Giving back to the community

Poppy Funds, collected in the 2002 campaign were disbursed to various organizations in the community on June 3rd, 2003, at the Fort Garry Legion. These funds are raised each year to assist needy ex-service men and their families, to purchase medical equipment, for medical research and training, for support services for seniors, and other non-profit organizations. The campaign was designed to remember soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country and to raise awareness of the legions' commitments to their communities. Because most of the volunteer work for this cause is done mostly by seniors, Carmen Hunter, Poppy Committee Chairman, felt it appropriate for Senior Scope to be there.

Rick Bennett, Immediate Past President Fort Garry Legion, informed us that a total of $18,000 was disbursed in $3,000 increments to six organizations: Royal Canadian Legion Joint Hospital & Sick Visiting, Misericordia Hospital, Riverview Hospital, St. Amant Centre, U of M Faculty of Nursing (Manitoba Nursing Research Institute), and Victoria Hospital.

Young soldiers received awards of appreciation for their volunteer work at the Legion as well.

Top left: Rick Bennett, (left) Immediate Past President Fort Garry Legion and Bill Arran, (right) Member of the Poppy Committee. Bottom left: L-R: Comrade Gordon Schmidt received $3,000 on behalf of Joint Hospital & Sick Visiting from FGL President Brian Ehnes and Ladies Auxiliary President Joan Thorsteinson. Bottom right: L-R: Fort Garry Legion President Brian Ehnes, 2PPCLI Corporal Andrew McKechnie, 2PPCLI Private Grant Dunlop, 2PPCLI Private Cameron Bennett, Manitoba/NorthWest Ontario Command 1st Vice President Cliff Tessier.

Teulon Seniors Club shows appreciation

L-R: Irene Hamaberg, Doreen Schaeffer, Frances Moore, Wanda Tiel, Theresa Capuska, and Elvis impersonator, Jon Baunsit from Wpg.

In Teulon, Walter Romanchuk updated us with information on the Teulon Seniors Club windup and appreciation day on June 12, 2003. Awards were presented to Frances Moore and Wanda Tiel in recognition of their many years of dedicated service to the club. Congratulations!

You're never too old to learn

Linda Maxwell, Recruitment & Education Coordinator of Manitoba Customer Contact Association, gives some details of the new free training program for seniors.

These individuals ranging in age from 50 to 78 are attending an info session at Academy of Learning in hopes of returning to the classroom. Academy of Learning recognized the demand for dependable individuals with good work ethics in the fast-growing customer contact centre industry and have developed partnerships with the Senior's Job Bureau, Manitoba Government Advanced Education and Training Department, and the Manitoba Customer Contact Association to develop a free training program for individuals 50+ in age who are needing to return to the workforce but are lacking necessary people and computer skills. Susan Gauthier, the Customer Contact Facilitator of Academy of Learning encourages those interested to call 582-9400 or visit the website: www.mcca.mb.ca for more info and to see if you meet the criteria.

Festival of hope…

"The Gifted Dragon Ladies" was the official name of this all-women team for the Manitoba Transplant Program, named so for the 'gifts' of organs and tissues from donors that gave many a second chance at life or a better quality life.

Dragon Boat racing was the rage on the Red River August 15-17, 2003. The FMG Dragon Boat company started this festival nine years ago and it has grown to be the largest on-water festival in Manitoba, growing every year with mostly company-based teams. 136 teams gathered at The Forks for this three-day event to raise an expected $150,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society – the charity of choice for the past three years. The festival has since been called the, "Canadian Cancer Society Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival".

Dragon Boats are Chinese war canoes that hold 20 paddlers, one steersman and one drummer, and race a 500 metre course.

Coincidently, the publisher of Senior Scope participated in the races on the Manitoba Transplant Program team consisting of transplant recipients, health field workers and none other than this issue's Spotlight, 78-year-old Helve Dawson.

The key to the races is teamwork and synchrony, not individual strength. Let's see more seniors participating next year!

Next year's festival is August 13-15. Hope to see you there! To register a team, call FMG at 982-1830.

Elsie's Hair for Cancer Care

Rhonda Prettie, the on-site hairdresser at Kin Place, prepares Elsie Eedy (centre) for her new look. Beside Elsie are her close friends, Rose Beddall (left) and Marg Turiff (right). The three are referred to as the “Three Muskateers”.

Rhonda snips off the first of Elsie’s 9" locks. An audience of residents, staff and some media applauded.

A satisfied Elsie shows off her personal gift that will benefit someone suffering from hair loss due to Cancer treatments or other reasons.

For your next haircut, consider donating it to Cancer Care as Elsie Eedy, an 82-year-old resident at Kin Place Personal Care Home in Oakbank, did on March 26, this year.

When asked how she got the idea, Elsie explains that it just came to her one day. It was an inside secret that only Elsie and her hairdresser, Rhonda Prettie, shared for the past year. During that time, Rhonda treated Elsie’s hair with a special pure-white treatment called Shimmering Night.”

As a crowd gathered to witness Elsie’s act of kindness, she exclaimed, “All I wanted was a haircut!”

But as Rose Bodz, the Recreation Worker of Kin Place, put it, “Money is money… but hair is extra special.”

Elsie’s smile tells us that it is all worth it.

This was a first in the North Eastman Health Association and it is hoped there will be more donations of this kind.

Donated hair must be 8-10" in length and untreated to be suitable. Elsie’s was 9" from the root and will now be sent to Eva & Co. in Vancouver, British Columbia to be made into a wig and then sent back to Cancer Care Manitoba in Winnipeg. However, it will take several donations of hair to make one wig.

Elsie looks great with her new ‘do’, and you can be sure that she’ll be sitting in the hairdresser’s chair when her hair reaches that qualifying length again.

For information on donating hair, you can contact the Canadian Cancer Society at 1-888-939-3333 or visit www.cancer.ca and follow these links: Support Services > Community services directory >hair donation.

Eva & Co. website: www.evaandcowigs.com

It was a 'hairy' experience!