Friday, August 30, 2019 7 Brooklin Town Crier Lessons from a summer with family Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown As a child, I remember my mother being home with us during the summer months. She didn't work while we were on school summer break. This summer, I had the rare opportunity to do the same thing. I would do it again in a minute. My daughter and I spent our days doing lots of those little things I'd been promising for years but never had the time to do. It's funny how a lack of time can rob us of opportunities to enjoy life. Along the way, I learned important lessons. 1) You can't get back the time you give away. When you commute, work, and race kids to and from activities, you find yourself so busy that the thought of adding anything extra seems impossible. But as you let the chance go by, you can't get it back. So I learned it's important to make time for those things even if they have to be scheduled. 2) I got to really know my daughter and her friends. I let her invite a friend along on our adventures or just to hang out for the day. I saw into her world, how she is around her friends and discovered a new side to her, including glimpses of the woman she'll become one day. 3) I learned that our one-on-one time is very important to her. While those special mother- daughter moments have always been precious for me, I didn't realize she felt the same way. 4) I also learned how much she appreciates me. She demonstrated that with a random hug after a day out on our bikes. It was also through the gentle words she gave me after a particularly rambunctious sleepover party, telling me to "take a nap" let me know that she knew how hard I'd worked that night. Taking time to be with my family was also good for me. I've been eating well, getting exercise and have been happy. I am returning to work now and life is about to get busy again. But the lessons I learned are going with me. Local Teen In Top 10 At National Pageant Brooklin's Maya Elliott, who was crowned Miss Teenage Whitby earlier in the year, has had a busy months, both before and after competing in July's Miss Teenage Canada pageant. The 16 year old, who is entering grade 11 at Brooklin High School, finished in the top 10 and was deemed among the top three Most Photogenic. She raised $400 for The Children's Wish Foundation, the pageant's mandatory charity, and another $600 for pediatric stroke research which she donated to Dr. Deryk Beal. Dr. Beal is working on a project in the CONNECT lab in the Bloorview Research Institute of the Holland Bloorview Children's Rehabilitation Hospital, the same hospital her 17 year old brother stayed at for 12 weeks after suffering his 2018 stroke. (See photo) The funds came from selling team water bottles, custom designed stickers and apple slices. She also ran a bottle drive aided by the many Brooklin families who pitched in. Recently, Maya made appearances and spoke about her platform at the Whitby Rotary Club as well as at the Whitby Food Truck Frenzy. People can follow her on Instagram or facebook at: missteenagewhitby2019 Durham Transit Offering Youth Pass Durham Region Transit (DRT) continues to offer fare incentives to help residents and visitors of Durham Region get where they need to go, safely and reliably. Along with the kids ride free incentive, there is now a back to school fare incentive for youth, ages 13 to 19, for the 2019/2020 academic year. DRT is pleased to announce a 10-month school year youth loyalty fare incentive, the Y10 monthly pass. By purchasing the September Y10 monthly pass at any DRT PRESTO point of sale, customers will automatically save $20 and pay only $73.50. The savings continue all year long: save $20 off each subsequent Y10 monthly pass purchased throughout the school year, from September to June, for a total savings of up to $200. "Our priority is to ensure that transit continues to be a safe, reliable and attractive option for our residents. The youth loyalty incentive helps ensure a new generation of customers can count on DRT to help them do more and drive less throughout the Region," says Regional Chair John Henry. "The Y10 incentive ensures teens can affordably get where they need to go, whether it's school, extra-curricular activities or a part-time job," adds Shaun Collier, Mayor of Ajax and Transit Executive Committee Chair. "We are hopeful this significant cost savings will make transit a more appealing option to the next generation of transit passengers," says Bill Holmes, Acting General Manager. "We continue to improve and enhance our services and we anticipate seeing an increase in youth ridership based on this Y10 incentive." For more information on the Y10 loyalty fare incentive, including terms and conditions, visit durhamregiontransit.com.