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Power of 10 behind Lighthouse for Grieving Children by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 15 | Friday, September 30, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Grieving a loved one's death can be a difficult time, especially for children and youths. That's why the Oakville-based organizers of an upcoming Milton charity cycling event want to ensure they're cared for in their darkest hour. On Friday, Oct. 14, more than 200 cyclists will gather at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre (Milton Velodrome) to support Oakville's Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children, which helps children, teens and their families following a death in the family. The Power of 10 will involve 22 teams of 10 cyclists riding on static bikes for 100 minutes, collectively covering 1,000 kilometres. "We wanted to create a ripple effect. When a death occurs, the ripple effect through the community and families is very far-reaching," said Rachel Williams, event organizer. "If you can help a child who's grieving, the ripple effect of what you've been able to teach them helps the family later in life." The Power of 10 was established because Williams is "lucky enough be part of a great community" that is connected to the Lighthouse, she said. Organizers wanted to bring the cycling community together to do "something different and something new" to form new relationships with the Oakville charity. "We really did think, `Go big or go home.' in the community have their own stories about why they want to support Lighthouse," said Williams. For fellow Oakville resident and event organizer, Karen Smith, the choice to support the local charitable group is personal. About 12 years ago, Smith's sister-in-law died in a house fire. She was survived by three children. Since, then Smith has made a yearly donation to the Lighthouse on behalf of the children, to preserve the memory of her sisterin-law, Smith said. "Through my children's elementary school, St. Vincent Catholic School, they've had a Ladies Night Out (fundraiser) and for a few years, donations went directly to the Lighthouse," said Smith. "For everybody involved, it's very personal. As Rachel said, it's a very worthy charity. It's local and it feels like it's right in our backyard." Williams said the Lighthouse is "very unique," as it's the only place in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) that provides peer support for children who have lost a parent or other family member. Milton was chosen as the cycling event's location because it is "the fastest-growing community" in Canada. see Power on p.18 Rachel Williams, Deirdre Thomas and Jo Fallon will participate in the Power of 10 fundraiser in Milton Oct. 14 in support of Oakville's Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children. Nathan Howes photo Imagine...No more allergy symptoms forever We wanted to create something that is exciting, a challenge that would be inspiring. It was all about what we could do with 10 friends," said Williams. "If you had 10 friends, what could you do? Anything is possible. Ten friends, 10 cyclists, 10 teams, 10 of anything." Williams has volunteered for the Lighthouse before and saw how important it is for children to be aware of what the organization does, she said. "I wanted to help them make new connections. I know it was a very worthy charity. Other people Celebrating 20 Years Trafalgar Ridge Montessori School Chosen #1 Montessori School! Since 1988 DIAMOND Discover our Montessori Programs Preschool to Grade 3 FALL PROMOTION 15% off refinishing Fall & Winter start dates are still available! · Enriched Individualized Curriculum · Enhanced French Language Instruction · Comprehensive Music & Phys. Ed. Programs antique hardwood flooring 290 Speers road, oakville Attend our Fall Open House this Saturday October 1st ­ 10 AM to 2 PM 905-825-8551 www.antiquehardwoodflooring.ca follow uS to See the lateSt trendS 2379 TRAFALGAR ROAD, UNIT 6 OAKVILLE · 905.257.5955 www.trms.ca admin@trms.ca