Paying It Forward
On Thursday, Nov. 10, three long-time friends and I met at Creme Cheese Shoppe in Kimberley to celebrate acquiring another year! Wrapped up in our own conversation and the enjoyment of good food, we barely noticed the young couple at the table for two. As we prepared to leave we were told that that the young man, asking no acknowledgement, had paid for our lunches and also left a generous tip for our waitress and server.
In our fast-paced world, where too frequently we see and hear much that is negative, where acquiring, competing and winning at all costs is the twisted yardstick by which success is often measured, this spontaneous act of generosity is a priceless gift of reminding and remembering for all of us.
There are to many ways to ‘pay it forward’. Thank you, young reminders, you will be remembered.
Gerri Atchison/Wycliffe
Cranbrook Boys & Girls Club
In the past week or so, a number of community members have kindly expressed their concern for the well-being of the Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club. I want to reassure our parents, donors, supporters, and the community at large that the Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club continues to be a vibrant and active organization.
Led by a strong volunteer board and staffed by a team of 15 talented individuals, the Club continues to operate our two daycares, two after-school programs, and one youth centre. We are very proud to be the largest licensed childcare provider in Cranbrook, offering excellent care and support to over 100 children and youth every weekday. Our programs offer transportation in our Club vans, emphasize physical activity and outdoor adventures, and provide access to nutritious food. As one of only seven Boys and Girls Clubs in British Columbia, we are very proud to have served the community of Cranbrook for the past 46 years, and, with the continued support of our valued community partners, we look forward to many more years to come.
For more information about the Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club, please visit our website at www.bgccranbrook.ca. In addition, we would like to invite everyone to visit our Christmas Village fundraiser in the downtown Baker Mall next to Safeway, open November 25 to December 2. Please come to enjoy the beautiful Christmas display and bid on the many silent and live auction items. 100 per cent of the proceeds will support the Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club fund with the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation, which will truly be a lasting investment in the children and youth of our community.
Lynnette Wray, Executive Director
The Flowers Of Cranbrook
Thanks and congratulations to the City of Cranbrook and crew members for another fine floral display this Summer in the hanging baskets, tubs etc..They were just beautiful.
Bud Abbott/Cranbrook
Give Working Class Canadians A Break
Our current Prime Minister is taking bows for attracting foreign investors to put money into Canadian infrastructure projects to realize a guaranteed 7 to 9 per cent return on their investment; the (supposed) benefit for Canadians is that these projects will put Canadians to work right now without adding even more debt to our already ballooning deficits.
If raising capital is the objective, why not issue long-term Canada Savings Bonds to private Canadians (no foreigners or corporations allowed) with a yearly dividend payout of 7 to 9 per cent? While these private Canadian citizens will probably not be attending the $1500/plate Liberal fundraising events or making $1,000,000 donations into the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation (like the foreign investors are); they will certainly make available the necessary capital to the Canadian government while keeping the benefits in the hands of the working class, right here in Canada.
Why we now need a $30 billion plus yearly deficit plus foreign investors’ capital to adopt the same infrastructure program that the previous Conservative government already had in place is a question for another day.
Fred Dewald/Kimberley
