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North Halton Contact Centre there when you need them II a typical midnight on a Saturday For most people it been a night out with some friends or a special friend They ve had some laughs and shared some good times For most people It been a good night For most people but not everyone Somewhere in Georgetown in a one room office a phone rings A hand picks up the phono and a voice answers Hello this is the North Contact Centre can I help you It could be the voice of a man or a woman an 18 year old or a senior citizen The Identity of the voice is ir relevant What mailers is that a voice is there when someone needs it at any lime of tht da Two services The North Centre is combination in formation and distress centre which is open hours a day and covers the Milton and areas The Free Press held an interview represenla live from tin centre at the office in Georgetown The interview was on the condition the location of the office and the name of representative were not mentioned The representative was a worn in who had joined Ihe was formed three ago We are Ihe only service in Ontirio is a combination distress and information centre hours wilh no paid staff members she said The range from a loneh person wanting to talk to with a sympa ear to mother wanting to know where she could find square dance lessons for her daughter Plenty of in Tor mat Ion The centre has a complete file on all community vices an uptodate com calendar and also keeps track of coming events through the local news papers The distress calls are varied and the woman from the centre said they do get a few suicidal calls Most of the calls are from lonely people people with family troubles alcohol problems drug pro blems and almost any problem which people need to over with someone We are here mainly to listen she said A lot of times the people don know how to solve heir problems by themselves and we can refer them to people who can help She said the centre has ongoing training sessions with lawyers doctors and other pro fessionals to make the staff better equipped to handle all types of calls Talk positively They leach us how to listen and how to refer callers lo the proper source she said You have to be able to talk positively on Ihe phone and listen without the problem We also have our regular callers These are usually older people with no family who just want some one lo talk to pass the lime The calls to the centre arc increasing at a rapid rate In 1974 they received calls in 1975 this doubled lo and at he end of August of this year they had calls The centre files show a SO- SO split between distress and information calls with the majority of information calls coming in the daytime and the distress calls coming at night Around Christmas and spring we usually get an in crease in distress calls she said Also holiday weekends are busy for us especially on Mondays when people realize they won be going anywhere May add phone Currently the Centre is equipped with only one in coming phone Sometimes someone will phone and say they were Irylng to call but the phone was busy How often his happens we don t really know she said If we do find that we need two phones we II need two people in the She thought this would pro bably mean doubling the current staff of around volunteers Each volunteer is expected lo serve at least eight hours a month Each day is broken down into four four hour shifts and one eight hour shift over night Shesaid they are always looking for more volunteers Trains volunteers The Centre runs volunteer training programs each fall and spring The fall training session begins tomorrow Oct 14 and all the trainees have been picked but she said anyone interested should contact them so preliminary interviews and screening processes can be completed quickly for the spring train ing session Anyone in lerested in becoming a volunteer should phone the Cenire at 1211 and ask for an application form A volunteer should have common sense two feet on the ground and some ex penence in life in order to understand other people problems without pre judices she said The do- ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS at the North Contact Centre listens to an anonymous phone caller and tries to provide some help On her left is a seeona phone which is used for outgoing ca only and a wheel file which serves as the centres community directory The centre is the only one in Ontano to handle both information and distress calls 24 hours a day with Qnly volunteer staff members Wl board plans District Annual The fall board meeting of Ihe District Women s Institute was held on day Oct with he pre sident Mrs Glen Campbell in the chair ladies were present A of the poem written by Mrs Dixon Union Branch was given to each bnnch present Miss I Holding Home reported on the rruit Project and Ihe coming Clothes for Leisure A District Day was planned for Tuesday Nov 2 at 12 at the Hillerest United Church Trafalgar ltd Hornby It was planned as a historical day and dessert luncheon The branches are to bring their Tweedsmuir history and scrap books also a photo album old pictures and books Branch is lo as hostess and each branch will provide dessert enough for their members The W I signs will be on dis play at this afternoon Plans were begun for the 1977 District Annual to be held In Georgetown with and branches acting as hosts on Tuesday May 17 1977 The competition for the District Annual will be a plate of seven butler tarts with raisins and a plate of seven plain tea biscuits Thenomln committee will be Ash grove and branches The secretary was in strutted contact the Milton Fall Fair Board in regard to the exhibits The directors were to discuss suit able memorial for Dr Chapman with their branches and report