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6 The IFP · Halton Hills, Thursday, January 19, 2012 OPINION Give THE gift We know a great way to start off the new year -- donate blood. Why? The need for blood and blood products is constant and you could save a life. You never know what's waiting for you around every corner. Life is full of uncertainties. And sometimes, the uncertainty of needing the gift of life -- blood -- may be knocking at your doorstep. For those of you who have been involved in a life-threatening accident or required a life-saving surgery, you'll know well the importance of donating to Canadian Blood Services, a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. For those who haven't need to rely on its services, there's always a possibility that you may need to one day. Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood, according to Canadian Blood Services. Many treatments and procedures require blood products from multiple donors. A person who has been involved in a serious accident may require 50 units or 50 donations of blood, while a leukemia patient may require eight units a week. According to a recent poll, 52 per cent of Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment. The good news is that one blood donation -- in just one hour -- can save a life. Canadian Blood Services operates 43 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. A variety of blood donor clinics are held regularly throughout the year and are usually announced by Canadian Blood Services in advance. To donate, you must be at least 17 years of age, in general good health and feeling well on the day of your donation. Appointments are preferred but walkins are also accepted. Call 1-888-2366283 to give the gift of life. Remember, the gift of life is in you to give. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an 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: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor Focus of liberal council all wrong Dear editor, While industrial buildings lay empty and opportunities are lost to other more aggressive municipal players with foresight, our mayor and council can only think to raise taxes. Efforts are obviously better spent improving the non-existent tourism business, funding failing gymnastic clubs and those all-important consultants! Taxes, taxes, taxes and minute job creation from our liberal-minded mayor and council. Paul Madonia, Georgetown charges a fraction of what's needed to maintain this long, winding, narrow road. Here is a thought for Mr. Bennett and the Town: The ones complaining should sell and move to Cuba. Taxes are cheap, nothing is "for profit" and it doesn't snow. The Town, if they continue this subsidized maintenance, should extend it to others. We share a laneway to our Queen Street homes off Albert Street and want the same deal these people get. It is ridiculous for these people to complain about the deal of the century. They should have paid the cheap rate they were being charged and kept quiet. Dan Purdy, Georgetown cially throughout the year and this program helps to relieve some of the pressures during the holiday season. This program involves many hours of preparation in order to be successful and relies on countless hours of volunteer time, as well as the time spent by our wonderful sponsors, who generously shop for specific children and donate the clothing to our program. Two schools-- Stewarttown Public School and St. Brigid Catholic School-- donated toys to add to the clothing hampers and their generosity is very much appreciated. We would also like to thank everyone who provided monetary and gift item donations. We could not provide this program without the support from our community. The families who receive assistance through the Holiday Hamper Program are very grateful and are often overwhelmed when they come to pick up their hampers. It is an amazing sight to see the look of relief in their faces when they pick up their hampers and see that they will have gifts for their children to put under the tree. Cathy Gerrow, Community Support Program Co-ordinator Bennett Pl. residents enjoyed a good deal Dear editor, I read the Jan. 5 story (Town, private road residents at odds over maintenance fee) and decided to go to Glen Williams and see for myself. These people have no idea how good they had it. No way the Town Thanks for Hamper help Dear editor, Thanks to the generosity of 149 sponsors and many financial donors, 203 families in Halton Hills benefited from the Links2Care Holiday Hamper Program this past Christmas. A total of 420 children, aged 18 and under, received gifts of new clothing and toys. There are many lower income families in our community who struggle finan- 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.