|
News |
|
 |
Dear Friends,
As a “Stocking Stuffer,” I’m raising money to fill my online virtual
holiday stocking and, at the same time, trying to top the donations earned
by my nine friendly competitors.
The funds raised in this campaign will help the Salvation Army carry out
its winter relief efforts in the respective Canadian location where a
donation is made.
Here are some of the reasons why this is such a noble and worthwhile cause:
- The Salvation Army and Christmas go hand in hand. The Army has been
providing Christmas miracles for over 126 years.
- The Salvation Army assists the most vulnerable without discrimination.
- The Salvation Army provides practical assistance – a hand up, not a hand
out – breaking cycles involving poverty, addiction and homelessness.
- Funds raised will benefit the community where the donation is made, right
here in Atlantic Canada and across the country.
- Your donation will assist well beyond Christmas – right through the
coldest months of the year, with clothing and shelter, emergency heat and
food and other critical winter relief.
Growing up in Newfoundland, I came to appreciate the musical culture of
the Salvation Army at an early age. Later, when attending the School for
the Blind in Halifax, we often visited churches of many faiths, including
the Salvation Army’s.
I loved the energy and passion of their congregations. In the years
since, I’ve become aware of all the good the Salvation Army does. What’s
most inspiring is that it doesn’t matter about your colour, creed or
religion. The Army’s doors are open to everyone. That’s really important
to me!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas
[more]
|
 |
Here we are in the midst of Canadian and American federal elections, not
to mention a number of municipal elections here in my neck of the woods in
Nova Scotia where I presently hang my hat.
How many of us will choose to take a stroll to the poll on our given
election days?
It appears that there will be an increase in the numbers south of the
Canadian border because of women and African American candidates in the
picture. Good on the Americans! Not only will there be an increase in the
numbers, there will be a much younger demographic over all, as well as
many more African and Hispanic Americans making their way to the poles.
That fact alone is giving the analysts, media and political scientists
lots to chew on these days. There is an enormous buffet of change cooking
for the American palate.
Here in Canada however, things are a little more subdued if you don't
count the mini drama playing out in Quebec in the life of our once
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Bernier. He took a little trip through
the door of the federal cabinet to the back benches of Parliament off the
toe of our Prime Minister's shiny shoe for leaving some secret documents
in a lover’s bedroom. In light of that, there could possibly be an
increase in the turn out in his riding. In fact, word has it that the
majority of votes will be in his favour. That's a whole other story for
another time.
So, will the rest of Canada choose to make their mark in droves on
election day? It's really hard to say.
We don't have any leaders who are flashy or flamboyant, but that doesn't
mean we don't have one or two with character and integrity who will
actually keep promises. I wonder if Canadians will get fired up about
that? We'll see!
There is a movement of some interest here in Canada that seems to be
gathering some steam. It's called
vote-swapping and it's causing elections
Canada, not to mention some of the politicians, to take notice and even
get a little nervous. Vote- swapping was born of the desire to keep a
particular party from taking power or achieving a majority. For instance,
I go to the vote swapping website and make a deal with another voter in a
different riding to exchange and place each others vote for a candidate
who isn't with our respective party of choice. By doing this, it's
possible that critical mass can keep an undesirable party from gaining
power or to only form a minority government.
I say, if this gets them out to vote, more power to them.
Something interesting that has presented itself in our municipal elections
here in Nova Scotia is the introduction of online, over the phone, and
voting by mail. People actually seem to be a little excited about this
change. As a matter of fact, there are municipalities in the province of
Ontario where this has been done, and lo and behold, the voter activity
has rocketed to new heights. Things are looking up.
Do you plan to take a stroll to the poll in the up coming election. If you
do, I'll see you there!
After all of my musings I would like to share a song entitled, "Make Your
Mark". This is a tune that I wrote with Dave Gunning and John Meir. It was
motivated by an initiative this year in Nova Scotia known as, "Democracy
250", to celebrate two hundred and fifty years of democracy.
We set out to write a song that wasn't too serious or too slap stick that
would encourage and even inspire the non committed voter to engage
themselves in the democratic process by reading, listening, debating,
writing letters, making phone calls, by taking action of some description,
and then voting.
Thanks for dropping by!
Now, turn on your speakers and have a listen - " Make Your Mark"
(just click play).
