Danica Tremblay Dhinel is an 18 year old girl who is graduating from E.S.C. l’Horizon this year. She would like to share a story she wrote with the readers of The Vision Paper. This is her first published writing and we think you will all agree that she has a special gift that should be shared more often. The story is about her cousin, Jesse. 

Thank you, Danica, for allowing us the privilege of publishing such a remarkable piece of work.

Thank You Jesse. 
You Will Be In My Heart Forever.

By Danica Tremblay Dhinel  

Every year on my grandfather’s birthday I visit the cemetery in his home town and put flowers on his grave. I stay with him for a while telling him stories of my life and the exciting news that happened over the year. And every year as I sit there speaking into the ground I always notice the tombstone placed right next to it. It was my cousin’s, Jesse. On one particular day I sat there in front of his grave and read the black and white marble, as I’ve done before, only this time something hit me inside. The stone read:  

            As I finished reading tears began to fill my eyes. I fell to my knees and cried for what seemed like hours. I had already known for years that my cousin had died at the age of one, as I was two at the time. I cried for little Jesse, I cried for his mother and father, and all of those in his family that have been left behind. I had never really been able to get to know him, as much as we were inseparable as young children, and I will never know him, but for some reason, as I sat there in front of his grave the world seemed to be a little darker. I became appalled that this little boy only a year old was taken from the world so soon. He wasn’t even given the chance at living life. Then it occurred to me how much the world takes life for granted. How everyone never seems satisfied enough with what they have. No one seems to understand that we have all been given something greater then anything in the world, our lives and a chance to live a life that is our own. Jesse will never grow up to go through puberty, he’ll never get a chance to learn how to shave, or go on his first date. He’ll never have the chance to get into a fight with his parents or stand up for himself in a fight at school. He’ll never be able to make decisions, good or bad. He’ll never go to college or university and he’ll never get to laugh and play and love and he’ll never ever get hurt and he will never overcome fears or challenges. Jesse will never get to meet his two sisters and brother who miss him and love him dearly even if he was lost before they we’re born. Jesse wasn’t even given a chance and yet we all walk around day and night taking our very breath for granted. We complain about the small things and ignore the important things in life.

            I wiped away my tears, smiled and whispered under my breath “Thank you Jesse.”

            Every year on my grandfather’s birthday I visit the cemetery in his home town and put flowers on his grave. I stay with him for a while telling him stories of my life and the exciting news that happened over the year. I also never forget to bring an extra bunch of flowers and place them on the grave right next to it, my cousin’s, a boy who, although wasn’t given a chance and I unfortunately could never get to know, showed me that I still had a chance. He showed me how to live. He showed me that if I just slow down and take the time to breathe, life does seem all that much more beautiful.

Jesse was my best friend when I was two and even if he did pass away so young, he will be my best friend forever, and forever he remains in my heart. I will never forget him and the lesson of life he taught me.

     The most important focus of the pageant is self development of personal character, confidence, stage presence and personal interaction with others. It is intended for all contestants and family to leave this experience a stronger and educated individual. This pageant is an official preliminary to the Miss World Canada Pageant held each year in Toronto .
  
   Tickets are available at Bottega Mia at the Southridge Mall, Lindgren's Bridal Boutique, 945 Barrydowne or by calling Cheryl Kozera at 858-3195. 
  
   You can also visit the website at www.missnorthontario.com and vote for your favourite contestant.

   Phillipe Butler has only been bowling for five years in the YBC program at Chico’s Bowl in Hanmer, but he already has achieved something that most of his peers will never experience.  Phillipe is the 2007 Bantam Boys Singles Northern Ontario Provincial Champ – a distinction he earned during the Provincials which were held in Sudbury on March 11, 2007 . The Bantam Boys division is for boys 11 years of age and under.

   Phillip represented Northern Ontario in Winnipeg during the YBC National 5-Pin Bowling Championships which were held May 11 to 13, 2007.  

   Phillipe won a silver medal at the National event; he went into his final game tied for first with Quebec .  He was guaranteed him at least a silver medal.  He bowled a 318, which his highest game bowled in competition and league play.  He finished the 24-game competition with an average of 199 (which in itself is a great average for a Bantam).  Phillipe’s record was 3W-3L Day 1, 9W-2L Day 2, and 6W-1L Day 3 for a total of 18 wins and 6 losses over the 24 games.    

  Pete Chenier, owner of Chico’s Bowl, has been very supportive in letting Phillipe practice as often as he wants in order to prepare for the championships 

   Phillipe was part of the Bantam Boys’ team who represented Northern Ontario at the Nationals last year. 

