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WELCOME TO
THE VALLEY EAST TODAY
ONLINE WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 5, 2006 ISSUE |
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Welcome to
Our Special
Christmas Section
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VISIT THE
VALLEY
EAST
TODAY
COMMUNITY
WEB SITE
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Supporting
Our Troops by
VECAN (
Valley East
Community Action Network) |
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The war in
Afghanistan
may seem a long distance away, but not for Canadians who wait for news of
their friends or relatives who fight this faceless war.
Wayne and Sandy, the parents of Kyle and Glenn Fox, understand how
difficult it is to wait. Graduates
of
Confederation
Secondary School
, both brothers joined the Canadian Military as Peacekeepers. The younger
Kyle who joined in 2001 and Glenn, later in 2004, shared a two month tour.
Both gunners, Glenn is doing more extensive training in
Edmonton
, while Kyle is presently stationed in Petawawa, awaiting surgery that,
hopefully, will repair the hearing lost during a rocket launch attack.
Not all of their news reaches home.
Daily missions are unpredictable and many of the men who began active
duty with Kyle have been lost in action.
Kyle speaks of Mark Anthony Graham as “the best friend I ever had
or ever will have”.
Although serving in
Afghanistan
is very dangerous for our soldiers,
Sandy
understands that, without it, terrorism would reach as far as our own homes
here in the Valley; no one would be safe.
So, while she waits anxiously for news,
Sandy
has been promoting what she can to support not only her sons, but the rest
of Canadian Troops.
For like-minded Canadians, the
Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency website, www.cfpsa.com,
has several recommendations:
- The
proceeds from the sale of Support Our Troops merchandise (ball caps,
t-shirts, car and fridge magnets, cling vinyl window decals, bracelets,
lapel pins, and more) are
reinvested directly into morale and welfare programs for CF members and
their families. They would
make good Christmas gifts at this time of year.
- Messages
of appreciation can be posted on the online message board at www.forces.gc.ca/site/community?messageboard/index_e.asp.
- Place
an ad in Canadian Forces Newspapers that reach 15 military bases in
seven provinces.
- Wear
something red on Fridays.
The Valley East Community Action Network invites you to wear red on
Saturday, December 9th when you visit the Support Our Troops
display across from the Royal Bank in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre,
from 10 till 3. Sandy and Wayne
are hoping that Kyle will be able to join them there from 11 until 2.
If you are aware of other local families whose relatives have been
deployed, please share that information by e-mailing vecan@mysudbury.ca, or by telephoning Claudette @ 897-2113.
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 Ron
Masciangelo, owner of Masciangelo Motors is proud of his Vehicle
Locate Program which has matched so many customers with vehicles
that they have been searching for all over the province of Ontario
and beyond. You can read about Masciangelo Motors in the Business
Section of Valley East Today or you can go directly to the
corporate web site at:
www.masciangelomotors.com
Conveniently located at 1440 Falconbridge Road in Sudbury.
Call (705) 521-9999 for more information |
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Valley East Youth Centre Sponsors
Penny Table At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre To Raise Funds For
Activities
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Susan Johnston, standing in the background, is shown with some of her
"kids" from the Valley East Youth Centre who turned out to help
with the Penny Table fund-raiser at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on
November 29 & 30, 2006. Items were donated by area merchants who have
always been very supportive of any initiatives of the Youth Centre. The
money will be used to help purchase supplies and materials to enhance
activities which are held at the Youth Centre, located just across from
Centennial Arena in Hanmer. For more on the Youth Centre CLICK
HERE>>>>
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 Connie Laforest was born and raised in
Sudbury
before moving to
Valley
East
in
1974. Her oldest child, Corey (29) lives in Hanmer and together he and his
wife, Kim (Dwyer) have provided Connie with two
of her three grandchildren.
Her daughter, Christina (28), lives in Sudbury raising
Connie's other grandchild. For the past 18
years, Connie has gained
valuable experience in all facets of banking with the
Royal Bank of
Canada. She
has worked at various branches in Hanmer, Val Caron,
Sudbury
and
Chelmsford
. Her
passion for working with clients has lead Connie to her current position
as a Residential Mortgage Specialist.