[more]
|
 |
Muskoka Sun - September 18, 2008
Athletes train at CNIB camp for Joe’s Team Triathlon
Thirty blind and visually impaired triathloners-to-be met their guides and
worked out to gain tri glory next July
By Patti Vipond
The roomful of people in sweats, T-shirts and baseball caps practicing
swim strokes under the guidance of world-class triathlon coach Steve
Bentley could be any group of people training to take on the enormous
physical and mental challenge of a triathlon.
But these people aren’t just any group.
The 30 athletes gathered at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind
(CNIB) Lake Jo camp on the shores of Lake Joseph in Muskoka range from
partially sighted to totally blind, and they have just met the sighted
guides who will train with and lead them in the Joe’s Team Triathlon’s
swim, bike and run sections on July 11, 2009.
This is Bentley’s first experience working with blind athletes and many of
them are taking on the trio of sports for the first time. While this may
seem extraordinary, part of the reason they’re doing it is to show that
they are, very much, ordinary people.
“These athletes are able to do what everyone else can do, and that’s
important for the public to realize,” says Jan Ditchburn, CNIB
communications representative in Toronto and at the Lake Jo camp. “This
training session and other activities at this camp are about breaking
limitations and showing what can be accomplished. The weekend training
program is a pilot project for a new purpose for this camp as a
world-class sports training facility for individuals and families.”
The 30 athletes training on this weekend will return to their towns as
leaders to encourage other blind and visually handicapped people to join
them in the
Joe’s Team Triathlon at the CNIB camp next July, to raise money for cancer
research for the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Joe Finley
conceived Joe’s Team to raise funds for cancer research. The idea came to
fruition in July of this year with the help of co-directors Tim Tremain
and Terry Kelly. The recent athletes’ training program, from Sept. 11 to
14, was organized in a lightning-fast six weeks after Kelly, who is blind
and was a Paralympian runner in 1980, asked Tremain and Finley if they
would back an idea to bring people from across the country to the camp so
they could all come back next summer for the 2009 Joe’s Team Tri.
They thought it was a great idea.
“Some people have never done it before, some are swimmers, some are
runners and some are Paralympians,” says Kelly outside the dining hall
where Bentley is explaining the stamina benefits of super slow swimming to
the group. “A lot of the public doesn’t realize blind and visually
impaired people can go running, biking and swimming. They do it a little
differently, but they can do it just as anyone else can.”
In the triathlon, the athlete and guide use a tandem bike for the second
section. To stay in synch while swimming, the duo either use a tether or
the guide swims ahead and the athlete touches his/her heel. A new audio
system on the buoys may direct the team.
“We are experimenting with a bunch of things including beep tones on the
buoys where the blind swimmer would focus on the auditory and use the
guide as a back up,” explains Kelly. “For running, they run side by side
with forearms touching and legs synchronized in their stride like a
three-legged race. It helps if the two people are the same height.”
The guide gives the runner feedback about terrain changes, like when they
are leaving pavement or ground elevations.
“The person who is blind has the responsibility to listen, stay in contact
and in stride,” says Kelly. “I can take a person I have never run with
before and make them comfortable running with me. The more confident I am,
the more confident they will be.”
Visually impaired athlete Matthew Mudd arrived at the camp as a
participant but soon decided to become a guide.
“This camp makes you appreciate the vision you do have,” says the young
man whose vision quickly deteriorated as a child, leaving him with vision
in one eye, the need for corrective lens and no depth perception unless he
is travelling over 30 km/h. “I felt humbled when I came here because all
of a sudden I went from being someone with the worst vision, to being able
to see. I started talking to people who are completely blind and realized
I should feel lucky to have the vision I do have. So I switched from
participant to guide.”
Mudd, who lives in Toronto and regularly bikes from the city to his
parent’s home in Elora, is also ready to fulfill a dream — a solo bike
ride
from Fredericton, New Brunswick to Vancouver, B.C. He will leave June 1,
2009, with his brother following by van, and cover about 300 km a day.
Mudd
plans to be in Vancouver 21 days later. His goal is to raise awareness of
what visually impaired people can do, and for the CNIB camp.
“It’s a goal of mine to raise awareness of the CNIB camp because it’s
exactly what I could have used when I was growing up to learn how to play
baseball and cope with not being able to tell how far things are away from
me,” he explains. “Both my parents had vision loss, so they were able to
give me techniques and advice. If I had been born to parents with perfect
vision, would they have known what to do? A camp like this really helps
parents teach their kids how to play sports and not feel like an outcast.”
