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

28 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 17, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Nuclear or Not? Discussion in Oakville Monday On Monday, Oct. 20, the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) - Oakville will host speakers from each side of the nuclear question to discuss Ontario's energy future -- Nuclear or Not? It will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1494 Wallace Rd., with a social hour 7 p.m. followed by the meeting at 8 p.m. William Hyde from the faulty of the University of Toronto, will act as moderator. Considering the current energy situation, and the pending decision on the location of a new nuclear plant for Ontario, this promises to be a lively discussion. Representing the anti-nuclear position is Doug Smith, who ran in the Haliburton-Kawartha LakesBrock riding for the Ontario Green Party in 2007. Smith is a faculty member of the Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine. The guest speaker for the opposite side of the debate is yet to be determined, but will have ties with the nuclear energy industry. For information, visit www.cfuwoakville.ca. Helping with facts T ell a passerby that last year $700,000 worth of food was delivered to local charities, food banks and group homes in your community. Mention that there are 850 children under six years of age living in poverty, that there are 5,470 loneparent families and that 680 seniors are living below the low income cutoff. If you met that passerby on the streets of Oakville, they would find it hard to believe that you are talking about the Oakville community. In fact, there will be many people in this community who find these statistics hard to believe. There is a perception that homelessness, poverty, drug-abuse and violence are reserved for major urban centres. In Oakville, it is sometimes difficult to accept there is a very real need to support those in crisis, to strengthen families, support independence and wellbeing in seniors and to promote self-sufficiency in individuals. As long as we continue to believe in this perception, the more difficult it is for local agencies to get the funding they need to provide the essential health and social services that are necessary to build and maintain a healthy and vibrant community. Last year, United Way invested in 63 programs accessed by thousands of Oakville residents. This year's campaign goal is to raise $3.418 million. Success in achieving this investment goal is directly linked to creating awareness of the need. Year after year, UWO works to ensure that there are funds and resources in place to maintain our community's human and social service programs. UWO raises funds and provides a means for donors to invest their dollars with others to increase the impact of that donation. UWO relies on volunteers to make certain those donations are being used for the greatest good of the community and develops funding priorities based on research and community need. The next time you meet your neighbour on the street, don't ask them if they know about the need in your community. Ask them if they have given to the United Way of Oakville. -- Submitted by the United Way of Oakville