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

B6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 23, 2000 Community supporting field hockey marathon for Dreams TakeFlight T he O akville Field Hockey Club is helping to m ake D ream s Take Flight w ith a 12-hour m arathon indoor field hockey match the Dream-a-Thon. The funds raised from pledges and sponsorships will make a dream com e true for children from Oakville who are terminally ill or suf fering from a severe mental or physical disability, by giv ing them a day o f fun and adventure at F lo rid a's Disneyworld. "The tow n o f O akville has been really good to this club," says O akville Field Hockey Club (O FH C ) founder and general caretak er John Picone. "In our fledgling years we asked various businesses to sponsor us and virtually no one turned us dow n." He goes on to point out that Oakville Parks and Recreation has also been par ticularly helpful. "A nd the people in our m embership are a truly generous spirit. I've met people I know will be my friends for life." In the past year the OFHC has put these two together and "given something back." The club has also been a silent auction sponsor for the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame Dinners each year, as well as the John Rizzutti D inner to raise m oney for cancer research. "But the D ream -a-Thon is really special," says Picone. "Field hockey is a great game, even if it doesn't enjoy the profile o f other sports . . . yet. And our mem bers want to do something for children who, unfortunately, will never enjoy playing the sport. `T h e idea o f the DreamA-Thon only met with unbri dled enthusiasm from all cor ners o f the O FHC m em ber ship, and plans for the event quickly took shape." Two teams - the Dream s and the Flights - will begin the marathon game at 9 a.m. sharp on Saturday M arch 4th, in the gym at St. Thom as Aquinas High School. Along with the ongoing field hockey m atch, there will be a Silent Auction in the school's foyer. T here will also be a special cake-cutting cerem ony at 1 pm w ith Oakville M ayor Ann M ulvale and the national anthem sung by the Pine Grove School Choir. This will be follow ed by a Celebrity M atch where local celebrities including Kevin Flynn, D an Ferrone and Larry Cain will join Oakville field hockey O lym pians Jean M ajor (Los A ngeles, 1984) and Jim M acD ougall (M ontreal, 1976), and others for what prom ises to be a really exciting game. T he response to the D ream -a-T hon has been overwhelming. "I'm truly in awe at peo p le 's excitem ent, com m it ment and generosity," says Picone. The com m ittee itself has been tireless in seeking auction items, even making donations themselves. OFHC m em ber R ichard Bissonnette, an avid sailor, has donated an afternoon sailing on L ake O ntario; M arissa Bucciarelli o f Bucci H air Salon has donated ser vices; Picone himself, a sea soned pilot, offers to take a group o f three for an AirTour o f Oakville. Then there's the VCR, the portable stereo and the Toronto M aple L eaf play off tickets. The OFHC web site has a com plete and con tinually updated list o f auc tion items. "I asked Raj at the Golden Griddle if he would donate an auction item ," said Picone, "and he offered to provide breakfast for every one instead." The OFH C is particularly grateful to Invidiata Homes who have sponsored the je r seys and socks for the two teams. Club m em ber Ross G ordon has designed a spe cial logo for the event. Then, o f course, there's the players themselves. It's not enough that more than half o f the club have made a com m itm ent to play that day. O ther field hockey players heard about the D ream -aThon and anxiously asked to contribute. "One o f our members, Jen O grodnik, who attends Notre D am e H igh S chool in Burlington, asked if we need ed more players. I told her everyone w ho w ould seek some pledges was welcom e." O grodnik, her coach, M ika Van derKooy, and 18 players have offered to spend the entire 12 hours at the Dreama-Thon to play, sell pizza, and help out in any way they're needed. M any players at St. Thom as Aquinas have done the sam e, including some teachers. Even the school secretary offered to com e and help with w hatever needs to be done. O ne aspect o f this fundraiser the club is particu larly proud o f is that 100% of the pledges