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THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2004 THE NEW TANNER GRA PH HABITAT HELP At least two generous donations of materials have been made to Habitat for Humanity of Halton (HHFH) af- ter a story last week in the Tanner about the group's plans to partner with a worthy family to build a house on Crescent Street. Gisele Tremblay, owner of the new Tremblay Decorating on Mill Street, has offered paint products, and is try- ing to "drum up" some volunteer labour to help build the house. "I'm going to help out where I can," Tremblay said, adding she's also asked her supplier Para Paint to be- come involved in the project. RK If HFHH disassembles it, the or- ganization can have a 30-year-old Viceroy home located on Wellington Road 50 in rural Rockwood. _ Owner Joseph Hasal plans to build a new house on the site of the exist- ing pre-fab house and will donate the structure -- valued at approximately $25,000 -- to HFHH, if it can use it for the Acton project. EK Local families who think they may qualify as a Habitat partner family are invited to book attendance at a fam- ily information night by calling 905-637-4446, before June 7. BOOK SALE Discards, doubles and out-of-date materials will be on sale at the Acton library branch on Saturday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at a book sale being run by the Friends of the Li- brary. It is a dedicated group of volunteers whose fundraising to date, including a Christmas book sale, has paid for a storage units, story time chair and paint for the children's department at the River Street branch. RK As the library updates its blueprint for future growth the board is hosting a presentation by renowned architects Colin Kingsland and Thomas Goetz on designing the library of tomorrow. The invitation-only presentation and wine and cheese reception is in the gallery at the Cultural Centre on June 9. GIFT OF LIFE The next blood donor clinic in Ac- ton is scheduled for Thursday, June 10, at the Legion. The clinic runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m. ADHD SUPPORT Parents who want to discuss issues and share ideas about their children who have Attention Deficit Hyperac- tivity-Disorder (ADHD) are invited to a monthly meeting -- the first Tues- day each month -- at the Ontario Early Years Centre on Guelph Street in Georgetown. For details call 905-873- 2960. TOWN & COUNTRY * A concert in Prospect Park will be one of the featured events for the Town and Country Showcase in Halton Hills on June.19. The Acton Citizens' Band, Acton's Bev Boisvenue and a teen band and seniors' band from Georgetown will perform from 2 to 4 p.m. at the pa- vilion. Other Acton events during the no- cost Town-wide celebration include tours of the old Town Hall, open houses at several churches and the Off The Wall youth centre, and a= British Day at Wetherby's. SIX SAXES Six Acton High School Band mu- sicians were among. the 930 saxophonists who probably earned a Guinness Book of World Records entry -- for most saxophone players performing the same song -- on Sun- day in Toronto. The Acton players, all but one also members of Acton Citizens' Band, joined in the rousing rendition of "Hockey Night in Canada" CBC's Saturday night game theme song. The event was staged by a mem- ber of a Toronto jazz band who wanted to beat the Dutch record of 321 saxophonists playing one song set in January. Alannah Bowes, 12, of Stewarttown Mid- dle School a tenor sax player, was among the 940 sax players who joined in those who beat the Guinness Book of World Records STUDENT TRUSTEE _ Congrats to Acton High student Heather Maxwell, 16, one of two stu- dent trustees appointed recently to the Halton District School Board for the term beginning in September. Maxwell, a Grade 11 student, has three years experience on the student council and is a member of the Halton student senate. Maxwell said she's looking for- ward to a "behind the scenes" look at how the education system works, and being a bridge between students and the trustees. "T think some students, at times, take for granted what people do for them, and as a student trustee hope- fully we can help students recognize how much work and effort people put towards their education," Maxwell said. Nostalgic memories... continued from page 6 workers left standing, was the tree. Somehow, though, the crew went to work on the tree and was able to save it. The tree, patiently waiting at the side, was soon brought to its new home. Like the peonies, the giant wal- nut tree has continued to migrate with its family. Too big for any of our yards, my dad lovingly re- planted the tree at our work... years after my grandfather origi- nally planted it at his home which was also his place of business. "I think she's going to make it," my dad announced as he looked out the window at it. Proudly the tree stands, almost protecting us with its branches like arms wrap- ping us in memories of the past and looking forward to what the future brings for us. FRAGRANT AIR: It may be apple blossom time in Orange, New Jersey, but it is also as these bushed along the Indian Trail, near Eden Mills illustrate. The hardy plants ranges from white to mauve to all shades of purple and they perfume the air with their fragrance at this time of year. Unfortu- nately the blossoms lifespan lasts only about three weeks but theirs appearance each spring is a reminder that warm, summer days cannot be far behind. 7 Concerned with how we treat each other as a society? Rudeness, intoler- ance and even violence in many cases have replaced compassion, considera- tion and good manners. We see this every day. What brought this to mind was the, in my opinion, shabby treatment Mayor Rick Bonnette, and over 100 residents of our town, received at the board meeting of the William Osler Health Centre last week. The mayor, who is opposing the closure of the OB/ GYN and pediatric wards at the Georgetown Hospital, arrived with substantial support and a petition with thousands of names to support his position. While the board listened the general consensus was. that they were close-minded. For a non-elected board managing a pub- licly funded facility this is the height of arrogance. How dare they treat the people who pay the bills with such rudeness. When were they declared to be all-knowing? Unfortunately, this type of treatment is becoming more common. They may regret taking on Mayor Rick, though. He is more than deter- mined to have the voice of the people of Halton Hills heard. You can help by contacting the Premier and Health Minister. Why should you get in- volved? The obvious answer is that we need more doctors in town. Any clo- sure of services at Georgetown Hospital just makes it harder to attract doctors who have an interest in those specialties. Besides, it's madness to close down services vital to women and children's health when our town is growing so fast. So please, join the 'fight. Once in a while I get something over the internet which is worthwhile. Qur oldest daughter sent me the fol- lowing which made me think about how we treat people. Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people. First Important Lesson -- Cleaning Lady. During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. | was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans. the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman sev- eral times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her '50s, but how would | know her name? I handed in my paper, leav- ing the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count towards our quiz grade. ) \ Absoleae the professor. "In How we treat people your careers, you will meet many peo- ple. AlLare significant. They deserve your attention and care, even ifall you do is smile and say "hello". ° I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. Second Important Lesson -- Pickup in the Rain. One night. at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab, She seemed to be ina big hurry, but ~ wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his sur- prise, a giant console colour TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying hus- band's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others. Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole Third Important Lesson: Always re- member those who serve. In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more. people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "ll have the plain ice cream,", he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table' and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashietand left. When the waitress came back, she =~ began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip. Fourth Important Lesson -- The ob- stacle in Our Path. In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a road- way. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but.none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carry- ing a load of vegetables. Upon approaching in the boulder, the peas- ant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse con- tained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peas- ant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an oppor- tunity to improve your condition. Fifth Important Lesson -- Giving When it Counts. Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hos- pital, | got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood trans- fusion from her five-year-old brother, .who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the ill- ness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy ifhe would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a mo- ment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour return- ing to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trem- bling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" : ~. Being young, the little boy had mis- understood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. Something to think of as we go about our daily tasks. Pass it on through a random act of kindness. s)