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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, February 21, 2013 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Column 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of OABEs recognize local business achievements Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award SUBMITTED PHOTO founders of the charitable organization Books With No Bounds, and Ward 2 Town Councillor Pam Damoff pack books destined for First Nations communities in northern Ontario on Jan. 30. The Oakville Junior Optimists Club is made up of members from 11 Oakville high schools and is focused on community service projects. DOING SOME GOOD: The Oakville Junior Optimist Club helped Julia and Emma Mogus (centre), ow in its 18th year, the Oakville Awards for Business Excellence (OABE) are dedicated to recognizing exemplary models of excellence and community service by Oakville's businesses. On behalf of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Oakville West (RCOW), we commend all the nominees for this year's Oakville Awards for Julia Hanna Business Excellence on the dedication and hard work, which led to their nomination. What an outstanding achievement. As business people and entrepreneurs, we want to be able to focus our efforts on creating value, creating jobs and building something meaningful -- we often risk our livelihoods and our life savings doing so. These awards recognize local businesses for the invaluable contribution they make to the community's economic development, unique character and outstanding quality of life. Being recognized by one's peers, either through an OABE nomination or award, is a thank you for the hard work and risk nominees have incurred. As ambassadors for business in Oakville, nominees and award recipients provide guidance and inspiration to new and seasoned businesses as well as young, aspiring entrepreneurs. They help foster the spirit of adventure and enterprise, risk and reward for young people and so it is fitting the proceeds from the OABE help support Rotary youth programs. One of the challenges facing Oakville is building a sustainable economy that can support more jobs locally, thereby reducing the number of daily commuters and contributing to a healthy, sustainable community. Oakville residents spend more time commuting than residents in other communities across Ontario. Sixty-three per cent of Oakville residents commute compared to the provincial average of 35 per cent. This is valuable time local residents must spend away from their families. Oakville businesses contribute to the local tax base, support local arts, recreation and charities. Please come out and join the community in celebration. OABE culminates in a gala dinner and award ceremony. This year's dinner event for the awards will be held Wednesday, March 27 at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre. Just remember, the chamber is here to foster and facilitate a healthy, engaged and sustainable business environment and economy in Oakville. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at www.oakvillechamber.com. N Julia Hanna, Oakville Chamber of Commerce chair Taking the test and officially becoming one of the `cool kids' L ast weekend, I joined the club. Yeah, now I'm one of the cool kids. Admittedly, I was reluctant to join. I'd been invited untold times by assorted well-meaning people, but I resisted, saying pithy (and plagiarized) things like: I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member. Intrinsically speaking, I had no issues with this club. The club is altruistic -- all for the best interests of the individual. Alas, I had big issues with its initiation. In the end, I didn't cave in so much as I simply saw the light and was convinced that not joining the club was immature and irrational. So, last weekend I finally got my bum down to the clinic and I joined The Colonoscopy Club. Yeah, now I'm one of the cool kids. For the uninitiated, a colonoscopy is a cancer-screening test, an endoscopic examination of the colon, bowel, and other parts of the nether-regions no one likes to discuss, that affords the examiner a wealth of insight into that area of the anatomy. It's an obvious, essential test. Colon cancer is one of the most curable cancers known, particularly when caught early. If you find comfort in numbers, know that a colonoscopy is a remarkably common procedure -- hundreds of thousands of Canadians join the club annually -- which means, as I was frequently told, you really shouldn't be such a big baby about it. In retrospect, I can't tell you why I was one. Who am I kidding? I was a big baby because I am a big baby -- an anxious Andy Juniper soul with an intolerance of uncertainty, a dislike of discomfort, and a healthy aversion to pain. Oh, and a tendency to take things to their worst possible conclusion in my mind. So, how did it go? I won't lie: if forced to choose between spending a sunny day on a beach or undergoing a colonoscopy, I'd pick the beach. But, I have to admit that my fears were unfounded. The whole process, the entire procedure, was easy-breezy. A walk in the park, if not actually a day at the beach. When it comes to colonoscopies, most people apparently dread the prep day before the procedure. Because you must fast from 9 a.m. onward (which makes you think you'll feel like you're being starved) and because in the late afternoon you have to ply yourself with heavy-duty laxatives. Well, the day before the scope, I treated myself to a big breakfast, then began fasting and ingesting the recommended clear liquids. And at no point over the next 24 hours did I feel famished. Consequently, I went into the procedure feeling fairly confident and happy that soon it would all be behind me. As for the procedure I'd so feared? I was given the usual mild sedatives that work on short-term memory and make the 20-minute procedure seem like... two minutes. When the doctor announced he was finished, I honestly thought he was joking. Forty-five minutes later, I was back home, tucking into a bountiful brunch, proud that I'd (finally) taken a proactive approach to my health, and happy to be a card-carrying member of the club -- officially, one of the cool kids. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www.facebook.com, or followed at www. twitter.com/thesportjesters.