The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre has once again adopted a very popular policy with parents when it comes to  photos with Santa. Last year parents were allowed to take their own photos of their children with Santa and it was extremely well received, especially among parents with more than one child. This year the mall is following the same policy and if the response on the first weekend is any indication, Santa will be seeing "spots in his eyes" as he makes his rounds on Christmas Eve.

"When my own children were young, my wife and I collected pictures of them every year with Santa. But it became more and more costly to pay for photos taken by professionals, and we were not always happy with the way the pictures turned out." explained Robert Kirwan, Director of Marketing & Public Relations for the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. "Now, we just tell parents and grandparents to bring their own camera and take as many photos as they wish. Most of them have digital cameras, or they pick up a disposable camera from Hart Department Store for about five dollars and they get all of the pictures they need for their family and friends. Santa will even walk to other places in the mall to pose in different settings if that is the wish of the parents."

SANTA'S HOURS

Fridays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sundays from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Children will also be able to drop off letters to Santa when they come to visit. Many of these letters will be put on display in the mall. All children will also be given a special treat from Santa when they visit.

Another popular initiative being offered this year is the "Toys For Kids" program whereby shoppers may purchase a gift for a child of a family using the services of the Good Neighbours Food Bank. Details of this program can be found outside of Desjardins' Food Basics.

When it comes to people who are new to the community, there are two business owners who tend to meet them all. Of course we are referring to Mike Lemieux, on the left in the photo, who along with his brother, Mag Lemieux, own Hanmer Home Hardware, and Ken Desjardins, (on the right in the photo) owner of Desjardins' Food Basics.

"Everyone moving in to a new home or apartment has a need for cleaning and repair supplies as well as start-up groceries," explained Mike Lemieux. "So Ken and I decided that we would put together a basket of 'goodies' to give as a gift to all newcomers to Valley East as our way of saying 'Thank You for choosing our town' and to give them a hand with settling in."

Ken Desjardins owns and operates one of the busiest grocery stores in the entire City of Greater Sudbury, so he has definitely noticed the impact of new home owners in the community. "When it comes to stocking up the shelves after moving into a new home, we know it is expensive. We also know that those first few days are days when you are constantly discovering additional items for your shopping list. The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is a great place to come to pick up just about everything you need to make your move complete, so we wanted to say thank you for your support."

Anyone who has moved into a new home; purchased an older home; or moved into an apartment in the Towns of Valley East or Capreol since July 1, 2006, is encouraged to drop in to see Mike Lemieux at Hanmer Home Hardware in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. He will answer any questions you may have about the community and make sure you receive your gift basket. Several other mall merchants will be adding to the gift basket with items of their own, including Dixie Lee Restaurant which will be providing you with a $25 gift certificate so that you can eat out after your move in.

For More Information on the Welcome Home Gift Basket
Call Mike Lemieux at (705) 969-7000
or email Robert Kirwan at robert@kirwan.ca 

Besides buying your tickets at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre or Loeb's IGA in Val Caron whenever the Lions are manning their tables, you can also find them available at any time at Neil's Independent Grocers in the Kiost; Mr. Gas in Val Caron; both Caisse Populaire's, and; the McCrea Heights Confectionary.

Val Mazzuca, owner of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre has always been proud of the condition of his parking lot, especially during the winter months. However, it doesn't take care of itself. Whenever the weather forecast is for snow, Val will be up at 4 a.m. to the conditions outside. 

If there is even a trace of snow on the ground, he and his cleaning crew will find themselves behind the wheel of plowing equipment by 5 a.m. in order to have the lot clean and ready for customers who begin to arrive anytime after 8 a.m.

In order to accomplish the task in as short a time as possible, the crew requires a great deal of team work. Jim Curry, Dan Souliere, John Lancia, Larry Pharand and Val have been working together long enough that they seem to know exactly what each other is doing all of the time.

When winter storms hit the area, it is not unusual to see the equipment in use for as many as 15 to 20 hours at a time as the men take shifts and do what has to be done to get the task completed.