“I really enjoy
working with individual clients to
help them
make one of the most important
purchases of their life
a little
less stressful,” Connie explained when asked why
she chose this particular field of banking at this time in her career.
“I totally
understand where people are coming from when they are going
through the process of buying a house. It can be a very frightening time in their life. I try to help
them feel relaxed by removing some of the “fear of the unknown”, especially for
first-time buyers.”
Staying on top of all
of the new product lines in the residential mortgage market is one of
Connie’s main responsibilities. “Things are changing all of the time
with residential mortgages. I make sure that I am fully aware of all of
the different options available to my clients, and then we work out the
best choice for their particular situation. By educating my clients, and
making them feel at ease with the process, many of them are comfortable
about coming back to see me when they make their next purchase, or even
referring me to their family and friends. This is the greatest compliment
they can give me. It means that I have done my job well and I have
developed a healthy, long-lasting relationship with them. I love it when
my clients treat me as a friend. After all, if they live in the Valley we
are likely to be neighbours.”
Connie points out that
buying a house is relatively simple when you break down the steps.
1.
A client will come to Connie for a pre-qualification
meeting
to determine
the amount of mortgage
for which
they
might be
able to
qualify. This will depend on their
income and current debt ratio. It then gives the client an idea of the
price range he/she/they can afford and gives them
some
focus
and
direction
to their house hunting.
2.
The client then searches
the market
for a house that will be satisfactory to
their needs.
This is usually done through one or more real estate agents.
3.
Once they find a house and settle upon a purchase price, they
return to Connie for the final mortgage approval. When it comes to the
pre-qualification of the amount of the mortgage, the amount is determined
by the income and financial status of the client. When it comes to the
final mortgage approval, the amount is determined by the
value and
state of the
property. After the mortgage amount is approved, the payment details and
terms of the mortgage are agreed upon.
4.
The client is
then free to take care of all of the necessary legal
details of the purchase, including the closing date.
5.
All that
is left after that is to move in to the
house
and enjoy their new home
Connie
is not afraid to show her feelings about her new career as a
Residential Mortgage Specialist,. “I just love
working flexible hours and being mobile. It means that I can meet my
clients at a time and place when it is convenient to their schedule in a
more relaxed atmosphere. There is already enough stress in the purchase of
a house. Anything I can do to make it easier helps me to serve my clients
in the best way possible.”
Connie invites
anyone who is interested in finding out more information about residential
mortgages to contact her at any time by email or phone.
CONNIE
LAFOREST
Residential Mortgage Specialist
RBC Royal Bank of Canada
Phone: 705-969-3796
Fax: 705-969-1492
Cell: 705-677-6379
connie.laforest@rbc.com
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Memories From Monique Grenon |
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We thank Monique Grenon of Hanmer for sharing some of these old photos
that she uncovered from one of her albums. See if you can spot some of
your old friends (or ancestors). Click on the link below for more photos.
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FOR
MORE PHOTOS >>>>
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| Donations to St. Vincent de Paul
Are Always Welcome |
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Local residents who have items of clothing or other articles are reminded
that donations can be made to St.Vincent de Paul in the metal bin that is
located beside Lou's Show Repair Shop at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
Volunteers have decorated the bin in keeping with the holiday spirit.
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| Bryan Beswick Earns Community Service
Hours By Helping With Flu Shot Clinic |
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 It was a long,
but very worthwhile day for Bryan Beswick, shown above and to the right,
as he volunteered his time to help out with the Sudbury District Health
Unit's Annual Flu Shop Clinic which was held at the Hanmer Valley Shopping
Centre on Saturday, December 2, 2006.
For the past two years, the Flu Clinic has been held in the offices of
Beswick Denture Clinic. This year, close to 250 people of all ages dropped
by to get their free flu shot.
