www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 5, 2007 - 5 Helping those who can't help themselves CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Continued from page 4 those muscles so that his legs won't criss-cross and also give the ones in the rear time to strengthen. "I don't know if I'll ever accept that Logan has CP, that he won't be able to talk to me in his lifetime," said Valerie. She meets with a counselor to help her work out the emotional, financial, physical and practical impacts of Logan's disease. Counsellors and therapists even make housecalls to the Burlington family's home or to Logan's daycare that he attends two mornings a week. There's a mom's support group every other Friday night at Erinoak as well that Valerie hasn't visited yet, but plans to in the near future just to hear a comforting `I know what you mean' from others facing similar struggles. Erinoak's Burloak location houses speech, language, occupational, music and physiotherapy, as well as assistive devices and resources. It is the lead organization for the province in testing hearing among newborn babies from birth to three months and runs an Autism intervention service called Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI). "We're committed to help children be more and more independent as they grow, to be part of the world and their family life, not an institution's. We've been preparing Logan for this from the day he began treatment here," said Erinoak's community relations director Mary Ross. "It's our moral obligation to advocate for children because the Logans of the world can't scream and say `what about me?' to policy makers, politicians and the public," she added. ATHENA OAKVILLE AWARDS The ATHENA Award is presented to an individual (man or woman) who is recognized for professional excellence, for providing valuable service to their community and for actively assisting women in the attainment of their professional goals and leadership skills. By honoring exceptional leaders, the ATHENA Award® Program seeks to inspire others to achieve excellence. Do you know someone worthy of the ATHENA Award? Think about the people in your life that may have mentored and helped you along the way. It could be a teacher, employer, colleague or someone from your faith community. They may fit the criteria and what better way to acknowledge their contribution than to nominate them for the Oakville ATHENA Award. Criteria for Oakville ATHENA Award Nominees must fit ALL four criteria: * The individual demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession * The individual provides valuable service by contributing time and energy to improve the quality of life of others in the community * The individual actively assists women in realizing their full leadership potential * The individual either lives or works in Oakville (working more than 20 hours/week, paid or unpaid, in Oakville.) Golf tournament raises funds for Erinoak The 15th Annual Circle of Friends Golf Classic, benefiting Erinoak Children's Treatment Centre, will be held at Lionhead Golf & Country Club's Legends Course on Tuesday, June 5. "This event is the ideal opportunity to combine my passion for the sport and my support for an organization that means so much to my family," says Carl Hiltz, serving his seventh consecutive year as the event's volunteer Co-Chairman. Like 8,500 other children and teens living in Halton and Peel, Hiltz's daughter is a client of Erinoak. As Ontario's largest children's treatment centre, Erinoak provides a wide variety of community-based therapies to youngsters with disabilities. Erinoak also manages the Preschool Speech and Language Programs, Autism Intervention, Infant Hearing Program and Blind/Low Vision Early Intervention Program for Central West Ontario. Some services are extended to Dufferin, Wellington and Waterloo. With the majority of Erinoak's resources devoted to its services and programs, the golf tournament relies primarily on the efforts of a small volunteer committee. When Hiltz agreed to be the Chair, he quickly recruited Steve Bashak, his best friend of 30 years and a golf enthusiast, to be the Co-Chair. "Initially, I got involved just to help my friend," says Bashak, "but I soon realized the impact Erinoak has on the community and the need for its programs and services is growing exponentially." Registration and sponsorship opportunities for the Circle of Friends Golf Classic are still available. For additional information about the event and Erinoak, please visit www.erinoak.org. DEADLINE TO NOMINATE: MAY 18TH, 2007 For more details and nomination forms, see our website, www.athenaoakville.com First Recipient, Ann Mulvale At age 39, Ann became Mayor of Oakville, having been involved in municipal politics for several years. An active volunteer, she serves on the board of Wellspring and the Community Foundation of Oakville. She is an honorary member of the Steering Committee for ATHENA Oakville and for the past four years served on the ATHENA Foundation board of directors. Organizing Your Financial Future 1) Steps To Financial Independence eps Grow · Protect · ENJOY 2) Advanced Wealth Accumulation Strategies · What is beyond RRSP's and Income Trusts? Oakville Seminar Dates Tuesday May 15 @ 9:00 AM 11:30 AM Thursday May 17 @ 6:00 PM 8:30 PM Wednesday May 23 @ 9:00 AM 11:30 AM Tuesday May 29 @ 9:00 AM 11:30 AM Wednesday May 30 @ 7:00 PM 9:00 PM Presented by Creating sensational smiles in Oakville for 15 years. Michael Scott, CFP Doug Frain, CFP To Register call Patti or Louie @ 905 315-9060