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Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, June 16, 1976 7 50 Volunteers Bridge Gap Between School Community For Boys at Pine Ridge Volunteer Co-ordinator Gayle Esler offers some advice to Paula Martin as she lines up a shot during a Tuesday evening session as a volunteer with the boys in South House at Pine Ridge School. There are presently over 50 volunteers who participate with the boys in such activities as arts and crafts, judo, card games, remedial reading and, of course, pool. Mike Pageau, Gisele's husband, is a professional photographer, and h lends his talents by helping boys in the Photography Club-at Pine Ridge ever: week. Recently, the Whitby couple became foster parents to one of th students at Pine Ridge. After the furnace, the water heater is the biggest user of energy in your home. Waste hot water, and you're wasting valuable energy. That's a good reason for getting full value from your water heater in every way you can. By fixing leaky faucets. By insulating long runs of hot water pipe. By waiting until you have a full load before you switch on the clothes or dishwasher. By using cold or cool water when itwill do the job. By taking shorter showers or shallower baths. By making sure that ail the hot water that eventually goes down the drain works hard for you before t goes. The Cascade electric water heater gives you a dependable supply of hot water and it makes good use of ail the energy it consurnes. But it's up to you to use hot water wisely. Don't waste a drop... HY5-5620A Every week a sraall army of volunteers come from as far away as Whitby and Toronto to offer their friendship and skills to the boys at Pine Ridge School. Take Tuesday evenings for example. At Victoria House, An, Dreslinski and Donna Smith are involved in a series of lively euchre matches with the boys who are currently living there. Downstairs, Gisele Pageau and her group of young reporters are putting the finishing touches to their bi-weekly newspaper - The Pine Ridge Times POT (People On Top for the uninitiated) while her hus- band Mike works with mem- bers of the Photography Club. In the recreation area at South House, Paula Martin, Faye Jones and Nancy Nichol- son are shooting pool and lear-ning the finer points of the game from the boys in that residence. All three are secre- taries at Pine Ridge during the daytime. They're not the only staff members involved in the e volunteer program. Y On Tuesday and Thursday e evenings, social worker Peter Croxall takes six of the students along to the Maple Leaf Judo Club to learn the gentle art of self-defence. If you multiply these efforts several times over, you get an idea of the breadth of Pine Ridge's volunteer service. Two Year Boom The program has come a long way since two years ago when only a half dozen families in Bowmanville ex- tended a hand to the boys at the correctional institution on Concession Street East. In those days, a few hand-picked boys were grant- ed weekend "friendship pass- es' which allowed thern off grounds to visit with a local family. Much of the credit for the recent volunteer boom at Pine Ridge goes to Gayle Esler, the Volunteer Co-ordinator who was appointed to the staff in December of 1974. A former high school teach- er, Gayle found the volunteer program in 'bits and pieces' when she arrived at the school. At that time she was also faced with the challenge of carving a niche in the staff hierarchy for herself and establishing guidelines for the newly created position. 18 months later, it's obvious that she's fared very well. Spread the Word A soft-spoken individual with a good sense of humour, Gayle didn't get on a soap box to recruit her troop of volun- teers, but she did invite people to tour the facilities and on several occasions spoke about the school's aims to commun- ity groups. Her sole intention was to spread the word about the regular program at Pine Ridge, not to gather volun- teers. But inevitably, some of her listeners stepped forward to offer their help, and once the program got rolling, it gathered momentum by word of mouth. Though most of the volun- teers came as a result of personal contact with others working in the program, some are people who applied for summer employment at the school and were not able to land one of the few paying positions. Unconventional The reason Ann Dreslinski volunteered was unconven- tional to say the least., 14 months ago, she parked ber braiid new Volvo outside the I.G.A. store in Orono to do some shopping and left the keys in the ignition. When she came out a few minutes later with her packages, the car Gisele Pageau of Whitby was recently appointed as Assistant Volunteer Co-ordinator, and she now offers her services full time at Pine Ridge. As a journalism graduate from Durham College, she puts her training to good use. Every two weeks, with the help of several Pine Ridge reporters, she oversees the production of a school newspaper. was gone. Four days later the vehicle was recovered in Toronto and police told Ann that two youths from Pine Ridge had stolen it. In, the glove compartment, there was