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•The IFP• H alton H ills, Thursd ay, S ep tem b er 25, 2014 5 Italian Leather Purses 360 Guelph St., Unit 51, Georgetown 905-703-4822 www.mipiacefashion.comMi Piace Fashion Smell It, Feel It, Love It! retail prices everyday 50-60 % SMELL IT, FEEL IT, LOVE IT!!!! Direct Importers from Italy Saving You OFF NEW ARRIVALS STRAIGHT FROM ITALY! EXTENDED HOURS - 4 DAYS ONLY! October 8-11, 2014 10am-6pm To accommodate pent up demand Host a HOUSE PARTY or FUNDRAISER earn 10% SMELL IT, FEEL IT, LOVE IT!!! Continued from pg. 1 years and employs 230 full and part-time staff. "We're pretty proud that we're proba- bly one of the largest employers of youth in the community," said O'Connor. Recognizing how busy they are with school, sports and other activities, Mc- Donald's offers the youth flexibility in their schedules, said O'Connor. Giving back to the community is part of the McDonald's philosophy, and one O'Connor embraces. Over the years he has supported Georgetown Hospital, the arenas, library, CAShh, and Relay for Life to name a few. He supports Atom hockey in both Acton and Georgetown, soccer and baseball. One of McDonald's nominators for the award praised the business for provid- ing "yeoman's service during the 2013 ice storm when they served hundreds of townspeople who couldn't cook for them- selves because of power outages." ••• Jason Ash of Yourway Auto Repair was "very surprised" to learn of the award. As a small business he "just didn't think it was one of those things that people no- tice." Ash bought into the business in 1991. At the time he was just an apprentice mechanic and only 22. By 1996 he had bought the partners out and was the sole owner. It started as a muffler shop, but over the years it has become a total auto- motive repair garage. Today it has grown to include five employees (including Ash) and one co-op student. Ash is a strong supporter of the co-op program-- two of his current employees started as co-op students at his shop. "We have probably had a dozen (co-op students) over the years," said Ash. "It's good. It teaches the kids what the work force is like." Ash is also very active in the commu- nity-- volunteering for the last 15 years with the Acton Kinsmen (now Men of Heritage Acton) Christmas Tree project, and he's also helped out on occasion with the 3 Musketears Skate Park golf tourna- ment and Acton Winter Carnival. ••• Jennifer Mc- Nally, fundraising coordinator with Georgetown Hos- pital Foundation, is "thrilled" to be named Employee of the Year. McNally has been with the Foun- dation for about three years, loves her job, and finds it "very rewarding and very inspiring" to work at the hospital where she is surrounded by great staff and physicians and in a community with so many terrific donors. "It can't help but lift you up and moti- vate you to do a great job," she said. "It's a feel-good job being part of the community and seeing the results of our hard work and how the donor dollars are put to good use," said McNally. ••• Paul Armstrong, owner of Paul C. Arm- strong Insurance Brokers Inc., said he wouldn't be able to be so involved in the com- munity without the talented and energetic staff at the Georgetown business. Including Arm- strong, there are 12 employees at the company that has been in operation since 1947 when Paul's fa- ther John T. Armstrong was the owner. Paul joined his father in 1959 and took Chamber adds to its awards categories The ownership and staff at Yourway Auto Repair in Acton have been keeping motorists happy for the past dozen years and were recognized for their efforts by being named the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce 2014 Small Business of the Year. Pictured above (from left) are: Mike Turner, Nigel Buttivant, Cody Wilson, Jason Ash, Andrea O'Connell, Colin Ash. Photo by Eamonn Maher JENNIFER MCNALLY PAUL ARMSTRONG over in 1975 following his father's death. The business was praised for "being a big part of the community" and having a great reputation by its nominator for the Community Excellence Award. "You can't be successful without peo- ple around you," said Armstrong, who was Georgetown's Citizen of the Year in 1999 and was a member of the George- town Hospital Board for 10 years. He has also devoted approximately 10 years to the Georgetown Hospital Foun- dation, has been a Rotarian, is the longest standing director of Holcro Non-profit Housing, and serves as council member and was past president of the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario, but con- tends he's never actually volunteered for anything. "Somebody smarter than me asked if I would help them out. One thing led to another and before I knew it I would be volunteering," said Armstrong. See TIE pg. 12