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STORIES AND IMAGES BECOME REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES
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 Reid’s experiences.
Reid enjoyed spending time on the beach in the Dominican Republic on a rare day off during a three week internship with Hero Holiday.
Reid and Klaver had been in charge of the Global Village Club at Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) for the last couple of years. The two are recent graduates from CHSS. The club raises awareness and money for global causes.
“We were always sending money to organizations and really wanted to have a more hands on experience in our humanitarian work,” explained Reid.
The pair attended an Ontario Student Leadership conference in London, ON where they were introduced to one of the CEOs of Absolute and from there they determined this was the organization they wanted to work with. Absolute currently runs programs, known as Hero Holidays, to Mexico, Thailand and the Dominican Republic.
The youth began fundraising in earnest for the trip in December of 2008. They organized a Spaghetti Supper and Fashion Show and held movie nights at CHSS. They made and sold jewelry, held a quilt raffle and enlisted help from their former public school, Huron Centennial, where juice popsicles were sold for them. Plus they received donations from businesses, organizations and individuals to enable them to make the journey to their destination of choice: the Dominican Republic.
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.
On the first full day on Dominican soil they went with the participants on an Awareness Tour where everyone got an idea of why they were there and how they could help.
"Before I left home I looked at all the pictures posted on the Absolute website. From the site I could see all the different projects and buildings that were being worked on and then during the Awareness Tour I saw the finished results. This was very inspiring,” said Reid.
What also proved inspiring were the stories that the leaders told during the Awareness Tour.
Hero Holiday participants were taken to visit the grave of a little girl on their Awareness Tour. |
Hero Holiday participants had found this very ill, little girl in an abandoned home in Redemption, a Haitian village. They took the girl around the village trying to find her family.
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Reid’s group was taken to a cemetery where they were shown a tombstone engraved with the details of a young girl: Danica, aged 18 months. Reid relayed her story. Hero Holiday participants had found this very ill, little girl in an abandoned home in Redemption, a Haitian village. They took the girl around the village trying to find her family. They were able to locate her grandmother who sadly did not have the means to take care of her. The team took her back to their hotel where a doctor examined her and she was treated for dehydration. From there, she was moved to a hospital where members of Hero Holiday stayed with her to comfort her. Plans were started for her to be adopted but she died of a urinary tract infection. There was a global contingent at her graveside service as participants and leaders from Absolute attended.
Stories turned into real-life experiences for Reid as her time in the Dominican progressed.
“I met a little girl in La Union. Her name was Luisa. She didn’t know how old she was but I would have estimated her to be about four years-old. She lived with whoever would take her in at the time. When I met her she was living with a grandmother and her family,” said Reid.
Reid’s very first work day experience was probably her hardest. Her team was assigned to help at the garbage dump – helping Haitians, who make a living sifting through the trash for recyclables and anything else of value.
Laboring in a garbage dump with Haitians, who eke out a living sorting for recyclables, was the hardest thing Reid was asked to do on her adventure.
“Anything we would throw in the trash here, with the exception of recyclables, you would find in their trash – food scraps, toilet paper, plastic packaging. We had to open every bag – the stench and the intense heat would make you gag sometimes. But you are so in the moment that you don’t really think about it until afterward. I couldn’t eat supper that evening,” she said.
Reid noticed a hierarchy at the garbage dump, “not everyone was allowed to collect glass.”
She went on to say that, “The people are paid by volume so they weren’t interested in smashed plastic bottles – they wanted undamaged ones and plastic bags.”
The teams would only work half days at the garbage dump as conditions were tough. In addition to helping to sort they brought water to the Haitians and at the end of their shifts they would give their gloves to the workers, a very highly prized gift.
The second time Reid’s group went to work at the dump they were escorted off the property by armed military guards. Reid explained that the Dominican government didn’t want Hero Holiday there, as they were helping the Haitians. However, on most occasions the guards would look the other way as they had a good relationship with the CEOs of Absolute.
Another task the teams were given was building houses in the slums of Puerto Plata.
“Sewage from the city of Puerto Plata would run through the slum village when it rained. We were given the job of building the houses up higher. The houses are so close together that a wheelbarrow wouldn’t fit between, so we had to carry dirt and gravel in by hand,” she said.
They also helped to build a kitchen at a school. Once the kitchen is completed the school will have certified status and the organization Compassion Canada can start a child sponsorship program there.
“We estimated that we carried in 200 pails of cement the day we worked at the school. We formed a bucket line with each person having to travel about six feet with the cement,” she said.
In Cangrejo, the teams worked at an orphanage for special needs children. They helped with general cleaning, laundry and child care. They also built a wall to keep the children safe from street traffic.
Two little boys at the Soccer Camp held in La Union enjoyed having their photo taken with Reid.
The team also held a Soccer Camp at La Union for the children of the workers at the garbage dump.
“We worked with Alfredo, their soccer coach, and brought them jerseys so they could be considered as an official team,” she said.
In Puerto Plata, they worked in a hospital scraping dirty, moldy paint off the walls and then priming and painting.
Reid painted side tables a cheery color in the children's ward at the public hospital in Puerto Plata.
