Canadians for Women in Afghanistan is pleased to announce its 13th Annual Fundraising Gala to support education in Afghanistan. This year’s event will be held on Friday, April 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Vimy Officers’ Mess at Canada Forces Base Kingston. This elegant setting will provide the backdrop for a sit-down dinner, an Afghan marketplace with books and products for sale, silent and live auctions, live music provided by The Kitchen Gypsies, and an outstanding guest speaker, Raheel Raza, an internationally acclaimed activist, author, and film-maker, well known for her book, Their Jihad – Not My Jihad and her documentary film work, The Honor Diaries (on Netflix). Tickets are $100 each (includes a $45 income tax receipt) and can be purchased from Madeliene Tarasick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 613 375-8290, or the Limestone District School Board, 220 Portsmouth Avenue, during business hours.

The Kingston and Area chapter of CW4WAfghan has raised over $200,000 to date with thanks to the generosity of the community, contributing to the $7.5 million raised nationally since 1996.

In Afghanistan, CW4WAfghan programs flourish, in spite of the challenges that continue to plague the country. In the early years of the organization, the focus was on educating girls, often in clandestine hidden backrooms of private homes; 50,000 girls were educated. Today, the two main program areas include Literacy and Public Education. In the former, literacy classes are open to adult women who are illiterate, with 600 enrolled per year on average; in addition, libraries are provided to communities, along with librarianship training. There are an average of 11,000 library users per year. In the latter area, two schools (approximately 250 students in each) are fully funded – all salaries, building rental, school resources, and hot lunches. The House of Flowers orphanage, with an average of 30 children each year, is also funded. A major thrust is in the area of teacher training, at a rate of 1,000 teachers per year since 2008 (to continue until 2018). Participating schools also receive libraries ($1,500 each) and science kits ($1,000) to complement the training. A recent exciting new development was the launch of the online teachers’ resource library, with over 2,000 items in Dari, Pashto and English. This resource is being accessed by 650 registered users from 30 out of 34 provinces.

The Kingston Chapter, founded in 2003, continues to believe that public education is the most powerful means for any country to become a prosperous, civil society. As Malala Yousafzai says, “With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism”. Please join us for a very enjoyable evening, and make a difference for Afghan girls, women and families at the same time.  

A little rain didn’t stop the 1st Sydenham Sparks & Brownies or the 1st Frontenac Guides & Pathfinders! The girls could be found around the villages of Harrowsmith and Sydenham on April 2. Thank you to the Sydenham Foodland, Nellie’s Gas Bar and everyone that supported Cookie Day 2016.

Bicycle enthusiasts from across the Township of South Frontenac put their heads together to brainstorm what changes might be made in the township to create a more bicycle-friendly environment. The efforts began at two meetings, both of which took place on March 30 and included representatives from KLF&A Public Health, the Township of South Frontenac and South Frontenac Rides. The latter is a committee of South Frontenac Council made up almost entirely of community members interested in improving active transportation in South Frontenac.

At their first meeting on Wednesday, the three groups met privately to discuss the possibilities of coming up with a work plan to improve cycling infrastructure in the township. Guests spoke about what is currently in place in the community to support cycling and also the gaps that exist and how to best address them.

The groups developed five and two-year plans and also an immediate one-year action plan. A report is currently being created and will be presented to council in the near future. The plan will map out the suggestions identified by the stakeholders and gleaned through the lens of the Bicycle-Friendly Ontario program and will include some of the high-impact actions that the group and township can take, especially those that will have an immediate, visible impact.

The second part of the day included a public meeting where representatives from the three groups along with interested members of the community met for a presentation by Justin Jones, who is the manager of Bicycle-Friendly Ontario and is also with Share The Road Cycling Coalition.

Jones began by outlining his personal background, first as a car-dependent teenager in his hometown of Carstairs, Alberta and later, after moving to Toronto, as a cycling enthusiast. Jones cited numerous statistics in the presentation, like the fact that 54% of 18 to 34-year-olds would consider moving to another community that had better transportation options and further, that 66% of this age group said that “access to high quality transportation options” is one of their top three priorities when considering a new community to settle in.

Jones also noted that children these days are far less likely to walk or bike to school. Today only 24% (and dropping) of children do, whereas 58% of people over 30 years old used to walk or bike to school when they were children. He said, “It is very important to start reversing these trends.”

