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2 7 | T h u rs d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 | O A K V IL L E B E A V E R Sleepless nights in a car is no way to live: Kolisnyk o, what did I learn sleeping seven nights in a car? Firstly, one has to ask, but why would anyone want to do such a thing? As chair of the board for Home Suite Hope (HSH), a Halton charity that helps homeless single parents and their children break the cycle of poverty, it was my hope that spend ing more than 50 per cent of my entire day for seven consecutive days would accomplish a few things. As we all know, Oakville, one of Canada' s most livable towns, is home to some of the country' s wealthiest individuals. W hat' s perhaps less known is the poverty hidden among us in plain sight. My goal: generate more awareness within our commu nity, and raise $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 to help more families. Thanks to Oakville Infiniti, which pro vided a new luxury Q 50 Red S sport sedan for me to call home. Parked on the boulevard outside its showroom, not more than 50 feet from the QEW, I can faithfully attest it is, in fact, one of Canada' s busiest highways. It was cold. Some nights worse than oth ers, as I woke to find ice in my water. I would liken sleep to holding a single position inside an MRI machine. Mornings were the worst. As if I was hung over from an overseas red-eye flight. Each morning progressively worse than the other. My normal routine was completely discombobulated. Focusing at work was tough due to a lack of quality sleep. S your mother and I walked to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm with no boots!" Strangely though, after seven nights I re alized what "W iFi" really meant. This is the world we live in today, and W iFi is about connectivity. If you are not connected, how can you be relevant? Every day we leverage relevance in order to distinguish ourselves in our lives and in our business. If we don't feel relevant, then we feel marginalized, we feel isolated, as if we are out on the fringes, and not part of main stream society. Those 84-plus hours in the car were just enough to imagine the depths of isolation, the confinement, and that feeling of being trapped in a rut. During my seven-day stint, I learned of a family that had just spent time living in a cemetery, which truly captures the irony of it all. Here I am in a luxury vehicle -- Oakville as we perceive it, versus the 24/7 reality that faces too many families in our community. I'm happy to report, the outpouring of good wishes, love and support helped me exceed my goal of $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 , but more impor tantly, it demonstrated the caring and gener osity that makes our community such a nice place to live. We haven't solved the homelessness prob lem yet, but our awareness is better today than it was yesterday. -- subm itted by Peter Kolisnyk, chair, H om e Suite H ope | w w w .in s id e H A L T O N .c o m Peter K olisnyk Home Suite Hope The Genuine. The Original. Each day, I journaled my thoughts. After two nights, a reporter from this newspaper (O akville B eaver) asked about the thing I missed the most, and without thinking I just blurted out "W ifi!"...OMG.... "Did I just say that out loud?" -- visualizing my father cuff ing me on the back of the head.... "Peter... Courtyard Collection The beauty of wood with the durability of steel. 5 4 5 0 Harvester Road, Burlington Overhead Door (Hamilton-Burlington) Ltd. 90 5-333-1772 info@overheaddoorburlington.ca overheaddoorburlington.ca TA B EIC LM iD Starts December 1st, on selected in-stock merchandise. with Further Reductions in every department Fashion Dresswear Solids & Prints 150cm Our Reg. $9 m Now $3 m 'Formal Glitz' Holiday Fashion Fabrics now 50-60% off our reg. price Selected Holiday Fleece Panels now 50% off our reg. price Christmas Cotton Collections now 50% off our reg. price Christmas Story Home Dec Jacquards 140cm Our Reg. $32 m Now $15 m Entire Stock! Coats & ClarkTM Thread 50% off our reg. price Holiday Countdown! And Sewciety Members Save 40% off our reg. price on almost anything else not already on sale! Follow us on Fatebook and Twitter! www.fabritland.ta MISSISSAUGA: 3015 WINSTON CHURCHILL BLVD.(N.w . side @Dundas) 905-828-9966 BURLINGTON: 3515 FAIRVIEWST.905-639-2516