This newspaper strongly supports the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards so we can provide recognition for such outstanding young people who are, and will continue to be, fine examples of leaders in our community. The awards program is co-ordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA), of which we're a member, and sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group and Direct Energy. Any Ontario resident, aged 6-17, is eligible to receive an Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award. Help us by nominating an individual in one of four areas: · A person involved in worthwhile community service · A special young person contributing to their community while living with a physical or psychological limitation · An individual who has performed an act of heroism in the past year · Good kids who show a commitment to make life better for others and do more than is normally expected of someone their age. Each nominee will receive a certificate of recognition. Up to 12 nominees will be chosen as the final recipients of the provincial award and will be invited to a special ceremony held in Niagara Falls next spring. Nomination deadline for the awards is November 30. Nomination forms are available at www.ocna.org or by calling the OCNA at 905639-8720, ext. 239. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Where do you stand on the gun registry issue? · The registry should be abolished (58%) · The registry should be maintained (41%) · Undecided (1%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Testing system is needed for cyclists Dear editor, Re: Share the road (Sept. 7 editorial) Giving rights and privileges to some people without responsibility will always cause trouble. This can be worsened when there is a lack of equality. Currently people operating motorized vehicle have a number of responsibilities that people riding bikes do not. Ideally people in motorized vehicles have to prove and maintain competency (through the licensing system) and have to have insurance in case things go wrong. If they fail to do so then they can have their privileges taken away. To my knowledge there is currently no system in place to ensure the competency of bike riders, test their understanding of road laws or restrict their privileges if needed. Maybe the incidents this summer are proof that it is time to change that. If bike riders truly want to be legitimate and equal users of roadways, then perhaps it is time they were given responsibilities along with their privileges. Jamie Deforest, Georgetown Support appreciated Dear editor, On August 22, I participated in a motorcycle ride for the Reach Out Centre for Kids to raise money to help the children on the waiting list get help faster. The current waiting list is three years with over 800 children waiting for assistance. With a rainy day and only half the riders as last year $4,000 was raised. I would like to thank the following for their generous donations: Georgetown Boston Pizza who provided a rest stop and food for the riders, Dorri Bland at Downtown Spa & Relaxation Centre, Gemnastics, Rosey Toes Motorcycle Shop, the Krause Family, Arnold, Foster, LLP, my coworkers, mom, Cindy, Dad, Joanne, Beth, Randy, Shanaya & Kerri. Elisa Alexander, Georgetown Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone 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. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. AA changes lives Dear editor, Wow, five years sober. Who would have thought? I am a male in his mid-40s whose The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and 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. life was spiralling out of control. Alcohol had taken complete control of my life. I'm sorry to say I used to drink and drive every day; that was my normal. Throw in a nasty crack habit and you have a recipe for disaster. To this day I'm not sure why I decided to walk in the crisis centre at the hospital. I guess I couldn't take it anymore. I never wanted to admit I was an alcoholic but once I did and joined Alcoholics Anonymous I found I had the strength to say no to my crack habit as well. I am so happy today to have my life back. It doesn't bother me to say I am an alcoholic because I realize it is a sickness. I have no desire to drink and the only time I think about it is when I think of how happy I am that it's not a part of my life. Alcohol affects people of all ages and if you think you have a problem AA works-- I am living proof. All you need to join AA is a desire to stop drinking. Our local phone number is 1-866-715-0005 and the website is www.aanorthhaltonerin.org. I don't need to thank my friends at AA as they already know how grateful I am. I would like to thank all the organizations who allow us to have our meetings in their facilities. Without these rooms I don't know where we'd be. Name withheld