“In the three weeks we were there, about eight hospital wards were given a fresh coat,” said Reid.
One of Reid’s most memorable experiences on the trip occurred in the hospital.
“We met a 16 year-old orphan girl named Esther. She had broken her leg but couldn’t afford surgery. She was going to be kicked out of the hospital because she couldn’t afford money for care and she wouldn’t have survived without it,” recalled Reid.
Reid went on to explain that at public hospitals in the Dominican patients are supplied with a bed and intravenous but they have to bring their own caregiver, sheets and food. They also have to pay to see a doctor, for x-rays, surgery, after care and medication. There are only two nurses per hospital floor.
Esther, a young girl close in age to many of the Hero Holiday participants, struck a cord with the team.
“In less than three hours, the team I was working with raised $1,000 to help Esther. We canvassed the participants, the team leads etc. to raise the cash. Esther was able to move to a better hospital where she had surgery and got the medication and follow-up care she needed. She even had money left over to live.”
Organizations like Absolute are working in the Dominican to make health care more accessible to all. They worked with another Canadian organization called Servant’s Heart Ministries to create a medical clinic in Nazaret in memory of 18 month-old Danica. For five pesos, a person can see a doctor and receive free medication. The clinic is open one-and-a-half days a week and on average 100 people will visit each week.
There were four days between the two Hero Holiday groups and on those days the 13 interns had more interaction with the people of the island distributing clothing and shoes to those in need.
The clothes and shoes were collected by Hero Holiday participants. In Agua Negra the interns gave out clothing.
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“I liked doing the physical labor the most. When you woke up the next morning after a day of work your arms felt like they were going to fall off but you felt good about that.”
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Reid helped pour cement forms at a house in Agua Negra. |
“We were introduced to a local named Sandra, who had worked very hard to build several houses in her village, as well as a community centre, coffee shop, and an internet café. She went out into the village and brought back people she thought were most in need of clothing.
“We set up our tubs of clothing around the community centre. The men came in first, we held up a piece of clothing and anyone who thought it might fit them would raise their hand. We would hand the clothing to the person who we thought it would fit best and then they had to leave. They were allowed only one piece of clothing. We did this until the clothing was all distributed. The men were easy to deal with but the women were pickier. They wanted to look nice, which is their right, and we had trouble with them hiding a piece of clothing on their person so they could get another piece. A lot of children went away empty handed as we didn’t have a lot of children’s clothing or anything in their size.”
In La Union, the interns handed out shoes.
“It was super hectic and very tiring,” said Reid. “We had the shoes in suitcases and had separated them into sizes and into men’s, women’s and children’s the night before. We did the distribution off the back of a bus (covered flat-bed truck). People were brought on one by one. We had mostly running shoes and the women wanted flip flops, flats and dressier shoes so that was hard. If I ever go back again I will bring lots of flip flops with me. Moms kept sending their children back on in hopes of getting a second pair of kid’s shoes. We had a guard to keep people from climbing in to take the shoes. It was one of those experiences that felt rewarding after you had removed yourself from it and got some perspective.”
Reid was also able to spend some time as a tourist while in the Dominican. She participated in two excursions: Downhill Mountain Biking and Mountain Cascading. For the latter outing, the group climbed up a mountain, waded through rivers and jumped off waterfalls.
“We called the evening activities mandatory fun as anyone under 18 years of age had to participate.”
A large part of the interns’ job was planning evening activities for the participants. They organized a pool party, game nights, an 80s dance party, a Latin dance night complete with an instructor, and a movie night. They also organized a Hero Holiday Mall where local artisans came to the hotel so that participants could shop for souvenirs.
“We called the evening activities mandatory fun as anyone under 18 years of age had to participate,” she said.
The groups were comprised of mostly teens and college age students but there were some parents, teachers and seniors in the mix.
Interns had long days, rising at 7 a.m. and heading to a team leader meeting 30 minutes later. Following breakfast and packing for the days excursions (water bottles, lunches, first aid kits) the teams would leave for the job sites by 9 a.m. They would be back at the hotel by 5 p.m. with supper being served at 6 p.m. and debriefing following at 7 p.m.
“Debriefing was my favorite part of the day,” said Reid. “It was at this time that we would learn about each other’s day and share a highlight and a lowlight. We did little workshops with the participants discussing needs versus wants, learned how to budget on a Dominican person’s salary and shared interviews we were asked to do with Dominicans. It was a good way to reflect on your day and deal with all the emotions of the day.”
Evening activities would begin at 8:30 p.m. and would conclude with a slide show of pictures from the day’s activities. Lights went out at 11 p.m.
In looking back on her Hero Holiday, Reid said, “I liked doing the physical labor the most. When you woke up the next morning after a day of work your arms felt like they were going to fall off but you felt good about that.”
Reid is off to Brock University in the fall where she will begin a course in Psychology. This subject will no doubt serve her well in future humanitarian efforts, both at home and abroad.
Fellow intern,Teslyn Anderson, fills the bucket while Reid shows her strength. The pair were helping to fill the foundation at the kitchen build at the school in Cangrejo.
