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HOPEDALE MALL 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville QEW Do rva l 4th Lin e 3rd Lin e Bro nte R d. Lakeshore Rd. Rebecca St. Also: Birthday party packages, Glow in the Dark, Fundraisers, Corporate events, etc... well customize a package to ?t your needs. (905) 827-4281 www.hopedalebowl.ca hopedalebowl@bowlontario.ca #1 Winner in Bowling 3 years in a row! Why not join a bowling league ? Afternoons, evenings...all ages welcome... we have something for everyone... call for details. THANK YOU OAKVILLE . . . El Spero All Day Breakfast! Located in the HOPEDALE MALL 1515 Rebecca St. Oakville 905.827.4851 Mon.- Fri. 9am- 9pm, Sat. 8am-8pm, Sunday 8:30am-3pm OPEN SUNDAYS Special Kids Menu Breakfast . Lunch . Dinner Thank You Oakville for Voting One of the Best... GREAT FAMILY DINING FOR OVER 37 YEARS! Seniors Favourite - Diamond Breakfast - Platinum Family Restaurant - Platinum w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , Ja nu ar y 13 , 2 01 1 1 0 By Christina Commisso METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Marion Detlor is one of Miltons unsung heroes shes a volunteer. She has donated her time counselling grieving family members through VON Haltons hospice program and she has entertained seniors at Martindale Gardens with her piano playing and art classes. The 86-year-old wants to play piano at Allendale and hopes that one of her all-time favourite tunes Duke Ellingtons Sophisticated Lady will entertain the resi- dents of the long-term care facility. But a delay in processing volunteer police checks has postponed her plans. Allendale insisted on having clearance. Id like to play there, but theres no way I can until I get this little piece of paper, the long-time resident said. Early October, Detlor filed the applica- tion for a police check with Halton police. As of last week, Detlor was still to receive her clearance. There are dozens and dozens of volun- teers that probably do more important things than I do that are hung up in this very slow process, she said. Police spokesperson Brain Carr con- firmed the delay. We are behind, but were getting better. He said the polices records department is about two-and-a-half months behind in processing security clearances for volun- teers. Halton polices website says the turn- around time for processing the clearances is about two to four weeks from the date of the application and priority is given to police checks required for work. Carr said new rules implemented by the RCMP last year made the process more thorough, and that put us behind the eight ball. You never know what the volume is going to be, he continued. December is considerably slower, people are busy with others things, while in January people start to think about volunteering. The website says response time could be slower depending on the time of year and volume of requests. However, according to a volunteer direc- tor, the lengthy wait times havent discour- aged volunteers from coming out in droves in the region, which sees two out of three people donating their time to various chari- table causes. Ann Coburn, director of Volunteer Halton, said police checks are just one small part of the screening cycle that also can include interviews, orientations and trial periods. From the volunteers perspective, what we hear is although they find it a little frus- trating having to wait for a police check, usually that doesnt prevent them from wanting to volunteer. They really have pas- sion for working in a particular area and theyre willing to do what it takes to get involved, she said, adding the organization hasnt received any complaints about the wait times. Carr said the records department, which is staffed with civilians, tries to give volun- teers an estimate of when their $15 police check should be completed. But thats no comfort to Detlor. Its discouraging for people to have to wait this long. Why should I have to waste my time? Police checks for volunteers delayedSpeak up! You can comment on any story in todays Oakville Beaver at oakvillebeaver.com. www.taoist.org Untie Your Knots! Taoist Tai ChiTM Improve your health, reduce stress, improve balance, strength, and flexibility. Join a class today! Unit 1, 2464 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, ON (905) 825-0514 Open House Monday January 3, 7:30 pm Tuesday Jauary 4, 10:00 am Tuesday February 1, 10:00 am Beginner Classes Starting Thursday January 6, 7:30 - 9:30 pm Saturday January 8, 9:00 - 10:30 am Monday February 7, 10:00 am - 12 noon Visit www.taoist.org/oakville or email to oakville@taoist.org for information about our open house and class schedules. The Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada is a registered charity - #119258655 RR0001