$98,000 to popular UCV event

Some 20 plus programs and services available to residents of Dundas County will be the highlight of a Dundas County Fall Wellness Day coming up on October 3.

Jointly sponsored by the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre in Williamsburg and Carefor/Nor-Dun Seniors’ Support Centre, the Wellness Day will take place at the Support Centre located at 4324 Villa Drive in Williamsburg, from 1-7 p.m.

“We are seeing new seniors, who are becoming senior age and others who are new to our area,” says Janet Levere, Executive Director of the J.W. Mac-Intosh Seniors Support Centre. “There are a lot of support groups available to people living in Dundas County, and we want to make people aware of them.”

“It is not just the services provided at the J.W. MacIntosh Centre, but services that are available throughout the community that we will be highlighting.”

“For instance the Hospital (Winchester District Memorial) has a diabetes committee that goes out to the community. They are going to be here. Fire safety is another important issue for everybody,  and the O.P.P. will be here to do a talk on fraud.”

“We are really hoping people will stop around, pick up some information, ask some questions. We have it scheduled from 1-7 p.m. for those who work.”

A large number of organizations will have booths including the Alzheimer Society, Canadian Hearing Society, CNIB, Parkinson Society, Community Care Access Centre, Daniel’s Funeral Chapels, Dundas County Hospice, Dundas Interagency, Dundas Manor, EOHU, Elder Abuse Prevention, the Hartford Retirement Centre, Linking Hands/House of Lazarus, Naomi’s Family Centre, Ontario Works/ODSP, Royal Bank, SD&G Library, WDMH and Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing.

The organizers, J.W. MacIntosh Support Centre and Carefor/Nor-Dun will also both be available.

Throughout the day presentations will be made addressing various topics such as medications, pole walking, legal matters such as Power of Attorney, housing, Alzheimer disease, diabetes, community support services, fraud prevention, fire safety and preventing falls.

Transportation to the event can be arranged by calling (before October 1st) the Hartford Retirement Centre (613-543-3984), the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre (613-535-2924) or the Nor-Dun Seniors’ Support Centre (613-774-6109).

“We have a South Dundas Advisory Committee made up of seniors and various representatives and putting on a day such as this has come at the suggestion of this group,” explains Levere. “We get calls from new people all the time who aren’t aware of what’s available in Dundas County.”

[…]

This summer local traffic will experience delays as work takes place on the County Road 1 railroad overpass north of Iroquois.

SDG Counties Council awarded the $698,000 tender for the bridge rehabilitation work at their May meeting.

Carlington Construction Inc. was awarded the contract.

South Dundas deputy mayor and county council member Jim Locke said that the rehabilitation of the bridge will see it reduced to one lane, controlled by traffic signals for 14 weeks.

He reported that the work will take place this summer and that the municipality of South Dundas will receive notice when a start date is set.

[…]

“Four years ago, we all walked through the doors of Seaway District High School, not knowing which way to go, or where we would fit in,” said the 2013 SDHS valedictorian, Vicki VanHoof. 

She was addressing 63 fellow graduates in the beautifully decorated school gymnasium, before a packed audience. VanHoof recalled teachers, classrooms, assignments, assemblies, sports and  special extra curricular events (like Hay Day), describing how they brought everyone together.

“Regardless of where we came from, we were all willing to make new friends, and to become a new Spartan family.” Four years later, “I am standing here before you looking into our futures, seeing that we have many obstacles to overcome, many dreams yet to fulfill…but being a Spartan has taught us never to give up…”

For the grads and the community, this was a joyous and slightly nostalgic commencement. This is the final one which Seaway will hold in the fall. 

Beginning in 2014, in order to “facilitate student attendance at graduation exercises and to align our practice with other schools in the Upper Canada District School Board” Seaway will be holding the ceremony in June SDHS principal, Terry Gardiner, informed the community in July, 2013.

The South Dundas community, as always, was extremely generous to its 2013 graduates. 

Emcees for the graduation ceremony, teachers Sharon Last and Jeff Crooke, estimate that awards, bursaries and scholarships totalling more than $40,000 were presented to the graduating class. 

Vicki VanHoof brought laughter to the last fall graduation ceremony at Seaway, when she ended her valedictory address with the words of Dr. Seuss:

“You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes,

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You are on your own, 

And you know what you know,

And you are the one who will decide where to go…”

[…]