Bryan was responsible for opening up the office, setting up the tables
and chairs, providing refreshments sponsored by his father, and helping
out during the day at the registration table. In return for his time,
Bryan will earn hours towards his compulsory community hours credits which
are required for graduation from secondary school. Bryan attends Grade 11
at Confederation Secondary School in Val Caron.
Bryan received nothing by the highest of compliments from the staff and
volunteers of the Health Unit, who found that the Beswick Denture Clinic
is ideally suited for the giving of the Flu Shots. Many shoppers who
stopped by the mall for groceries and Christmas gifts took advantage of
the opportunity to get protected from the dreaded flu which is expected to
hit the area soon.
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| Neil’s
YIG & The Vision Paper Team Up For First Annual Valley East
Christmas Food Drive |
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Neil
Lindenbach, own of Neil’s Your Independent Grocers, on the left hand side
of the front row, is shown with some of his 100 staff members as they
prepare the “Food Bank Depot” at the entrance of the store. The staff
from Neil’s YIG and The Vision Paper are inviting local residents to help
them make the First Annual
Valley East
Christmas
Food Drive
a huge success.
The actual “event”
will be held on Thursday, December 14, when beginning at 6:00 p.m. all
available staff from Neil’s will hop on board a specially decorated
“float” and make their way through the streets of Valley East, singing
Christmas Carols and knocking on doors looking for donations of
non-perishable food.
“For every can or item
of food that is donated, we will be giving the donor a ballot that they can
then bring back to the grocery store where they can enter a contest to win
$250 worth of groceries,” Neil explained. “My staff is always involved
in projects to help out the community, so we felt that by collecting food
for the Valley East Food Bank at this time of year we would be lending a
helping hand to those less fortunate.”
Anyone who wishes to
donate food between now and December 14, may do so by dropping the food off
in the Food Bank Depot at the entrance to Neil’s Your Independent Grocer.
There, you can pick up a ballot and enter the draw for the free groceries.
Neil’s YIG also has some prepared bags of food with high nutrients on sale
for $3 if you wish to simply pick up one of those bags of food as your
donation.
The Vision Paper and
Neil’s Your Independent Grocer are confident that the people of Valley
East will be very supportive of this worthy cause, making the Annual Valley
East Christmas Food Drive one of the most satisfying initiatives ever held
in the community.
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SPECIAL INVITATION
TO HOCKEY TEAMS
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Cortina Hanmer advises all mens' hockey
teams that the restaurant will remain open past their usual closing
time of 11 p.m. if any team wishes to stop by for a drink and
something to eat after their game. If you are interested, just give
Cortina Hanmer a call and let the owner know when you are coming.
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| Heatwave Tanning Salon Welcomes
Amanda Barnett To The Staff |
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Ron Brunet and Andrea Guinard, co-owners of Heatwave
Tanning Salon, are pleased to introduce Amanda Barnett as a new
Customer Service Representative who will be working at both
locations of Heatwave Tanning Salons.
She is a graduate of St. Charles College and plans on entering a
hairdressing program in September 2007.
Amanda was born and raised in Sudbury and is currently living in
Valley East. She says that she loves helping clients enjoy their
tanning experience and is extremely pleased to working with the
Heatwave Tanning Salon staff since this too is an industry which is
primarily interested in helping people improve their physical
appearance, much similar in focus to the career that she hopes to
enter in hairdressing and esthetics.
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Now
You Can Have Access To All Of The Stories and Articles That Were
Published in Previous Issues Past Of The Weekly Online
News Magazine
by
Robert Kirwan: Publisher of Valley East Today |
| It gives us great
pleasure to maintain a complete archive of previous issues of the
Valley East Today Online News Magazine. We understand that there are
times when you may have missed a week or would like to return to look
over a previous article. Hopefully you will find this archive section
useful and will share it with your friends. Everyone associated with
Valley East Today is quite proud of the "Living History" we
are creating and we know that it is providing a great deal of pleasure
and enjoyment for people in the community. Thank you for spending some
time with us today. If you have any comments, please do not hesitate
to contact me at:
rkirwan@infocomcanada.com
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TO
VIEW ALL OF THE PREVIOUS ISSUES 
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