Jones went on to point to a pilot project done in the US where $25 million was invested in active transportation infrastructure (i.e. bicycle paths, trails etc.) in each of four various-sized communities. Results showed that the number of people walking went up by 22%; cyclists increased by 46-115%; and the number of collisions decreased by 18-55%.

Jones also spoke of the City of Thunder Bay, which has been increasing its active transportation infrastructure since 2010. Statistics have shown that cycling increased by 147%, and that the number of collisions involving cyclists decreased by 88%.

Jones stressed that bicycle-friendly communities involve much more than just lines on the road, but also the engineering of bike lanes, trails and bicycle parking, education, encouragements and incentives, and by-law enforcement. He spoke of the small town of Bemidji, Minnesota, which in 2012 earned bronze medal status as a bike-friendly community. The town engaged cyclists through a number of incentives and activities, which in time encouraged residents to support new cycling infrastructure policies.

In Ontario, Jones cited the town of Mississippi Mills, with a population of 12,000, which has instituted numerous cycling incentives including a small bike share program; a “Tweed Ride” where cyclists dress up in their finest for an afternoon ride; a women’s-only mountain biking event and more. Council there has passed an active transportation plan for 2016 that should see more incentives undertaken to promote cycling.

Jones also used Verona as an example. Most residents live within a 3 km radius of the town services and improved infrastructure there could see more cyclists taking to the roads to commute to their work places, schools and local services.

Following Jones’ presentation, guests were split into groups to determine what plans can be taken and put into place to increase cycling. Topics included short-term projects leading to longer-term investments; what the ideal infrastructure in South Frontenac might look like; what activities can encourage residents and children to ride; and what barriers are preventing them from doing so.

Mayor Ron Vandewal, who attended both meetings, said that he looks forward to seeing what happens with all the information gleaned from the two meetings. “There was lot of good information that came forward at both meetings and it will be interesting to see what we can do moving forward. I think that if we want taxpayers to buy into this, we also need to include other modes of active transportation like walking trails, sidewalks and more.”

On March 6, representatives from the Canadian Cancer Society of Frontenac Lennox, Addington and the Waterways were atthe Oso hall in Sharbot Lake for a dual event whose aim was to recognize the many dedicated local CCS volunteers and to kick off their 2016 campaign.

Doug Kane, a community office manager with the CCS, made a PowerPoint presentation outlining the many fundraising opportunities, programs and services that the CCS offers in this community, which covers an area roughly 100 kilometres in diameter. He stressed how community volunteers, by reaching their prescribed fundraising goal of $1 million, enable the community to receive over $6 million in CCS research dollars.

Kane also spoke of the Society's “Wheels of Hope” program, which helps rural cancer patients get to treatment centers. Kane said that for the 5200 trips that were funded in 2014 through “Wheels of Hope” in Frontenac Lennox and Addington, no fewer than 45 drivers traveled over 157,700 kilometres.

“A lot of people think that most of what we do at the CCS is research, but in fact, many of our services help in very practical ways, like our volunteer driver program which, especially in these rural areas, is a very important service.”

Kane also mentioned the advocacy work that the Cancer Society does, with their advocates speaking to MPs and MPPs about changing laws regarding tobacco use, tanning beds and other important cancer prevention efforts.

April McCann, volunteer engagement coordinator with the CCS, also spoke at the event. She recognized the many faces and stories in the room that day, and said their efforts “really help us to raise dollars for research and produce more and more cancers survivors. We cannot do what we do without our volunteers.”

For the awards section of the event, Lesley Merrigan, a CCS volunteer and former long-time chair of the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, along with caregiver Wendy Drew, were recognized with the CCS's Impact in Community Leadership awards. Merrigan said she was pleased to see so many volunteers appreciated by the CCS.

Many local volunteers were presented with special service awards, including Pam Giroux, Charmaine Jones and Carolyn Hasler (5 years); Linda Myers and Rick Brown (10 years); John Lee and Ruth Cooke (15 years); Ann Grantham (20 years); Alvin Lake (25 years); and Norma Granlund (40 years).

A number of cheque presentations were also made at the event. Marcel Giroux presented a cheque for $2,000 to the CCS on behalf of W.A. Robinson Asset Management Ltd., who is the presenting sponsor for the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life. A second cheque for $3,227 from Chantal Villeneuve was also presented on behalf of the Ontario Breeders Association.

