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

Wednesdsay October 3, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 After school program looking for funding FA ST aids families and teens facing variety of social & school problems B y A n gela B lackbu rn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF C a r c h a s e lead s to a lc o h o l- r e la t e d c h a rg e s An Oakville driver is facing several charges after narrowly missing a police cruiser Monday morning and leading officers on a short chase. According to Halton Regional Police, the incident began around mid night when a patrol officer driving north on Reynolds Street near McDonald Street was nearly hit by a southbound vehicle that crossed over the centre line. When the officer activated his emer gency lights to stop the car, the other car sped through a stop sign then stopped in a parking lot on Reynolds. The driver then fled on foot but was caught by police. Nelson Parreirinha, 31, of Wakehurst Crescent in Oakville has been charged with impaired driving, refusing to provide a breath sample and causing a police pursuit. Recovered alcoholic-tumed-social worker Jim Harkins is looking for $57,000 -- to fund his new After School Program in Bronte. Harkins, who began the Family Adolescent Straight Talk (FAST) program last year, met a handful of local politicians and police recently to make his funding pitch. Harkins said the meeting was "very positive." Harkins, 55, is a qualified addictions counsellor who only half jokes when he counts his "Ph.D." from the School of Life among his academic credentials on his "Ego Wall." His checkered past eventually led him to become the founder and director of FAST, located in 2000-sq. ft. of space at 2330 Lakeshore Rd. W. FAST tackles behavioral, school, addiction and fam ily problems for teens and their families. Often it's not a pretty job. It can take a court order to get a teen to come in, and Harkins uses his brand of straight talk to get through. One of those was Luke Bonham, 16, of north Halton. "I used to have nightmares that I would wake up and he would be dead. It was very bad," admitted Gord Bonham. Luke's father. "There's very little in the province for youths under 16 with addictions problems," said Gord Bonham. His son began drinking at age 11 and his abuse of alcohol and drugs escalated until his addictions were discovered. After getting into trouble with the law, Bonham was sent by court order to Harkins for counselling. Harkins is supported by psychiatrists and social workers, who either work on contract or as volunteers. Photo by Peter C. McCusker Ray Pidzamecky and Jim Harkins chat with youngster: filling a need Referrals come from courts, doctors, and social agencies. In less than a year, Harkins has already identified a new need -- and believes an After School Program could be the answer. When a family he helped, donated four high-speed, fully loaded computers to his centre, Harkins knew he had a start. The After School operates from 3 p.m.-9 p.m., Monday to Friday and isn't a drop in. Youths can use the computers, catch a flick on the 52-inch, big screen TV, or squeeze in some computer or board games with friends. "It looks after all the basic needs of kids while mom and dad know they're in a safe environment," said Harkins. Educational and social needs for teens are met in a safe, supervised milieu, he said. FAST isn't exclusive. Clients come from across Oakville and Halton looking for help. "Our doors are wide open," vows Harkins who oper ates FAST on a yearly $135,000 budget. Yet, the After School program is for Bronte and Harkins is asking local politicians to look at the needs of youths from both sides -- before, as well as after, they get in trouble. "It would be a proactive, preventive program aimed at making kids less vulnerable to negative influences like gangs or drugs," said Halton counsellor and Parent Watch co-founder, Ray Pidzamecky. He's an advisor to FAST and holds Parent Watch meetings at the centre. Ward 1 councillors Ralph Robinson and Kevin Flynn were at Harkins' meeting, along with Halton Regional Police community police Constable Shane Crawford. Flynn said the program may dovetail with the Town's Parks & Recreation offerings or Halton Region's social services programs. "It's a great idea for providing computers to kids, getting young people oft the street and providing social stuff, too," said Robinson. Harkins began his social ministering with an employee assistance addiction counselling service for those with alcohol, drug or gambling problems. When he stumbled upon a huge need for teen coun selling, he established FAST -- and his own tale hits home with kids. Until 1990, Harkins drank and gambled. He saw two marriages fall apart and he was drinking nearly a gallon of vodka daily. Eventually, he landed in hospital, on life support, with alcoholic hepatitis. Finally, co-workers including Marlene Darche, who later married Harkins, worked