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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, January 10, 2013 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Letter to the Editor 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Nikki wesley / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award TOPPING HER GOAL: Abbie Martin, 8, hands Margaret Anderson a donation of $289.10 in Canadian Tire money, as well as $285, for Ian Anderson House on Tuesday morning. Martin, who lives in Brampton, but whose extended family is from Oakville, decided to fundraise for IAH after the hospice took care of her grandmother, Jackie Popplewell, who passed away in August 2012. Martin started fundraising on her grandmother's birthday and far exceeded her initial goal of raising $100 in Canadian Tire money. Eight-year-old fundraiser surpasses goal for IAH Editor's Note: This letter is a followup to a previous letter published in The Oakville Beaver (Thanks IAH, Nov. 2, 2012). Abbie Martin collected Canadian Tire money for Ian Anderson House after her grandmother, a resident of this area, and finally at the Oakville hospice, died in August 2012. On behalf of myself and my daughter, I want to thank everyone who sent Canadian Tire money to help Abbie reach her $100 goal. I am pleased to say she reached it, plus a whole lot more. With the help of so many, she has collected more than $260 in Canadian Tire money and it is still coming in. Not only have you helped an amazing place like Ian Anderson House, you have shown an eight-year-old girl that she can make a difference, and that, is priceless. She was thrilled every time another donation came in -- she has counted it, organized it and is ready to keep it going. So, please keep her and IAH in mind whenever you have some spare Canadian Tire money. Take it directly to IAH or send it to Abbie and she will make sure it gets there. In memory of Jackie, a wonderful wife, mum, nanny, and friend who will be missed by many. Thanks again for your kindness and thoughtfulness. Charlotte and Abbie Martin, Brampton selected at local high schools for their school or community volunteer work. Among those honoured were: in front, from left, Laura Smith (Iroquois Ridge High School), Lauren Wong (Appleby College), Cherry Hana (T.A. Blakelock), Rebecca Kurtz (Abbey Park), Amelie Robitaille (St. Mildred's-Lightbourn), and Optimist Youth Appreciation Chair Tom McNaught, In back, from left, Eric Roberts, Optimist club president, Vanessa Severin (St. Thomas Aquinas), Isaac O'Neil (White Oaks ­ South Campus), Harrison Pope (Oakville Trafalgar), Ishan Aditya (MacLachlan College), Jarrod Baddeliyanage (St. Ignatius of Loyola), Timmy Bender (King's Christian Collegiate), Benjamin Mitchell (White Oaks ­ North Campus), and Domonique Dinolfo (Holy Trinity). YOUTH RECOGNITION: The Optimist Club of Oakville recently recognized 13 Youth Appreciation winners, SUBMITTED PHOTO Once overcome by houseguests, it's now time to slumber e've had houseguests -- for an extended period of time. Charlie, a heavy drinker and a light sleeper, and Ellie, Charlie's older and more sagely sister, a nonetheless goofy girl with a big appetite for life and an even bigger appetite for food. Alas, Charlie and Ellie left this morning and I'm already missing them. They came, they conquered, and they certainly entertained. Honestly, they did pretty much everything you would expect, save for sleep. Yes, we've had houseguests, for (have I mentioned) an extended period of time, who had an unhealthy aversion toward sleep -- and an even unhealthier aversion to allowing anyone else in the house to sweetly or soundly slumber. Which explains why you may have seen me tweeting at an ungodly hour, or perhaps you were in receipt of one of my incoherent, early morning e-mails. Naturally, you may be wondering how we came to have extended houseguests. I know there were moments during their stay when I sure did. A while back, our eldest son and his fiancé plotted out a trip of a lifetime (their second), a four-week adventure across Asia. Four countries in all, and an itinerary so ambitious you could not fit in a long nap, which is what I had to take after just reading that exhaust- W ing schedule. Well, in order to embark on this journey they needed to find care for their two Boxers, Charlie and Ellie, a.k.a, Chuck and Lou, or, collectively speaking: CharLou. And when I hastily failed to volunteer for the job, my family volunteered me... you know how most dogs rush to be petted and Andy Juniper loved? Well, Boxers kind of come at you sideways, or backwards, wiggling their stubby tails and behinds. And, thusly, I came to find myself caring for a couple of `wiggle bums.' Take Charlie. Charlie is all long legs, skin and bones. He doesn't much care for food and he exercises like a fanatic. This boy can run a hole through the wind. But he's not all speed, he's endurance, too. As a pup, he'd follow me around for hours whenever I'd cut the grass on the riding mower. If the boy ever stops running, he drinks like a drunk, big, sloppy, splashy gulps across the floor. Charlie's expression is one of infinite sadness, or perpetual guilt. He tends to slink about looking like he's on the lam from the law after pulling off a series of bank heists. Not saying he's at all insecure, but whenever I sit down, there he is, resting his chin on my chest and planting a possessive paw across my belly. Yeah, he's hard to stay mad at, even if he did roust me in the middle of the night. Then there's Ellie. We joke that she's a saint, an old soul. Even as a pup she was mature and wise beyond her years. As mentioned, Ellie is a little pudgy, and a lot persistent. If she decides to start barking at 2 a.m. because something in her world ain't exactly the way she desires -- she's not in the right room, or on the right bed, or maybe the stars aren't properly aligned -- there's no stopping her. And as my wife and I listened one night to this canine cacophony, praying for it to stop, we looked at each other and said, in perfect unison: "They're lucky they're cute." Damn cute. We've had damn cute houseguests for an extended period of time. They came, they conquered, they left, and now I'm going back to bed. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www.facebook.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/ thesportjesters.