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Not your average vacation Prior to embarking on their trip, the canoeists will be approaching members of the community requesting pledges for each of the 250 miles completed. Pledge money will be used to purchase two isolettes (incubators) and auxiliary equipment for the Obstetrics Department of the Kitchener- Waterloo Hospital. Plans for a challenging 259 mile canoe expedition along the Winisk River in.Northem Ontario to the Polar Bear Provincial Park on the shores of Hudson Bay began as a simple vacation - a chance to get away from it all. Since last January plans have grown to include a fund raising venture in recognition of the International Year of the Child. Rosa Brown, 23. a psychiatric attendant at K-W Hospital and a KW Regional Ambulance attendant, Brian Paleczny. M, a Waterloo firefighter, Bob Beckett, 25. fire prevention officer for the Waterloo fire department and Dave Amy, a Waterloo lawyer, are planning an expedition they'll re- member for years to come. So will the Mildred: of local families who will benefit from their efforts. By Terry James Chronicle use" me! Silent dark-eyed spectators along heavily wooded banks, swirling rapids, white limestone cliffs. clouds of black tties and scenic islands - the thought of it all makes their adrena- lin start to ttow. It’s the Polar Bear Odyssey. venture? "We decided it was a lot of money (approximately $600 each) to spend on a trip for four guys just for their own en- joyrnettt," said Dave Amy. "We asked ourselves if there wasn't some way in which we could be benefitting someone else at the same time." Ross Brown approached his mother, a registered nurse on the Obstetrics floor at K-W Hospital. and asked if she was aware of items which were needed in her department but not budgeted for. After consultation with Jerry Cox. execu- tive director of the hospital. the decision was unanimous. The special care nursery was badly in need of two isolettes. each valued at $3,000. “We decided that $6,000 was a reasonable goal." said Mr. Brown. "We explained our program to the hospital board of directors and received an enthusiastic response, They considered it one of the more novel ideas for raising funds." Since then it's been all systems go and the group estima- tes they are one third of the way to the $6,000 mark. By mid- June they hope to have reached their goal. _ The canoelsts stressed the fact that all costs incurred by the trip are being paid for out of their own pockets and every penny pledged will go towards the purchase of the isolettes. Receipts for tax purposes will be issued by the hospital upon request for any amount. Cooperation from the community and local businesses has been "terrific." and the group recently received endor- sement from the Canadian Commission of the lntemational Year of the Child via Herb Epp. MPP. The four participants describe themselves as a "tight group of f riends." and experienced canoeists, Together they have travelled the Spanish. Moon and Pukaskwa Rivers and the Gogama Area northwest of Sudbury The farthest north they have travelled prior to the Polar Bear Odyssey is the Matagami River. located north of Timmins, Early on the morning of Wednesday, June 27, the can- oeists will load their back packs and two 17-foot Langford river canoes into a vehicle and drive north to ii2t Lake. From this point they will charter two Cessna oat planes and fly into Webequie. and Ojibway settlement boasting a population of 300 Their flight will land in the village on Sa- turday and they will have until Sunday morning to get to know the community All four have spent the past few months trying to learn as much as possible about the culture of the people they are likely to encounter. the vegetation. wildlife. topography and climate of the area Brian Palecmy has spent a great deal of time studying botany. The Winislt River is (me of the more challenging Northern Ontario Rivers It has been described ; , "big, dangerous and extremely isolated .. How did vacation plans suddenly tum into a fund raising Ross Brown . Waterloo Chronkrie, Wodnudov. April 25, 1979 Brian Paleczny Polar Bear Odyssey "At this rate, theoretically. it would be possible for a per" son to lose half the body's blood volume in less than two it1irss hours," states a ministry publication. The first 100 miles of the river from Winisk Lake are characterized by rapids. fails and long stretches of fast water. For the next too miles the river and surrounding country changes as the river drops below the level of the land. Although still flowing swiftly, the possibility of rapids at every tum, as experienced along the first part of the Jiver, is not found here. High clay banks and an old bum that scars the east bank for over 10 miles make up for the lack of rapids. “This As the river nears the bay the Limestone Rapids, white limestone cliffs. piles of ice, deposited gravel and numerous islands make this section of the river very scenic. The last 25 to 30 miles of the trip will be through Polar Bear Provincial Park. Around the last bend in the river, thought to be an old trade mute, the canoeists will come upon Winisk, a self-sufficient Cree settlement. They have been advised to introduce themselves to the chief, and as a formality, ask permisSion to travel on his land. The men will experience temperatures ranging anywhere from 56' F to below freezing. Thus their wardrobe for the 18 day journey will vary from winter parkas to cut offs. The nights will be extremely cold and winter-weight sleeping bags will be a necessity. The real challenge will be bugs. They are taking plenty of repellent and an extra supply of nets. In this section of tht- tario five million mosquitos may occupy one acre of land. In such concentrations an unprotected individual could sustain 10,000 bites in a minute. 1979 has been proclaimed the International Year of the Child:" And what better time to start helping chil- dren than during their first crucial period in life. This is the thought behind the Polar Bear Odyssey, a fund raising venture in an effort to purchase two iso- lettes (incubators) and auxi- liary equipment for the Ob- stetrics Department of the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospi- tal. Sherry Kibbler, a registered nurse in the special care nursery at K-W Hospital demonstrates the use of an isolette. Money raised through the Polar Bear Odyssey will go towards purchasing two more units Odyssey may help save infant lives According to Sherry Kibbler, a registered nurse on the floor. the isolettes function as a controlled en- vironment for infants. In- fants who make use of the equipment include cesarean section babies, premature infants, newborns who have The units, which cost ap- proximately $3,000 each are used extensively in the ho- spital's special care nur- sery. through a particularly . _ th' - a, i Ei - lFi '%BM, w " M.'N " "' u' p, ‘ lk" ' . P "T 4 , y t ’ " k , - q _ V 'Eta? * a.» _ P ‘ - . CRIB' iai' I tltrt% LT N >. , w' I ' 'sTat itrd'2'P Aly " 53,: AN ' ' , . _ " v Mt Rr: I” 'PS Cs "fC4 _ if. A' Mit w; .r'"' _ w _ + fr IW, f l . . Q B. , " . _ : E., " . . I - - . . . " a I - . _ I their rescue. Despite the bugs, rapids and cold temperatures, the four men are looking forward to the trip and they don't view it as all hard work. Instead they see it as a challenge. They are going into an area very few people have ever seen. _ i "It" (the trip) is attractive." said Dave Amy. "No one else has done it. It's a big challenge and you can bet we'll feel a lot of selfworth when we're done." ' difficult delivery, babies who are undersiz,ed, who require photo therapy or who are on cardiac monitors or intervenus. There are 14 of these units in the hospital now and they are constantly in demand. Polar Bear Odyssey hopes to purchase two double plex- iglass units. Participants in the Polar Bear Odyssey will be setting up a display at K-W Hospital in the near future and at the Due Amy beginning of June a display will be featured for the com- munity's benefit at Cones- Pte. Mall. Dlot‘nn choc}: and addi- " Pledge sheets and addi- tional information may be obtained from: Polar Bear Odyssey c/o David Amy Suite 323-55 Ertt St. E., Waterloo, Ontario Pledge sheets,are also available at the Waterloo Chronicle office, 92 King St. South. " Bott Beckett