Norma Granlund of Crow Lake, who received a 40-year service award, is the longest serving volunteer in the community. Granlund, who has been canvassing door-to-door for the Cancer Society for four decades, said she was inspired by her Aunt Eliva, who in her words, “was a beautiful helper of people and who passed away from cancer". Granlund also spoke of Mary Howes of Parham, also a long-time CCS volunteer, who recruited Norma as a canvasser decades ago.

The Cancer Society is always looking for volunteer drivers for their “Wheels of Hope” program. Anyone interested can call 613-384-2361 or 1-866-877-0309.

The Lions Club is inviting everyone to attend a Meet & Greet at the Oso Hall on March 24 from 7 to 8 pm to learn more about how they serve the community. There is no admission charge and they will be serving free coffee & desserts. The Sharbot Lake & District Lions Club was chartered in 1951 and has been serving here for almost 65 years. Lions Clubs International is the largest community service organization in the world with more than 1.5 million members. Their official Motto is “We Serve”.

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged all Lions to become her “Knights of the Blind in the Crusade Against Darkness.” We take that challenge very seriously. The International Club works constantly toward the elimination of blindness around the world. Locally, we are proud of our ‘Vision & Hearing Screening’ program. Since 2004 we have been testing the eyesight, and lately also the hearing, of kindergarten and grade one students in our local schools, including Plevna, Mountain Grove, and Sharbot Lake. We use high-tech equipment purchased with the monies we have collected through our various fund raising activities. In another program called ‘No Child Without’ we have worked hand-in-hand with the Medic Alert Association to provide every child in our area with the Medic Alert bracelets they may need to keep them safe at school, at home and everywhere in between.

We also like to serve our senior citizens. In mid-June each year we go to a seniors’ home to barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs for the residents and their families. Also, each October for the past 39 years we have invited all local seniors to a wonderful evening of entertainment, prizes and good things to eat. We even provide buses to bring folks in from all over the district.

We are also proud to support Adopt-A-Highway, our pavilion at the Oso Beach and the parades at Christmas and Canada Day. Over the years we have purchased equipment for the medical centre and provided financial support to the Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Salvation Army, the Canadian Diabetes Association, the food bank, and many others, including local people with specific needs within our own community. We could do none of this without the support of local folks like you! We are always seeking new members who have a desire to serve their fellow man and improve our community and the world we live in. Membership in a Lions club gives people the chance to meet with other volunteers and work together toward the common goal of helping those in need. The satisfaction gained by being a part of these efforts is one of the big rewards of being a Lion. For younger members there is the opportunity to develop leadership skills while older folks often join as a way to redirect their lives in retirement. We also enjoy the fun & friendship of the group as we involve ourselves in club activities. For more information please visit: www.sharbotlions.com , check us out on Facebook or call 613-539-8190. We serve!

Unpredictable weather conditions this February resulted in unsafe ice and forced the cancellation of a number of annual winter events.

The Oso Recreation Committee was forced to cancel the Sharbot Lake Snow Drags this week due to a lack of sufficient ice depth to meet the regulations. Similarly, the new K&P trail ride that was supposed to be part of this year’s Frontenac Heritage Festival was a no-go due to sub-standard trail conditions. Add to that the cancellation of the second annual Ride for Dad in Snow Road, which was to take place February 27, and it seems as though our once reliable winter climate is becoming less so.

That being said and despite the lack of safe ice on Big Gull Lake last Saturday, members and supporters of the Frontenac-Addington Trappers Council (FATC) still turned up in droves at the Henderson Hall on February 27 for what might have been the first ever dry land fishing derby anywhere. The organisers called off any real fishing and moved the event from ice to land, which FATC president, Wilf Deline, said was the only thing to do.

He said he was simply not comfortable holding the event on the lake. “We just didn't want to take a chance on the ice but we wanted to hand out all of the prizes regardless and so we decided to still go ahead.”

Deline said he made the final decision to move the derby to dry land a week ago this past Saturday. “I think we sold two-thirds of the total 430 tickets for the event after we made that announcement, which just goes to show you that people were still more than willing to support the cause.”

