News

 

“Everyone knows Brody,” says grandma Gail Robinson. And that’s a fact.

Many folks in the Morrisburg community know 16-year-old Brody Froats who has grown up here and has touched the hearts of so many with his delightful smile and his love to visit and chat with anyone and everyone, anytime.

Brody, the son of Mark and Lisa Froats and big brother to nine-year-old Brett, was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) when he was six months old.

 PWS is a rare congenital disease which affects many parts of the body. Insatiable hunger and a low metabolic rate leads to obesity and reduced muscle tone and mental ability. Its complications are Type 2 Diabetes, right-sided heart failure and bone problems.

It is Brody’s current battle with heart failure and respiratory complications that landed him at CHEO a little over three weeks ago and had him pictured in the November 15 issue of The Ottawa Citizen for a story on Registered Therapy Dogs.

In the picture, therapy dog, Lia, a golden retriever, is cozying up to Brody in his fourth floor hospital bed where he is hooked up to a BiPAP machine and oxygen around the clock.

“There are actually two dogs that visit, and they get right up on his bed,” says grandma Gail of a smaller dog named Miron and Lia the golden in the photo. “The dog just lays there and Brody reads a story to him. He loves it, and he so looks forward to the visits which are usually on Thursdays.”

During his 16 years, Brody has been a frequent patient at CHEO. This time around he has everyone very worried.

“He went in with congestive heart failure,” says Gail. “He is on the BiPap machine for four hours, and then they take him off for 45 minutes although he remains on oxygen. He has someone in his room 24 hours a day, and he’s monitored constantly. “

While Brody’s dad Mark has not left his side, his mom Lisa, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for indolent follicular non-Hodgkins lymphoma, has been there every minute that she is feeling well enough.

According to Robinson, “Brody’s spirits are good. He actually thinks he is in a five star hotel. He gets to order off the menu and his food is delivered to him. There is always something going on with things like visits from Spartacat and clowns.”

Although it is not known when Brody may be able to return home, he is currently stable. His medical team is getting him up to walk more and more to strengthen his legs.

“He’s a tough little boy. When he went in the doctors didn’t think he would make it. He’s stable now, and we want to get him home so badly, but it’s up to God and his body.”

Gail says that the entire family is appreciative of the outpouring of love that the community has shown Brody and Lisa and the Froats and Robinson families in this very difficult time.

 In addition to the high costs of travel, parking and meals, along with the loss of income experienced when a family has one family member battling an illness, the Froats family has both Lisa and Brody seriously ill,  and is struggling through a very, tough time.

Note: Friends are launching an Every Penny Counts-Help the Froats Family fundraiser to assist this young family while they are on this very difficult journey. Donations can be made directly to any ScotiaBank branch in the name of Froats Family Trust Fund, Account #706720303984. Within this next week, the organizers are also hoping to have coin-collection jars out in businesses in the community. The Leader will certainly keep the community posted should there be any other upcoming events. In advance they thank everyone in the community for “your generous help and prayers for the Froats family”.

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“I think people are really going to enjoy this show,” says Upper Canada Playhouse artistic director Donnie Bowes of Everything I Love About Christmas by Robert More which opens this week.

“I went to Toronto six weeks ago and auditioned some people out of theatre school who have been trained in singing and dancing,” says Bowes. “So we have a wide variety of talent and experience and 10 people on stage singing, dancing and acting. They are all multi-talented and our audiences are really going to enjoy this.”

“I am really thrilled at the way things are going. Everything I Love About Christmas is a brand new show. It’s never been done before, and we have been working on it as we go. I want a show that appeals to kids and adults alike, and I think this is really going to work.”

“We’ve been adding festive music because we have found that music really appeals to everyone at this time of the year. So there is music throughout the show, although it is not a musical.”

Everything I Love About Christmas has everything that makes a good show–a good story, some great mystery, exciting magical moments, everyday ordinary characters, magical extraordinary characters, a snow storm, a Christmas tree and lots of wonderful live singing and dancing.

The story revolves around the Barnes family who are preparing for Christmas Day when everyone is around the tree. Alas, it might not happen this Christmas since their older daughter, Susan, is stuck at a bus station in the middle of a snow storm.

Enter a team of mischievous elves, merry old Santa, a visit from a less fortunate family who live down the road and a witty and wise grandad and you have a mix of Yuletide characters to spin a holiday tale that’ll make you feel warm all over.

“We have some familiar faces,” says Bowes. “Of course we have Doug Tangney who is playing Grandpa Barnes. He’s a real character.”

“On top of that we have four elves, which I call the four stooges, who dive in and try to fix things. There are a lot of physical antics.”