For more
information about the Joe’s Team Triathlon, go to www.joesteam.ca.
To find out more about the CNIB Lake Jo camp, call 1-800-563-2642
or go to www.cnib.ca.
[more]
|
 |
On July 2nd, I had the great honour of singing our National Anthem for the
change of command Ceremony at the invitation of General Rick Hillier.
During the days leading up to the ceremony I found myself grieving and
wondering what would become of the good work that General Hillier has done
for all the service men and women, the four arms of the military, Army,
Air Force, Navy, and The Special Forces, as well as all Canadians and
Canada.
Then, during the pre-ceremony reception, just before being marshaled to
the VIP seating area, I was introduced to General Walter, or Walt
Natynczyk. In a matter of seconds I was "at ease". His handshake, his
enormous warm and confident aura, assured me that all with the Canadian
Military would be just fine.
How foolish of me to have thought for a moment that General Hillier would
leave his post without a succession strategy.
Walt Natynczyk is his own man! He will be innovative, he will have a
vision for the Canadian Forces that will be tailored for the coming
century, and I believe he is confident and wise enough to continue to
nurture and grow much of what Rick Hillier has given to Canadians, Canada
and its military.
Although Rick and Walt were raised in families thousands of kilometres
apart, they grew up in small communities with very similar upbringings.
Both men are not afraid of dirty or hard work, they value family,
community, and genuinely care about people at home and abroad. Their love
for Canada shines like the sun wherever they go.
I believe we can rest assured that the pride that has been blossoming
among service men, women and all Canadians since General Rick Hillier took
command three and a half years ago will continue to flourish with the
leadership and guidance of General Walt Natynczyk. He will be there for
the men and women in uniform, their families and their best interests
before, during and after they are called to serve and represent our
wonderful country of Canada.
I want to congratulate General Natynczyk for his appointment as Chief Of
Defence Staff for Canada, and I thank him for remaining true to himself
and true to what's best for Canada's military.
I also want to thank and congratulate General Rick Hillier for filling the
hearts of all Canadians with an unprecedented sense of pride, and maybe
even a newfound sense of identity. Your story, General Hillier, has many
more exciting chapters and we will all be watching and reading with great
anticipation.
[more]
|
Click here to see the Video
|
Celebrate Life - A National Cancer Survivors Day Event
Celebrate Life is an afternoon to embrace the gift of life. It is a time
to come together as a community to remember lives lived and to share the
joy of music, stories, friendship and food with those living with and are
survivors of cancer.
Produced by T.K. Productions on behalf of Cancer Care Nova Scotia,
Celebrate Life is held on the first Sunday of June and is an opportunity
for all who have been touched by cancer to gather and be inspired to
nurture hope, courage and gratitude.
We will recognize the strength of individuals, the valuable support of
loved ones, advancements in research and the compassion of those
professionals who've dedicated their lives to cancer patients and
families.
I shared the stage with talented performers such as
Derek Caine
Canadian Idol
Gary Beals
Hallelujah Praise Choir
Amethyst Scottish Dancers
of Nova Scotia
CTV’s
Peter Mellette
as the esteemed host.
Upon the request of Cancer Care Nova Scotia, I have also written a song
titled “Celebrate Life” to build on the survivorship theme and to
recognize the strength of community, friendship, faith and love in the
face of challenge. “Celebrate Life” was written for Cancer Care Nova
Scotia’s signature event to mark National Cancer Survivors Day.
National Cancer Survivors Day is an annual Celebration of Life that is
held throughout North America and other participating countries. It began
with Richard Bloch (founder of H&R Block) and his wife, Annette, who
organized a Cancer Survivor Rally in Kansas City to demonstrate that a
diagnosis of cancer was not an automatic death sentence. The idea soon
caught on in other communities and has come to be known as National Cancer
Survivors Day, held each year on the first Sunday in June.
I am grateful for the gift of gratitude. I am grateful for the life that I
have lived, for the life that I am living and for whatever life I have
left to live. I am especially grateful for the loved ones and
acquaintances that have shared, are sharing and have yet to share the joys
and sorrows of the world with me. I am also grateful for the gift of
choice, to choose between celebrating life or not.
