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ADVERTISERS appreciate it when you tell them ... I saw your ad in the Chronicle. E ZF’This | mer Cands mast i * « s ‘ _ This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Write a love letter Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Keep a promise. Find the time. Apologize if you were wrong. Think first of someone else. Be kirtt and gentie. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more Express your gratitude. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still once again If you would like a coloured copy of "This Christmas® please call the funeral home at 7458445 EDWARD R. GOOD Funeral Home Limited 171 King Street South, Waterioo, ON N2J 1P" 745â€"8445 was establiched in 1946 and is an indlependenth mned and operated famly funesal home an Kitchener and Waterine The Fdward R. Lond Funeral Home Millennium Recreation Park volunteer fundraisers celebrate significant milestone lunteers _ of _ the \ / Millennium Recreatâ€" ion Park fundraising campaign celebrated a sigâ€" nificant milestone this week. Nearly $4 million has been raised over the past six months from local businessâ€" es, sports organizations, serâ€" vice clubs and individuals to support construction of this public park. At a ceremony hosted by campaign volunteers, donors were thanked by coâ€" chairs Peter Benninger and fan MacNaughton for their community leadership. During the ceremony, MacNaughton said, "the Millennium project is an investment in quality of life. It is one of those few ‘big picâ€" ture‘ projects which I expect people will look back at and COLUMBIA 1E VAC CONNECTION "Bring It Home For The Holidays" AVTO, SERVICE 6 Time Winner of CAA Customer Service T‘ * General Repair & Service 160 Columbis Smeeiwest, [EMelgite]) â€" . Your "BEAM®" Connection " * _ Small Truck _ ‘@& VICE _ "#s * Front Wheel Drive * Suspension * Front End * Mufflers + Brakes * Tune Ups + Cooling System * Tires * Alignment Service + Computerized Engine Analysis say, ‘The community leaders in 2000 were visionaries.‘" Along with MacNaughâ€" ton, Benninger presented plaques to each of the donors whom he praised as generous . supporters of the communities of Waterloo Region. Donors to the project include Manulife Financial, The Economical Insurance Group, Piller‘s Sausages, The Waterloo Minor Hockey Association, the Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand River, the Rotary Club of Kitchener Conestoga, the Rotary Club of Kitchener Westmount, the Rotary Club of Waterloo, the Optimist Club of Waterloo North, the Optimist Club of Conestogo and Winterbourne, TD Canada Trust, Coldwell Banker, Peter The largest building on the site will be the sevenâ€" ‘acre multiâ€"use recreation facility, a structure almost as large as Conestoga Mall. The facility will contain. four Olympicâ€"sized ice rinks, four gymnasiums, a field house with space for three indoor sports fields, a banquet hall, three program rooms, five community meeting rooms, office space for the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Skating Club, the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association and Benninger _ Realty Ltd., Stantec, Raiph Forbes, Jack Forbes, MHBC Planning Ltd., Basics Office Products, DJ‘s Cleaning and Mainterance, Blind Ambition, and a number of donors who wish to remain anonymous. To date, commitments of over $3.7 million have been received for various compoâ€" nents of the project. Donations have helped to fund specific areas of the 500â€"acre park, which will include 12 outdoor sports fields, six baseball diaâ€" monds, and a public 18â€"hole golf course. There will be 11 kilomeâ€" tres of paved trails meanderâ€" ing throughout the site, accommodating a variety of uses. The trail will connect to the Walter Bean Trail, which passes through the park. Waterloo Minor Soccer Club, and ample space for storage, changing and other needs of community sports groups and individuals. There will be a number of smaller parks and hiking trails _ throughout _ the Millennium Recreation Park, and exciting opportunities to view nature. Interpretive signs, benches and other amenities for hikers will be installed throughout the facility. The Park was designed and built following the strict guidelines of Waterloo‘s Environment First policy and will be continually monâ€" itored to maintain ecological quality. e The Millennium Recreatâ€" ion Park is being constructâ€" ed for citizens of the entire Waterloo Region, and like the Waterloo Recreation Complex, will draw particiâ€" pants from the surrounding community. A Mennonite heritage farmstead will also be preâ€" served onâ€"site as an educaâ€" tion facility for the local communities. The volunteers of the Millennium Recreation Park fundraising campaign are grateful for the community support demonstrated to date. A dedicated group of volunteers has been meeting for the past few months with individuals and company representatives from the community regarding supâ€" port for the project. The response has been most positive and encouraging. The fundraising camâ€" paign aims to raise $7 milâ€" lion from the communities of Waterloo Region by June 2001. Further information can be obtained by calling 885â€"6970, or by visiting the website at www.city.waterâ€" lo0.on.ca/mrp. An official public launch of the campaign is schedâ€" uled for March 2001. However if individuals wish to make a donation to the project during the 2000 tax year, they may do so in person _ or _ by â€" phone at Waterloo _ City â€" Hall, the Waterloo Recreation Complex or at the campaign office. Don‘t give pets as gifts, Humane Society urges How much is that doggie in the window? "Too much," said Al Hickey, western regional director of the Humane Society of Canada. The Humane Society of Canada is asking people not to give pets as gifts this Christmas. "Every year too many sensitive intelligent pets are used to surprise people at Christmas. But the biggest surprise of all is that many of those unwanted animals are turned into shelters and pounds; _ while _ others are passed from person to person," Hickey said