The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Oakville youths making impact in Fort Severn by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Friday, August 16, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com They've sent some 21,000 books to the northern communities of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and now the girls behind Books with no Bounds have seen the impact of their labour. The Oakville group, founded by teen sisters Julia Mogus, 16, and Emma Mogus, 14, recently returned from visiting the Fort Severn First Nation, one of 49 communities to which the girls have been sending greatly-needed books. The trip, they said, was overwhelming. "It's really nice to see we were able to improve the literacy skills there by providing them with books," said Julia. "Everyone deserves access to an enormous supply of books." With the help of donations from Oakville people, the youths have been collecting new and lightly-used books since September 2012. Their efforts did not go unappreciated, with many NAN children who received books, writing to express their gratitude. Many also invited the Mogus sisters to visit. "There was a little girl who wrote to us. Her name was Dana. She said her school is made up of five portables," said Emma. "Knowing that we go to a beautiful school in Oakville, we knew we wanted to see this place where 300 children in the community go to school in five portables. All the kids' letters talked about how their community was different from ours and from these, we realized Fort Severn was the community to travel to." Thanks to a deal reached with Porter Airlines and Wasaya Airways, they flew free of charge to Fort Severn with their mother Janet Mogus and Ward 2 Town Councillor Pam Damoff in the late spring. Upon arriving in Hudson Bay, one of the first things the girls noticed was the high cost of food. They visited the community's only store and discovered a box of cereal cost $14, a kilogram of brown bananas cost $4.45. photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) At top right, Books with No Bounds Julia Mogus (left) and Emma Mogus sent 3,000 books north of Thunder Bay to the Nishnawbe Aski Nations with volunteer driver Canpar President Jim Houston (in back) saving them hundreds of dollars in shipping. The books will then be distributed by the First Nations owned Wasaya Airways L.P . At top left, Julia is pictured during a visit to Fort Severn in the spring. Bottom left, the landscape in Fort Severn and Julia and Emma in a classroom there. photos courtesy the Mogus family Even toilet paper was expensive at $20 for just 12 rolls. The community itself was as different as the children had promised the Mogus family in their letters. When their plane landed, it was on more of a dirt strip than a runway. Emma described the homes she saw as being like portables or trailers. She said there were no paved roads, no sidewalks and garbage everywhere. Julia said that because there does not appear see Book on p.7 BrokerLink Presents: Tips to Avoid Basement Flooding · Consider installing a sump pump or backflow valve if you live in BACK TO SCHOOL SHOES DON'T GET THE an area susceptible to flooding. · Check the eavestroughs, spouts and gutter regularly, and ensure all downspouts extend away from the home. · Never run the dishwasher or washing machine while you are away from your house. · If you are going away have someone check on your home. Despite your best prevention you may experience flooding. Many policies limit damage on sewer back-up and exclude damage from ground water. Speak to a BrokerLink broker for a policy review and to ensure you have the coverage you need. WRONG SHOE FIT FOR YOUR KIDS! Foot Solutions is offering for a limited time only, a personalized fitting session for your child's school shoe needs to assure you of quality of fit, form and fashion. You may even call to book an appointment! BrokerLink.ca 102-1320 Cornwall Road, Oakville 905-339-Foot (3668) 213 Lakeshore Road East,Oakville | 905.337.7968 | 705-789-9667 Services available in Ontario through Canada Brokerlink (Ontario) Inc. TMBrokerLink & Design is a trademark of Canada Brokerlink Inc. used under license. © Copyright 2013 Canada Brokerlink Inc. All rights reserved.