Townshippers’ Research and Cultural Foundation has much to be thankful for…
Another year–how quickly time passes! This year, the Townshippers’ Research and Cultural Foundation is celebrating the fact that it’s been able to provide support for initiatives in the Eastern Townships for twenty-five years. The importance of the projects we’ve been fortunate enough to support is evidenced by the number of volunteers who give countless hours of their time and energy to make these projects a reality. The worthiness of these grassroot initiatives is also evident in the joy and gratitude expressed by the recipients of all this hard work.
The Foundation is able to offer this precious support to our community because we are blessed with very loyal donors. Donations have been constant for many years, even though we have witnessed a decrease in the number of donors due to death or illness.
We know that everyone is suffering from ‘donor fatigue’ and that requests for money arrive daily in the mail. We are solicited at the grocery store and in shopping centres. Students raising funds for their school activities regularly ring our doorbells. ALL are worthwhile causes but, at some point, we must ask ourselves: how much can we realistically give? Certainly, the cost of living is up. Parents with active children are supporting their school and community sports programs. The cost of school supplies, supervision and after-school activities has fallen on the shoulders of these young families. Each year when we hold a Phone-a-thon to thank our donors and, of course, solicit funds, we hear that choices must be made. Perhaps a donation will be made to a certain foundation only every second year or the same dollar amount will be split amongst a few groups. Thankfully, despite this reality, we still receive donations from new donors.
We are fortunate that we have held steady in our ability to give back to the community and we are gratified when we are thanked for what we do. Recently, we were approached by an Outstanding Townshipper award winner, Mr. Joe Kelly, who offered to help us in our efforts to raise funds. Mr. Kelly has held many successful can/bottle drives which help local groups and, this year, he has proposed that all monies made from returns during the months of January, February and March will be given to our foundation. This is wonderful news because funds from this drive will enable us to offer more grants to those who seek to improve the quality of life for Townshippers within our community!
If you find yourself saddled with a glut of cans or bottles after the jolly holidays, we hope you will consider donating them to a worthy cause! You can drop them off at the Townshippers’ office in Lennoxville or, if you live in the Richmond area, you probably know that Bev Tabor Smith has kindly designated the space under her porch as a bottle depot for Mr. Kelly’s charity drives.
We, at the Townshippers’ Research and Cultural Foundation, are always very pleased to meet with our grant recipients and hear about their projects. Their stories clearly illustrate the positive impact that grassroot initatives can have on a community. We kindly thank Mr. Kelly, our donors and our volunteer board members for helping the Foundation to carry on its very proud tradition of “Townshippers helping Townshippers.”
Free Telehealth Video Conference: Gaining and Losing Weight
Sometimes it seems as though we are surrounded by a 24-hour all-you-can-eat-buffet, yet some people manage to stay lean while everyone else gains weight. How do they do it? Is it willpower? Good genes? Metabolism? Do you find that you gain weight, then lose it… then gain it back. Do you wonder why it won’t just stay off?
On Wednesday, January 18, join our expert presenter, Dr. Sylvia Santosa – a researcher and Associate Professor of Nutritional Science at Concordia University — to explore new research on why we gain/lose weight. During the presentation, you will also learn what happens in the body when it adds or loses fat, as well as explore how and why people store fat differently and how genes, environment and marketing can all affect body weight.
Designed for families, community members and healthcare professionals, this videoconference – entitled ‘Gaining and Losing Weight: Get the New Facts’ — explores why controlling our weight is clearly an important public health issue for individuals and our society.
The “Gaining and Losing Weight: Get the New Facts” videoconference session will take place on Wednesday, January 18, between 10 a.m. and noon. You can participate in the videoconference at the Eaton Valley Community Learning Centre, located at 523 Stokes Street in Bury. The session will no longer be held at the Memphremagog Community Learning Centre.
For more information, or to sign up for this videoconference, contact Shannon Keenan at Townshippers’ Association: 819-566-5717 (toll free: 1-866-566-5717) or sk@townshippers.qc.ca. The next telehealth videoconference session will take place on Wednesday, February 15. The topic will be cardiovascular health.
Photo Cutline: Mr. Joe Kelly, one of the 2011 Outstanding Townshippers award winners, is helping the Townshippers’ Research and Cultural Foundation collect money to help support local community projects. If you have cans or bottles you’d like to donate, simply drop them off at the Townshippers’ Association’s Lennoxville office, or else contact Townshippers’ Foundation (819-822-3314).
Photo Credit: Nathalie McAuley
