www.insidehalton.com | OAKVILLE B E A V E R | Friday, D ecem ber 1, 2 0 1 7 | 1 2 Kerr Street Mission Oakville's Mission of Hope N e v e r T o o O ld o r T o o Y o u n g to H e lp . Hanna speaks at Prayer Breakfast by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff One of our very active contributors is Georgia, an inspiring 11 year old who wanted to help those in need by collecting thousands of food items for KSM's food market. Georgia's " Bank on Bellies " has a goal to collect 5 0 ,0 0 0 fo o d ite m s , and has already exceeded 4,000 since September, and keeps growing. She spends her after-school time collecting and sorting out items and dropping them off to KSM. Georgia has been transformed from a shy little girl into a beacon of hope for those in the community and a role model for others around her. She is learning new ways to manage her project and implementing ideas to increase her donors count and improve her efficiency. Some of these ideas include reaching out to big companies for food contributions. Georgia's biggest worry is that most people donate during the holidays and not in summer. Therefore, she plans to create the framework and awareness during this time of giving, so her network of support realize that " h u n g e r d o e s n 't g o o n v a c a tio n . " D id y o u k n o w ... An Oakville Prayer Breakfast featuring local restaurateur Julia Hanna will take place Wednesday Dec. 6 at the Oakville Conference Centre. The annual event, which runs from 6:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., is organized by a volunteer committee and is, for those wondering about the Christian faith, an opportunity to hear how it works for the featured speaker/community leader. "It is modeled very much after the Ottawa and Washington ones where the people pause to give thanks for leadership and to support those leaders who serve us all with our prayers," said Ann Mulvale, past prayer breakfast committee member, who will emcee the Oakville event. "It is not enough to just vote. We want to say to people, `We are in this together and we are stronger if we give thanks for our leaders and support our leaders' endeavors with our prayers." Hanna is a chef and successful restaurant owner. She opened her first restaurant in Oakville -- Cafe Galleria -- in 1983 followed by Paradiso in 1993, Ristorante Julia in 2 003, and Ritorno in north Oakville in 2008. Hanna is described in a press release as a vibrant Christian who will share her Julia Hanna experiences in the restaurant world. Her most passionate undertaking is her initiative called HealthyFam, which empowers children, families and seniors to build a foundation for healthy living. She is a recipient of the Oakville Award for Business Excellence for her business practices and her involvement in the community Hanna is also an active board member and past chair of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. Her cooking show, Return to the Table with Ju lia , is in its seventh season. She has also written columns with Metroland Media West focusing on a healthy relationship with food, and advocates for those facing economic challenges while informing them about good nutrition. Hanna is expected to speak about her life experiences, how she tries to live her faith and how she encourages others within her network of business to also contribute to Oakville' s wellbeing. "She' s such a community empowering person. Her charity HealthyFam is just incredible in teaching kids how to cook," said Mulvale. "She hopes that by educating them about nutrition that they will go back home and educate their parents," said Mulvale, adding, "She encourages the fellowship of family and friends around the table." The event will not only feature Hanna, but a hot buffet breakfast, networking, music and prayer. Between 500 and 6 0 0 people are expected to attend. The cost of attendance is $25 per person. For more information visit www. oakvilleprayerbreakfast.com. The Oakville Conference Centre is located at 2515 Wyecroft Rd. · Low-income Halton Region families and individuals spent 25-40% of household before-tax income on food, while the Ontario average is 9.5%, · 2/3 of low-income Halton families spend more than 50% of their household income on shelter alone. · Kerr Street Mission now offers Halton Fresh Food Boxes for our clients, distributed twice per month . We need your support. Please give generously, so that together we can continue to provide help and hope for individuals and families in need in Oakville. To learn more about Kerr Street Mission go to www.kerrstreet.com or call us at our phone below. 485 Kerr Street, Oakville P: 905.845.7485 Charitable Reg. No. 897106845RR0001 Kerr Street Mission Oakville event celebrates inclusion, diversity offaith and Islam prophet by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Oakville, like Canada, is an inclusive community that welcomes people of all faiths. This was the view of the guest speaker at a Nov. 24 Islam awareness event held at Town Hall to celebrate Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar that includes the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. World Islamic Mission (W IM ) Canada' s Masjid Noor-UL-Haram Mosque hosted the gathering, which drew approximately 100 people, including Oakville MP John Oliver and several town councillors. Waqar Azmi, a former United Kingdom (U.K.) government chief diversity adviser and European (EU ) ambassador for intercultural dialogue, was the guest speaker. He is also the chair of Remembering Srebrenica, a U.K. charitable initiative that promotes Srebrenica Memorial Day (July 11) and educates people on the consequences of hate. Azmi spoke to the O akville B eaver Monday, Nov. 27, about inclusion, diversity and the Town Hall event. "It was wonderful to see so many people there. It really brought communities together. That beauty was really wonderful to see -- people coming together," said Azmi. Attendees at Town Hall heard details on the life of the Prophet Muhammad and his message of love, as part of the remarks, Azmi said. "The message is that everyone is a child of God and it becomes the responsibility of everyone to ensure we love the creation of God, that we don't discriminate, that we don't promote hatred," said Azmi. "It was celebrating the life of the prophet and his teachings." "W e must come together to learn what the religion of Islam is and to also celebrate," said Azmi. The gathering gave Azmi the opportunity to witness the prevalence of Oakville' s diversity, he said. It' s "really important" that there are opportunities for communities of different backgrounds to come together. "W hen you see the diversity coming together, when you see people of different faiths, it' s really special, particularly in the troubled world we live in. It means a lot," said Azmi. The former U.K. government chief diversity adviser gives many public speeches on issues of hatred and racism, and does so because he has devoted his life to fighting intolerance and detestation, Azmi said. It was a "privilege" for him to come to Oakville and Toronto recently to speak about the issues. "For me, to be able to come to speak to people in Canada is really an honour. W hat you see here (Canada), where people of all backgrounds respect each other, is really wonderful to see," said Azmi. "There is a lot the world can learn from Canada. It' s so beautiful that Canada can teach lessons to other countries."