“Everything I Love About Christmas has all that going for it and I think people are really going to enjoy this.”

Doug Tangney is joined by Meredith Zwicker as mother, Maggie Barnes, and Jeff Mulrooney as dad, Ted Barnes.

Zwicker has been seen in the last three Christmas shows, not only as an actress, but as musical director and pianist. She creates the wonderful harmonies and exciting piano accompaniment that help to make the shows truly memorable.

Mulrooney was last seen on the Playhouse stage five years ago in Too Many Cooks.

Also returning to The Playhouse is Parris Greaves who appeared in another past holiday hit, The Christmas Express. He plays the Head Elf in this year’s show and does an Elvis rendition of Blue Christmas. 

Bruce Tubbe, who was last seen in the 2001 production of The Wild Guys, returns to play neighbour Brad Brannigan and also plays an impish Elf who sings All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. 

Schools will remember Ryan Jacobs and Jody Osmond who were Charlotte and Avery in The Playhouse School touring production of Charlotte’s Web in 2011. They play Billie Brannigan and Gracie Barnes respectively. 

New comers to Playhouse audiences are Jess Vandenberg who plays Betsy Brannigan and also choreographs the show’s musical numbers, Clayton Labbe, who plays Robbie Barnes and Katie Edwards playing older sister Susan Barnes. 

Vandenberg recently appeared in Cabaret at Brampton’s Rose Theatre, while Edwards was seen in the Ross Petty Panto The Wizard of Oz in Toronto and Labbe has recently completed a tour of Back In ’59 with Meredith Zwicker. 

“Everything I Love About Christmas is a really good story,” says Bowes. “We are doing a revolving stage which the kids really love, the adults too for that matter, and there are some visual effects that will be really nice.”

 Tickets are really moving and Bowes is advising anyone who wants to take in this year’s Playhouse Christmas Show not to delay. “We are 80 per cent booked now, and for our summer shows, if we are at 75 per cent at this time, we usually end up topping  well over 90 per cent.”

“This is a good festive time for everybody, and maybe there will be a surprise visit from someone we all know,” suggests Bowes with a twinkle in his eye.

Everything I Love About Christmas runs November 23-December 16 with 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. public performances and 11 a.m. school shows. For tickets contact the The Playhouse at 613-543-3713/1-877-550-3650 or www.uppercanadaplayhouse.com.

 

[…]

 

A snapshot of tourists in South Dundas: Generally, they tend to be adults, they come from within a 100 kilometer radius, are either here on a day trip or here visiting family and friends. While here, they want to enjoy the outdoors, cycle along the waterfront trail, visit Upper Canada Village, or maybe see the ships passing through the Iroquois Locks. While enjoying these activities they want to enjoy a fairly unplanned but truly authentic experience.

Having done all the research to create this snapshot of tourists in South Dundas, a project team of 10 people recruited from stakeholders in the local tourism industry, with South Dundas economic development officer Nicole Sullivan, have come up with at strategy which identifies what they believe the priority areas should be to successfully grow South Dundas’ tourism sector. 

“This is our stab at it,” says Sullivan. “What we need now is for the community to come and check out our strategy to help us determine if our priorities match the community’s.”

The team believes that the historical sector should be a top priority, followed by the arts and culture sector, the cycling sector, motorcycling sector and the fishing and boating sector.

“The historical sector is fascinating, as it can be used to enhance everything else, by adding to the visitor’s experience,” said Sullivan, who sees the historical sector as a natural top priority for South Dundas.

Using this list of priorities, the team is working on a draft Tourism Sector Development Action Plan and are wanting community input to ensure that they are working in a direction that suits the community’s needs.

Sullivan, along with members of the project team, will be hosting an event, called Our Passport to the Future: A Tourism Stakeholder Discussion Forum, November 29, from 5-8 p.m. at the McIntosh Inn, Morrisburg. 

“This is not your traditional type of public meeting,” said Sullivan explaining that it’s more of an open house forum whereby people are welcome to drop in at their convenience to see the plans and provide their feedback. 

The meeting will be set up in four stations with a facilitator at each station to listen and discuss with those attending.

“I really want it to be a relaxed atmosphere that will allow for discussions,” said Sullivan. “What we really need is feedback and comments about the priorities and a general feeling about whether our perspective matches that of the community.”

[…]

 

Nine months into a fund raising campaign to pay for a new MRI that will be located at the redeveloped Cornwall Community Hospital, campaign officials have asked South Dundas to contribute to the cause.

Roy Perkins, campaign co-chair for the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation initiative, made the funding request to South Dundas council at the November 6 meeting.

