Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
Weather forecast for Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Today – Increasing cloudiness early this morning. 30 percent chance of showers this morning with risk of a thunderstorm. High 27. Humidex 32. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight – Clear. Low 16.
Photo of the day – Wallaceburg Splash Pad opens
The Wallaceburg Splash Pad is ready for ‘splashers’.
The new location in Wallaceburg is operational, and an official ribbon cutting is taking place on Saturday, August 19 at 12:30 p.m.
The committee is asking everyone to please stay off the grass around the Splash Pad for the time being.
People can enter the SplashPad from the picnic pavilion, there is a marked pathway.
Tina Pumfrey and Alyssa Doherty performing in downtown Wallaceburg
The Wallaceburg & District Council For The Arts Music By The River Banks Outdoor Summer Concert Series continues this evening.
The series showcases local talent in Wallaceburg’s “Library Park”, on the banks of the Sydenham River.
The free family-friendly concerts continue this evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tina Pumfrey will perform this evening, with Alyssa Doherty opening up.
There is one more concert on the docket this summer, when the Neil Malcolm Band And Travis Laur close out the summer series.
Concert goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and an empty stomach. Charity barbecues will be offered each week during the series. Library Park is located on James Street beside the Chatham-Kent Public Library’s Wallaceburg branch in the downtown core.
Operation BackPacks – Help is Needed
Operation BackPacks aims to provide local children with new backpacks and grade-appropriate school supplies – the tools they need to achieve academic success – and help alleviate the financial stress parents face each new school year.
Operation BackPacks was started by staff of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Emergency Department in 2001, after learning about a similar program that was running in another community.
That first year they distributed 26 backpacks. Since then, the program has steadily grown, adding additional partners along the way – Kiwanis Clubs, United Way, Service Canada, Union Gas, banks and others – to address the increasing need in the community.
Service providers came together in 2004 to ensure that families get the help they need through a more centrally coordinated and collective effort.
United Way was asked to take the lead and currently provides administrative support for referrals from agencies, schools and parents, centralization of supply ordering, and volunteer recruitment for assembling and delivering backpacks to schools and communities.
With support from Giant Tiger, Staples, United Way of Chatham-Kent’s Women’s Leadership Council and numerous local organizations and businesses, Operation BackPacks strives to serve every child and family in need throughout Chatham-Kent.
How can I get a BackPack for my child?
Parents or guardians in need of assistance can request a backpack on or before August 22, 2017 for their children online by following this link or visiting www.uwock.ca. Registration forms have been sent to all schools. Or, parents can call 519-354- 0430 to speak with the Project Coordinator. Your personal information is kept private and confidential.
How can I help?
Volunteer
The United Way has already received orders for more than 1,100 backpacks that will be distributed during the last week of August. The United Way is actively looking for volunteers to help pack the backpacks and to help deliver them into the hands of the service recipients.
Donate Money
You can support this program by donating money, supplies or your time. The easiest way is to sponsor one or multiple backpacks at $25 each. Sponsoring a backpack allows co-ordinators to monitor the quantity of supplies and ensure each child receives the supplies they need based on their grade level.
Donate Supplies
The Unityed is in need of the following items in particular:
– Scientific Calculators
– Math Sets
– Lined Paper
– DuoTangs
– Pens
– Crayons
They may be dropped off at the United Way office at 425 McNaughton Avenue West on or before August 22, 2017, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about how you can become involved contact Mary Symons, Good Neighbours Co-ordinator at 519-354- 0430 or goodneighbours@uwock.ca.
Storytime at Wallaceburg Branch
The Wallaceburg Branch of Chatham-Kent Public Library presents fall sessions of Storytime.
Storytime will be offered Thursdays at 10:45 a.m. beginning September 14 and running until October 12. Children ages two, three and four and parents and caregivers will enjoy stories, songs, finger plays, rhymes, rhythm instruments and crafts.
Registration is required.
Please call Wallaceburg Branch at 519-627-5292 to register or visit them online at search.ckpl.ca to register and find further information on library programs and services.
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If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.
