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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 21, 2007 - 47 Office staffer recalls the old days Continued from page 33 Morris, sitting at an interview in the Unit's current and recently-mademore spacious office at 635 Fourth Line, Unit 51, as she knocks on the table over which she speaks noting it used to be her kitchen table -- her name is written on its underside. The memories are of all the elbow grease and sacrifice that remain the backbone of the growing Oakville Unit. Wyn Moore was the first person to operate the Oakville Unit's office and Morris took over in 1982 when the office hired her to work full time. Morris recalls the Gestentner copying machine that often chewed up all her hard work instead of making life smooth. Finally, with the advent of an electric typewriter, word processor and finally computer, she was able to, with some satisfaction, retire the mighty Gestentner to a closet -- where she often used it as a bank vault if someone brought a late donation into the office. After only a few years atop the TD Bank downtown, the Oakville Unit moved to an office in the same building a credit union operated along with the late Rudy Kopriva's funeral home on Lakeshore Road, west of Sixteen-Mile Creek. From there, the office moved to Fourth Line where it remains today, though it has expanded over the years. Morris said she was taught how to use the computer -- and had programs tailored to the office -- thanks to volunteers. Morris was hired at the Oakville Unit after the loss of her husband John who died in 1978 of a brain tumour. He was in his early 30s when first diagnosed, but had surgery and lived 17 years -- long enough to see his sons, Iain and Gordon, graduate -- before passing away. "Life is rather strange. What you learn one day you don't know that it may apply to you later on," said Morris who retired from the Oakville Unit in 1995. It was still a one-woman office. "We were always careful about how we spent money," said Morris. Today there are numerous staff and thousands of volunteers. The agency Smith founded in her home -- and which raised an amazing $2,500 in its first year in 1957 -- now is the agency that raises the most in the community -- $1.9 million in 2006. "This Unit has always progressed," said Morris reflecting on the growth of the office, the volunteers and the drivers. "The volunteer drivers saved my life so many times," said Morris, chuckling that they got her out of jams in which she needed to find drivers. To this day, Morris said whenever she drives on Fourth Line she remembers the late Jim McTavish who lived on the road and could be called on no matter what, to drive, in a pinch. "He'd drive every day, if necessary," smiled Morris, adding, "Whenever I come up Fourth Line, I always remember Jim." Daffodils popular in Oakville Many thousands Continued from page 33 Brewer's Retail on Lakeshore Road always stored the flowers and the Lions Foundation (Guide Dogs of Canada in Oakville) let the sorority use its facilities for pre-sales. The late Oakville funeral director Rudy Kopriva and his wife, Iona, also contributed space and food toward the local Daffodil campaign. It was however, Oakville Unit president Joan Gibb who was instrumental in bringing Daffodil sales to Oakville. In the Unit's early days, the prevailing thought was that Oakville wouldn't support both the annual door-to-door campaign and Daffodil sales. Gibb arrived in town and was soon prepared to buck that trend. Coming to her aid was Ed Zinkewich of the downtown Royal Bank. In a bold, but beautiful, stroke of marketing, residents visiting the bank on Daffodil Day were given a daffodil with a card asking them to be generous in the door-to-door campaign. People responded by not only being generous at the door, but also contributing for the daffodil. Daffodils were blooming in Oakville. What McCoy remembers most are the many times people not only purchased daffodils, but also confided personal stories to her about their own experiences with cancer. With the campaigns very successful, it was both a good news/bad news scenario for Beta Sigma Phi member Diana Stevens who was in charge of counting the funds raised, location by location, for most of the 30 years. The sorority no longer takes the lead for the Daffodil sales for the local unit as McCoy confided, "We do not have enough members to do the job now." say yes at the door Continued from page 33 going door to door. "I've seen shy, little women who wouldn't say boo to a goose, going knocking door to door," said Grout who currently volunteers at Wellspring. For Motherwell, it's about education, not just finances, and the reception around Oakville is great. Out of every 10 houses, she'll get one where people say they gave at the office, so she hands them some information. "We have great success for the Cancer Society, hundreds of thousands of people say yes," said Motherwell. And the Cancer Society's local Unit keeps the canvassing "very doable," limiting the number of homes visited by each volunteer to about 15. "It's very rewarding to think you're doing something," said Motherwell. Oakville Beaver