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HERO HOLIDAY CHANGES WORLD VIEW ABSOLUTELY
BY MELODY FALCONER-POUNDER
Natalie Klaver, 18, of RR3 Kippen, and Genelle Reid, 19, of RR1 Varna, wouldn’t proclaim to call themselves heroes but they recently went on a Hero Holiday. In doing their small part to change the globe, they ended up changing their perspective on the world around them.
The two girls worked as interns with Absolute Leadership Development for three weeks in the Dominican Republic. Absolute is a not-for-profit Canadian, organization that exists to empower emerging generations to live with purpose and to change their world. This week we shall feature Klaver’s experiences.
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| Natalie enjoyed seeing work turn into results when helping building walls. Here, she is helping build up the wall out of cinder block for the home the teams built in Agua Negra, the slum in Puerto Plata. |
“I have always been interested in global issues and physically wanted to do something to make a change. I learned about Absolute at a conference as it was an organization aimed at youth. The presenter’s talk was very inspiring,” Klaver recalled.
Absolute currently runs programs to Mexico, Thailand and the Dominican Republic.
“We chose the Dominican Republic because it is closer to home than British Columbia. The fact that there could be such poverty so close to where we are living really puts it into perspective,” she said.
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| Klaver enjoys a moment on the beach on a well-deserved day off during her three week adventure. |
The girls worked as interns with Hero Holiday. This allowed them to spend an extended time on the island. They worked with two different groups of Hero Holiday participants. The first group had 80 people and the second 50 members. The groups were divided into teams of 20 and 15 respectively. The interns were assigned a team to work with and a team leader to facilitate with.
“There were 13 interns; we acted as role models for the participants as we were close to their ages. We helped keep them organized and arranged evening activities, like dances, skits, and theme nights,” she said.
Before the group departed for the Dominican, they attended training in Toronto where they reviewed the Absolute manual, learned their responsibilities and bonded as a team.
The participants came from across the country with a large contingent from British Columbia.
“One team was comprised of people from one high school in BC. This was really a great idea as they were able to fundraise as a group,” said Klaver.
Prior to this trip, Klaver had visited the Caribbean islands of St. Thomas and St. Marten on a cruise but this adventure would prove to be a lot different.
“When we arrived on the island I was exhausted but super excited. I remember this wave of heat hitting me when we got off the plane. Driving from the airport to the hotel I’d wished we could slow down so that I could see everything and get a handle on where I was,” she said.
The first thing she noticed “was that poverty and tourism were right together, there was not a big difference.”
She also noticed a strong class system, “You are either really high class or really low, there isn’t a lot of middle class in the Dominican. But all the people are really friendly and welcoming; everywhere we went they would shout, `Hola! Hola!”
There was also a great sense of community and a pride in possessions.
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| Just playing with the children at La Union was a fun part of the experience. |
“If someone only had two shirts you could be sure that they would be two very clean shirts,” she said. “They may not have much but what they do have they are very willing to share.”
Before the teams headed out to the sites they would be volunteering at, they were taken on an awareness tour. On this tour they were educated about the country and toured past work sites where Absolute had completed projects and made a difference as a result.
“It was the first time most of us had ever seen poverty,” said Klaver. “Kids would just come up to you and hold your hand, they just wanted to be around you; that was so nice but took a little getting used to.”
Then the work began, each day the teams were sent to different sites and different experiences.
Klaver helped build a kitchen at a school. Once construction is complete Absolute will introduce a food program to help feed the students. She worked on building safer homes in the slums of Puerta Plata. The teams worked in tandem with contractors from the Dominican hired by Absolute.
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| Klaver helped paint the ceiling of the community building/school that the teams helped build a kitchen onto at Cangrejo. |
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Construction is all done by hand in the Dominican Republic. In this photo, Klaver is cutting rebar to form the columns at the school build in La Union, the Haitian village.
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“We cut and bent rebar, poured concrete and put up cinder block walls. There is no technology, we mixed the cement by hand,” she said.
The teams also helped at an orphanage for disabled children where they helped relieve the staff by feeding and bathing the children and doing the laundry.
