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Wednesday, March 1, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER BV Your Hangars Getting M ore W ear O FFICIAL M ED IA S P O N S O R O F T H E OAKVILLE W A TERFRO N T FESTIVAL Oakville Beaver Focus Editor: WILMA BLOKHUIS 845-3824 Ext: 250; Fax: 337-5567; Email: blokhuis@ha[tonsearch.com Focus % *« Out of Your Clothes Than You Are? Spwig 2000 is a clear slate... so start it off right by tOming those upscale garments into money in your pocketf! We are now booking spring appointments .so give us a call and get in earty! B y C o n s ig n m e n t... Upscale Resale LadiesWear |% i 115 Trafalgar Rd. (ju» N . dpktstoK) 3 3 8 -3 4 7 4 frequent Buyer Program" now in effect, ask tor details! " V Fieldhockey for bimiB Tats By M ary Collett SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Vinnie Di Rollo and John Picone share a dream. It is a dream that w ould see more than 50 Oakville young sters w ho normally live life shackled to w heelchairs and walkers, take flight and soar through the heavens, destined for a day at D isney W orld in Orlando, Florida, this com ing May. The project, called Dream s Take Flight was started over 10 years ago by A ir Canada, w hich remains the m ajor sponsor of the annual event, donating the plane, w ith airline personnel volunteering their time to serve aboard the flight. Di Rollo, whose six-year-old son Christian has a terminal neurological disorder, got involved three years ago, view ing it as an opportunity to "take a negative and turn it into a pos itive." Christian has been offered the chance to go on the trip more than once, but Di Rollo has given up his seat to other children w hom she feels "can get m ore out o f the experience." The sheer logistics o f send ing Christian, who neither walks nor talks, and requires feeding and oxygen tubes, as well as m edication to help control seizures, would be staggering. Recently, the disease robbed Christian o f his ability to see, and even to smile. Perhaps because of this, Di Rollo, more than most, treasures the thought o f a child's eyes aglow at the m agical sight of a favorite Disney character, or a beaming grin stretched from ear to ear at the very prospect o f so m iraculous an adventure. Such a dream cam e true last year for April W ard-Theriault's seven-year-old son, Clayton. A t nine m onths of age, after a battery o f tests, Clayton was diagnosed with a rare form of M uscular Dystrophy. W ard-Theriault feels "lucky" that C layton's m ind is "still sharp as a whip." W hile able to w alk on his own, she expects he will soon need at walker to get around. As his muscles weaken, he will need a wheelchair. "H e's had 7 1/2 wonderful years, but he'll soon be needing a walker." she adds. W ard-Theriault recalls that she "cried" from the moment she received the phone call telling her that Clayton had been selected for Dream s Take Flight last year. She explains that for many of these kids, "tim e is o f the essence. Parents can't save and plan for the future because there's ju st too much uncertain ty, and the window o f opportu nity is lim ited." A nd she em pha sizes that "now is the time for a lot of these kids." Since volunteer caregivers were already in place, WardTheriault did not accompany Clayton on the whirlwind holi day, but she "heard about it for weeks." In fact, she laughingly reports that "he's still talking about it." The children spend only one day at Disney World, flying there and back in less than 24 hours, but during that brief time, they receive V.I.P. treatment. Before they even board the plane, they're given a gift bag containing Disney souvenirs including a hat, T-shirt, and an autograph book that was signed by M ickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck, to name but a few. Disney representatives are on hand to greet the kids when they arrive, and as the group makes its way through the theme park, each section is closed off, to maximize their access to the rides, attractions and characters. W ard-Theriault points out, that parents o f `norm al' children can't imagine w hat it's like to endure long line-ups with spe cial needs kids - many need to be carried on and off the rides. "M ore importandy," she notes, "children like Clayton, feel normal when they're with such a group. They don't feel different from the rest." Photo by Barrie Erskine It appears G abriel Di Rollo, 9, a m em ber o f the O akville Field H ockey C lub, is being challenged fo r the ball by C layton W ardTheriault, 7. G abriel will be participating in Saturday's 12-hour D ream -a-T hon at St. T hom as A quinas Secon d ary Sch ool to raise funds for D ream s Take Flight, which takes term inally ill, and physically d isabled children, to D isney W orld in F lorida for a day. C layton, who has M uscular D ystrophy, enjoyed a day at D isney W orld w ith D ream s Take F light last year. John Picone, self-described `founder and caretaker' of the Oakville Field Hockey Club (OFHC), and a teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, first became involved in fundraising for Dreams Take Flight last year, inspired by Di Rollo's indomitable example. They participated in a triathlon that raised almost $12,000. Their goal this year of $50,000 is much more ambi tious, but says Picone, "whether we raise $50 or $50,000, the journey has been amazing." In order to achieve this goal, the OFHC will host a one-day Dream-a-Thon, a 12-hour field hockey match, this Saturday, March 4th, at St. Thomas Aquinas, Margaret Drive and Lakeshore Road, starting at 9 a.m. Admission is free. There will be an ongoing silent auction offering everything from origi nal art to a home satellite dish. M embers of Oakville's Kiwanis Club will be serving a pancake breakfast supplied by the Golden Griddle from 8 to 10 a.m., with refreshments and pizza on sale during the day. As of last Monday, donations can be made at any local branch o f the Canadian Imperial Bank o f Commerce (CIBC), with tax receipts available for contribu tions of $15 and up. Picone says that he has been "overwhelmed by the outpour ing of donated items, pledges, volunteer assistance and enthu siastic support, which means that every nickel raised can go to the kids." Although Picone is a teacher by profession, and gives piano lessons to Christian's 9-year-old brother, Gabriel, he admits, "Christian has been my teacher." And though Christian is not strong enough to withstand the rigorous dem ands o f a trip to Florida, his mother vows that, "he's definitely going to the Dream-a-Thon, even if it's only for an hour." Di Rollo regards every day she has with Christian as a gift. Anyone willing to share in this "gift" can do so at a local branch o f the CIBC, or mail pledges to the Oakville Field Hockey Club, 1243 Wood Place, Oakville, ON, L6L 2R4. Cheques should be made payable to: Dream s Take Flight, and must include a full return address in order to ensure a tax receipt. To donate an item or service to the silent auction, call John Picone at 827-4850. For other information, contact Vinnie Di Rollo at 847-1843. The D ream -A -Thon will fea ture a cake-cutting cerem ony a t 1 p.m. w ith M ayor A nn M ulvale and the national anthem sung by the Pine G rove School Choir, follow ed by a Celebrity M atch where local celebrities including Councillor Kevin Flynn; D a n ,;» Ferrone, retired Toronto Argo; and Larry Cain, gold medal . O lym pic canoeist; and Carl J Coulter, H am ilton Tiger Cats, * i* will jo in Oakville field hockey 2 ; Olym pians Jean M ajor (Los Z Angeles, 1984) and Jim . J M acD ougall (M ontreal, 1976).^A long with various sports £ celebrities, local field hockey * teams, and a tireless corps of volunteers, Di Rollo prom ises, ; "Christian will be there." '. 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