The special evening was organized to pay tribute to the over 40 years that Bob and Mary Lou have devoted to serving the community through the Kin Club of Valley East.

During the evening Bob and Mary Lou were presented with awards and certificates of appreciation from all levels of government, as well as National District Zone and Club recognition.

Among the dignitaries on hand to make presentations were Kinsmen District Governor: Dave Ronson; Kinsmen District Vice Governor: Paul Shepard; and Kinsmen Zone Deputy Gover: Dan Xilon

Deputy Mayor Ron Dupuis was on hand to make a presentation from the City of Greater Sudbury and to congratulate Bob and Mary Lou Bolger for the remarkable work they have done in this community for over forty years.

After a great meal from Create a Cake catering, Leo Larocque from Rock On DJ Service provided entertainment until the small hours of the morning.

It was a night that no one will forget!

Before forming the group the four tenors, who have varied musical backgrounds including opera, gospel, R&B, soul, jazz, musical theater and pop, were pursuing successful solo careers – from singing at Carnegie Hall and for the Pope to a #1 radio single. After being hired to work on a project together, the men realized that they possessed a strong chemistry both on-stage and off. And with that, DESTINO was born. 

DESTINO’s style has been described as “pop with an opera flair … or vice-versa.” Born out of a desire to bring opera music to a wider audience, the style has been dubbed “popera” and is currently sweeping the musical charts, with singers such as Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Il Divo selling millions of CDs worldwide. With the formation of DESTINO, “popera” now has Canadian representation.

DESTINO’s members have received much critical and media acclaim. Insight Magazine said, “Joey Niceforo has one of the most robust and exciting voices I’ve heard in a long time. 

He’s riveting on stage…” Said the Surrey Leader about Leontaridis, “A voice like Leon’s comes once in a hundred years.”

Acclaimed vocal coach Elaine Overholt praised Amenta by saying, “never have I been so excited by such a talent.” 

And the Victoria Times said, “Ouellette displays an impressive ability to imbue a song with emotion.”

Just recently Destino signed a recording contract with Shoreline/Universal. They will now be included with several other successful artists such as Nickelback (their first album licensed), Barra MacNeils, George Canyon, Patricia Conroy and D-Cru. The new album is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2007.

   The Good Neighbours Food Bank, located on Lafontaine Street on the top floor of the Hanmer Fire Station, has always been able to count on the kind support of the Kin Club of Valley East, and this year is no different.
   
   Recently, the Kin Club presented the Food Bank with a cash donation of $2000 as part of their ongoing commitment to help the volunteers at Good Neighbours continue their mission of providing emergency food supplies to those in our community who are less fortunate than the rest. Last year the Kin Club donated a total of approximately $7500 during the year to the Good Neighbours Food Bank.
  
   The group who were in attendance during the presentation were, from the left: Reina Bazinet, Rob Ferrucci (owner of Cranky Joe’s Roadhouse who was also on hand to make a presentation on behalf of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre), Anne Unwin, Wayne Nepssy, Gilly Nepssy, Bob Bolger and Mary Lou Bolger of the Kin Club of Valley East, Marg Bourgois, Andrea Blais-Beaulieu (in the front) and Sandy George (standing at the back).

   The Good Neighbours Food Bank is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the last two Wednesdays of every month and currently provides supplies to 35 to 45 families every month. They depend on cash donations from people like the Kin Club and Rob Ferrucci so that they can supplement the food donations by purchasing fresh produce and other basic necessities to add to the basket. When a family picks up supplies there is usually enough food to last 4 to 5 days, hopefully enough to tide the family over until they come up with some money to purchase their own.

   If you would like to make a donation, you can call Anne at 566-1283 or Marg at 969-5905 or drop in on one of the last two Wednesdays of the month.

Shown in front of one of the transit buses at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre are drivers Tom Lalonde and Michelle Despatie. In between the drivers are two of the residents who took time to share their opinions, namely, Pierrette Desormeaux and Marilyn Desormeaux. Pierrette and Marilyn both expressed the strong positive sentiments of the community with respect to the prospects of having a regular bus route that goes in and out of the subdivisions in the Valley.

Sudbury Transit is preparing a route which will see them start with one bus doing an hour long loop around the community. These local routes will be coordinated with the existing bus runs to Sudbury and Capreol with transfer sites likely at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and the Val Est Mall. When the planning is completed virtually all residents will be within short walking distance to a bus stop and will be able to travel pretty well anywhere they wish within the municipality of Valley East.