has helped the community effort The Oakville Beaver gets kudos in helping make the 50-year history of the Canadian Cancer Society's Oakville Unit one of accomplishment. "It's hard to believe I've been involved for 30 of the 50 years of existence for the Oakville Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society," said former Oakville Living editor Wilma Blokhuis. In fact, Blokhuis has over the last half dozen years provided the community with outstanding coverage of the Oakville Relay for Life event specifically by participating in the overnight camp out. Beaver photographer Barrie Erskine, too, volunteered his time to take photos of the event, even climbing into the bucket of an Oakville Hydro truck to capture impressive aerial shots of the event. "I just volunteered my time," said Erskine, one of many Beaver photographers to pitch in their talents over the years. That support doesn't happen without similar support from editors and the publisher, not to mention many other staff -- many of whom also participate personally in the local unit's efforts whether it be the relay, canvassing, golf tournaments, or more. "My first contacts were Wyn Moore and Joan Gibb. Back then, The Oakville Beaver still published monthly meeting reports from churches and various community organizations --- whoever submitted information or phoned. St. Paul's United Church always phoned and Wyn Moore always sent a small write-up, as did the United Way of Oakville. In all three instances, there were more groups such as the IODE, UCW and CWL etc. I always ended up making the same phone calls asking for the ladies' first names because they were listed as Mrs. followed by their husband's initials with only one exception, Mrs. J. C. Gibb. I felt very strongly 30 years ago that the ladies should be identified using their own names, and Wyn Moore at the Canadian Cancer Society was especially grateful," recalled Blokhuis. Although Moore contacted Blokhuis about the monthly meetings, Gibb called her about the annual campaign, Daffodil Days and people she could interview for human interest stories to give cancer a `face.' Gibb admits that in the early days finding such people to talk about their situation was tough. "At the end of one of these phone calls from Joan, I happened to menmuch-needed sleep, however, his driver Doug Alward and brother Darrell were happy to talk," said Blokhuis. "After Terry's untimely death from cancer near Thunder Bay, Joan was there to set the wheels in motion for the annual Terry Fox Run and organized the first one at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. So significant was Joan's contribution to Terry's visit in Oakville and the follow-up annual Terry Fox Run that Darrell Fox, upon his regular annual visits to ScotiaMcLeod in Oakville, asked to borrow Joan's scrapbook to garner information for the 25th annual Terry Fox Run. The prized possession contained a note written and signed by Terry, on a mock cheque showing how much was raised in Oakville when he passed through town on July 13, 1980. Joan, not one to leave anything unchecked, wrote that date on her 25th anniversary Terry Fox Run T-shirt," said Blokhuis. That scrapbook is filled with stories Blokhuis wrote about cancer patients, fundraisers, Terry Fox Runs, and more recently, the Relay for Life at Appleby College. "Relay for Life is the epitome of what a community event should be, great camaraderie, costumes, overnight camping, food and lots of fundraising. It's the ultimate allnighter. After the the Survivor's Lap where life is truly celebrated, followed by the poignancy of the Luminary Ceremony, who would want to sleep knowing they would miss a magical night where the light comes from the luminaries lit in memory and in honour of loved ones that burn until sunrise? It is a night to walk around a circular track lit by luminaries, a chance to chat with friends, and have some fun like having one's head shaved at midnight to raise some extra cash," said Blokhuis. Equally fitting is that Blokhuis remembers how a few little girls had a booth selling drinks and cookies to raise a little bit more money. "It's no wonder more than half a million dollars is raised," said Blokhuis who has interviewed cancer survivors including entertainer Patrician MacKinnon, drivers including Helen Stainton who drove for the Oakville Unit more than 30 years, and others ­ cancer patients who didn't survive, those that did, event organizers, volunteer canvassers and committee chairs. Wilma Blokhuis tion that I would like to meet her one day as she was so incredibly friendly over the phone. Little did I know she was calling me from her hospital bed - it took a while before we finally met, but fortunately it happened before the late Terry Fox, who had lost a leg to cancer, passed through Oakville on his Marathon of Hope to raise $20 million, $1 from every Canadian, for cancer research. I met up with Terry in Mississauga along Lakeshore Road and ran a short distance with him, then followed him to a rest stop, took a few fast photographs. My request for an interview was turned down by a very tired and exhausted Terry who ducked into a hotel room for some