[more] |
 |
Terry Kelly participates in worldwide celebrity auction
to raise funds for Parkinson's
PLATES FOR PARKINSON'S - Terry Kelly joins 55 celebrities from movie and
television stars, to politicians and artists who have designed and
autographed plates to be auctioned on EBay from April 20 to May 11 as a
fundraiser for the Parkinson Society Maritime Region in Canada. Proceeds
from the auction will benefit research, education programs and support
services.
Each celebrity was asked to draw a tulip, the world-wide symbol of hope
for Parkinson's. More than 1.2 million people in Canada and the US live
with Parkinson's for which there is no known cause or cure. The plates can
be viewed at
www.auctionwire.com/plates.
Celebrities participating include Johnny Depp, Phil Collins, Anne Murray,
Sarah the Duchess of York, Rob Lowe, Tom Hanks, Martha Stewart, Muhammad
Ali, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Sarah McLaughlin, Martina McBride, Daughtry, Anjelica Huston, Harrison Ford and William Shatner.
|
 |
Christmas is my favourite time of year! As I say that, I realize I'm
saying it because it's here.
I have other times of the year that are my favourite as soon as they
arrive! Maybe what I really want to say is I'm grateful to be alive and
able to celebrate each of the seasons, all of the holidays, anniversaries,
the beginning of weekends, the start and finish of a job or a project,
etc. Shall I go on? OK then, I won't because you get my drift!
I will say, though, if you don't mind, that I also enjoy experiencing and
watching others enjoy what's important to them in their lives, be it
Ramadan, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or other special celebrations and
events that I didn't grow up with.
Speaking of growing up, I recall as a boy how in St John's, Newfoundland,
there was a rule, sometimes spoken and sometimes not, sometimes enforced
and sometimes
not, that the Catholics and Protestants should never mix because each of
them was closer to Heaven or Hell. If you were one or the other, you would
surely go to Hell if you got to close to the other. In each of our minds,
there was "no doubt" that we were God's chosen ones. I was always
surprised and a little confused when I met a person or, especially a girl,
who wasn't one of the chosen ones, but they were kind, friendly and, holy
smokes, they liked me too. It just didn't make sense!
Well at the age of seven I had to travel away from my home in St. John's
to go to the School for the Blind in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There were kids
attending the school from all across Atlantic Canada - Prince Edward
Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland - who came from First
Nation Homes, French Acadian backgrounds, Scottish ancestry, Irish
bloodlines, Italian and Chinese families, not to mention several different
religious denominations.
Every Sunday morning there would be a time and a line-up for the kids
representing each religion and I was positive that the Catholic line was
the one that pointed straight toward Heaven and weren't all those other
kids dammed, misguided and unfortunately going down to the fiery depths of
Hell?
Thank God for Mr. Edison Fraser!
Mr. Fraser came to The Halifax School For The Blind when I was in grade
eight.
He encouraged and enticed each of us to take turns going to one another's
church. He enticed us on the cold winter Sundays by suggesting that we
take the shorter walk to the other guy's church and in the warmer months
to sleep in a little longer and go to the service that was scheduled a
little later in the day.
You're sensing where this is going, and you're correct. Before too long we
were learning about other religions, how some services were more fun,
exciting or made what was confusing or boring in another church very clear
and engaging. We also came to discover that every line-up took us to a
different destination here on Earth, but in the end they all went to the
same wonderful and beautiful place beyond this world and to our Creator or
God .
So, as a result of Mr. Fraser's insightful gift to us in those
impressionable years, I am grateful and I believe I am blessed to be free
of any prejudice towards those of different colour, those of other
religions or those who are unlike me in many ways. In fact, I am excited
about the diversity in others and seize any opportunity to learn about and
from others who share this planet regardless of their origin.
My prayer, my meditation, my wish at this favourite time of year is that
each of us find it in our hearts to truly be not afraid of another's
religion or other differences and
thereby come to a common understanding and respect which would be a
universal spiritual and yes even physical state of peace for all of us
right here on Earth.
I find it fascinating that throughout all the world wars, the wars spawned
from religious prejudices and most disputes, the majority of people truly
want to live in peace. When the masses do not get to enjoy peace, it is
often due to a few who are driven by greed or extremism.
This fact is clearly and poignantly illuminated in John McCutcheon’s
beautifully crafted song, "
Christmas In The Trenches ", that I just had to include on my "
Olde Tyme Christmas
"
recording.
[more] |
|
The Daily News –
August 26, 2007
Terry Kelly on the 'gift' of blindness
'My responsibility is to help other people, adults and young people, come
to discover the gifts they don't know they have'
By Bill Carr
Terry Kelly has been a friend of mine for a number of years. He has
always startled me with his unbridled enthusiasm for life and laughter and
song; coupled with a true sense of concern for the needs of those around
him. He sees what many so-called "sighted people" often miss.
Bill: Blindness is a profound idea in the human imagination and
experience... yet I've noticed something odd about you.
Terry: I'm an odd fellow.
Bill: True, but blindness has never defined you; you have redefined
it.
Terry: Ahhh ... That's a gift that was given to me by several
people; by my parents, the teachers and the people we referred to at the
School for the Blind here in Halifax as house parents, and multiple
volunteers.
The stage was set in two different places ... by my parents who - maybe
just by default because they had eight kids - didn't take the time to baby
me too much. And it was set at the School for the Blind where it was an
absolute mission and the very culture of the place ... which was to give
you opportunities to try lots of different things and skills that will
allow you to get out into the world and be independent and to give back to
society - but it's a choice you've got to make.
They also made sure that we were accountable for what we did and didn't
do. So if we chose to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves because
we're blind, there wasn't a lot they could do about that, except to
present opportunities to us ... but we weren't allowed to be rude or
ungrateful.
Like at Christmastime, gifts were sent to us: we were given to all the
time. There was a house parent, Ed Fraser, who has since passed, but he
told us - when I was in about Grade 8, he said, "At Christmastime you're
going to help service clubs fill hampers for the poor, and you're going to
go out and walk in the snow and the cold and deliver them."
He also got us heavily involved in the Scout and Venture movement, where
we had to go out and camp just like all the other kids. There were certain
things we had to do differently because we were blind, but we weren't
babied ... someone didn't make the fire for us. Nobody put up the tent or
built the lean-to. We were taught to do that. We were expected.
They said, basically, "While you're here, we'll give you the opportunities
and the choices, and we'll give you what you need to be successful. And if
you want to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, that's your choice,
but you're going to be accountable and respectful." And that saved my
life.
Bill: Are you pushing other people's expectations of you as a blind
person, or just yourself as a person?
Terry: Both. There is a funny thing that may have happened. When
you do something as a kid - and even as an adult - as a blind person,
people say, "Holy smokes! That's amazing!" When really it's not amazing.
But as a kid, you pick up on that and you say, "Hey, I like this. I want
more of this."
I push myself a lot and I also do my utmost to help other people be
comfortable with my blindness.
My dad, before he passed away, came out on the road with me for 10 or 12
weeks, and I did school presentations and corporate stuff. Now remember, I
had been away from home for nine months of the year as a kid; I'd come
home to Newfoundland from the school for summers and Christmas.
So I spent a lot of time away from family, and this was a great
opportunity for Father and I to catch up. At the end of the tour, we were
flying from Vancouver to Halifax and were bumped up to business class.
And we were sitting there sipping on a Scotch when he said, "You know,
Terry, all my life I've felt guilty about something. I'm the carrier of
the retinal blastoma gene that gave you cancer, and you lost both your
eyes. I felt guilty about that all my life." He took a sip of the scotch
and he said, "I don't anymore.'
Terry starts to laugh really hard and then leans in and says softly:
"Because," he said, "I've come to a conclusion after being out on the road
with you; I believe your blindness is a gift."
And I thought, well, I can't really argue with that. And I started
reminiscing about all the things I had done in my life to that point; lots
of things had happened as a result of being blind. And I said, "There's
one other thing, Father, that you and Mother may not realize you've given
all the kids ... you taught us it's not what happens to us in life that's
most important; it's what you do with it. You and Mother set an example so
I could take this blind thing and turn it into a gift."
My responsibility now is to use the gifts that have been given to me - the
volunteers who taught me to downhill ski and the international track
competitions in the '80s - stuff like that.
They were all gifts that were given to me by a teacher or a house parent
or a volunteer or my parents, and my responsibility is to help other
people, adults and young people, come to discover the gifts they don't
know they have.
Take that challenge; whether it's a learning disability or a jealousy or a
physical disability, or whatever it might be, and turn it into a gift, as
my father showed me my blindness had become.
I discovered something last November when I was doing a Remembrance Day
ceremony. There were vets at this ceremony; one from the Second World War,
(others) from Korea and Afghanistan. And we all had to speak to these
elementary school kids for a couple of minutes or so, and I'm last and I'm
sitting there thinking, "What am I going to say here?"