with an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) to get Harkins into a New York treatment centre. He was in a padded cell, assaulted nurses and secu rity, and escaped, but when he found himself at the bor der, with a case of beer, he did some hard thinking, not drinking -- and has been sobre since. C y c le fo r A u tis m S a t. The Autism Society Ontario, Halton Chapter hosts its first-ever Cycle For Autism on Sat. Oct. 6 at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. The event - which starts with regis tration at 9 a.m. - takes place entirely within the park's road system, making it safer for special needs participants. Riders can do a 5k or 10k route. For complete information, please contact Cindy Faria at 825-1344 or Steve Dhaliwal at 337-2031. Autism affects behaviour, commu nication and social skills and how the brain processes sensory information. J in y ^ ija PARTNER YOGA WORKSHOP Come and experience the dynamics o f partner yoga, bring a partner or come alone. Noyoga expenence required, but a playful attitude desirable. NEW R E D U C E D P R IC IN G ON 2 <1» 1'S! New Low er In terest R ates In E flect!! COME SEE WHY OUR PRICES MADE US FAMOUS Lo oh at the Equipm ent! P o w e rS u n ro o f ·P o w e r W indow s C a sse tteC D AM» ·§ £ October ft 2001 1:00- i:00 p.m . Call: 905-m-/7)l wm /.leuoea.com H E A L T H Y 5 0 D Y - H E A L T H Y MIND L o wB ackB u ck e ts · Child P ro te ctio n L o ck s ·T h e ft D e te rre n t S y ste m R E C E N TG R A D SR E C E IV EA $1000 R E B A T EF R O MC H R Y S L E R ,A S K ! · Air C onditioning 4-S p e e d A u to 2001 A B A V A N ~g r Airbags, air conditioning, power w indow s, 7-pass. i 4doors, C leorcoat P a in t F ro n t/ G ra u p ^ W rapped * L e a th e rT rim C o n tro l D iscB ra ke s *P o w e rS te e rin g S te e rin gW hek S e a ts i brakes, V 6 pow er, cruise, till autom atic, 28Cpkg. and m ore. Buy at our Low Cash Price of Or Take Air conditioning, stereo, air bags, 22d pkg. and much m ote. Air conditioning. 4 doors, power windows, 22Cpkg., autom atic, V 6 brakes, power steering, plus m ore. SO O O OO Ifc O O Financing u ptoafu ll 4 8m o ®199 Lease for a tow a m onth /60 m onths 0 % Financing for 6 0m o n tl O rT a k e % Financing 4 8m on th s All sales prices and teases are plus frt., lie., taxes. Leases are 48 months except Neon which is 60 months. 0 A C . Lease rates PT Cruiser 5.4% , Neon 0%, Intrepid and Caravan 3.3% . 0% finance rate on purchases on Caravans, tntrepids, Neons is 0% . Up to 48 months, except PT which is 36 months. Down payments required on leases: Neon 52,766, Intrepid S3,625. Caravan $4,577. EX: of payments on PT Cruiser for $20,000 over 36 months = 36 payments of S562.43. COB is $247.39. If Neon is financed at 0% example, and the rebate o f S2.Q0Q is not taken, the effective interest rate is 8.4% . Security deposit is required on all leases. 0 A C . Trade-ins may be accepted as down payment in lieu of cash. Leases have 20.400 kms per annum with excess kms at 15 cents. Buybacks are optional W E W I L L N O T BE U N D E R S O L D T h eo n ly thing y o uw on't fin d at O akville's n ewH ilto nG a rd e n In n ®is a hefty bill, y o uw infin d b ra n d new , co m fo rta b le guest rooms with a m icrow ave, refrigerator, c o ffe e maker, high-speed Internet access a n d dual-line speaker phones with voicem ail. Plus oth er comforts you w o u ld n 't e x p e c t a t such an a ffo rd a b le hotel: a com plim entary 24-hour business center, full service restaurant, cozy lounge, fitness center, h e a te d Indoor pool, whirlpool even m eeting a n d b a n q u e t facilities for up to 150 p eople. For reservations, visit us online a t hlltongardenlnn.com , call your travel agent, I- 8OO-HILTONS. or th e hotel d irect a t 905-829-1145. E veryth in g .R ig h tw h erey o un eedit.TM 2774 South Sheridan Way (Q.E.W. & Winston Churchill) Oakville, Ontario L6J 7T4 905-829-1145 H ilto n G arden Inn* Toronto/O akville ·· * _ *·· P o in ts fV M i W M ake the m ost o f every stay w ith H ilton H H o n o rs* the only hotel rew ards program to o ffer both hotel points a n d airline miles for the sam e stay. To jo in , visit wrww.hiltonhhonors.com. D odge I d o d g eT r u c k s chrysur] NOW OPEN Hilton HHonors membership, earning of Points & Miles,TM and redemption of points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions. ©2001 Hilton Hospitality, Inc. 646 4th Line, Speers Road, Oakville m m i t tddge chryi www.oakvilledodge.com O N T A R I O 'S Q A C y iO i i ji ·as traded w c : 5 £ e E Q SreersRd - I I & S A F E G U A R D IN G E L E C T R IC IT Y F U T U R E Questions about Ontario's new electricity market? C A L L 1 -8 8 8 -6 6 8 -4 6 3 6 To receive your free information brochure which explains: · W h y o u r e le c tr ic ity s y s te m · H ow th e n e w s y s te m · w h a t c o m p e titio n w ill m e a n is c h a n g in g fo r c o n s u m e r s w ill w o r k or visit our website at www.est.gov.on.ca Ontario