"We know there is a need for expanded service in Valley East," explained Lalonde. "Right now we have three full buses going to Sudbury every morning before 8 a.m. just to get students to Laurentian, Cambrian and Collage Boreal. We also know that once we put the intra-community route into action those numbers are going to increase again. The use of public transit is growing rapidly, especially with seniors and students who have come to depend on this mode of transportation to get around."

When implemented riders will still be subject to the "One City - One Fare" policy as is the case throughout the City of Greater Sudbury. That means that when you get on the bus you pay the full rate regardless of where you plan on departing. It also includes a transfer to another bus on the route. Both Lalonde and Despatie indicated that anyone who rides the bus every day usually gets a monthly pass. Many of the seniors are also buying ten-trip packages which also reduce the costs.

Residents of Valley East have been looking forward to the day when we would enjoy our own bus route and it looks as if our wait is almost over. 

Another successful year completed.  V.E.M.S.P.A had their playoff weekend on September 7-9^th/2007, with 20 teams and with the weather we had on Friday night we still managed to squeeze in all of our games. A  new team in the league, Cranky Joe's, is shown above after winning the E Finals.

We had 5 divisions this year and they were all close in the running.  The A Finals were all very close and Ball Busters pulled through winning our A Division. 

Killer Instinct was a very competitive team this year and walked away with our B Division.

Our C Division one of our new teams this year J.A.F.T had an excellent game to defeat Parthenon to walk away with the C Final.  D Division two of our teams had a very close game, they kept close in the running all the way through to the open inning where Anmar got their bats going to walk away with the D Final.

Two other new teams this year Cranky Joes and Willy Wallers and the Pop Tarts went toe to toe till the final inning where Cranky Joes won by 1 to walk away with the E Final.

Congratulations to all of our Division Champs.

V.E.M.S.P.A this year had 8 new teams this year and we are looking forward to expand our league to a minimum of 24 teams next year. V.E.M.S.P.A is a fun league and we all enjoy coming out on Sundays to have fun and socialize.  We had a great year and would like to thank everybody who came out did his or her part to make this a successful year.

Also, thank you to all the sponsors who support our league and teams.

Anyone who is interested in joining our league is welcomed to contact Scott or Manon Bolger @ 693-3440.

Sincerely,
V.E.M.S.P.A Executive

   The 2006 Census results have now been released by Statistics Canada showing that the population of the City of Greater Sudbury has increased to approximately 158,300 from 155,600 in 2001. This is an increase of around 2700 people in five years, which on the surface seems to be good news. However, when you dig further into the statistics you uncover some disturbing trends that may have serious implications for us in the very near future.
  
   For example, our population growth was 1.7%. By comparison, the province of Ontario experienced an overall growth increase of 6.6%. If Sudbury had enjoyed the same level of growth in population, our numbers would have grown by more than 10,000 over the same period. So even though we are experiencing an increase in population, our growth rate is only 25% of the average rate of growth in the province. That is not good.
  
   Another disturbing fact is discovered when you realize that over the five years between 2001 and 2006 the number of children under the age of 14 declined in the City of Greater Sudbury by 6.3%. By comparison, the decline in this age group across the province was only 1%. So while the Sudbury region can take heart in the fact that the rest of the province is also experiencing a declining population in the under 14 age group, our decline was six times greater than the overall average. This will have serious implications for our schools and our day care programs.
  
   The third area of concern is in the rate of growth of the people who are between 15 and 64 years of age – otherwise known as the working age group. While we experienced a positive growth in this age group of 2.3%, it was less than 30% of the provincial growth. This slow growth rate in the number of people who belong the “working age” category comes at a time when the Sudbury economy is supposedly “booming” and our unemployment rates are better than they have been in a long time. One must now wonder if our low unemployment rate has anything to do with the fact that our working age category is lower than it should be. Had we grown at the provincial average, we would have thousands more people looking for work. Those people have apparently gone elsewhere.
  
   Our slow growth rate in the working group also helps explain why we have such a large decline in the under 14 population group. Many of our young people who would otherwise be hoping to settle down and begin a family are being forced to move elsewhere to find jobs and careers. We may be experiencing a “booming” economy in some areas, but we are certainly not keeping our young people in the area.

Today he is part of an exciting group of four tenors who are achieving international recognition for with their performances. The other people in the group are Paul Ouellette, Leon Leontaridis, and Giovanni Amenta. They are called, Destino, whose name means “destiny” in Italian and Spanish.

You can find out all about this exciting group of performers by clicking on the photo above and visiting their web site.