I was at the end. And it was one of those moments when it drops out of the
sky to you.
I said, "You guys see these heroes sitting here, and you hear what they've
done and see their medals, and you're wondering how you could be a hero.
"You can be a hero right now, after this class is over. You can be a hero
by being kind to the person next to you, or picking something up for the
teacher, or holding the door ... that's where heroes begin. You can be a
hero right now. Would you consider that?"
I never tell them what to do. I always ask, "Would you consider that?"
That gives them a choice.
There's that word again.
"And I think the absence of - I won't say religion, but religion can lead
you to spirituality if it's good and it's healthy. But I think the absence
of spirituality is part of what scares kids these days.
So, if there was a discussion of God in the schools - to talk about your
religion or my religion and how I might worship differently or how I might
come to my spirituality differently than you do, but in the end we really
all come to the same place.
So when something happens in a kid's life, and a little thing turns into a
big thing they have nowhere to go, and they'll want to go somewhere.
Sometimes it's to a gang or to drugs, but they'll want to go somewhere.
I know as a kid, a seven-year-old kid, I traveled here from Newfoundland
... I remember the comfort of saying my prayers.
It was sometimes when I was afraid or when I said, "Thank you, God." I
think that's part of what's missing. And to teach kids and adults the joy
of giving back to this big world; if you can give them the joy of giving
and saying, "I have gifts I can share with the world." How wonderful is
that?
And then imagine transforming what you might perceive as a terrible thing
in your life - as I did with my blindness, and I have to work at that
every day - imagine if you can grow to say, "This is a gift!"
I'm grateful every day.
Terry Kelly is a gift. He's earned an Order of Canada and several music
awards, as well as sung for and inspired audiences, young and old, right
across the country and many parts of the world. For more about Terry
Kelly, go to www.terry-kelly.com.
Bill Carr lives in Rockingham where he is working on making things a gift.
[more]
|
 |
I had the privilege of traveling to Afghanistan with General
Hillier and members of the NHL Alumni to meet with and perform for our
troops.
What an eye-opener the trip proved to be!
First of all, I was deeply moved and inspired by all of the Canadian men
and women serving at Camp Mirage and in Afghanistan.
I was expecting to meet lots of young people, which I did, but I was
surprised to meet many women and men who are in their forties and fifties.
They joined The Canadian Forces later in life because they have a desire
to share the gifts of freedom and education etc., that have been given to
them by the vets and fallen soldiers who have gone before them, with the
citizens of Afghanistan.
I was particularly struck when I came to the realization that our peace
makers are not in Afghanistan to impose our way of life on the Afghanistan
people. They are not striving to create another Canada or some other
western-style country. They are there to stop the Taliban from forcing a
way of life on the citizens of Afghanistan that they absolutely do not
want! More importantly, our service men and women are working with the
government of Afghanistan to provide the tools and skills to build and
solidify an infrastructure to enable the Afghans to empower themselves,
and then make their own decisions regarding the future of their country!
The guns are only one component of the whole picture. As fifty-two year
old George Hounsell, who joined The Force in his mid-forties said to me,
"Although I know I could be taken out at any time by one of the hundreds
of delivery vehicles that come to the gate of the base every day, I am
grateful that I have had a wonderful fulfilling life, thanks to the
soldiers who stood for my country and me in the past. And besides, we
Canadians are growing the trust of the men, women and children of
Afghanistan through hearts, minds and handshakes. It's important that the
people back home come to know that."
So, I will do what I can to help those of you here at home come to know
why George and thousands of others like him are putting themselves in
harm's way.
They simply want others who are less fortunate than we are in other places
in the world, such as Afghanistan, to be able to live, to love and raise
their families as we do. And so, they give of themselves, selflessly.
Thanks for dropping by and please come by again, as I will look in again
myself in a week or so to share some of what's on the go.
Wherever you may be, wherever your life's journey may take you, safe home!
[more]
|
|
Stanley Cup Journal – May 2007
By Kevin Shea
If there is one single item that unifies Canadians of every description,
it's hockey. And even the most passive of sports fans recognizes the
Stanley Cup as the shining icon of hockey excellence. So, in searching for
something that would boost the morale of Canadian troops in Afghanistan,
with tensions at an all time high and temperatures soaring in tandem, it
was decided to take the Stanley Cup to Kandahar.
[more]
|
|
