Seaway Students Score in Science

A litter of bright pink, and absolutely adorable piglets, all looking for foster homes will be dropping by Valu-Mart in Morrisburg this Saturday, February 7 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

This year’s brood is all ready and eager to go to their month-long foster home in support of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope program that provides transportation for are folks needing to travel for cancer-specific medical appointments and treatment.

The little piggies will be travelling with their good friend Jennifer Hindorff, who will be on hand to handle the adoption procedures, and who, as a Wheels of Hope volunteer driver is available to answer any questions about the Piggy Bank fundraiser as well as the Wheels of Hope Program.

“The Wheels of Hope service is especially vital in communities such as ours, as many clients travel outside of our area for treatments,” says Carolyn Bourassa, Community Manager for the SDG Prescott & Russell Canadian Cancer Society office. “Some people would literally not be able to make it to treatment without this crucial program.”

Volunteer drivers are on the road everyday to ensure that people get to their treatments in Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston. While some cancer treatments are handled at Winchester District Memorial Hospital, many cancer patients in the immediate area have to travel to Ottawa.

The local transportation program filled 5,800 requests and drove 333,650 km to take more than 426 clients to their cancer related appointment in 2013. Locally, the direct cost of the transportation program in 2014, was $121,000.

The average cost to take one patient to one round trip appointment/treatment is $75.

The Piglets of Hope fundraiser first ran locally last year and was a huge success. Organizers are hoping to top their success this time around. 

Last February, 25 pink Piglets of Hope (banks) were adopted for the month of February at Valu-mart, taken home, taken to retail locations and taken to people’s workplaces, where for one month everyone chipped in their change to fill the little pink guys and gals.

At the end of the month they were returned with what had been collected.

Each little piggy is hoping for $75 worth of donations which is the average cost of one trip, and each foster family/group has one month to make donations to their piggy banks.

Piglets of Hope will be available for adoption at Valu-Mart this Saturday, February 7 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The Wheels of Hope directly assists local folks to get to their cancer treatments. Those in need of the service pay a one-time $100 registration fee.

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The Iroquois Matilda Lions Club is hosting Iroquois' 1812 Commemoration event to be held on the 9th of November 2013. 

Four historic plaques will be located on the Point overlooking the Iroquois Lock. 

A dedication ceremony and memorial service will be conducted in the morning. 

The SD&G Highlanders will be represented and participate in the ceremonies as well as re-enactors from New York State, Ontario and Quebec. 

In the afternoon a re-enactment of the 7th of November 1813 skirmish will take place in the same park. 

Displays from various organizations and individuals can be viewed that day in the Iroquois Civic Centre. 

One of the organizers of the event, Howard Kirkby, provided a brief history of the of the armed conflicts that took place 1812-1814.

“Following the US declaration of war against Great Britain on the 18th of June 1812, a number of military engagements were pursued,” said Kirby in a media release. “What is not so widely known is that on two occasions, Point Iroquois and environs witnessed notable armed conflict.”

September 16, 1812 an Ogdensburg force was assembled and captured all but one of the families living on Tousaint Island, in an effort to ambush a British convoy. 

A Mohawk, who was not captured, under fire, canoed to the Canadian riverbank to warn the convoy of the pending ambush, which the Canadian/British force attached to the convoy was able to thwart. 

In this skirmish, one American was killed and six were wounded, while the British/Canadian force had one killed and several wounded.

November 7, 1813, a force of 10,000 Americans received orders to  proceed down the St. Lawrence River, effecting the destruction of all enemy fortifications, and to link up with forces at Lac St. Louis before proceeding to attack an capture Montreal.

While feigning an attack on Kingston, the American commander continued with a flotilla to Ogdensburg. From there, an advance scouting party was engaged in a skirmish by the Dundas Militia that forced the Americans to set up camp at Iroquois Point until November 9. 

The skirmish at Point Iroquois resulted in the death of one American soldier and, perhaps significantly, delayed the enemy’s advance long enough for the Canadian militias to assemble near Captain Crysler’s farm and join Morrison’s forces in effecting a victorious battle plan on the 11th of November. 

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Williamsburg farmer Gordon Garlough, who has given much of his time to volunteering, both in the farming community and in the Dundas community in general, was recently honoured as the Dundas Federation of Agriculture’s ‘Volunteer of the Year’.

The Awards were made to mark the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s 75th Anniversary. Regional and county level volunteers were recognized and from these one volunteer was recognized as the overall provincial leader.

The provincial award was won by Donna Lunn from Elgin County located along the north shore of Lake Erie.

Garlough, who lives on the Bouck’s Hill Road at Williamsburg, was nominated at the local level by the Dundas Federation of Agriculture (DFA).

In her nomination proposal, DFA president Jacqueline Kelly-Pemberton said, “Gordon Garlough for over three decades has given endlessly of his skills, time and energy to help agriculture move forward, locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.”

“His volunteer experience holds a long list of community involvement with the United Church of Canada-Williamsburg Congregation and the Canadian Food Grains Bank. He has hosted, through the International Livestock Management Schools, farm students from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Indonesia and Latvia. and he has participated with the CFA and the Agricultural Institute of Canada in two partners projects with the former  Soviet Union.”

At the Dundas County level, Garlough has served as a director, president and vice-president. He was a provincial director with OFA from 1981 to 1992.

“…Gordon exemplifies the word volunteer, by always demonstrating his career commitment to agriculture.

As one of the regional/county Volunteers of the Year, Garlough received a commemorative anniversary farm gate sign. 

The OFA represents 37,000 farm families across Ontario. Based in Guelph, it works to champion the interests of Ontario Farmers.

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