Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Kiwanis enjoy journey of hope

As posted on countyLive.ca in Prince Edward County, July 31, 2012

Picton Kiwanis Club President Geri
Claxton with Vivienne Jaehn-Kreibaum,
and her proud dad, Christian Jaehn-Kreibaum,
secretary of the Kiwanis Club of Trenton.
Vivienne Jaehn-Kreibaum took Picton Kiwanis Club members on a ‘Journey of Hope’ at a recent club meeting.

Vivienne is the daughter of Christian Jaehn-Kreibaum, secretary, and past-president of the Kiwanis Club of Trenton. She spoke of her January/February 2012 trip to Tanzania, East Africa, along with a group of high school students who embarked on a two and a half week Journey of Hope.

She told Kiwanians the students worked with children whose parents had died of HIV/Aids. They taught English, math and computer skills. They also helped build and paint schools. She spoke passionately about the needs of these children and also about how warm and friendly they were.

This past April, Vivienne was also elected Student Trustee Liaison for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, which consists of 35,000 students.

A donation was made in her name, to Sleeping Children Around the World, and a child in need will receive a bed kit.

Picton Kiwanians continue to reach out. On Monday, July 30, the club launched its new project called ELIMINATE – with a focus on eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus in developing and underprivileged countries. It is a Kiwanis International project for the next three years. Kiwanis President Geri Claxton will chair the project for the Picton club.
The Kiwanis Club of Picton presented a Terrific Kids award to Dan Doyle, owner of McDonald’s Restaurant in Picton in appreciation of his support of the club’s Terrific Kids program. The Kiwanis Club also thanks all schools and teachers for their support. This program presented 923 awards this past school year to nine elementary schools in Prince Edward County, Marysville and Deseronto. Each month has a different theme, Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Cooperation, Honesty, Caring, Humour, Perseverance, and Integrity and Sportsmanship. Each child can only win one award in any given school year. Pictured, from left, are Terrific Kids co-chairs, Don Stanton and Rollie Moore with and Geri Claxton, president of the Kiwanis Club of Picton.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Tablets keep school online

As posted on the Wairarapa Times-Age website, New Zealand, July 23, 2012.

Nathan Crombie nathan.crombie@age.co.nz


Tablet computers have invaded Eketahuna School.

Deputy principal Kathryn Morgan said the school's cache of laptops had been nearing the end of their useful life and her adult son Cole, an Eketahuna School old boy, had suggested iPads instead.

The school, which has a roll of about 90 pupils, has a wireless network the iPads need for access to the internet and principal Nick Beamsley last term secured 30 iPads for the school, which is double the number of laptops for the same money.

Mrs Morgan said the leasing of the greater number of tablet computers allows each pupil their own machine whenever a class uses a set of the iPads.

Pupils have been using the tablets this term and were quick to adapt, she said, sometimes showing they know more as users than teachers. "We're still at the stage of getting used to the difference, even though the kids at times know more about them than we do."

Also this term, pupils from Te Aute and Hukarere Girls colleges were hosted at the school and gave kapa haka performances and speeches about their daily school lives.

Pupils at Eketahuna also raised more than $400 this term in a fantasy relay race for the international Sleeping Children Around the World charity.

She said the funds were used to buy bedrolls, mosquito nets, clothing and school stationery for deprived children in places like Tanzania and Somalia.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Rural Rootz: Garden Beds Quilt Show

Submitted by Rural Rootz
Please join us in our gardens here at

Rural Rootz

North of Wiarton, ON

Saturday and Sunday July 21st and 22nd



Click graphic at right for more info & directions.

Help us to celebrate the unique Canadian charity, Sleeping Children Around the World.
For more than 40 years they have sent out a 1.25 million bedkits to needy children through the world.

Visit the webpage for Sleeping Children http://www.scaw.org

We are calling our event:
Garden Beds Quilt Show, and it will feature many of Marjorie Ashman's bed covers and wall hangings.

A special feature will be a Dresden Plate design quilt created right here in Wiarton in the summer of 1912 for my grandparents, Eloise Elizabeth MacDonald, and James Gordon Adair McEwen.

There will also be new quilts and wall hangings from our friends Wiarton's Creative Stitchers.

Please join us in the gardens for a tour and a glass of Sunshine Tea and help SCAW by making a donation.

If you can't get here send us good thoughts and perhaps make an online donation at the SCAW website.

And help us by "Spreading" the word about our event.

Thanks for your time, Happy Gardening, Tom and Dee at Rural Rootz



Slideshow taken on July 22nd at Rural Rootz.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wally, thanks for the memories

As posted on the Brantford Expositor website, July 11, 2012.
By Susan Gamble, Brantford Expositor

The final Walter Gretzky CNIB Golf Classic was capped with plenty of laughs, a sprinkling of tears and more than a few dollars.