   The "Keep The Spirit Alive Contest" was only introduced to the community during the month of June, and already it is picking up momentum as residents not only like the idea of winning valuable prizes, but they also are thrilled about the fact that they can do their small part to help improve the overall community spirit in Valley East.

   Three community-minded local businessmen have teamed up to begin a “Keep The Spirit Alive Campaign” and they are inviting all residents to help them spread the message that Valley East is a great place in which to live!

   From left to right in the photo: Mike Lemieux, owner of Hanmer Home Hardware, Robert Kirwan, Publisher of the Valley East Today Community Web Site and Online Weekly News Magazine, and Ken Desjardins of Desjardins’ Food Basics announced the launch of the campaign during a press conference which was held at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.

   In explaining the purpose of the initiative, Kirwan explained, “We want to let everyone know that Valley East is a town where you can still find that “old style community spirit” mixed with a modern lifestyle that fits right in with the 21^st Century. There are a lot of good things happening in Valley East and it is about time that the rest of the people in the City of Greater Sudbury knew about it too! Furthermore, it is also time to let the rest of the province know that if anyone is looking for a place to live and raise a family, or a place to retire within the City of Greater Sudbury , they need look no further than Valley East .”
  
   In order to help get this message out to the rest of the “world” the people of Valley East are being asked to take part in a massive communication strategy using the power of the internet. 

   Everyone participating in this campaign will have a chance to win a “Grand Prize” consisting of 100 Lotto 649 tickets for the New Year’s Eve Draw on December 31, 2006 . What a way to celebrate the New Year by winning the big prize with one of those tickets!

   Runners up will receive other valuable prizes, including “two” mountain bikes donated by Hanmer Home Hardware, $300 in groceries from Desjardins’ Food Basics, More prizes from other local merchants may be announced in the coming weeks before the contest ends. 

   In order to qualify for these prizes, all you have to do is register to receive the Valley East Today Weekly Online News Magazine. Every month from July until the end of December, ten names will be drawn at random from all of the people registered to receive the publication. Those ten people will qualify for our final draw which will be held on Christmas Eve. The winners will be announced in the December 26 issue of Valley East Today!

   Once you register, the Valley East Today Online Weekly News Magazine, which is currently being received by over 2000 people, will be sent directly to your email address every Tuesday.  Not only will you qualify to win the 100 Lotto 649 tickets or other runner up prizes, but more importantly, you can help us  “Keep the Spirit Alive” by forwarding Valley East Today to everyone on your own personal mailing list. By using the power of the internet, we can let tens of thousands of people know about Valley East every week.

“To All Residents of Valley East & Capreol, We Truly Thank You For Making Our Dream Come True,” Val and Violet Mazzuca

By Robert Kirwan

When Val and Violet Mazzuca became owners of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, a small strip mall in Hanmer on Highway 69N, on March 29, 1971 , they had a dream that it would one day become a major shopping center for the surrounding communities. On March 30, 2005 , they celebrated the 34^th Anniversary of their ownership by seeing their dream fulfilled.

We all know that ribbon cutting ceremonies are common. But this one was different. And anyone who experienced the moment will tell you that they could “feel” something special was about to take place. You could sense that this was not just the opening of another store. It was the beginning of a new era in the history of Valley East , and it was about to launch the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre to a whole new level as a major retail establishment.

“I’ve always dreamed of having a large department store as an anchor for the mall,” explained Val Mazzuca. “It was something that was missing from Valley East . Local residents wanted a good department store where they could buy everything they needed for their family without having to go to Sudbury and without having to pay more for their products. When we discovered the Hart Department Store chain, I knew we had found what I was looking for.”

Over 2000 shoppers anxiously awaited the cutting of the ribbon at 9:30 a.m. on March 30. It was the biggest, most remarkable grand opening in the history of the 68-store company, blowing away all previous records for attendance and sales. Thousands of shoppers have continued to pour through the doors of the store which is quickly becoming recognized as the “missing link” for which Valley East and Capreol shoppers have been searching.

