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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, June 14, 2013 | 6 Editorial The recent tragic crash of an Ornge air ambulance near Moosonee, Ont. drives home the very real risk that thousands of men and women in our province face every day they leave for work. First responders -- paramedics, police of cers and re ghters -- quite simply never know when their next day on the job could be their last. Flight paramedic Chris Snowball of neighbouring Burlington knew the risk involved in venturing skyward to assist the sick and injured in mostly remote Ontario locations -- helping stabilize them, before loading them safely into an air ambulance for transport to medical facilities sometimes hundreds of kilometres away. According to his father, Snowball died doing what he loved to do -- helping people when they desperately needed his help. "All (Chris) ever wanted to do was be a paramedic and then he got more into it and heard about air Ornge, that was his next goal," John Snowball said. "He just loved his job." Many rst responders who share Chris' passion for their professions were in Burlington last week to pay their nal respects to the husband, son and father of three. Helping people is the common thread that binds career choices in policing, re ghting and emergency medical services. These are the people who walk into burning buildings, scenes of violence and sites of human tragedy -- unafraid when most of us would yield to the conditioned response to turn and run. Our rst responders are out there waiting for an opportunity to make a difference in people's lives during what are often life-and-death moments when every second and every decision counts. Earlier this week, re ghters from the Oakville Fire Department's competitive Auto Extrication Team were at T.A. Blakelock High School -- in the pouring rain -- to do just that. The re ghters used the Jaws of Life to cut the roof off a vehicle from Skid Control School and destined for the scrap heap. Students were suitably impressed. The re ghters were at the school trying to get a safety message across to a vulnerable population -- young drivers and passengers who will likely be venturing away from home, going to prom and more over the summer. The rst responders want to see those students' faces in the halls of their high school, not through the window of a car crash. The message got through. "If I was in an accident like this, I'd be scared. I'd be just a pile of nerves," admitted Grade 12 student Nolan McHugh. "It would not be fun to be in there while they're doing this. This de nitely gives a `Be safe while you drive' message or you could end up in a car like that." While all our rst responders may not receive citations for their efforts, they all deserve our thanks for making our streets a little safer and for giving us the peace of mind that in our time of need, help is always on the way. "Connected to your Community" There when you need them 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Fax: (905) 337-5566 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 71 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager The Red Rosary -- a tribute to Dona Reid When community crusader Dona Reid applied at The Women's Centre 17 years ago, she wrote "six months" in the space that asked how long she planned to volunteer. Melvina Walter, executive director at the centre, chuckles when sharing this information with me. Dona is a dedicated peer counsellor and has helped hundreds of women in Halton who have struggled with abuse, addiction and relationship problems. She has been an inspiration and empowering mentor to so many women over the years; including one particular woman named `Ida'. Dona and Ida came into each other's lives two years ago. Ida had barely survived an abusive marriage, had a long family history with abuse and was suffering from severe social anxiety and paranoia. When Ida found The Women's Centre she was a broken woman contemplating suicide. During her counselling sessions with Dona, Ida would often stare down at the ground and dget. Dona loved to wear red and other bright colours but Ida, who was depressed and dealing with anger issues, loathed when Dona wore bright colours -- especially red. She often became visibly agitated and even told Dona one day she hated her red dress, expecting to get a negative reaction. Instead, Dona gave her an empathetic glance and continued on with their session. At rst, Ida would talk to Dona for ve or 10 minutes of their scheduled hour and then dart out because it was all she could handle before her social anxiety kicked in and she craved the comfort of her small bedroom. As Dona continued to see Ida, she began to see progress. Dona saw something in Ida that Ida hadn't yet seen in herself. Ida and Dona had a standing appointment at 10 a.m. every Monday. How long the appointment was depended on how Ida was feeling (and sometimes on what Dona was wearing). Eventually, after several months, Ida's glance left the oor. She began to trust Dona and continued to arrive at The Women's Centre every Monday morning for her appointment, and did so for two years until she no longer needed weekly appointments. In March of this year, The Women's Centre see Honouring on p.7 Letters to the Editor Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. 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.