back to the district at the spring board meeting If any branches arc ready to have their Tweedsmuir Histories microfilmed they are gel in touch the district Mrs Itobcrf son immediately Investigation of the village signs is still being carried on Charged An Acton man and a Lime- house man were charged by police when they were found in possession of suspected marijuana the past week goodies don last Their work I effective and they satisfied so they end up quitting The woman from the Centre thought the training session not only helped people look at others but at them selves You atari to look closet at yourself and find your own faults she said You end up realizing you re not as fan laslic as you thought Homes for youths In addition to running the phonein services the Centre also operates a youth housing program which works with youths over who need to of the home because of problems in the family Currently only one youth is in the program but when it first started eight youths were involved When we first began it we had calls from youths but the program is not just an easy way to gel out of the house said another woman who is closely involved with the youth program She explained before any is accepted a number of interviews are held lo deter mine if is any of the youth staying al home If is accepted inl6 he program he is Irans ferred to a volunteer family The youth must follow ihe rules set by Ihe volunteer family No drugs drink We go mainly by the family concept and we won t take youths who are an drugs or who drink heavily the woman said She said they work closely wilh Public Health deparl ments Children Aid Society and other youth oriented groups We ve even had Children Aid refer some of their youths to us after they become too old to stay in Children Aid she said third year the Centre is becoming more accepted by the other professionals in This allowed the volunteers to work closer with them Also m my of the doctors and lawyers have volunteered their time give on going training Self satisfying The woman from the centre found for herself that the work is satisfying Most of the callers are sincere and be helped she said We do get a few crank calls from kids who jusl heard about us bi usually hang i quickly Sometimes people phone and thank us helping get through crisis time she said An makes up for the lime when you can t seem to anything for them Birds harvest seed too soon If the birds would wait until after harvest growing bird seed would be a more at tractive venture for Canadian farmers Bui as it is only a few farmers grow sorghum and millet major ingredients in bird seed repleading birds harvest as much as half the erop in some areas The demand for wild bird seed in Canada is high and pounds of sorghum seed GOO pounds of were imported from the United Slates in 1975 Legion ladies donate money byHrnSchultlK SI was donated to the Minor Sports and to Branch 197 at the October meeting of the Legion Ladies Auxiliary The Auxiliary has lost two of their older members llus month Hazel Cnpps with years and Mamie Allen with Comrade Grace is out and around again 1 Tolh is home from hospital let hope everyone keeps well and happy for the winter months Lets have everyone out donating lo l he there banquet after banquet com me up so if lime on our hands we cm sure use it We ire planning Christ mas bus trip for shopping everyone interested be November meeting The zone euehre is a lhanks ill those who made salads brought wiches See you at October The Free Press Wed October B7 CAREFULLY SQUEEZING THE decorating 450 damage long on the cake Ruth Kranendonk makes sure all her lines are straight at the cake decorating course held at the high school night school courses CAS week Helping families is our business In a collision it the eorner of Young and Get about Adimage resulted to Ihe two vehicles involved Drivers were Spiers I Milton r Chester E Ja 32 Mill St Acton HUNDREDS FRI SAT SUN OCTOBER 222324 3 SEXCITING HITS Mistress 2 Brand of Shame D Pornography and Prostitution in the Orient Box Office 30Show Starts at 8245431 I Note Closed Monday to Thursday ThcuickufOcl l7to24has been designated Children Week through in the Is Our Business is been idopted inform public about the of local have for helping lunilies in trouble Tin must needs are Dip numbers of care the luck of boarding homes and the stringent trillions spokis in lie lo I ilk tin agency is these import ml of its work Hie is that people in an informal the my LAS services which ire is close to people in need is the HOMESTEADS SALE 5 PIECE DINETTE SUITES take choice off DONT MISS OUT ON THESE VERY SPECIAL PRICES PCE SOFAS CHAIRS Oil C LAMPS PICTURES ijU O OCCASIONAL TABLES Numerous other items at special sole prices PLENTY OF FREE PARKING lomestea FURNITURE INTERIORS GEORGETOWN MARKET CENTRE 8778777 What next Local Milton car dealer adds new twist to car selling Chuck and his boys have to inflke room for new slock coming in they arc promoting an hourly discount BLITZ on their entire used car slock Here show it works If the re gulnr retail price of a car is and Ihe hourly BLITZ discounl is per hour a buyer matter vhcn he Trafalgar Motors of 409 Main Street Milton is Blitz discounting all of its used car stock up to six dollars an hour to the maximum of fifty seven hours for a total discount of three hundred and fortytwo dollars his purchase as long us he delays taking delivery until October may lay claim to his full fifty seven hour if thil ills count was SO per hour he would multiply thai by invite you lo browse Ihrougn maximum fifty hours our lot at Main Street and come up with a whopping Milton or give us a call at saving car is for complete particulars marked giving Bill discount sate starts regular retail price the October III IT discount We 1970