DESTINO’s style has been described as “pop with an opera flair … or vice-versa.” Born out of a desire to bring opera music to a wider audience, the style has been dubbed “popera” and is currently sweeping the musical charts, with singers such as Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Il Divo selling millions of CDs worldwide. With the formation of DESTINO, “popera” now has Canadian representation. DESTINO’s members have received much critical and media acclaim.

The full bio about Joey Niceforo, can be found on the group’s web site at www.destinotenors.com. 

Among other things the bio description states: "Emerging young talent Joey Niceforo has been commanding attention in North America and Europe with his thrilling tenor voice. He made his professional signing debut in the Toronto Opera in Concert’s Canadian Gala Concert and has since performed several roles with them. He recently made his debut in the Czech Republic where he performed two operas with the Hradek Karlove Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also recently had the privilege of singing at a gala in New York City where he shared the stage with famed tenor Salvatore Licitra. In January of 2004 Joey made his film debut (as an opera singer) in an ABC family movie produced by Britney Spears and has also appeared singing on NBC. Joey was the recipient of the ‘Italia Nel Mondo’ award and, as a result; Mr. Niceforo had the honor of traveling to Rome to perform with Gigi d’ Alessio. Other distinguished award recipients were Covent Gardens conductor Antonio Pappano, and actress Sophia Loren. 
  
In Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI, Opera Canada’s review stated; “Joey Niceforo charmed audiences as Don Ottavio... a breathtaking ‘Dalla Sua Pace’ and ‘Il Mio Tesoro Intanto.’” The Times Colonist states; “Joey Niceforo has the finest natural instrument,” while Insight Magazine declared; “Joey Niceforo has one of the most robust and exciting voices I've heard in a long time. He's riveting on stage, his voice pins you to the song and does not let you go until the last stirring note!”
  
Destino played to a packed house in Sudbury in the spring and they are pleased to inform local fans that they will be returning to the Fraser Auditorium at Laurentian University on Saturday December 1 and Sunday December 2 for performances at 7:30 p.m. each evening.

Tickets can be purchased at the Sudbury Theatre Centre box office or by calling 674-8381.

   Robert Kirwan will be spending a lot of time on the phone during the next two months. He will be contacting “ALL” known businesses in Valley East to offer them a chance to take part in one of the most exciting and rewarding “community building” programs this town has ever seen.
  
   Kirwan, who has a private practice as an Independent Education & Career Planning Advisor, owns and operates The Greater Sudbury Learning Clinic, a private tutoring service currently located in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. 
   
   This coming September, Kirwan and many other community-minded businesses will be launching a joint-project called the “Young Community Builders Program”. This initiative is designed not only to encourage young people to become more involved in their community, but also to provide them with the necessary funds to cover the costs and expenses of their activities and projects.
  
   “The Young Community Builders Program is something that is long overdue,” declared Kirwan. “It will be available to all schools, organizations, churches, and even individual families in Valley East . If you work in any way with children, and if you can come up with a small project or activity that is going to make even the slightest difference in this community; in other words, if it is something that will make this community better in some small way, or will add to the community spirit of Valley East, then I want you to know that there are businesses in this town who are willing to work with me and we want to help you.”

   If you go to the following link you will find complete details on how you can apply for funding for your project.

  “You provide the labour, and we will provide the money for your materials and supplies. It can be something as simple as sending cards and letters to senior citizens or as big as giving your playground a complete new paint job. The only stipulation is that you must be doing something to make the community of Valley East a better place in which to live.”

   Kirwan expects that he will have no trouble finding many other community-minded businesses who will gladly take part in this project. “This is a great initiative no matter how you look at it. We are going to make sure that local residents become more aware of the goods and services available from local business sponsors; young people will be able to take on a more active role in making their community better; this should result in a reduction in youth crime and incidents of vandalism; and finally, we will showcase the accomplishments and achievements of young people who take part in a project by creating a permanent place of honour for them on the Valley East Today community web site.
  
   If you would like more information on how you can apply for funding through the Young Community Builders Program, contact Robert Kirwan as soon as possible. If you are a business owner and wish to become a sponsor of this program, don’t wait – call today!
  
   The “Young Community Builders Program” – Building the community of Valley East one small project at a time!

In the photo above, Louise is shown with the following "models": From the left: Matthieu Beaulieu (standing in the front), Korbin Thibeault (standing behind Matthieu), Gilles Frappier, Trina Frappier, Caroline Dignard, Danica Frappier, Rae Frappier, Ashley Reed, Jennifer Dixon, Joel Beaulieu (standing beside Louise), Lisa Borgford, Chelcey Frappier, Erin Malinski, and Jonathan Fielding.

Louise is also shown below with two of her youngest models, Mikheala St.-Jean on the left and Keara Leeson on the right.