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One of the wonderful aspects of the Absolute Leadership Development Hero Holiday Program is the ability of the interns and participants to be able to connect with their family and friends back home via Facebook. Anyone who wished to blog about their adventure was welcome to do so. Genelle Reid took the opportunity to share her experiences in the garbage dump, writing about the event while it was still fresh in mind.
The following is her first hand account:
Today, on the day of Team Three’s garbage dump visit, we all woke up bright and early, got a bite to eat and then started out our day with an emotional talk with Christal (Earle – co-founder of Absolute). She talked about the price of human life and shared with us some stories about her Hero Holiday experiences in Thailand. We all began to realize, as Canadians, how lucky we are to have our freedom and how much we take it for granted. After a few tears were shed, we climbed aboard our bus and made our way to the garbage dump. On our way, our translator taught us some easy phrases in Creole so that we would be able to communicate with the people at the dump.
When we arrived, we began to hand out water and set up a water cooler for the workers to get clean water. Immediately, a little girl named Fitzah came over and grabbed my hand, leading me right into the middle of the garbage pile. She began to show me what exactly it was that I was supposed to do, pointing at the plastic bottles, bags and some glass items that we were to put into a large garbage bag. We began to look over the garbage pile not knowing what we would find. It was weird looking through it. What may be recycling to us is plastic treasure for little Fitzah. As we worked together, I found that she could speak some French, so with the little French that I know, I was able to communicate with her. She told me that she was six years-old and has always worked at the dump alongside her mother and father, making less than a dollar a day. She was very interested in how we live, and I was able to teach her how to count to ten in English, which she was very proud of.
Being at the dump was a very emotional and eye opening experience, but I was very glad that I was able to help Fitzah, and her family, make a little extra money for the day. As we were leaving everyone on Team Three found someone to give their work gloves to. This was such a big gift to the people and is one very easy way to prevent many diseases. We all said our goodbyes to our new friends and dump co-workers and headed back to our temporary home at the hotel. I believe that we all finished our day with a much better understanding of what poverty is. It was a very eye opening day.
Genelle - Summer Intern
Hero Holiday |
"I found that she could speak some French, so with the little French that I know, I was able to communicate with her. She told me that she was six years-old and has always worked at the dump alongside her mother and father, making less than a dollar a day."
UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
For the most current events listing please visit the Village of bayfield web site Community Events page. |
PIONEER PARK
The Pioneer Park Association will present a modern day movie classic after the sun sets at Pioneer Park on Aug. 29.
The Pioneer Park “Movie Guys” will show the “The Princess Bride”. This 1987 feature film was directed by Rob Reiner and stars, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn and Chris Sarandon.
Those who attend are asked to bring lawn chairs and dress for the weather. If it rains the event will be moved to the Bayfield Community Centre.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Michael Ibrahim, pharmacist and owner of Pharmasave Michael’s Pharmacy, in Bayfield has been nominated in the category of Rookie of the Year for the 2009 Commitment to Care and Service Award.
This award recognizes a new pharmacy owner, in the role for two years or less, who has shown evidence of successfully building the pharmacy business.
Awards will be presented on Nov. 30 at the Commitment to Care and Service Gala Awards Dinner to be held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
BRIDGE CLUB
The Wednesday Evening Bridge Club met at the Bayfield Lions’ Community Building on Aug. 19. Those players recognized for their high scores were Jean Bowman and Lil Martin. The club will meet next on Sept. 2. at 7 p.m. All are welcome to join in the fun.
GLEE SISTERS
If singing brings you joy and you are of the female persuasion, the Glee Sisters may be just the choral group for you to join.
The Glee Sisters consider themselves spirited women who hail from all corners of Huron County. They will resume their weekly rehearsals on Sept. 10.
The group rehearses on Friday afternoons from 3-4:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Church in Bayfield. Afterwards they enjoy a social time. The Glee Sisters’ Musical Director is Leslie Bella and their Associate Musical Director is Sue Scott.
New members are welcome, including anyone who has never sung in a group before. Email Leslie Bella at lbella@tcc.on.ca for more information.
OPEN WELL SERIES COMES TO BAYFIELD
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
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 now until Aug. 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 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?
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.
A highlight of the evening will be an original menu by the Inn’s creative culinary team. The presentation will be made by Joan Brady. She is an organic farmer from Huron County and the Huron-Perth Outreach Coordinator for Canadian Organic Growers. 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 dinner will be held 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 restaurant.
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.
A highlight of the day will be a talk by well-known, celebrity chef and television personality, Ken Kostick from 3-4 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.
TRAIL ASSOCIATION
According to the Terry Fox Foundation, death rates for childhood cancers have fallen by more than 50 per cent since the 1950s and over 60 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer in Canada today will survive.
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.
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: Leslies, 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.
IN MEMORIAM
The community will be saddened to learn of the death of Howard Scotchmer, of Bayfield and formerly of Chatham, on Aug. 23. Scotchmer was in his 68th year.
Our thoughts at this difficult time are with his family, wife Nancy and his children and grandchildren.
Memorial donations can be made to Myeloma Canada or the Heart and Stroke Foundation as expressions of sympathy.
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