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4- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday August 16, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Donor issues challenge to mark 100th blood donation By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER We Need You! Registration for fall programs is underway, and I hope that you are pleased with all the changes we made to our schedule. We are excited to have work almost completed at our newest location on Florence Drive, which will open in September. Now is the time of year when we hope that you will consider making a donation to OPCC. If you check out our website you can download a donation form or can give on-line through www.canadahelps.org. Your Support is Important! We need to raise $45K this year in donations, special events and fundraising activities in order to "balance the budget" for OPCC. Only 50% of our total operating costs are funded by the provincial government so your contribution is very important! Your donation helps to ensure that we can maintain the high quality of programs that you and your children have access to at all of neighbourhood locations. Every dollar that you contribute helps us to: · Offer skilled and loving staff to care for your baby in the nursery; · Offer a high ratio of trained staff to work with your children in all of our programs; · Ensure that we can provide you with current parenting information and resources; · Continue to offer immediate access to knowledgeable staff who can answer your parenting questions; · Offer all of our programming for your family in safe, clean and well equipped spaces. We know how important our services are to you and your family. So please take a few moments now to help us by making a contribution and you will receive a charitable donation receipt. Thank you for your support and I wish you and your family a wonderful and safe summer. Conor Boyd will be doing more than just celebrating his 38th wedding anniversary, Aug. 22. He will be making his 100th blood donation and, according to calculations made by Canadian Blood Services, will have saved as many as 300 lives. "This is an outstanding accomplishment," said Kim LaRonde, Director of Marketing, Oakville Place. "Every unit donated by Conor translates into a positive impact on at least three people's lives." To mark his 100th donation, Boyd is issuing a challenge to others to attend the clinic. He is hoping to encourage new and past donors to attend. Boyd, a long time employee of Tip Top Tailors at Oakville Place, first gave blood in 1966 when his wife came up with the idea shortly after seeing funeral commercials put together by Blood Services in Belfast, United Kingdom. After leaving Belfast for Canada, in 1974, Boyd's blood donation endeavours came to a halt. The stop, according to Boyd, is attributed to the stresses of moving to a new country. "I came with a young family," said Boyd, adding that circumstances prevented him from giving blood a thought. Ten years after arriving in Canada, Boyd's boys brought him back into the habit of saving three lives every 56 days -- the minimum time interval between blood donations. "My boys came back from school one day and said there's going to be a blood drive coming up," the 60-year-old father recalled. Since then, Boyd, whose blood type is O+, has donated blood on a regular basis. "It's not bad," he said. "You go for half-an-hour every month-and-a-half. I've never had a problem and the people at the clinics have been good." Boyd will be making his 100th dona- CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER CHALLENGE: Conor Boyd has issued a challenge to blood donors to attend the Aug. 22 blood donor clinic at Oakville Place. The Tip Top Tailor employee will be making his 100th blood donation at the clinic. He is pictured here wearing a jacket with the many pins he had received for donating blood. tion, at the Oakville Place Donor Clinic, Aug. 22 at 4:25 p.m. He will be dedicating it to the Knights of Columbus. Boyd admits that while he OPEN HOUSE SAT & SUN 2-4 34 ARKENDO DR had not set making this milestone a main priority for giving blood, he's grown more excited for the day to come with each donation. He explained that blood services keeps track of the number of times an individual donates blood. Boyd would have met his 100th milestone last year had it not been for a low iron count. He wants to acknowledge this milestone by challenging all blood donors in the Oakville community to give blood at the Aug. 22 Oakville Place Blood Donor Clinic on the lower level by H&M, which will remain open from 4 to 8 p.m. "You look forward to it. It's a milestone in my life," Boyd said, noting that giving blood lets him know that he's still in the best of health. Before donating, Canada Blood Services requires you to meet the hemoglobin (iron) requirements, which will be dictated through a test done at the clinic and be in general good health. You should also have had adequate sleep and something to eat. If you're a first-time donor, you must be between 17 and 61 years. If you're a regular donor you can continue to give until you've reached your 71st birthday. If you wish to continue past this age you should contact Canadian Blood Services prior to donation. Donors should also be at least 110 pounds. Every 60 seconds someone in Canada needs blood. To meet Boyd's challenge and help save lives call Canadian Blood Services at 1888-2donate to book an appointment or visit www.blood.ca. Eighty four year old faces racing charge An 84-year-old Oakville man is facing a charge of street racing after allegedly tearing up a Peterborough highway. Police said on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Peterborough County OPP officers were conducting radar patrols on Hwy. 28 when they clocked a car travelling 50 km over the posted speed limit of 80 kmh. Police caught up with the vehicle and pulled it over. The Oakville resident has been charged with racing a motor vehicle. The street racing law, which came into effect in September, allows police to impound the offending vehicle for seven days, suspend the driver's licence for seven days and carries a minimum fine of $2,000. He is scheduled to appear in the Peterborough Provincial Court on Sept. 8. The Centre is a registered charitable organization, that has provided programs and services for families since 1980. Our services are designed to support all families in their parenting role. We also offer early learning opportunities for children 0-6 years. $769,000 SOUTH EAST OAKVILLE Great opportunity in prestigious neighbourhood. Just steps to Lake Ontario, nature trails and minutes from QEW and GO this 4br has loads of GEORGE updates and is ready to move in. Come by for a DLUGOSH viewing this weekend. www.dlugosh.com Broker PRUDENTIAL TOWN CENTRE REALTY INC* BROKERAGE 905-823-0020 For more information on programs, parenting and services offered by the Centre please contact us at 905-849-6366