A second auction Tuesday night of several sports memorabilia items brought in another $4,700 for the cause as the 20-year event ended its successful run.

"I spent this morning counting money," organizer Sue Bartlett said Wednesday.

"A lot of the bills haven't come in yet, so I don't have a final figure. But I think we'll do at least the same if not better than last year when we raised $65,000."

That pushes the 20-year total for the local event close to $1.3 million for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

The hottest auction item Tuesday was Adam Henrique's New Jersey Devils jersey that was signed and modelled by the NHL rookie of the year nominee.

Bartlett said that Deena Denton-Wojtowicz of Guelph said she would increase her bid if Henrique put on the jersey and give her a hug.

"It ended up she was outbid and the jersey went for $1,200."

Walter presented Henrique with the tournament's Award of Merit, which honours locals who have proven themselves on a wider stage, excelling in their particular field.

Henrique joins sports figures such as former NHLers Doug Jarvis, Pat Hickey, Keith Jones, Chris Gratton and Jay Wells.

Other winners of the award have included runners Rick Mannen and Kevin Sullivan, biker Jordan Szoke, golfer David Hearn and swimmer Julie Howard Johnson.

From the world of entertainment, comedians Phil Hartman and Gord Paynter were honoured, along with choreographer Debra Brown.

Journalists Arnold Anderson, Ted Beare and Ed O'Leary also got the award.

And Wayne and Walter Gretzky were honoured in 1999 and 2002 with the award.

After receiving the award, Henrique made a heartfelt speech about the event and the influence of the Gretzky family, including Walter's work and Henrique's memories of Glen Gretzky, who was one of his minor hockey coaches.

"He was fabulous," Bartlett said of Henrique.

While Henrique's jersey got the top spot in Tuesday night's auction, there was plenty of action around a signed and framed Sidney Crosby jersey and a replica of the Stanley Cup - complete with white gloves. The high bidder for that item is the owner of the Wayne Gretzky restaurant in Toronto. He was able to get Johnny Bower's signature on the item, since the 87-year-old former NHLer was at the gala.

Bower was last year's recipient of the tournament's Dan Gallagher Memorial CNIB Friendship Award. This year, the award went to Brian Mandell, a past chair and member of the local CNIB board and treasurer of the golf classic for many years. Mandell also volunteered at the auction and the golf tourney this year.

The Hella Goreski Memorial Award, which is presented to someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty during a particular tournament, was given to Heather Roswell and Joe Persia.

"Heather did so much this year, even knowing she wouldn't be at the event," said Bartlett.

"She's been in Sri Lanka with a program called Sleeping Children Around the World. And Joe, who was our emcee and worked on the committee through the year, was unaware he would be receiving the award and was left speechless."

The day's winning foursome came from Peller Estates, led by John Peller, grandson to founder Andrew Peller. Peller carries Wayne Gretzky Estates wines.

The Gretzky family also presented Ron Finucan, who recently retired from the CNIB, with a Muskoka hockey stick chair for his years of acting as a liaison for the family.

A CNIB representative offered thanks from the organization to Walter Gretzky, who not only lent his name to the Brantford tournament but has toured the country, playing in a handful of other Gretzky tourneys set up to benefit the agency. Walter was presented with a specialized vase covered in braille words of love.

Each of the golfers in the final tournament were given a special Walter Gretzky hockey stick that lists all the tourneys and his many awards and recognitions, including the Order of Canada and Citizen of the Year. Walter signed each stick.

A regular at the event who was missing this year was musician Sab - Pete Sabourin - who is know as "the original outlaw rocker," said Bartlett.

"He's been a fan favourite for many years but is fighting leukemia. He called me this morning wanting to know how the event went, even though he's going back in the hospital tomorrow for a bone marrow transplant."

Bartlett said she will send one of the special hockey sticks and copies of the various programs to Sab. Anyone who wants to include any other items or good wishes, should contact her.

Glen Gretzky said the entire final event was awesome.

"It couldn't be a better event for Brantford. It was just great. Everyone is sad that it ended, but everything comes to an end."

Glen noted that Bartlett deserves a lot of thanks for helping organize the tournament for the past 17 years.

"Without Sue Bartlett there would be no tournament."

Bartlett offered her own thanks to the entire community for supporting the event.

"It's grown so much over the years and been so successful. And it's all due to the support of the community, the celebrities, the committee and volunteers and, of course, Walter."

susan.gamble@sunmedia.ca