This was the 2nd Annual Classic with the North Shore All Stars taking on the Rick McDonald Mremorial Fastball League All-Stars . 

Roger Legendre summed up the contest, "In the early going it was the visitors` from the North Shore who took an early 2-0 lead and led 3-2 after 3 innings until the sleeping giant felt the soul of Rick McDonald on their shoulders and erupted  for five runs in the next few frames, holding on for an 8-6 victory to retain the All-Stars Classic trophy for a second consecutive year.

The winning pitcher was Aaron "Sixer" Owl while his counterpart Eric "e-train" Abitong suffered the mound loss. Eric Ace of the Garson Hounds in the Rick McDonald league was the game's top hitter at 2 for 3 .The most sportsmanlike player plaques went to Jim Brendow from Spanish team of they North Shore and Wally Sr. Bodondongong of the Magnatewan Native Sons from the McDonald League .Finally the two MVP's were Liam Halligan from Elliot Lake of the North Shore and Terry Jacques of the Athletics fob the Rick McDonald Memorial Fastball League."

   Mindy Pitre is just like any ordinary person who was born and raised in Valley East . She lived in both Hanmer and Val Caron over the years and when she was 13 years old worked for her parents, Peter and Valorie Pitre, owners of the Sears Catalogue Depot in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. She has a younger sister, Lacey. 

   She attended the French Immersion program at Val Caron Public School and then went on to complete her elementary school education at Valley View Public School before graduating from Confederation Secondary School.
 
   That is where the story takes on a new twist for this fascinating young lady.
 
   “It wasn’t difficult to choose a concentration when I was applying to university. Really, I’ve always wanted to be an archaeologist. When I was young Lacey and I would dig in our garage for archaeological finds. Although I went into archaeology/physical anthropology, my sister ended up in Medicine. She’s starting her second year at NOSM. For a while I was interested in medicine but then in High School I took an ancient history class. I would have to say that this class rekindled my love for archaeology and of our ancient ancestors,” explained Mindy.
 
   “When I enrolled at LU, I decided to do a Bachelor of Science degree in anthropology. Because LU is a smaller university, and my department did not have a graduate program, I had the opportunity to be a teacher’s assistant (TA) for both Dr. Scott Fairgrieve and Dr. Kathryn Molohon. I TA’d both cultural and physical anthropology courses including intro to anthropology, linguistics, and human osteology. I also had the opportunity to be a laboratory demonstrator for a human anatomy course taught at Cambrian College, teaching anatomy to nursing students. I also participated in an archaeological field school in North Bay. We lived in tents for a month, canoeing every day the Island that we were digging on.
 
   While working for Dr. Fairgrieve, I decided to focus my undergraduate thesis on physical anthropology. Physical Anthropology is a sub field of anthropology that deals with the study of humans in the past and present. Physical anthropology was the best way to combine my love for the arts and my interest in the sciences and getting dirty. For my thesis, I buried 10 dead rats and dug them up every so often, in order to outline decomposition stages in northern Ontario.
 
   After I finished my undergraduate degree, graduating with honours and cum laude, I had no choice but to apply for graduate school. I knew that I was not going to be able to do what I wanted with only an undergraduate degree in Anthropology. If I wanted to teach physical anthropology at the University level (mentoring undergraduate and graduate students) and carry out research, I would need a PhD. It was an even easier decision when I received the FA Alderich Scholarship from Memorial University of Newfoundland, a scholarship that would pay for both my tuition and living expenses.”
 
   Mindy is currently in her 4^th year of the Ph.D. program at the University of Alberta in physical anthropology. She will study a skeletal collection from a site in modern-day Syria referred to as Tell Leilan, dated around 2600 BCE. This research will make an original contribution to the fields of anthropology, medicine, and history as little is known about the health of people living at Tell Leilan around the time of the drought. In addition, her research will make a significant contribution to my field, physical anthropology, as few researchers have used microscopes to examine human bone for disease.
 
   She was also part of an international team of specialists traveling to Aswan, Egypt this past January where she was involved in the excavation of two ancient cemeteries. “I was hired as a physical anthropologist, in charge of the excavation, removal, and cataloguing of the human remains. There I began to fine-tune my excavation skills and build relationships with both the British Museum and University of Rome , La Sapienza for future research efforts. This dig was instrumental for my future career as a physical anthropologist as skeletal collections that are available for study by academics and graduate students are rare. During my fourth and fifth years, I will continue my thesis data collection, write my dissertation, and publish my findings. I will also be returning to Egypt for a second excavation season. After I graduate I will start a post doctoral degree or will apply for academic positions in my field.”