The request was simply for financial support, with no dollar figure attached or suggested. Similar requests have been made to every council in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and Akwesasne, United Counties council and will be made to the City of Cornwall.

The ‘To Your Health!’ Campaign aims to raise $3.5 million by the end of the year to fund the MRI and a digital urology table for the Digital Centre of Excellence that will bring these diagnostic tools closer to the residents of this region. Presently, those needing the use of such diagnostic tools are travelling at least an hour to Ottawa or Kingston for the services.

Cornwall is the only approved site for an MRI in this region.

According to Perkins, $2.5 million of the $3.5 million campaign goal has been raised. He reported that the councils they have visited have expressed their in principle support to provide funds to the campaign, but most are deferring their final decisions until budget time.

Erin Killoran, campaign manager, explained the many benefits of having an MRI in a small community hospital in Cornwall, including easing the burden on the health care system that presently has long wait times for MRI. Quicker access to such diagnostic equipment allows for early diagnoses, faster treatments, all the while being much less invasive than traditional methods of diagnosis.

MRI and the digital urology table, like the addition of any new equipment, has the added potential benefit of enticing new medical professionals to the region.

Once it is up and running early next year, the MRI will operate five days a week, eight hours a day. That means about 3,000 tests per year will take place at the site, which accounts for the number of patients in the region who are being sent to Ottawa or Kingston.

South Dundas council was generally supportive of providing some funding to the campaign, however they would like to see what the Counties and other communities pledge. They also want to wait to discuss the amount in the context of budget discussions.

“It kills me that hospitals have to keep coming to the community,” said South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan who suggested that if the people of South Dundas think it’s a worthy cause that they should donate themselves.

However, the nature of provincial funding only provides funds for buildings, leaving communities to fund raise for the equipment that goes into those hospitals.

South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds said that he has personally supported this campaign and that council will consider providing some funds, an amount to be determined, closer to budget time. 

 

Counties contribute $500,000

CORNWALL – The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry will be contributing $500,000 on behalf of the taxpayers of SD&G to the “To Your Health!” campaign to raise funds to pay for an MRI and digital urology table that will be located at the new Cornwall Community Hospital.

“It is certainly something that is needed in this area,” said South Dundas mayor and counties councillor Steven Byvelds who seconded the motion tabled by North Stormont mayor Dennis Fife at the counties council meeting on Monday. The $500,000 will be allocated over two years.

[…]

 

The response to the Trade Roots event held here Wednesday, was unreal, according to event coordinator Elaine DeKroon.

DeKroon has been part of events all over and said, “I have never seen as much support for an event as we have had today.” 

The career event gave high school students, and members of the public, the opportunity to see skilled trades in action and gather information from skilled tradespeople and educators about career opportunities.

“A lot of the interest in this (Morrisburg) event is because of this facility,” said DeKroon of the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario which offers heavy equipment training.

“It is a really good fit for us to have our event here. People really want to see what this place is about.”

Twelve high schools from Prescott to Cornwall to Ottawa, including Seaway, North Dundas and Rothwell-Osnabruck, were bussed into the event that was also open to the pubic.

They were treated to 46 exhibits showcasing various trades.

“It is great when we have the trades programs from the colleges participate,” said DeKroon.

St. Lawrence College had a strong presence with culinary arts students providing samples of their work and hairstyling students demonstrating their skills on willing volunteers.

Other, more obscure programs, such as the control engineering technology program, also had exhibits to show students what they do and how their efforts are put to use in various industrial applications.

This is the third year that Trade Roots has taken place in Morrisburg. The Morrisburg event was hosted by St. Lawrence College and is funded by Service Canada, in part by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy. The final opportunity to attend a Trade Roots event will take place in March 2013, when they will be in Kemptville.

[…]

 

A recently announced $11 million increase in provincial government funding supporting community-based services in the Champlain Local Health Integration Network is designed to give area residents more options for home and community care.

Among the health care providers who will increase their services due to the extra funding is Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing Corporation.

That organization will share in a $1 million increase in funding for personal support and respite programs that offer assistance to clients living alone, and caregivers in need of respite. Services include grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring, bed care and medication compliance. 

These services are aimed at lower-risk seniors who do not qualify for Community Care Access Services, and is more of a service aimed at preventing problems.

“What this means is that Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing will be providing more hours of service and seeing more people,” said Janet Levere, executive director of WNPHC. “These are important services to the many seniors who are staying in their homes longer.”

WNPHC was also named as a service provider agency that will share in a $400,000 annual funding increase to the Assisted Living Services program which provides health services at home for high-risk seniors needing personal support services including hygiene, assisting with medication and homemaking, 24/7 monitoring and care coordination.