will go directly to help these children get to D isneyw orld. "All our adm inistrative costs have been either donated or cov ered by a specific sponsor ship," says Picone. Picone em phasizes that the Oakville Field Hockey Club is a `people club.' The focus is having fun, keeping fit, meeting new friends. "We really down play the com petitive tone of the game," he says, "no winners or losers - just participants. I believe that's w hat makes the club attractive and successful." Picone is confident that this fundraising event will be successful for the same reason: focusing on peo ple helping people, on kids helping kids. "I hope at the end of the Dream-a-Thon journey we raise a lot o f m oney to put a lot of smiles on the faces of these youngsters. But no matter what the final tally, travel ling the road together - with people in the club, and people in the town - has been more enriching than we could possibly have imagined." For more information about the Dream-a-Thon, including a list o f Silent Auction items, visit the OFHC web site: www.cgocable.net/~ofhc To make a Donation to the D ream -a-Thon, mail pledges to The Oakville Field Hockey Club, 1243 W ood Place, Oakville, ON, L6L 2R4. Cheques should be made payable to: Dream s Take Flight. To donate an item or service to the Silent Auction, call John Picone at 827-4850. WE'VE ADDED A iu e w b h Taurus 2000 has earned five stars - the highest possible U.S. Government crash test rating - for both driver and front passenger - tw o years in a row/ LEASE FOR OR PURCHASE FOR P e rfo rm a n c e F e a tu re s : · 16" Aluminum 5-Spoke Wheels · Increased Horsepower and Torque · Improved Steering & Handling C o m fo rt F e a tu re s : $ PER M O N TH /36 MONTH LEASE *3,995 D o w n P aym ent Plus *870 Freight and *350 Security Deposit 289 2.9 48 M O N T H F IN A N C IN G TAURUS SE · Power Drivers' Seat · Heated Mirrors · Light Group · 5-Passenger Seating with Floor Shift P e a c e -o f -M i n d F e a t u r e s : · Power Adjustable Pedals · Anti- Lock Brakes · Advanced Restraint System · SecuriLockTM Anti-Theft · Dual-stage 'Smart' Airbags · Child Friendly Trunk Release System W E HAVE THE RIGHT LEASE PAYMENT FOR YOU Based on 3.25% annual interest rate over 36 months Monthly Down Payment or Security premut Due on Payment Equivalent Trade Deposit ^ Signing *289 *3.995 *350 *870 *5,504 *347 *1.995 *400 *870 *3,612 *405 *0 *475 *870 *1,750 First M o nth's Paym ent Required. S0.08/km charge o ve r 60,000 km fo r 36 m onths. 511,776.60 O p tion a l Buyback. Applicable Taxes, Licence, Insurance a nd Adm inistration Fees Extra. F o rd T a u ru s w ww.verysm artcar.com YOUR ONTARIO FORD DEALERS. VVISE B U Y ER S R E A D T H E L E G A L C O P Y : 'Lease an in-stock new 2000 Taurus SE Sedan from Ford Credit to qualified retail lessees, on approved credit Total lease obligation is $14.399/$14,487/$14.580 * *2 .9 % purchase financing available on new 2000 Taurus for a maximum of 48 months on approved credit. E.g. $25,000 financed at 2 9 % annual percentage rate for 48 months, m onthly paym ent is 5552 20. cost of borrow ing is $1,505.60. and total to be repaid is $26,505.60. Down paym ent or equivalent trade may be required. Financing offer does not apply to licence and insurance fees. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply Offers may change w ithout notice. Lim ited tim e offers. O ffe rs a re m u t u a lly e x c lu s iv e . O f fe rs c a n n o t b e c o m b in e d w it h a n y o th e r o ffe rs. See dealers for details. * Ski/Snowboard/Snowshoe offer only available on in-stock new 2000 Taurus that are delivered to and received by the purchaser/lessor on or before March 18th, 2000 O ffer available at participating dealers only. Bindings not included. ' The hiqhest frontal im oact ratina for both the driver and front oassenaer in U.S. aovernm ent National Hiqhwav Traffic Safety Adm inistration (w w w nhtsa.com) testinq. Ontario FDA, P.O. Box 2000. Oakville. Ontario L6J 5E4 THE SLOTS ARE HERE M ohawk Racetrack Slots features 7 50 slot machines ranging from 25^ to $5. W e've got progressive jackpots, great meals at the Market Place Eatery and the Terrace Lounge restaurant. W e're open from 1 1 am to 2 am, 7 days a week for full gaming fun. Simply follow the sound o f excitement to Highway 4 0 1 and Guelph Line. For information call (905) 854-4053.