As people of all ages come from all corners of the Sudbury region on a mission to see the new store that everyone is raving about, they are also discovering why the Mazzuca’s are so very proud of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. They are finding that this is the cleanest mall they have ever seen. They are finding that this is a family-friendly mall with plenty of children’s rides to entertain youngsters; a community bulletin board section where they can find out what is happening in their town; a place where they can register for minor sports, and; a place which actually encourages people to drop in just to walk a few laps around the mall to keep fit. They are finding sitting areas with furniture you would expect to see in a living room and groups of friends socializing as if they were in a community center instead of a shopping centre. They are finding that from the moment they walk through the entrance to the mall they become immersed in an atmosphere where everything from the oldies music, the colours of the hallways, the decorations on the walls and the smiles from the store owners and employees blend together to lift their spirits and make them feel welcome and appreciated.

Pam’s Deli is open from 7:30 in the morning to 9:00 p.m. each weekday so that you can always find a place to sit and relax with a light snack and a drink. Buddies Restaurant, one of the most popular eating establishments in the region, is open from 9:00 a.m. to serve all of your daily meals and refreshments. Stores open at 9:30 a.m. six days of the week, at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. They stay open until 9 p.m. weekdays; 5:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 5 p.m. Sundays.

Besides offering all of the goods and services that anyone could ever need under one climate-controlled roof, the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is going out of its way to provide only the very best for its customers. The first Monday of every month has been designated as “Senior’s Day” at the mall where shoppers over the age of 55 will be treated to 15% off retail products found in a wide variety of participating stores. In addition, merchants throughout the mall are proud to declare that they stand by their prices and are willing to match competitor prices on most products in their stores. They want local residents to know that if they see something they want at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, it is going to be the best price around. Now they can shop in the Valley first to save money on gasoline and time that would be wasted stuck in traffic in Sudbury .

This is truly an exciting time for Valley East and Capreol. Val and Violet Mazzuca are proud to be able to do their part through the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre to make a difference in the quality of life of these two great communities, and they both want to say, “Thank you for making our dream come true!”  

When it comes to people who are new to the community, there are two business owners who tend to meet them all. Of course we are referring to Mike Lemieux, who along with his brother, Mag Lemieux, own Hanmer Home Hardware, and Ken Desjardins, owner of Desjardins' Food Basics.

"Everyone moving in to a new home or apartment has a need for cleaning and repair supplies as well as start-up groceries," explained Mike Lemieux. "So Ken and I decided that we would put together a basket of 'goodies' to give as a gift to all newcomers to Valley East as our way of saying 'Thank You for choosing our town' and to give them a hand with settling in."

Ken Desjardins owns and operates one of the busiest grocery stores in the entire City of Greater Sudbury, so he has definitely noticed the impact of new home owners in the community. "When it comes to stocking up the shelves after moving into a new home, we know it is expensive. We also know that those first few days are days when you are constantly discovering additional items for your shopping list. The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is a great place to come to pick up just about everything you need to make your move complete, so we wanted to say thank you for your support."

Anyone who has moved into a new home; purchased an older home; or moved into an apartment in the Towns of Valley East or Capreol since July 1, 2006, is encouraged to drop in to see Mike Lemieux at Hanmer Home Hardware in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. He will answer any questions you may have about the community and make sure you receive your gift basket. Several other mall merchants will be adding to the gift basket with items of their own, including Dixie Lee Restaurant which will be providing you with a $25 gift certificate so that you can eat out after your move in.

For More Information on the Welcome Home Gift Basket
Call Mike Lemieux at (705) 969-7000
or email Robert Kirwan at robert@kirwan.ca 

Ross is better known as the host of the Big Breakfast on Big Daddy with his co-host, Carrie-Ann.

During the four-hour remote promotion, special reports were aired on the radio station providing listeners with information about the big sale being held at Billie Jeans and Del Nellyn's Ladies Wear.

"When the opportunity to move back to came knocking, my husband and I jumped on it," she explained. " I never envisioned myself living anywhere else but Azilda. As we started house shopping we couldn’t find what we were looking for in Rayside Balfour. We decided to expand our search for houses. Little did we know how amazing the Valley was."

What impressed both Miryam and Eric was the fact that there were so many beautiful houses from which to choose and so many quiet neighbourhoods. 

