The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 2, 2007 - 15 Discarded pennies provide relief for those a world away By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF To most Canadians pennies are worthless items barely worth bending over to pick up, but for many people on the other side of the world a few pennies can mean the difference between life and death. Residents at the Trafalgar Lodge Retirement Residence became aware of this tragic fact during a recent presentation by the organization Roofs for the Roofless. The group, that builds houses, schools and helps with various other developmental projects in the rural villages of India, collects pennies to fund its work. "Many people consider them worthless but they go such a long way," said Joan Cooke, Canadian Ambassador for Roofs for the Roofless. "Just 10 pennies will provide someone (in India) with a bowl of rice." As residents watched, Cooke presented a slideshow of her experiences in India. She showed images of rural villages 28 km south of Chani where some homes are little more than a collection of sticks covered in dried mud. Cooke emphasized the importance of replacing such homes as they can not stand up to the powerful monsoon rains that destroy them with all their contents. Cooke then showed a picture of the type of home Roofs for the Roofless builds with a homemade sand brick roof providing shelter to all those within the small shack-like structure, at a cost of only $800 Canadian to build. Pictures of children in classrooms were also shown. "These are night school kids," said Cooke. "They work all day and go to school at night and your pennies provide them with kerosene lamps." A previous lack of light while studying has caused many of the students to suffer from night blindness. Cooke also explained how Roofs for the Roofless health workers enter such villages once or twice a week to deal with tuberculosis, leprosy and children who are sick with bellies full of worms. "They're an outreach group that tries to elevate the life of these people that are just immersed in poverty, disease and very often death," said Cooke. Dorothy Brown, an 86-year-old resident of the retirement home, has volunteered her time with the outreach group for the past 10 years. "I have people collect pennies for it and I explain to them what it's for," she said. "I enjoy doing things for people like that who don't have anything." "She's very good at encouraging SABRINA BYRNES / OAKVILLE BEAVER PENNIES FOR THE POOR: Volunteer Dorothy Brown and Joan Cooke, the Canadian Ambassador for Roofs for the Roofless, with a tin for collecting unwanted pennies. other seniors to help," said Cooke. In her most recent effort to promote Roofs for the Roofless, Brown invited Cooke to the retirement home to show the residents how just a few pennies can make a difference. "Dorothy and I have been old friends for a long time. (We met) at Trinity Church and that's where the story came to us," said Cooke. After years of rolling pennies for the cause, Cooke is concerned by recent calls of the Desjardins Group, one of the biggest financial institutions in Canada, to get rid of the penny. "When I hear about them becoming obsolete I want to put up a human cry because they do so much good," she said. For the moment though, it is business as usual with the large coffee can Cooke brought to the retirement home, nearly filling with pennies and other loose change. Not much by Canadian standards but in a rural village in India it will go a long way. Dental EMERGENCY? If you are in pain, call us right now! DO NOT PAY 1 YEAR* COME IN FOR THE BEST DEALS EVER Evening appointments available FREE · Consultation for Cosmetics · Orthodontics · Implants entures D $ on all La-Z-Boy® chairs and sofas, plus tables, lamps, rugs and accessories.* Hurry in NOW for drastic markdowns PRICED TO MOVE! Over $1,000,000 in inventory, sale INVENTORY BLOWOUT HURRY IN SALE E! ND SUNDAY S ! Mouthguards Whitening Special $ 349 each 45 $ 842-8209 The Dental Office Trafalgar Rd. 149 (upper or lower) 905 SAVE $200/SOFA $100/CHAIR * OFF ALL REGULAR PRICES McCraney White Oaks Blvd. QEW Trafalgar Professional Building 1235 Trafalgar Rd. Suite 201 STOREWIDE! The FAMILY ROOM ComfortStore We Welcome: - New Patients - Kids & Cowards - Emergencies Visit our Website at: www.thedentaloffice.ca excluding washrooms * Save at least $200/sofa & $100/chair off regular retail prices. OAC. Limited time offer. See store for details.