by Kelly Babcock, Hub Staff
A quiet little city in Southwestern Ontario, Owen Sound may appear to the outside world to be a collection of dissimilar purposes held together by geography and good intentions. Is it a tourist destination? An industrial town? A retirement community? An arts enclave? A cultural centre?
Owen Sound is all of those things, and more. But on Monday morning, while the smoke of those recent fires continued to pile up into the sky of a new and terrible day, Owen Sound again showed what it really is. One solid community.
By 5AM the mayor was up and on the ground assisting stalwart firefighters. Police too were on scene, working hard to extinguish the potential for more damage just as surely as the firefighters were working hard to extinguish the blazes of 15 households.
Commuters waited patiently in streets already overcrowded from construction elsewhere, that now were made more congested by the closing of streets for emergency crews to work as they exhausted themselves in the containing and dousing of the conflagrations.
By the next day, Tuesday, the first sounds of a benefit event being planned were heard, with more to follow. How could one benefit possibly be enough, our city seemed to sense without discussion that more would be needed. By Friday the first ...
Pictures of burning houses in Owen Sound seemed surreal. The images of destruction brought pain and anger. News reports said everyone escaped and that injuries were minor, so there was momentary relief. Then, the number of fire sites grew, and the fear of arson brought emotions that were deeply dislocating.
For those who watched flames consume their homes, pain and worry burned into their hearts and spirits. Those whose homes were destroyed were adrift: they did not know where they would sleep that night, where they would live. For the neighbours evacuated as a precaution, there was a mix of worry and hope.
Families lost everything, large and small. The photos and mementos that help a person to trace the story of their lives were gone for good. And for those who lived at the edge of their means, especially those with no insurance, each step forward was going to be hard work.
Community social services immediately rallied. Counsellors came to talk. Housing and support services got to work.
At the fires, Owen Sound Fire Services called in in the volunteers of Inter-township and Chatsworth. They fought hard to keep the blazes from spreading. Emergency Medical Services and Owen Sound Police were also ...
'Cancer Fights Dirty, But So Do We' is the mantra behind the newest fundraising event happening in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. On Saturday, September 12th, hundreds of women (plus a few children's and men's heats) will take to the hill at Talisman Mountain Springs Inn to battle muddy obstacles and uphill running, all in the name of fighting back against cancer.
This mud run fundraiser features a 5-kilometre obstacle course winding up, down and through the former ski resort hill in Kimberley. Money raised through Mudmoiselle will fund Canada's most promising cancer research and vital support services for cancer patients and their families.
"Two in five Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime. While survival rates have increased over the years, more work needs to be done," says Tonya Stewart, Director of Special Events at the Canadian Cancer Society in Ontario. "Mudmoiselle gives women the opportunity to get dirty and ...
Community Foundation Grey Bruce is now accepting online applications from qualified non-profit organizations and charities across Grey and Bruce Counties for project and program grants up to $5,000. The deadline to complete an application is September 30th.
The focus for this fall grant intake will be concentrated mainly on support of disadvantaged children and families. As well, modest funding is available to support minor sports in the smaller communities outside of Owen Sound and for the improvement of women's health in Grey and Bruce Counties.
Grants are intended to support unique projects and programs to improve the ...
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