The fishing derby has taken place for the last 11 years and had never been canceled before. Many of the fishers who had registered and purchased a $10 ticket, turned up in part to have a chance to win some of the over 60 prizes that were donated by local businesses and individuals. In addition, the council handed out 10 top prizes, which included four cash prizes of $100 each as well as a Stihl chain saw, an 8 inch power auger, a fish finder, a generator, a 500 lb pelican sleigh and more. Close to 50 prizes for kids, including hockey sticks, puzzles, fishing rods, lures, toys and more, were handed out to the youngsters in attendance.

Deline said he hopes to see them carrying on the local tradition of trapping and conservation. “Our ultimate goal here is for us old guys to get the young kids away from their screens; to get them outside and to teach them about animals, trapping, fishing and conservation cause if we don't, who else will?”

Deline said that by the end of the day, the derby took in several hundred dollars. Proceeds will help to support many of the council’s local initiatives, including the outdoor program at NAEC, the Pine Meadow Golf Tournament, two $400 high school bursaries, pickerel spawning beds and habitat rehabilitation in area lakes, and more.

The next project for the council will be held conjunction with the MNRF (Minstry of Natural Resources and Forestry) and COFA (Conservationists of Frontenac Addington) and will be to clean up the debris located in and around Deer Rock Lake near Flinton.

Asked if he thinks the council will perhaps have to change the date of the annual derby moving forward, Deline said that the date cannot be changed due to MNR regulations. Asked if he fears a warming trend may become the norm, making for more frequent dry land derbies, Deline said he thinks not. “I think that this is just a phase and every year the conditions are different. Next year there might be five feet of ice on the lakes … you just have to be optimistic.”

Ruth Wark, president of the Snow Road Snowmobile Club, wore a brave face Saturday morning despite having had to cancel the ride portion of the club's second annual snowmobile Ride for Dad fundraiser. The ride was scheduled to take place on February 27 but a snow/ice/rain storm last week wreaked havoc with area trails, which were dangerously water logged and covered with fallen branches and trees.

The cancellation was decided on Thursday by Wark and the other two organisers, Shelby Knight and Brandon Crain, but the three also decided to carry on with the other events that were planned to go with the ride.

Therefore, while the actual ride was canceled and the news went out online, riders who had raised pledges were still invited to drop them off at the club, take home prizes and enjoy a hot lunch and a full course spaghetti dinner.

Wark said she was very disappointed at having to cancel the ride since she was looking forward to a bigger ride this year following last year's extremely successful event, which attracted close to 100 riders and raised $8500 for prostate cancer research. “When I saw the state of the trails after the storm I almost cried. Last year's ride so hugely surpassed our expectations, especially since it was the first ever snowmobile Ride For Dad to be held in District 1. We were really hoping to see even more riders this year.”

The ride this year was dedicated to the late Wayne Southward, a long time snowmobile enthusiast and volunteer with the Ompah and Snow Road snowmobile clubs as well as with the K&P Snow Trails. Southward was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2015 and passed away on January 19, 2016.

However, throughout the day, Wark was pleased to see a number of riders arrive at the club to drop off their pledges and sit down for a meal. A number of them also took home prizes donated by individuals and local businesses, as well as by other businesses from as far away as Westport, Perth, Peterborough, Carleton Place, Tamworth and Kemptville. Up for grabs were a number of helmets, boots and other trail gear, gift certificates and gift cards, resort packages and much more.

In an effort to try to give those who did show up on their machines a chance to get out on the local trails, Brandon Crain and a number of other volunteer groomers had been working around the clock since early Friday morning to clear some of the trails close by, including the K&P trail south to Sharbot Lake and north to Flower Station so that riders could at least go for a ride.

I met five riders from Snow Road on my way to the club on Saturday morning who had registered for the ride and took to the trails and enjoyed the day. By the end of the day $7,200 was raised - not too shabby for a ride that was canceled. Wark said that she has every intention of running the event next year.

Stitches for Syrians was created in advance of the anticipated arrival of more than 2,000 Syrians in the region. The intent was to galvanize people who knit, crochet or sew, and to provide an avenue to streamline the donation of homemade products to Kingston Immigration Partnership and the Kingston Military Family Resource Centre.

The generous response of the community to these newest residents has been astonishing, in quantity, quality and range of people and places. Over 1,110 hand-made items, many including small personal notes of welcome, have been received, sorted and bagged.