"Even though the neighbourhoods are so quiet, everything is at your finger tips," she stated. " Sudbury all the time is so wonderful."

She continued, "We decided to buy our first home in Val Thérèse. The people here are just amazing. They are welcoming and ready to lend a hand if needed. I love the way every neighbour looks out for each other. I feel safe in my home in the valley. My boys always enjoy going to the park or the recreation centre. There are always things to do. My family and I are francophone. I find it very pleasant to go do my groceries and daily errands and always have someone around that speaks French.  Now with the new Canadian Tire being built, there is honestly no reason  to  ever leave the Valley. We never envisioned living here, but now  that we are here we can’t see ourselves living any place else but  Valley East."

Miryâm suggested that even though there is so much good to be said about the Valley, she hopes that something is done to keep the parks a bit cleaner. In fact, Miryâm echoed the comments of many other parents with young children who have also expressed concerns about the condition of the parks. She stated, " There is often lots of garbage and broken glass, and most of the time it takes a few phone calls to the city to finally get it cleaned up."

Besides the park issue, when asked for other suggestions on how to improve the community to make it even more pleasant for people like the Giguère Family, all she could think of were the following, " My three year old son would like for me ask Mr. Desjardins of Desjardins' Food Basics to get small grocery baskets or baskets with three holes to fit both my boys so they can shop along with their mom. That would also make my shopping experience more enjoyable. I also think all signs in the mall and  everywhere in the Valley should be bilingual. Besides that there isn’t much else I would change about the Valley. I think everyone in Valley East is doing their part and doing a fine job of it, to make this the best place to live in the City of  Greater Sudbury."

Claude Chenier, owner of the Valley Plaza Barber Shop, is shown taking care of one of his clients while all other chairs in the establishment are filled. The Valley Plaza Barber Shop is one of the most popular hair care centres in Valley East, due in large part to the attention Claude, his wife Linda and their entire staff pay to customer service.

The Valley Plaza Barber Shop is always decorated according to the season, making this a welcome place to simply stop by and share some conversation with friends.

Check out the decorations next time you are in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre or call 969-4020 for an appointment.

The donations were accepted from patients during the week of December 11 to 14. 

"Our food bank depends on annual drives such as this in order to stock up our shelves so that we can provide for the needy during the winter months," explained Nepssy. "Some of these donations will be given out during the holidays. The help and cooperation we receive from Living Well Chiropractic is very much appreciated."

The Star Reporters used the same scoring criteria that was used by Readers' Digest. They went into five of the busiest locations around the City of Greater Sudbury, including: Downtown Sudbury; the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre; the New Sudbury Centre; Place Bonaventure Mall in Chelmsford; and the Rio Can's Power Centre. At each site the following situations were enacted and the reporters observed the actions of nearby shoppers:

1. They walked into the building behind people to see if they would hold the door open for them.

2. The bought small items from different stores and recorded whether the sales assistants said thank you.

3. They dropped a folder full of papers in different locations to see if anyone would help pick them up.

At each location, each of the above was performed four times. Each act of politeness was given a score of 1 with a 0 recorded if there was no act of courtesy shown. A perfect score was 12.

THE RESULTS

Downtown Sudbury came out in first place with a score of 11 out of 12.  The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre was a close second.

Overall, the City of Greater Sudbury came in with a combined rate of 75% which would have placed us ahead of Toronto in 3rd place when ranked with the 36 other cities in the world.

Chad Salemink, 24, is an employee of Desjardins' Food Basics. Chad's job is to collect and return shopping carts from the large parking lot outside and bring them back into the store for use by the close to 20,000 customers who come through the doors of the popular grocery store every week.

In his role, Chad comes into contact with hundreds of visitors to the mall every shift. If you follow Chad around you will see that he never hesitates to hold open doors, say excuse me, or demonstrate courtesy to people of all ages. In addition, Chad is quick to acknowledge others with a smile and a wave. Doing these "little things" comes naturally for Chad, as it does with so many of the store clerks and merchants of the mall. And in the hectic world in which we now live, it is definitely the little things that count.

