Oomama Strides to Turn the Tide Saturday Oakville-based Oomama will join four other grandmother groups in Halton to walk in support of African grandmothers Saturday (June 9). The local walk is part of the Canada-wide Stride to Turn the Tide annual national event of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign, which raises funds to help African grandmothers who are caregivers to their grandchildren orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. "I think that the walk has been incredibly successful (in past years). No one envisioned grandmothers forming this incredible network across Canada and nobody envisioned grandmothers raising so much money," Carole Holmes, Oomama member and co-chair of the National Walk Committee, said in a press release. In its inaugural year in 2010, the walk raised nearly $400,000, benefitting grassroots organizations funded by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 14.8 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. To date, Halton has raised $131,000 towards programs that recognize the needs of African grandmothers and offer support in forms such as nutritious food, housing, grief counselling and school fees for the orphaned grandchildren. With the slogan, "We stride so she can turn the tide of AIDS," this year's national walk goal is to surpass $1 million. More than 150 grandmothers and "grandothers" make up the Halton team, which includes the Oomama, Ubuntu Grandwomen, North Halton Grannies, Halton Bronte Grandmothers and Blooms for Africa groups. This will be the third consecutive year that the Halton grandmothers have participated in the walk to generate donations for, as well as increase awareness of, the courageous and resilient grandmothers of Africa. "They are incredible women who are facing difficulties I cannot event imagine -- losing your own children, raising another generation and fighting AIDS, government inaction and poverty," Wendy Belcher of the Halton Bronte Grandmothers said in the release. Participants will be decked out in colourful scarves, hand-sewn by South African women especially for the Canadian grandmothers. The scarves are meant to be worn as an 9 · Thursday, June 7, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com emblem of solidarity with African grandmothers on the nation-wide walk -- the design on the scarf is inspired by a painted stone garden created by self-taught artist Nukain Mubusa, with the illustrations of South African tribes and cultures done by artist Barbara Tyrell. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, 124 Dorval Dr., and continues along Lakeshore Road. To register, contact Lorraine Green at lorrainegreen@bell.net, or to donate online to the cause, visit www.stridetoturnthetide.ca -- click on Donate to a Walker or a Walk and insert Halton Team under walk name. UP TO 50 % A simple scarf: Participants SUBMITTED ARTWORK in Stride to Turn the Tide receive a brightly-coloured scarf. It was designed for Canadian grandmothers and handsewn by African grandmothers. It now stands as a symbol of solidarity between the two groups. LIMITED TIME OFFER! *With Purchase of Prescription Lenses ALL FRAMES* OFF Correction In the Friday, June 1 edition of The Oakville Beaver, a photo from the fundraising Oakville Purina Walk for Dog Guides, which took place on May 27, had the incorrect spelling of the name of Erin Susla. The Oakville Beaver apologizes for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused. Looking for a casual night out? It isn't too late to join our Thursday Night Summer League Call for details Friday & Saturday night rock n' bowl Glow in the dark Join a fall league Summer Leagues have started, call for details #1 Winner in Bowling 4 years in a row! www.hopedalebowl.ca hopedalebowl@bowlontario.ca (905) 827-4281 125 Cross Avenue, Oakville (Across from Home Depot) 905-842-2821