In Puerto Plata, they worked in a children’s ward of a public hospital scraping the walls of old paint and applying a fresh, new coat.
In addition, they assisted some Haitian people who eked out an existence by scrounging for valuables and recyclables in a garbage dump.
“I was really nervous about working there. It was such a desperate situation. To think that working there is better than living in Haiti, it was so overwhelming and so hopeless,” Klaver recalled. “We supplied the workers with fresh water and they really appreciated our being there working alongside them, it offered them dignity.”
She noted that the teams were really motivated to work and never complained about the jobs they had to do.
“I enjoyed working with the teams. Building walls, you could really see your progress and all the people were so grateful and excited,” she said.
A Hero Holiday is not all work and no play for the participants and interns. The young people had time to go on excursions and explore the island. Klaver chose to go Mountain Cascading, where those who took part jumped off cliffs into waterfalls. She also went on a downhill mountain biking experience which provided an opportunity to see some very beautiful scenery.
One of her favorite things to do was seeing into the Dominican way of life.
“Just going to the grocery store to get an ice cream cone was a highlight - doing something not so touristy and being a part of things,” she said.
The Hero Holiday ended with a community party that the group hosted for all of the Dominicans and Haitians in the areas they had helped. It was time for the residents and all of the participants to come together and share in food, music and a friendly game of soccer.
“We served three roasted pigs, and five gallon pails of fruit, rice and beans,” she recalled. “We also handed out gift bags to the children made up of donations that the participants had brought with them from home.”
This Hero Holiday experience is just the beginning for Klaver who will be going to McGill University in the fall to study Nutrition. She hopes to one day be a Registered Dietician who will help with the malnutrition issues in third world countries.
“They don’t have much in the way of healthy food, chips and soda are cheaper, so it is important to make sure what they have is the best.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the Dominican and I got more than I bargained for,” concluded Klaver. “I was able to help them but they really helped change me.”
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WHAT IS A HERO HOLIDAY?
Hero Holiday is a program of Absolute Leadership Development Inc. According to their website, the organization believes that this generation of youth has the capacity to affect change on the earth. Throughout the year, Absolute provides opportunities for high school students to participate in humanitarian relief projects by bringing practical assistance to those living in extreme poverty. Activities may include building homes, distributing supplies, providing food, mobile medical clinics and working with children at risk. This program allows them to see first-hand how two-thirds of the world lives; expands their world view and gives them an opportunity to become educators on world poverty by sharing their experiences. |
Klaver visits with a little boy in the public hospital in Puerto Plata. He broke his arm and needed a cast.
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TASTE OF HURON
Each summer season, area residents are very fortunate to partake in the bounty of the harvest supplied by the abundance of rich farmland that makes up the Huron County landscape. Producers, restaurants and culinary talents are planning to share this good fortune with all during the first ever Taste of Huron Culinary Festival to be held from Aug. 24 to 30.
Huron County’s tourism, heritage and culture organizations have teamed up to create this new celebration of the areas agricultural heritage. Throughout the week topical dinners, information sessions, culinary workshops, a market, Gala Dinner and Locovore Brunch will be held in a variety of locales including, Benmiller, St. Joseph’s, Exeter, Clinton, Hensall, Goderich and Bayfield.
One of the four host restaurants presenting in the series entitled, Food For Thought, is the Little Inn of Bayfield. The topic for the evening will be organics. Questions answered at the event will include: What is certified organic? How does organic differ from country to country? And how can consumers make informed decisions with their food choices? An expert from the Canadian Organic Growers will make the presentation. A highlight of the evening will be an original menu prepared by the Little Inn's culinary team. If you would like to make a reservation for this dinner contact the Little Inn of Bayfield directly by calling 1-800-565-1832.
The other restaurants involved in the Food For Thought series are: the Benmiller Inn and Spa, Aug. 24, topic – Food Security and 100 Mile Diet; Hessenland Country Inn, Aug. 25, topic – Wine; Eddingtons of Exeter, Aug. 26, topic - an evening with cookbook author, Jennifer McLagan.
All dinners in the series are from 7-9 p.m. with a fixed price menu of $35 per person. This does not include alcoholic beverages, taxes or service. Bookings are done through the host restaurants.
