Resolution to dissolve Iroquois Golf Club Board coming soon

This week in The Leader: No capacity changes for school buses this fall; Right proposal, wrong location; School boards release back-to-school plans; Cyclists welcome at Morrisburg waterfront; No plans for LTC pilot build in Eastern […]

 The medal reads “Tu Haces La Diferencia.” In English it means, “You Make a Difference.”

George Jackson, of Iroquois, is a man who has tried to make a difference in the lives of some very special children since 1985, when he set up the Partners for Children in Development, a charitable organization, and began work in Honduras, one of the world’s most troubled nations. 

In May of 2012, Jackson was recognized for those years of service with a Coca Cola Heroes Award.

The Coca Cola company operates a very large plant in Honduras, making both coke and beer. Coke is very popular in the nation. Like every major industry, profits come first with Coke, “but I believe they are trying to make a difference in the lives of the people in the nations where they operate,” Jackson said.  

The medal was presented  to him by representatives of Coca Cola at the Centro de Artes,  an Arts Centre Jackson built for local children in San Pedro Sula, with the support of Partners. Reporters from Prensa, the San Pedro Sula journal, and staff at the Centre were also on hand. 

The medal, created by Coca Cola, seeks to recognize and commend the efforts of ordinary people around the world who have tried to do something to help their community and its people. It seeks to honour those who try, often against great odds, “ to make a difference.”

George Jackson, who admits that he tries to keep a low profile, has devoted much of his life to helping the children of Honduras. He has developed homes and schools, emphasized and supported education and, in 2006, opened an Arts centre in the heart of the community where children can feel safe, and perhaps find a way out of the grinding poverty of their lives.

“Since I came to Honduras in 1988, the population has doubled,” Jackson said. “The streets are very dangerous, far more so than when I started. Because Honduras has become a drop off point between Columbia and Mexico, gangs and drug lords are essentially running the country. Illiteracy is rampant, and so is government corruption. Sadly, the city of San Pedro Sula has recently been named the most dangerous city in the world.”

Yet Jackson perseveres.

“I still firmly believe that education for the children is the key,” he explained. “They must learn to think and to reason, to choose a different path. Through Partners, I want to continue to give kids choices, to keep them occupied with things of value to the nation, We must offer an alternative to street life, or to no life at all.”

He feels that the support of Partners, a registered Canadian charity, really has made a difference.

“We have 120 children in public school, three in high school, and we are supporting five students in university through Partners. Olga and Karla, (both of whom Partners brought to Canada, and who attended school at Seaway), well, Olga will soon graduate as a doctor and Karla is going to graduate as an elementary teacher. They came from tough, tough backgrounds, both of them, and they have made it. I am so very, very proud of them. Believe me, I look forward to the day I go to their graduation ceremonies.”

Jackson is deeply honoured that he was chosen by Coca Cola to receive a Heroes Award, but he sees himself as simply a representative of all the people who have kept the work of Partners alive.

“It is Partners’ work, and people’s support of that work, that really matters. Once an organization like Partners succeeds in helping a few, the effect ultimately spreads into the next generations. It is my hope that people will continue to support us, help us to continue to do what we are doing.”

Next week, Jackson returns to Honduras and the task that has become a big part of his life.

“I am going to keep doing this work until I can’t do it any more,” he said.

George Jackson and Partners for Children in Development can be reached at Box 466, Iroquois, Ontario.

[…]

Proper nutrition through the inclusion of necessary fruits and vegetables in one’s daily diet, can often fall by the wayside in the hustle and bustle of daily life, with people all too often opting for less nutritious, convenience items.

For a few years, South Dundas has taken the lead role in helping make proper nutrition more convenient for its residents, by offing a green food program. 

The program makes it easy for residents to fill their fridges with fruits and vegetables, without having to take the time to shop for them.

“All you need to get started is $10 and an empty grocery bag,” says Ben Macpherson, recreation program coordinator for South Dundas, who administers the program.

“The green food bag program is for everyone,” he says.

“It’s $10, try it once,” encourages Macpherson. 

“If you don’t like it, there’s no commitment to continue, and if you do like it, it’s very easy to continue receiving the bag each month.”

Currently, the green food program is experiencing a downturn in usage.

“I have no idea why,” says Macpherson. “It’s such a simple and easy way to get a great value for you and your family.”

Last month, only 80 people participated in the green food program. 

Although Macpherson is used to seeing the numbers fluctuate a little from month to month this is the lowest it has been since its inception. 

The program has seen as many as 145 monthly users.

This recent downturn will not have an overall impact on the program. It will continue and the cost will remain the same $10. 

But, when more people use the program, everyone benefits from a greater value, and greater variety of produce, for their $10 contribution.

How to get started

• The first step is the hardest: Drop by either the South Dundas municipal office in Williamsburg or Community Living Dundas County, located on Allison Avenue, in Morrisburg. Tell them you want to order a green food bag and pay $10. If you order/pay before March 8, there will be a green food bag ready for you to pick up on March 20.

• Pick up day: On pick up day, which will be outlined on your order sheet, stop by the Morrisburg Arena anytime from 12:30-3:30 p.m. or 4:30-6:30 p.m. to pick up your green food bag. Take an empty shopping bag with you. When you pick up your green food, a volunteer is on hand to take orders/payments for those who wish to re-order for the next month.

How the program works

Once the order by date passes, Macpherson takes the money collected and a wholesale price list and decides what will be in the next food green food bag. 

“What I do is choose items that are the best prices for that month, so I’m stretching the dollar for everyone,” says Macpherson. 

“I try to include some staples every month, like potatoes and onions, because you can really do a lot with those. I start with the staples, and then I go from there with the dollars I have available. What I try to do is to provide a balance of fruits and vegetables each month.” 

“There’s a core group who have used this program since it started. They love it and they definitely recognize the value it provides,” says Macpherson. 

Most who use the program tend to be parents or seniors, but Macpherson stresses that the program is for everyone. “You can order as many bags as you want, it doesn’t matter who you are,” he says.

Some people have even organized themselves so that one person picks up several bags for them and their neighbours, to add to the convenience of the program.

Macpherson hopes that this valuable program will continue to grow and thrive for the value it provides the residents of South Dundas.

While Macpherson administers the program, there are many volunteers who offer their time to keep the program going. 

They pack the bags, oversee pick ups and orders and one, Neila Fowler, even donates the use of her truck on her day off to go and pick up the order from the warehouse.

[…]