evidence that the youths had lived in the car during their escapade. Empty peanut butter and jam jars were the obvious clues. Anyone else would probably have sworn never to leave their keys in the ignition again (Ann doesn't) and promised to give Pine Ridge a wide berth forever after. But not Ann. Soon after the episode occurred, she heard Gayle Esler talk about the school at an Orono 'Mothers' Day Out' meeting, and subse- quently joined the growing group of volunteers. Orientation Sessions New volunteers don't just walk into the program cold. To help acclimatize them to the new situation, the newcomers are given three orientation sessions. The first evening, they're given a tour of the premises and a talk on the school's aims and philosophy. The second session deals with the legal processes which lead to a boy's referral to Pine Ridge and a discussion of institutional living. That evening the new volun- teers meet the boys, and for some of the more gullible ones, the experience is unfor- gettable. Gisele Pageau asked quite innocently what happens if a student doesn't eat the food served from the Pine Ridge kitchen, and one straight- faced fellow responded that the staff ties the boy up, puts his food in a pail and forces him to eat every morsel. "He sounded so sincere," Gisele said, though she's since learned to take such state- ments with a grain of salt, and is now quite adept at handing it right back. During the third orientation session, Gayle explains what is expected of the volunteers while they're on the grounds. She emphasizes that they 'be themselves' and not try to change their personalities when they're with the boys. A Lot of Satisfaction Both Ann Dreslinski and Gisele Pageau were recently appointed as Assistant Volun- teer Co-ordinators as a result of the phenomenal growth of the program. They derive a lot of satis- faction from their work with the students. Ann maintains that getting to know the boys is just like making new friends. "I really get close to a lot of them." At Christmas, she organized a cookie brigade and fund drive in Orono to buy all of the 661 e When people are shopping forhomeowners insurance, I'n usually their last stop..?' It's true, I can save a lot of people money on their homeowners insurance. And I can also assure them of the kind of first-class service that has made State Farm the largest home- owners insurer in the country. Add to that our Inflation Coverage that can automatically keep your protection up to date, and it's no wonder so many people stop shopping right here. If you're insurance shopping right now, be sure and check with me. Dirk Brinkman R.R. 1, Scugog St. Bowmanville, Ont. Phone 623-3621 TA C F a n C e igh b o r A STTEFARM FIRE AND CASUALTY COMPANY Pine Ridge boys a present and provide each of them with a box of home-made goodies. The boys received their gifts at a special party in Decem- ber. ' On weekends, Ann and ber husband Stan often invite boys to visit them at their home in Orono, and she reports that their behaviour is "just per- fect -- there are never any hassles. They always help with the dishes, and show their affection by teasing thý life out of us." She remarked that the volunteers have a lot more freedom than the Pine Ridge staff in some respects, espe- cially in terms of extending friendship. As Gayle pointed out, the volunteers offer the students a different perspective. "No matter how much the staff members are interested in the boys, there comes a point when staff has to be staff first and a friend second." There's quite a difference between being an authority figure and being a friend, as Gisele and Mike Pageau recently learned first hand. In January, the Whitby couple accepted one of the Pine Ridge boys as a foster child. "It's really quite a different relationship now," Gisele said. "We're gone from being Tom's friend to a position of responsibility. There were quite a few_ There were quite a few which the boys really appreci- them. Ann Dreslinski of Orono is also an Assistant Volunteer Co-ordinator. Tuesday evening euchre games with the boys in Victoria buse are her forte. problems at first, but things ate. They know someone are working out quite satis- cares." factorily now." Perhaps the most valuable The Third Degree part of the program at Pine How do the boys respond to Ridge is the fact that it breaks the volunteers? down false impressions that "If you come in late for a 'outsiders' may have about session, they give you the the boys who attend the school third degree about where -- and vice-versa. you've been," Ann said, "and Instead of remaining iso- when the volunteers are lated during their stay at Pine around late, they don't want to Ridge, the boys are now able go back to their bouses." to get involved with a wide "When a boy, leaves Pine range of people from this Ridge, he often keeps in community and beyond. contact with the volunteers by No doubt it makes getting letter," Gayle noted. "It's a back out into the mainstream very special relationship that much easier for many of which the boys really appreci- them. "JU NE IS" DAIRYDAI RY MONTH! 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