On Aug. 29, a number of culinary workshops will be held and several are within the village or a short distance away. The workshops are limited to 15 people and cost $20 a person.
Marlene O’Brien, will host a workshop entitled, “Well Preserved”, at the Bayfield Berry Farm from 3-5 p.m. O’Brien will guide participants through the step by step process of creating marvelous home preserves. Instruction will be provided in making a freezer jam from seasonal fruit and a spicy salsa from ripe August tomatoes. Everyone will get a jar of the freezer jam and salsa to take home.
Sam Gundy, and the Forager Foods Cheese Team, will take participants to “The Thin Edge of the Wedge” in this hour long workshop of cheese tasting and discussion. The tasting will consist of seven unique Ontario artisanal cheeses from soft to firm and mild to pungent. The workshop will be held at the Bayfield Town Hall starting at 10:30 a.m.
The Little Inn of Bayfield is inviting workshop participants to come back to the future and enjoy a rare demonstration of modern food science. The Little Inn’s Executive Chef, Joseph Petrinac and Pastry Chef, Paula Foley will take participants on a futuristic ride where they will teach modern culinary techniques using 99 per cent local ingredients. Explore the world of cooking sous-vide, the use of flavor infused foams, emulsions and reductions, and liquid nitrogen’s role in creating special effects for dessert! Learn how the scientific world has impacted fine dining in this cutting edge presentation, and taste test the fruits of your labors. This workshop will be held at The Little Inn starting at 10 a.m. Please note that it is limited to 10 participants.
On Aug. 30, restaurants in the village will play host to two more culinary workshops.
“Exotic and Flavorful Curries” will be the topic of the workshop hosted by David Sparks, owner of the Brew N’ Arms and self-professed curry expert. The event will take place at the Brew N’ Arms from 2-4 p.m. Sparks will showcase and teach a variety of East Indian curry dishes from Korma to Madras to Vindeloo. He will show participants how to make a tasty dinner with a variety of dishes – don’t forget the Samosas!
Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh and Ted McIntosh, owners of Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro will combine their talents to present, “Global Grilling at the Local Pub”. Kathleen, author of “100 Best Grilling Recipes – BBQ Food from Around the World” will instruct participants on the art of grilling local meats with a global flair. All the dishes will be paired with some of the world’s finest lagers and ales – Ted’s area of expertise. This workshop will be held at the couple’s restaurant on Main Street in the village from 4-6 p.m.
In addition to the workshops on Saturday, two other special events will be taking place in and around Bayfield.
The Bayfield Town Hall will be the location for the Taste of Huron Village Market to be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This food marketplace will showcase what’s available locally including producers, chefs, dining establishments, community organizations and ethnic cuisines. There will be a mix of information tables, prepared tasting samples and retail products. A special area for the children will also be on site. A highlight of the day will be a talk by well-known, celebrity chef and television personality, Ken Kostick from 3-4 p.m. Following his presentation, Kostick will be available for a meet and greet and to sign autographs. Admission to the market is free but there may be some minimal charges for sampling.
Kostick will be making another appearance later Saturday evening at an elegant five-course Gala Dinner to be held at Bluewater Shores, just north of Bayfield on Hwy. 21. The dinner will feature locally produced ingredients, prepared by a team of the best chefs in the county. It will be served in a dining hall overlooking the beautiful Lake Huron sunset. The dinner will be served starting at 7:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $75 per person and seating is limited to 100-140 people.
The next morning, Sunday, August 30, Bluewater Shores will play host to a Locavore Brunch with guest speaker, Michael Stadtlander. The brunch, also prepared by local chefs will showcase fresh Huron County produce. The event is sponsored by the Huron County Egg Farmers. The cost for the brunch is $25 per person. The event will begin at 11 a.m.
Tickets for all of these special workshops and events are on sale now through the Blyth Festival Box Office by calling 1-877-862-5984. Reservations for the Food for Thought Dining Series are made by calling the four restaurants directly.
