Letters to the editor....New resident charmed by generosity of community

Dear editor, Six months ago my family and I moved to Georgetown. While we looked forward to getting to know our new home, we were unsure what to expect from our new community. Fast forward to last Saturday's (Jan. 28) scrapbooking fund-raiser for Zach Pearson and his family. The event included an all-day scrapbooking session at George Kennedy Public School, alongside a public silent auction and raffle. Funds raised would all go to the Pearsons whose son Zach has been battling leukemia for the past five months. As one of the committee members for the event, I was amazed at the generosity we were met with in Georgetown. From the large retailers to the smaller downtown merchants, from the food retailers to individuals working from home... we told them the Pearsons' story and they asked us how they could help. George Kennedy's staff helped us publicize the event and The Independent & Free Press ran articles. The day itself only continued the overwhelming flow of generosity. While our enthusiastic "croppers" worked on one side of the gym, the silent auction and raffle on the other side were visited by a steady stream of kids, parents and more ... all intent on spending their money to help another family in need. Some people ignored the auction and raffle and simply made a donation. Rick Bonnette, Mayor of Halton Hills, showed up with his wife, and about 20 youngsters from George Kennedy led some fitness routines to help the croppers loosen up after seven hours of cropping! We even had neighbors and several Venturer lads help to set up and take down tables. Later in the day Zach and his family showed up for a short visit which made us all smile. Zach came in, turned to one of our committee members and said, "Hi, I'm Zach. This is for me." And he was so right. From start to finish the entire event and the hundreds who did their part to make it a success, did it solely to help Zach and his family know that they care. Georgetown is clearly a community of people who look after their own. And that is a community of which we can all be proud to be a part. To all of you who helped us to help the Pearsons, thank you. With your help we raised more than $7,000. And to Zach and his family. Your friends in Georgetown are rooting for you, and wow, do you guys ever have a lot of friends! Anne Davidson, Georgetown