Local church, student and seniors groups have responded. A six year old learned to knit (first for her doll) because her teenaged sister made her first hat to donate, and encouraged her friends to create also.

When knitters from Centreville and Yarker areas got involved, they started a Facebook site to encourage others. Aberdeen’s Wool Company in Lindsay and Knitaway seniors group in that community created and delivered many items. Several drop-off locations were organized in Napanee, Bath, The Wool Shed at Topsy Farms, Kingston’s Knit Traders, and The Minotaur.

Stitches for Syrians not only gained momentum regionally, but in the United States as well. Three groups from Arizona have already donated many boxes of hand-stitched items, including hand-quilted afghans, shipped at significant cost to themselves. In addition, a knitting group in Sunnyside, New York has mailed warm products.

Some of the privately sponsored Syrian families have arrived. The first five families received all help requested - over 127 items from our cosy stash. More will come and receive all they need. The first government sponsored families are going to Canadian communities with immigration centres, so Kingston is not yet certain of the timing or numbers that will arrive.

When they do, we’ll be ready with a warm welcome.

For more information, please contact Sally Bowen at Topsy Farms at 613-389-3444 or send a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In an effort to widen their offerings of all things historical, members of the Bedford Historical Committee invited some special guests to their open house at the Bedford Hall on February 20.

One such guest was John McKenty of Perth, who had on display a wide array of CCM memorabilia including one very funky yellow and blue pair of hockey skates, one of the company's famed matched sets.

CCM stand for for Canada Cycle and Motor Co. Ltd. The company was established in 1899 and operated until 1983 before selling the business name to Reebok, which is still producing hockey skates, gloves and sweaters under the CCM name. In fact Pittsburgh Penguin Sydney Crosby wears the brand and advertises it.

CCM also made bicycles and cars, and the first line of chromium steel skates they put out were originally called automobile skates. They were simple blades that screwed onto a separate boot that was made elsewhere.

McKenty tells the story of how back in 1905 the CCM company was building and selling a car called the Russell (McKenty says there is one at the Science Museum in Ottawa).

They were no longer making bikes in the winter months and began using the steel from the Russell car bumpers to make skate blades. In the late 1920s, they began producing their “matched sets”, where the blade and boot were manufactured together at their factory and sold as one piece. Decades later, in the 1940s and 1950s, CCM used to claim that all the players on the NHL championship team wore CCM skates.

Fans of Gordie Howe would like one piece in McKenty's collection, a CCM poster circa 1952 with a picture of the players of the Detroit Red Wings, the team who won the Stanley Cup that year. The poster proclaims: “CCM matched sets, chosen by champions everywhere”, with a small disclaimer at the bottom stating “All players except one”, that player being Gordie Howe.

McKenty has written a book about the history of CCM titled "Canada Cycle and Motor: The CCM Story", which was published in 2011. He has varied interests and included in his collection was memorabilia relating to the James Brothers of Perth, who were CCM dealers. The store operated from 1893 until recently.

McKenty was not the only special guest at the Bedford Hall on Saturday. Committee chair Gerald Stinson and past chair Pat Barr were also on hand, making the committee’s archives available to many local families who stopped by to check out their family history. As well, Marion Hart, a genealogist and family historian was there.

Local history is alive and well in Bedford thanks to the late June Quinn, one of the founders of the Bedford Historical Committee. Quinn always hoped to have a permanent museum at the hall, which has not happened; however she would be happy to know that many locals continue to make good use of her hard work and are finding out more about the local history of Bedford.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 328, in Northbrook, held the Public Speaking Contest on February 19 at the Lions Hall. A big thank you to all the participants, family members, friends, Legion members who turned out to support the contestants: President Mike Powley; scrutineer, Warren Anderson; judges, Charlene Bright, Jilene England and Cathy Meeks; registration, Verna Andrew, Val Arsenault and past president Cecil Hawley; time keepers Harold Genge and Laura Lee Meeks; and last but not least, Linda Oakey for helping us out at the school. It was a huge success. The winners are:

Primary, grades 1-3: 1st - Sophia Borger; 2nd - Carley Pollard; 3rd - Quin Sproule.

Junior, grades 4-6: 1st - Alyssa Borger; 2nd - Walker Fobert; 3rd - Mary Forbes.

Intermediate grade 7-9: 1st - Sierra Baldacchin.