Bayfield isn’t the only place to celebrate a Taste of Huron, if you would like to learn more about workshops and information sessions in other communities please visit the Taste of Huron website at www.tasteofhuron.ca.
Huron County’s tourism, heritage and culture organizations have teamed up to create this new celebration of the areas agricultural heritage. |
YOUTH UNLIMITED SERVE BAYFIELD
During the week of July 6, teams of young people from a summer camp program called Youth Unlimited-Huron Serve in Vanastra descended upon Bayfield and helped with several community projects.
Teams of four or five young volunteers led by an adult supervisor cleaned up brush around the Bayfield Town Hall, Pioneer Park and the beach. They worked tirelessly helping prepare for the Pioneer Park Rummage Sale. In addition, one team tackled some heavy projects on Bayfield’s trails.
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| Volunteers from the Youth Unlimited-Huron Serve Camp were in the village the week of July 6. Here a group of teens work to clean-up brush on the Woodland Trail. (Submitted photo) |
According to Bob Merrimen, a member of the Bayfield River Valley Trail Association’s Trail Development Team, who worked alongside the volunteers, “Our crew was terrific. They tackled some tough jobs without complaint and kept asking what’s next. They saved us many hours of work in making the Trails safer and they certainly tired us out.”
Dave Rooseboom, one of the organizers of the Youth Unlimited camp, added, “The community service portion of the camp is the highlight of the two week session. The young people really take pride in contributing to the community.”
This is the second summer that volunteers from Youth Unlimited have chosen Bayfield as one of their many volunteer sites around Huron County. This year the organization had 68 youth split into ten groups to do a variety of tasks.
OPEN WELL SERIES COMES TO VILLAGE
When you turn on the tap in your home is the water running through it supplied by a municipal well? Have you ever wondered where this water comes from? Bayfield and area residents will have an opportunity to find out, when the next in a series of Open Well events comes to the village on Aug. 28.
More than 150 people have taken advantage of other Open Well events by taking a tour of their local wells. Previous events have taken place in Brucefield, Blyth, Dungannon and Listowel.
The Open Well event is being hosted by the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Region. Interested people are invited to drop in any time between 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a free hot dog or hamburger and to find out about a local drinking water source. The event is taking place at the Carriage Lane municipal well system. Those who attend can locate the site, by turning east on Old River Road off Hwy. 21, just north of the bridge.
A water operator from Veolia Water Canada, the firm contracted by the Municipality of Bluewater, will be available to speak about how the well works and how water is treated.
“We are glad that the Municipality of Bluewater has given this opportunity to see how a typical municipal well system operates,” said Cathie Brown, Project Manager for the Source Protection Planning initiative. “It is important to understand that what goes on around a well can eventually impact the water quality.”
Participants can also find out about financial assistance available for stewardship projects by property owners around wellhead areas. Information on Source Protection planning activities taking place in the region will also be provided, as well as fact sheets on such topics as keeping private wells and septic systems maintenance.
For more information on the Open Well event phone Mary Lynn at 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or e-mail facilitator@sourcewaterinfo.on.ca
PIONEER PARK
The Pioneer Park Association invites the public to enjoy a concert and a sunset on Aug. 22. The Mitchell Legion Concert Band will be performing at Pioneer Park starting at 7 p.m. until sunset. All are welcome to come listen to the big band sounds. Don’t forget to bring a lawn chair.
TRAIL ASSOCIATION
According to the Terry Fox Foundation, children and youth who develop the same bone cancer that Terry Fox fought over three decades ago have a good chance of surviving today and most will not lose their legs or affected limbs.
This progress can be directly attributed to the more than $400 million dollars raised by the Foundation in the years since Fox attempted his run across Canada.
This year area residents and visitors will be able to participate in the first ever Terry Fox Run to be held in the village of Bayfield. It will be an all-inclusive, non-competitive, family oriented event. The Bayfield run is a Bayfield River Valley Trail Association (BRVTA) initiative and is scheduled to start and end at Clan Gregor Square. It will incorporate various parts of the Heritage and Sawmill Trails. Alternate routes will be offered to ensure that it is an inclusive event so that anybody wishing to participate in the run will be able to do so.
