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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, December 10, 2009 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Letter to the editor NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Restoring the faith I have never been an overly-religious person. I do believe in a higher power, and I have also spent my life believing in the spirit of human beings. I have many times been labelled that I am too trusting in people and that I give more than I get. I have always been that way and don't believe that my "faith" in my fellow people will change any time soon. At times that faith has been tested, but something happened last week to change any doubts that I could ever have. A good friend of mine found herself in a very sad and desperate situation -- one that forced her to leave her home due to abuse and one that has resulted in her not seeing her children for almost three weeks. As a mother and a friend, I could literally feel my heart breaking for her the moment she started to tell me the tale. She was homeless, had nothing but the clothes on her back and not a penny to her name. After the conversation, I decided that I had to do something. The very next day I put an ad on my company's classifieds listing asking for donations. Within minutes of the ad being placed I was receiving calls and e-mails from co-workers offering donations. There were offers of monetary donations, there were offers to purchase her children Christmas presents and there were offers of furniture and beds. It was overwhelming. One of my co-workers spread the word through her contacts and it was then that I spoke with Shawna Salvo at The Oakville Beaver. Like my co-workers, Shawna immediately took to getting donations organized and within hours had a list of donations to assist my friend. It was absolutely unbelievable. I would like to sincerely thank Shawna and the employees from The Oakville Beaver who generously offered items to provide for my friend and her children. The level of compassion and sincere concern for her well-being has been absolutely amazing. In addition, I need to thank my direct co-workers and so many other employees of Halton Region who also kindly donated items and monetary assistance to her. The generosity and kindness has been incredible. In spite of these times of economic strain and the stress that surrounds the holiday season, the response to my plea was immediate and strong. There is no doubt in my mind that people truly care and want to help out any way they can...even help for a perfect stranger and her children. God bless all of you and thank you once again for helping to make someone's life better. It is truly an act of kindness that completely strengthens and restores my faith in people. Thank you once again. JO ANNE FRISBY RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION KAREN NEWMAN / OAKVILLE BEAVER FAITH IN HUMAN KINDNESS: Jo Anne Frisby stands with her vehicle full of items collected for donation to a friend of hers in need. Her friend has had to escape an abusive relationship and is living with almost nothing. Staff at the Oakville Beaver and Oakville Today donated items for the woman this holiday season. See Letter to the Editor on this page. Until the flakes fly, Christmas just doesn't enter his head I n the absence of any early season snow, I'm officially canceling Christmas. Ironic that this official declaration comes from the advocate of a snow-free Clearwater Christmas. You see, I have a dream (not quite up there with Martin Luther King's in terms of selflessness and vision, but a dream nonetheless): before I reach the end of my mortal coil, I want to wake up one Christmas morning to sunshine, heat and the repetitive, restorative sound of waves hitting a beach. I want to enjoy my pick-me-up latte on a balcony overlooking the ocean. I want to go for an early morning run on the beach, dodging sandpipers and washed-up jellyfish. And I want to spend the rest of Christmas Day on a golf course, hassle-free, stress-free, plunking errant shots off palm trees, and otherwise embarrassing myself with my enduring ineptitude. I want to have Christmas dinner outdoors at sunset on a patio surrounded by people I love. In my favorite shorts and my Chicago Cubs t-shirt, remnants of the beach still on my feet. Plenty of wine. Great food. Sparkling conversation. No spin-outs on black ice as we mindlessly tear from one end of Ontario to the other, from one obligatory function to the next. It's my dream -- it tops my Bucket List -- it's the Clearwater Christmas. A few months ago I ran the idea of the Clearwater Christmas by the family, as I do every autumn. Typically, some family members melodramatically oppose the idea in principle alone (something about slaughtering the old turkey of tradition, blah, blah, blah) while other more pragmatic souls cite the cost, blah, blah, blah. This year, Andy Juniper remarkably, I believe I had the majority of them under my spell (I can be quite convincing after a beer or two), to the point where they were rushing off to Google accommodations, maps, and such. Alas, along came an opportunity for our eldest to travel to Europe in December, getting him home in time for Christmas, but leaving him with no holidays left for flying off to Florida. In this family at Christmas, it's all or none. Thus I'm left with unfulfilled dreams and the slim hope of maybe next year. So, you're probably thinking that I am at least reveling in this snow-less season we've been experiencing (not a flake in November and, as I write, nothing but a dusting in December). But you'd be wrong. You see, while it is my dream to spend a Christmas in Clearwater, I actually require snow beforehand to get me into the festive spirit. I call it the psychology of snow. Seriously, I don't know how people living in warmer climes do it, how they get themselves up for the season without cold temps, brisk winds and whipping snow. I mean, until the flakes fly, Christmas barely registers on my radar. And I know I'm not alone. The absence of early season snow has left many people scrambling. Left them fretting: oh my goodness, December has snuck up on us, and I haven't even started my shopping. Not only have my wife and I not started shopping, we haven't decorated the house or done any baking, and our schedule over the next three weeks is such that I can't see any of the above ever getting done. At least, not without my wife and I suffering seasonal exhaustion, or nervous breakdowns, or both. Hence my decree: Christmas is officially cancelled. Hey, kids, don't blame me, blame the absence of snow. Andy Juniper can be visited at www.strangledeggs.com, contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters.