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4 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, January 30, 2001 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Local girl's TV movie broadcast next week By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star Eleven-year-old Laura Mercer of Port Perry had the time of her life last summer when she starred in a made- for-television movie with international film star Farah Fawcett. And now we can see the results of her efforts when Jewel airs on CBS at 9 p.m. next Wednesday, Feb. 7. The movie, based on a book by Bret Lott, focuses on a woman named Jewel (Farah Fawcett) who has five children in 1940s America. The youngest, Brenda Kay, has Down Syndrome. Rather than consign her daughter to an institution, - which was the thing to do in that era, the mother keeps her daughter at home and eventually finds her way to California in search of a way to educate the girl. The film covers 18 years of Brenda Kay's life; Laura plays her as a seven-year-old. The story is loosely based on Mr. Lott's family. His grandmother, Jewel, had a child, Brenda Kay, with Down Syndrome. Brenda Kay still lives in the United States. Laura spent 14 days filming on set. Some of the scenes were filmed at the old Whitby Psychiatric Hospital, and at an abandoned house at the corner of Balsam Rd. and Hwy. 7 which was decorated as a Mississippi home. Laura's parents, Dr. Gord Mercer and his wife, Kathy, had been told they would receive a copy of the video after the movie had aired. So they were very surprised and pleased to receive their own copy two weeks ago. "It's been very exciting seeing the film before everyone else," said Mrs. Mercer . : And while the film is titled Jewel, friends and family are already dubbing it "Laura's Movie". "We all know who the real star is," proudly. Laura likes what she saw during a private screening with her family: "It's fine; | liked it," she said. Even though the experience was new to Laura, she says she enjoyed the process, and discovered it wash't hard to remember her lines. "It's a nice sory, pretty realistic for the time," her moth- er said. - Laura initially became involved in the project when she applied for a part as an extra. But when the director saw that sparkle in her eye and came to know her bubbly per- sonality, she was soon hired to play the part of the said Mrs. Mercer COMMUNITY NEWS a Wi ie Ra Sl ne aalisl Laura Mercer, 11, has a part in Jewel, a made- for-television film starring Farah Fawcett which goes to air on CBS next Wednesday, Feb. 7. younger Brenda Kay. Now that Laura has starred in one movie will she aim for another? "Yeah, I'd like to play in a sequel and play the part Farah Fawcett played," she said. Her six-year-old sister, Brianne, was pretty excited to MR i il RPS nO Laure spent two weeks working on the film at locations in this area last summer. She landed : the feature role after auditioning as an extra. : see her sister on television, too. "I was happy for Laura," she said. As a reminder of her instant stardom Laura was given her own director's chair, a ruby necklace and a harmonica. "I enjoyed working with everyone," said Laura. "I'had a ball." By Chris Hall Port Perry Star high, wi For almost two decades now, Merle g i Donations last year were unusually close to $32,000 being col- Heart and Stroke canvass begins | | | ple are off work and at home." Long-time volunteer set to help effort once more | "I was just asked to help out. They were looking for another canvasser, and Saturday's a good day too. A lot of peo- St. John has given freely of her time to help out the Heart and Stroke Foundation each February. And, this year will be no exception. A canvassing captain for the past 10 years, Mrs. St. John is responsible for organizing volunteers in her area of town and managing their collections for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Canvassers go door-to-door through- out the entire month of February to col- lect donations for the foundation. "It's getting close to 20 years now, but I'm not sure exactly how long it's been," said Mrs. St. John at her Bigelow St. home last weekend. "| got my |5-year (service) pin a few years ago and I've been a captain for about 10 years," she said. "I don't real- ly keep track of the years; it's just something | enjoy doing." Her canvassing area consists of the homes in the area just north of Port Perry, near the fairgrounds. lected in Scugog Township in 2000. - A goal of $30,000 has been set for 2001. \ "Last year was a really good year; (the Heart and Stroke Foundation) were really happy with us," said Mrs. St. John. As captain, Mrs. St. John organizes her canvassers and looks after the funds they collect. The money is then sent to the Oshawa chapter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She currently has about 12 volun- teers canvassing for her. "They're really good people. I try not to give them too many houses because you don't want to discourage them. The people of Port Perry are very generous, and | never hear any complaints from my canvassers," Mrs. St. John said. The evenings and Saturdays are usu- ally prime-time for canvassers, she added. "Usually they go in the evenings when people are home from work, but Canvassers can be identified by their Heart and Stroke Foundation pins. Some may even have service pins, that tell residents they're veteran volunteers with the foundation. "We're very lucky, we've had a lot of people volunteer every year for years," said Mrs. St. John. "It's not easy to get canvassers. A lot of people don't have the time to volun- teer any more, and others don't like to go out and (ask) for money," Those who do volunteer their time consist of all age groups and quite enjoy the experience, said Mrs. St. John. "I think they enjoy it; they like get- ting out there and meeting people, and helping out the foundation," she said. "1 really like it. | feel good after going out there and doing it. You feel like you've done something good." As for her involvement with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Mrs. St. John says it began simply. | agreed. | did it for a few years and | then they asked me to captain. That's it," she said. "I took it on and I'm still doing it today. I've got lots of free time, so why not?" She insists that she has no personal reasons to lend a hand to the Foundation, but admits her diabetic husband did suffer heart problems as a result of the disease. "Every year February comes up my phone rings and I'm back into it again. | just enjoy it," she said. According to figures supplied by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, approxi- mately 57 per cent of all funds raised go towards research. Another 23 per cent is used for health promotion, 17 per cent for fundraising efforts, and just 3 per cent for administrative purposes. Anyone interested in volunteering for canvassing, or making a donation, can contact Merle St. John at 985-7534,