In the Community
Supporting Childhood Injury Prevention
Kim Chappell, member of Bruce Power’s Off the Job Safety committee presents Dr. Hazel Lynn, Medical Officer of Health for the Grey Bruce Health Unit with a $10,000 donation for Childhood Injury Prevention on January 23.
Local safety initiatives are one of the key focuses of Bruce Power’s Community Investment Program.
Over the last three years, Bruce Power has donated $60,000 for childhood injury prevention initiatives in Huron, Grey and Bruce Counties including training for community professionals, car seat safety clinics, roadside car seat checks, bicycle safety clinics, and the purchase of car seats and bike helmets for families in need.
To see some of these initiatives first hand, a visit was organized to one of the car seat clinics offered in Clinton by the Huron County Health Unit on January 10.
Supporting a sunny ‘FAN’ Club
Noah MacIsaac, a Grade 3 student at Paisley Central School accepts his contest prize - a T-shirt with his photo on it - from Jackie Ralph of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Grey Bruce Branch. Noah won for best photo as part of the Friends & Neighbours (FAN) Club Sunflower Fun project.
Bruce Power was on-hand at Paisley Central School on Jan. 25 to assist in presenting Grade 3 student Noah MacIsaac with the Sunflower Fun award at the school’s monthly celebration assembly.
Noah was part of an educational program sponsored by Bruce Power that is delivered to all 3,700 Grade 2 students in Grey and Bruce counties each year. His photo won top spot out of 70 submissions to the photo contest.
The Sunflower Fun program, run under the auspice of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) Friends and Neighbours (FAN) Club is designed to provide enjoyable and challenging learning activities about good mental health. > Read more
North Huron Community Food Share aided by Bruce Power
Gordon Kaster, chairman of the North Huron Community Food Share, holds a copy of the family shopping list at their location on Josephine Street in Wingham. Gordon recently accepted a $500 donation from Bruce Power for the food bank.
The North Huron Community Food Share has been operating in Wingham for 16 years. The volunteer organization has quietly assisted hundreds of families locally and in the surrounding areas of Teeswater, Lucknow, Blyth, and Brussels who have needed help putting food on the table through hard times.
As its name implies, the approach to the organization is about sharing with others when they need it most.
“When the recession hit two to three years ago, we saw our numbers of registered users double,” said Gordon Kaster, chairman of the Food Share. “We are currently assisting approximately 134 families who can come to receive food once per month.”
Bruce Power welcomes MPP, Energy Critic
Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power President and CEO, toured Bruce A on Jan. 31 with Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson (left) and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli, who also serves as provincial Energy Critic for the Progressive Conservatives. The politicians were touring clean and green energy producers in the area to learn more about power generation in Ontario.
Teens ‘Disable the Label’ of mental illness
The 'Disable the Label' group at Chesley District High School receives a $500 donation from Bruce Power to help put together their 'Student Stress Packages' to raise awareness and assist students at school with the facets of teen mental health issues.
A group of students at Chesley District High School have come together to help raise awareness about youth mental illness. The ‘Disable the Label’ group formed last fall and has been busy working on initiatives and raising money for their cause.
Grade 12 student Kathryn Loucks, who founded the group, knows first-hand the challenges young people deal with when faced with mental health issues. Diagnosed with severe clinical depression in September, 2010, she struggled through Grade 11. Now healthier and a recent member of the Youth Action Committee at Children’s Mental Health Ontario, she has made it her mission to create awareness within her school about this important issue for teens.
Supporting ‘Kids on the Block’
Marg Cressman, Child Abuse Prevention Coordinator (L) and Jill Robertson (M) and Nicole O'Neill (R) both Parent Support and Education Workers at Rural Response for Healthy Children in Clinton along with their 'Kids on the Block' puppets accept a $6,000 donation from Bruce Power.
Bruce Power recently visited with the team at Rural Response for Healthy Children, a Clinton-based community service organization which the company has provided funding for since 2008.
The parent education workers were on hand to talk about the ‘Kids on the Block’ program, which reaches out to teachers and students in Grades 3 and 4 in schools across Huron County. Trained volunteer puppeteers bring important messages about child safety and awareness of physical and sexual abuse.
In addition to working with the students, the program now offers professional development workshops for educators.
For more information about the services they provide like the ‘Toys for Homes Everywhere’ toy lending program or the Kinderoo – School Readiness Program, visit the group’s website at www.rrhc.on.ca.
FIRST Robotics kicks off a new season
The Kinetic Knights are excited for another robotics competition season. The team has hopes to achieve similar results to last year where they came in second in the world out of 26,800 teams.
With the support of Bruce Power, the Kincardine District Secondary School (KDSS) Kinetics Knights – FIRST Robotics team #781 kicked off the 2012 First Robotics Competition season at the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre on Jan. 7.
Bruce Power has supported the team since its inception 11 years ago and presented the team with a cheque for $15,000 to support it as members spend the next six weeks building their robot for competition.
Bruce Power will continue to support the team through the season with help from employee mentors and will further help the team in covering costs to travel to the international competition in the U.S., should they win in Canada, as was the case last year.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a registered charity that designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. Learn more at www.firstroboticscanada.org.
Rotary musical tradition continues in 2012
Frankie (14), Tammy (15) and Shelly (16) Ng, who all play violin and piano, are joined by another piano playing family Brianna (11), Tristan (7) and Noah (13) Bouis in accepting a $4,000 donation from Bruce Power along with Festival President Sharon Whaling (L), Founding President Gertrude Weber (M) and Executive Secretary and Registrar Dorathy Hazlehurst (R).
The organizers of the Midwestern Ontario Rotary Music Festival, now in its 31st year, are gearing up for another great year.
Bruce Power recently presented the festival with a donation of $4,000, which will be used towards scholarships for winners at the events in the spring.
The two-week event celebrates and encourages musicians of all types from around the region to share their gifts and talents with event-goers in Walkerton.
Bruce Power delivers Christmas cheer to local hamper programs
A Bruce Power elf has been busy delivering good cheer to local community organizations that help make Christmas a little brighter for families in need through hamper programs across Bruce County.
Janice Schierz, left, of Bruce County Social Services, and volunteer Janice Swanton accept a cheque for the Dorell Young Memorial Fund from Melanie Cooper, right, of Bruce Power.
Cheques were delivered to support Christmas hamper programs at Bruce County Social Services, the Children’s Aid Society of Owen Sound, Bruce Children are Special Foundation, Mwikewedong Native Centre, Saugeen First Nations and the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
The Kincardine Food Bank and the Salvation Army Family Services in Port Elgin hamper programs also received donations.
