March 07, 2009

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NEWS |

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First round exit for Kings, as Kitchener takes series 4-2...............................»15 THE OBSERVER | Saturday, March 14, 2009

helping students launch a business

»13 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 10

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2009

www.ObserverXtra.com

The spirit of » help thY neighbour Hockeyville, Mayors bring public but not the service up a level Woolwich, Wellesley crown and Wilmot officials Woolwich finishes third in national contest, as B.C. town claims title

to do deliveries with Meals on Wheels

Hockeyville …. is Terrace, B.C. Typically, a third-place finish in a national competition contested by more than 7,100 communities across the country would be nothing to sneeze at. But last Saturday night, as local hockey fans congregated at the Elmira Arena to watch Hockey Night in Canada on the big screen, it was cause for many long faces. “Of course, there was a little initial disappointment that we didn’t win, but I was really pleased with the way people pitched in and got out there and voted; it was a great community effort,” said local Hockeyville organizer Graham Snyder. “Like any hockey game – that’s what it’s all about, really; we got to play for the big prize and we gave it our best effort and enjoyed doing it.” When you consider the hundreds of communities that jumped into the fray when CBC’s Kraft Hockeyville competition kicked off, Woolwich didn’t fare too badly in reaching the final five, joined by Terrace, Humbolt, SK, Harbour Grace, N.L. and Thetford Mines, Que. Voting closed on Mar. 4, leaving residents who had supported the township in its bid for hockey glory to wait a few days for the results. In anticipation, many gathered at the youth drop-in centre in Elmira shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday. Unfortunately for Woolwich, Terrace garnered the highest number of See HOCKEYVILLE page 02

photo | marc miquel helsen

MARC MIQUEL HELSEN

DISHING IT OuT aleda Weber prepares some homemade soup for meals on Wheels at the Village manor in st. Jacobs, mar. 12. township mayors will be delivering the meals on Wednesday.

JONI MILTENBURG First Santa Claus, now the mayors. Not coming down your chimney, but hitting the road with volunteers delivering Meals on Wheels. Bill Strauss of Woolwich, Ross Kelterborn of Wellesley and Wayne Roth of Wilmot will be Mayors for Meals on Mar. 18, helping to promote and raise awareness of the program that supplies hot meals to people unable to prepare or pur-

chase their own. This is the first year Mayors for Meals has taken place in Ontario. The Ontario Community Support Association picked up the idea from partner agencies in the United States, and it spread like wildfire. Mayors across the province will be heading out with Meals on Wheels volunteers next week. “We’re not asking anyone for money, which usually is what happens when a not-for-profit is doing

something,” said Veronica MacDonald, executive director of Community Care Concepts. “In this case, we need some support with volunteer drivers and people that can be involved with the meals program.” Meals on Wheels has 63 volunteer drivers across the three townships, and they’re always looking for more. Some of those drivers are spares, some drive weekly and some are regulars. One real estate office, Royal LePage, rotates through the

company, with each employee taking a turn. There’s always turnover among drivers because some are snowbirds who are just returning from warmer climates, and some are cottagers who will soon be heading out of town. Sharon Walsh, one of the coordinators of Meals on Wheels, said they keep the routes short – not more than eight or 10 stops, and fewer if they’re going out of town – so the food will be hot when See MAYORS page 07


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