The bulk of the increased funding, just over $7 million, will benefit the Champlain Community Care Access Centre in delivering services through a variety of programs across the region, with the aim of supporting seniors' transition from hospital to home. These services assist clients with moderate to high needs either to avoid unnecessary hospitalization, or once in hospital, to go home sooner with appropriate supports in place.

According to the LHIN news release, 90,000 more seniors across the province will receive care at home thanks to the addition of three million personal support worker hours over the next three years.

“The Champlain LHIN is making important, strategic investments that will help transform the health system by expanding services in community settings,” said Chantale LeClerc, Champlain LHIN CEO. “In particular, seniors and people with mental health conditions and addictions will benefit from the new programs, which aim to improve quality of life, prevent avoidable emergency room visits, and keep folks healthy at home.”

[…]

 

Students at Timothy Christian School (TCS) celebrated the 50th day of their school’s 50th year on Wednesday, November 14 with a fun day of dressing up, decorations, cupcakes and more.

Many Grade 1 students in schools across the country mark the 100th day of school with special activities where they have an opportunity to count to 100. 

In honour of Timothy Christian’s 50th school year, all students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8 were involved in 50 day. 

Each class worked together to make a display or structure using 50 pieces of a school supply/item. 

Creative ideas included 50 magnets to spell TCS, 50 blocks lined up like dominoes, 50 pencils in the shape of the number 50 and 50 pieces of chalk to make a building using clay as the vertices.

Students also dressed up to showcase the number 50. 

They wore 50 bracelets, put 50 hair ties in their hair, put 50 post-it notes or stickers on their shirts and painted the number 50 on their faces. 

For 50 cents they could purchase a cupcake at recess with the money raised to be used to buy school supplies in a developing country. 

In the morning, at a short chapel (assembly), the students shared their top 50 reasons why they love Timothy Christian School. Reasons ranged from “we have great teachers” and “we can learn about God every day” to “fun intramural programs” and a “new play structure to play on”.

“Fifth day is just one of the activities planned to celebrate our school’s 50th anniversary year,” says Gary Postma, principal of Timothy Christian School. “TCS began offering Christ-centred education to area students in 1963. Now we’re teaching the third generation of students and it’s an exciting time in our school’s history.” 

More can be learned about Timothy Christian School visit at the school’s website at www.tcswilliamsburg.ca or by visiting on a Welcome Wednesday. 

There is no appointment necessary to meet the staff, see the facility and learn more about how faith is incorporated into everyday learning. 

[…]

 

Almost 700 people attended the annual Morrisburg and District Arts and Crafts Association show and sale at the Morrisburg Legion over the weekend, a number that pleased the exhibitors and the association alike.

Linda Schenck, the association’s chairperson explained that this was the first year that she kept track of attendance, but said the crowd definitely seemed bigger this year than past years.

The hall was packed with the products of 27 vendors.

“I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I hope everyone knows how much we appreciate everyone who played a part in this great show,” said Schenck. “From the exhibitors who set up such nice displays to the people who showed up and spent their money, to the newspaper for providing such great coverage.”

Next year the show, which has been taking place for more than 30 years, will see a couple of major changes.

It will change from a three day show to a two day show.

“We are eliminating the Friday night,” said Schenck, explaining that a lot of the crafters work, so they find it tough to get set up in time for the Friday night. She hopes that attendance will still remain high over the Saturday and Sunday.

Another major change for next year will be a small admission charge at the door for those attending. “People will be asked to give $1 or to donate a non perishable food item at the door next year,” said Schenck. The sole purpose of this admission will be to allow another charity to benefit from the event.

“The whole point of this event is to help out different organizations in the community,” said Schenck, explaining that this change will enable them to help out the food bank, which helps those in the community in need.

In addition to expanding the charity network of the show, Schenck hopes to expand the event’s social network by creating a Facebook page.

[…]

 

So far, over $25,000 has been raised in support of local prostate cancer care, and Tom Clapp, the chair of the Dare to Flash a ‘Stache campaign, and many of the campaign participants are smiling broadly under their now re-growing ‘staches.

“We had no idea what to expect, but people have really supported it,” said Clapp of this first time endeavour. “We are very pleased to say the least.”

South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds is only of one of the many community members participating in the fund raiser.

Byvelds says that the community has responded to his challenge to raise $1,000. As of today he has collected just over $1,800. He adds that maybe $2,000 should be his new fund raising goal. Anyone who wishes to sponsor any of the participants can do so at www.flashastach.ca and Byvelds will also continue to collect donations by contacting him directly.

[…]