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Bramalea City Centre Erin Mills Town Centre Fairview Mall Hillcrest Mall Mapleview Mall Oakville Town Centre Oshawa Centre Union Station Upper Canada Mall Vaughan Mills YOUR GIFT WITH PURCHASE WHEN YOU SPEND $15 OR MORE* AT PURDYS CHOCOLATES *Receive a 2-pack Sweet Georgia Browns when you spend $15 or more before shipping and taxes. *One coupon per customer per purchase. Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Not valid with any other promotion or discounted items. Valid until December 31st, 2010. WWW.PURDYS.COM CHA R MORE* PUR YS CHOCO *One coupon per customer per pu chase. Coupon be presented at time of pu chase. ali until December 2010 WW YS.CO WIT Redeem at the following Purdys chocolate shops: 9 Friday , D ecem ber 10, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m Lavender Florist Inviting all my customers to my new location and wishing you a Merry Christmas! - Grace 905-465-2223 2380 Parkhaven Blvd. Dundas St. E . Trafalgar R d O ak Park B lvd N 2380 Parkhaven Blvd By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakvilles Jack Grebenc is far from a world where access to clean water is virtual- ly non-existent. He lives in a place where he does not have to face such terrible hunger or thirst. However, the 11-year-old also under- stands not everyone in this world is as fortu- nate as he or his neighbours in Oakville. Thats why hes giving up his Christmas presents this year in the hopes of raising money to build a well in Africa and he hopes other children will give up a part of theirs to do the same. He calls it Jacks Christmas Challenge. He said he will miss the presents, but only slightly. I know that Im doing it for a good cause so it makes me happy and the real gift is the gift of water to the other people so I dont feel like Im missing out, he said. The Grade 6 W. H. Morden Public School student is aiming to raise $5,000 for Free the Children, the amount needed for the instal- lation of a well in an African community. The idea came to Jack when his mother went to a Halton District School Boards par- ent conference with a Free the Childrens Me To We representative. One of their messages was that any indi- vidual can make a change. Dont wait for someone else to make a change, said mom Judi. She said the idea is that if anyone is able to do something for a cause he or she is pas- sionate about, that can lead to change and she told her children about it. When I told Jack about that he just looked at me, he got out a calculator and started adding things up and said mom I will give away all my Christmas presents and only ask for donations, she said. Jack checked out the Free the Children website and learned more about fresh water issues around the world. It interested me and I was just deter- mined to give up all my Christmas presents and try to build a well, he said. However, $5,000 is a lot of money, so Jack hopes other children will give up just one gift each in exchange for a donation to the cause. Judi added that if Jack doesnt get enough money he will break open his piggy bank to help fill the $5,000 goal needed to build a well. This is not the first time Jack has given something up for donations. Several years ago, he and his older brother, now 13-year- old Dirk, gave up their birthday presents when their grandmother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in order to raise funds for that cause. A newsletter went out in his school informing students and their parents of Jacks initiative, plus he and his mother vis- ited each of the classrooms this week (Dec. 5-11) to talk about the challenge. I hope theyll support me. Im challeng- ing other kids and theyre helping other peo- ple in need so I hope they take a stand and help. I need all the help I can get, Jack said. One of Jacks friends, who recently had a birthday, asked his friends to donate money to Jacks challenge, instead of giving him presents. So far Jack is just over $1,000 and has some ways to go yet. People can learn more or donate at www.tinyurl.com/jack4well. Youth forsakes Christmas presents for African well NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER A SHINING LIGHT: Jack Grebenc, 11, is not asking for presents for Christmas this year. Instead he hopes to receive money towards building a well in Africa, so others can have clean drink- ing water through Free the Children. He is encouraging others to give up just one present to help him reach his $5,000 goal to build the well. I hope theyll support me. Im challenging other kids and theyre helping other people in need, so I hope they take a stand and help. I need all the help I can get. Jack Grebenc Sometimes the best presents don't come in a box. Tim Hortons, 2010 r visit www.timhortons.com for ice times and locations.