Chad was recently featured in a special article in The Sudbury Star on July 10, 2006 for his success in the Building Bridges Program which is offered by Cambrian College to help students with developmental disabilities learn to find their way on their own. 

When he was young, doctors told his mother Colette that his developmental disabilities would prevent him from ever learning to read, write or ride a bike. Chad's determination proved the doctors wrong and he can now read at the Grade 5 level in French, the Grade 6 level in English and can definitely ride a bike. He also used the internet and communicates via email just like the rest of us.

After high school, Chad qualified for the Bridges Program at Cambrian and with a lot of hard work and continued determination finished with a 4.0 grade point average. The one-year program brought out a sense of confidence and independence in Chad that is shown in everything he does.

"I really want to thank Ken and Sandra Desjardins' for giving me a chance to work at their store," Chad stated. "I love what I do and enjoy meeting so many nice shoppers. They have been really good to me and everyone is so nice around here."

Well, Chad, on behalf of everyone in the community of Valley East, thank you for being one of the reasons why we are now known as one of the most courtesy areas of the region.

"We have always been so grateful for the way we have been treated by the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre," explained Dorice. "Val Mazzuca simply cannot do enough for us. Every time we want to set up a display, or put something on the bulletin board, all we have to do is ask. It makes it so much easier to help our clients when we have the support of such a leader in the community like Val Mazzuca."

The Community Living Greater Sudbury offices are now located at 303 York Street in Sudbury in the CNIB building. If you would like to speak to Dorice or if you have any questions you would like to ask, just call (705) 671-7181 Ext. 321. You can also visit their web site.

According to the Wellness Team, "The place where you work and the work you do can affect your health. How you feel can affect how well you do your job."

The Workplace Wellness team provides opportunities for skill building, education and support or consultation. They also help employers create and implement workplace policies that reduce the risk of injury and promote the health of workers.

For more information, contact (705) 522-9200 Ext. 290 or email workplaceteam@sdhu.com 

Some of the photos were taken during the evening games, so they may be a bit dark, but nonetheless, you should be able to make out some of the "Girls of Summer" who are working hard to make the Valley East Ladies' Slo Pitch League a place where women can enjoy competition and comraderie twice a week during the summer playing a sport that they love and enjoy.

Once again, we thank Monique, and congratulate all players and sponsors for helping to create a strong league for ladies in the Valley.

The Valley East Ladies' Slo-Pitch League features a total of ten (10) teams for the 2006 season, thanks in large part to the efforts of the young ladies on the Executive who are committed to seeing the League continue and thrive into the future.   

Three of the Executive members met at the beginning of June with Robert Kirwan, Publisher of Valley East Today to discuss plans for marketing and promotion of the league. Shown with Robert are, from the left, Robin Trottier, Secretary; Mandy Hnatiuk, President, and Natalie Raymond-Marois, Vice-President. Two other executive members were unable to attend the meeting. They are Nicki Trottier, Treasurer, and Paula Martel-Lavallee, Statistician.

A year ago the Valley East Ladies' Slo-Pitch League was facing a serious enrolment problem. With only six teams registered just prior to the start of the season, the women who enjoyed playing this sport were worried. The season began with seven teams, but it was obvious that changes had to be made. 

One of the biggest changes was the decision to allow teams and players from other municipalities to join the league, and it appears as if that made all the difference in the world. Two teams have joined with players who live in Rayside Balfour or Sudbury. Another positive change was the decision to allow girls who are 16 years of age and over. There are only a few younger players in the league, but at least they now have a place where they can enjoy this sport while in their late teens.

As a result, there are over 200 women of all ages playing slo-pitch two nights a week during the 15 week season. They play at Centennial Ball Park every Monday and Wednesday evening, with games at 6:30, 8:00, and 9:30 p.m. Valley East Today is pleased to introduce the First Annual Valley East Ladies' Slo-Pitch Photo Album with this issue. Below is one of the teams, sponsored by Rocky's and Beautiful Balance. We will be posting the rest of the team pictures as they are provided to us by long-time Slo-Pitch member, Monique Grenon.