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| Heidi Martin and her sons Hayden (left) and Odin Hessel walked in the parade to promote the village's first ever Terry Fox Run to be held on Sept. 13. (Submitted photo) |
It was Fox's philosophy that if you have given a dollar you are part of the Marathon Of Hope. Putting forth a personal donation is a welcome way to raise funds for the run or participants can collect pledges using forms and/or online pledging.
Pledge forms for the Terry Fox run are now available at: Leslie's, The Bayfield General Store, Sapphire Spa, Jacob's Ladder, Albion Hotel, Royal LePage, The Spa in Bayfield, Art See Cafe, Harry's, Lake Huron Realty and Outside Projects. Organizers would like to extend a thank you to the businesses who have agreed to distribute the pledge forms.
For more information on The Terry Fox Foundation, visit www.terryfoxrun.org. If you are interested in volunteering with the Bayfield run please contact Heidi Martin at outsideprojects@tcc.on.ca or Roger Lewington at rlewington@tcc.on.ca.
PRESBYTERIAN
Rev. Susan Moore, of Knox Presbyterian Church, invites all in the community to join her for a summer book study. The study entitled, Catch Your Breath, will be based on the book of the same name by Don Postema. The sessions will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church every other Thursday from 10-11:30 a.m. The next session is set for Aug. 20. Included in the study will be a look at labyrinths and the traditions surrounding them. A meditative walk to the gardens at 13 Clan Gregor Square to experience a labyrinth first hand is also planned.
Visitors and local residents are invited to Knox Church, Bayfield to rest, pray or meditate through the hectic summer months. The doors of the church will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, from now until the end of August.
BRIDGE CLUB
Looking for an evening of cards? The Wednesday Evening Bridge Club will meet next on Aug. 19 at the Bayfield Lions’ Community Building. The club meets on alternate Wednesdays at 7 p.m. All are welcome to join in the fun.
BAYFIELD YACHT CLUB
If you look out on the lake this Saturday, Aug. 22 you may see a greater number of sail boats on the water. This is due to the fact that the Annual William Given Memorial Race will be run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. This Sailing Race runs from Bayfield to Goderich and back to Bayfield again.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The building which is home to the Bayfield Archives sits out in front of the Library on Main Street. It is owned by the Municipality of Bluewater and the municipality has very generously allowed the archives to maintain residence there free of charge over the years. However, the 125-year-old wooden structure is slowly deteriorating and a request by the Bayfield Historical Society (BHS) for $10,000 to stabilize and clean up the building was turned down as council looks at alternatives for the future washroom and library projects.
Members of the BHS and Bluewater Heritage Committee (BHC) feel that the potential loss of this heritage designated property will have significant impact on the future of Bayfield’s Main Street. The BHC and the BHS want to ensure that all aspects of any proposed changes are examined and understood.
For that reason, on Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bayfield Lions’ Community Building, the BHC and BHS will host a presentation by John Rutledge, a well known architect who is greatly respected for his knowledge about heritage projects. All interested residents are invited to attend.
Rutledge will talk about what makes Bayfield’s Main Street so attractive and about the elements that make it so special and unique.
The Archives Building is an iconic landmark and its Georgian façade is rare because of its fragility and wooden construction. There are very few left and according to Mr. Rutledge, replacement buildings, even if they incorporate or copy the façade won’t qualify for heritage grants unless they follow the eight guiding principles of historic preservation that have been established by the Ontario Ministry of Culture. This could mean that future Main Street projects could lose some funding support.
“Most importantly, Rutledge is going to talk about Bayfield’s unique image as a heritage village and what it means to businesses, residents and visitors and looking to the future, how fragile it is,” said Dave Gillians, president of the BHS. “Bayfield is like a beautiful painting. Most of us know that we really like it, and on Monday night Mr. Rutledge is going to explain why.”
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| The Bayfield Fall Fair is a great place to see all the tastes of Huron. D. Yeo, of RR 3 Clinton, took first place for a minimum of seven locally grown vegetables displayed as a collection in a basket at this year's fair. A preview of things to come at the Taste of Huron Culinary Festival to be held, Aug. 24-30. | |