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B 2 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 10, 2001 Former Montreal resident has raised 32 Dominican Republic orphans (Continued from page B1) Susan L ongjey · CUDDLES is our gift for every $100 donation to Canadian Breast Cancer Society · Even donation is also a ballot to win prizes valued at hundreds o f dollars Lejabv Barbara Febna Simone Perele Chaiitelle Antinea BEAR IN MIND October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Ba llo t F or E ach Ple d g e ! Sherwood Forrest Village 1900 Dundas St. W., #3. Mississauga, ON (905) 403-0526 r CL Oundas St. || W, Hwy. 5 \itsan V 1 2 c uj Sherwood Forrest Village | children are not up for adoption. I've adopted them." They've come from "very, very poor" families, living in the streets or in shacks built from cardboard boxes, give up their youngest children because they cannot provide for them. Some are sick, or deformed, and require medical attention. So adamant is Tremblay that her home not be referred to as an orphanage that she's turned down government funding. "The government is trying to `use' me for political gain by supporting me finan cially, so I refused," explains Tremblay. She's also said no to a church. "A church has offered to give me support if I allow them to establish themselves on my prop erty and provide teachers, in return for the devotion of myself and the children. I said no." Nevertheless, the orphanage depends on charitable donations and goodwill. Visitors from Quebec support her financially and emotionally. Students from a seminary in Trois-Rivieres built four bathrooms, two showers and a septic sys tem for Tremblay. A group of visiting ophthalmologists from the University of Montreal gave the children free eye examinations five years ago. Tremblay, who speaks French and Spanish, and a tiny bit of English, left her "fast-paced, stress-filled life" - and hus band - behind in Montreal, to `find her self in this Caribbean country. Settling near Cabarete, Tremblay began to take in children, one by one. Her oldest, Che Che, 23 and married, was expecting "my first grandchild." Tremblay, in Oakville for only three days, visited her daughter in Montreal before returning to the Dominican Republic "to be home in time for the birth of my first grandchild." Che Che and her husband "live on my property and help me with the children," she explains. She purchased the property using funds from a "considerable inheritance" and her divorce settlement. Tremblay has raised 32 children, and currently has 18 living with her. The youngest is two years old. "These children are my family. The Dominicans are very special . . . sincere people. They would give you their last grapefruit from their tree. They are such generous, beautiful people." "I didn't go with the intention of doing what has became my love," says Tremblay. "One by one the children came. It's as easy to set 10 plates on the dinner table as it is to set one. In the Dominican Republic, there's joy in the chaos. I have no phone, and I got electricity only last year." Twice a week, Tremblay drives her `4X4' to Cabarete to collect the mail and to pick up groceries - some of them donated - from various shopkeepers. "A hotel manager gives me old bedding and linens every time he gets new ones, and I get his old furniture. Sometimes he also donates rice - a day without rice for a Dominican is a bad day." She also looks after a number of fami lies living in her immediate neighbour hood. "I make sure they have food - rice and vitamins." Some of the children from these families come to the school built on her property. Funds for the school came from CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency. "Paulina not only takes care of her own children, and spreads her compassion out into the local communities where her chil dren are coming from," explains Warrington. "She can't just focus on her own children when there's such great needs in the communities." Tremblay says she needs long term vol unteers, retired people who can donate time and skills to teach technical skills. "The young adults need workshops to learn skills, so they can get good jobs, and we can't do this without teachers. Right now, we have no facilities." Very few children attend high school, she explains. For many. Grade 8 is their final year. "They feel very fortunate to make it that far, as school is not obligatory like it is in Haiti and Cuba. "There is an 80% illiteracy rate in the Dominican Republic. In Cabarete, there are no educational facilities. It's a rural area, and not enough schools are being built. For primary children alone, over 2,000 classrooms are needed. We have no colleges, no universities, and no profes sors. "I would like to start a workshop for boys, so they can learn a trade, become skilled. This is very important. There's no future for boys if they don't get training, and I'm afraid they'll turn to drugs and alcohol. I don't want to just send them into the cities." Anybody interested in volunteering, or sending donations, can call Judy Warrington at 905-338-2304. We've Got J Everything ^3 You Need To Decorate Your W ' Home For Jty From pumpkins to witches, we've got a great selection of decorating ideas to choose from. Hurry in and see our complete selection today, f is/ Hallowe'en Pumpkins Decorate your home for Fall with fresh pumpkins. Priced From... \5Wjf Hyacinth Bulbs Hyacinths are known for their fragrant aroma. Plant now for colourful spring flowers. Also ideal for indoor forcing. Choose from over 10 varieties, including Blue, Pink, r S ' f!' I . slju ·*% W hite, Purple, Yellow and Orange. 4 bulK/package. 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