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10 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012 Eden Mills - Guiness hopscotch record Students raise $22,000 for African school with Hopscotch 4 Hope It is official. The Guinness World Records has confirmed the Eden Mills Step Up 4 Change group now holds the record for the world's longest hopscotch course. Along with the record, three Eden Mills student activists, with help from the University of Guelph's Right To Play and Save the Children clubs, raised $22,000 cash and $28,000 in in-kind donations to help build a school in Kenya. After attending a Save the Children event, three girls from Eden Mills: Kory Melnick, 13, sister Robin, 11, and Kamari Brown Gain, 13, set up Step Up 4 Change, and with the University of Guelph clubs, built the longest hopscotch course in the world ­ 5.506-kms of hopscotch squares that snaked through the village ­ long enough to beat the 5.284-km record holder, set in Slovenia in 2010. On October 1, the students staged a Hopscotch 4 Hope event in Eden Mills, when approximately 850 people hopped, skipped, walked, jumped and ran the course, collecting pledge money, enjoying the food and entertainment and silent auction. One of the organizers, Kory Melnick said they received an e-mail telling them they'd broken the record and last week received an official Guinness certification. Melnick said while they didn't realize how much paperwork was involved in a Guinness challenge, "in our minds we had it (the record) as soon as we laid out the hopscotch course," she said on Monday, adding the event would not have been a success without all of the help and in-kind donations they received, including paint, Tshirts and food. What's next for the three Eden Mills students? "Karmari, Robin and I all hope to get to Kenya one day, so I think that when that project has met its point ­ that we've really kind of succeeded in doing it, then we can move on to another challenge," Melnick said. GUINNESS RECORD BREAKERS: Three Eden Mills girls and University of Guelph students who helped stage Hopscotch 4 Hope in Eden Mills this fall, helped break the Guinness World Book of Records entry for longest hopscotch course to raise money for a school in Kenya. The Hopscotchers include, back from left: Erin Glaysher, Zakiya Pirani (Right To Play), Natalie Binette, Heather Goldring and Jeffrey Friesen (Free The Children). Front: Robin Melnick, Kamari Brown Gain and Kory Melnick of Eden Mills (Step UP 4 Change). ­ Submitted photo Tax hike below rate of inflation for Guelph-Eramosa Council to vote on `reasonable' 2.8 per cent blended tax hike on Tuesday Guelph/Eramosa Township Council is poised to approve operating and capital budgets that translate to an extra $111 on the total County, Township and school board tax bill this year. The Township's tax increase is 7.4 per cent, but when blended with the County and school board tax increases, it results in a 2.8 per cent tax increase. Township Finance manager Linda Cheyne told the five ratepayers who attended a public budget meeting on Monday that the average taxpayer would pay $4,010 for Township, County and school board taxes this year. Cheyne said the Township needs $4.7-million in tax dollars to support the budget which earmarks 51-cents of each tax dollar on public works, including roads. "About 21-cents is spent on protection to persons and property ­ that's your fire department, your canine control bylaw...and about 16-cents of every dollar goes to parks and rec," Cheyne said, adding the remainder is spent on planning and administration. After each department head presented highlights of their spending plans, Cheyne said the budget includes $6.3-million in capital spending, and approximately $4-million of that is for water and wastewater services which are growth-related, and will be paid for with Development Charges. She said they will spend $1.7-million on roads this year, most of it for upgrades. Accused of playing favourites by Eramosa resident Eric Huber, who suggested that 75 per cent of the capital budget would be spent in Rockwood, Mayor Chris White said the "vast majority of this budget ­ 60 to 70 per cent ­ is [for] roads and bridges," and that Rockwood residents "weren't getting any services they didn't pay for." After the meet- Check out our upcoming FREE workshops: Living Well with Diabetes Rockwood: Thursday, March 1st 6:30 ­ 8:00pm Carbohydrates and You Erin: Erin: Wednesday, March 7th 6:30-8:00pm Thursday, March 8th, 6:30-8:00pm Thursday, March 29th, 6:30-8:00pm Pre-Diabetes: Your Chance to Change the Future Diabetes, Sodium & Fat. Oh, my! ing Huber said he was satisfied with the budget presented by staff and councillors. After the meeting, White said the tax increase was "unfortunate, but reasonable" and if they tried to reduce it further, it would "come back to bite us" as fuel and asphalt costs increase, and they try to keep up with aging infrastructure. Guelph/Eramosa Township resident Erik Stern had high praise for the Township's proposed budget. "I continue to be impressed by this council ­ (with) the way they work and they way they focus on the whole picture while providing necessary services at a reasonable cost," Stern said. Councillor Doug Breen said "hats off to the County" and the school boards for keeping their tax rates low enough to give the Township some spending flexibility. He said the Township's increasing share of the tax dollar, now 22 per cent, makes things "less bleak than they were in 1998 when he took office. Budget highlights · The Township will receive $579,700 in provincial funding · $92,000 will be saved through reduced insurance premiums · $50,000 will be put in a new insurance reserve for future claims · Employees get a 2.9 per cent cost of living increase · $80,500 will buy new bunker gear and portable radios for the fire department · Rockwood tennis court reconstruction will cost $121,000 · $1.4-million to reconstruct Jones Baseline Road from Mill Road to County Road 124 Join EWFHT and the Canadian Diabetes Association Dietitian and Cookbook author, Sharon Zeiler, via the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN), to learn how to read product labels & make healthier food choices at home and on the go. Erin: Thursday March 22nd, 6:30-8:30 pm CONCERT IN THE HALL Featuring the Jazz sounds of Better Sleep Learn how to fall asleep, or back to sleep, more easily and about clearing the mind of unproductive self-talk, worry and mental chatter Rockwood: Thursday, March 22nd, 6:30-8:30pm You must pre-register by either calling 519-833-7576 ext. 341 or by going to www.ewfht.ca and clicking on "Workshops" All Erin sessions are held at the Erin Wellness Centre, 6 Thompson Cres.; all Rockwood sessions are held at 175 Alma Street "SIDEBAR" Friday February 24th - 7:30pm 112 Main Street, Rockwood Refreshments will be available Free-Will offering would be appreciated St John's Parish Hall 519-856-9211