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Bob VR BANAC EDITOR ext 229 editorialiirwaterloochrvaickr.ca spurts ©wistertoochronicie.ca I . WAT ERLOU CHRONICLE . Wednesday, meary 27, 2008 Peter WINKLER PUBLISHER EDITORIAL Jormstortewaterloochronicle.ca Jennifer ORMSTON REPORTER ext 203 Greg MACDONALD REPORTER mm 2 I 5 gdmacdonahkt waterloochmnicle.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVES Norma CYCA ext. 123 ncyca@waierloochronickca Bill PIHURA ext. 228 hpihuraWwaterloochrorticleia Carly GIBBS ext. 222 cgibbs@ waterloochronicle.ca Brenda SOKOLOWSKX ext 202 bsokolow skitlt waterloochronicleca Gerry MATTICE m 230 RETAIL SALES MANAGER satesgwateNoochrorticie.ca ADVERTISING CLASSIFIED 519-895-5230 CIRCULATION 5 19-886-?B30 em. I I 3 Canadian Publications Mail Sales Publication Agreement Number 40050178 International Standard Serial Num her ASSN 0832-34 l0 Audited Circulation: 3I 292 The Waterloo Chronicle is published each Wednesday by Metroland Media Group Ltd. ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL The Waterloo Chronicle is a member of The Ontario Press Council, which considers complaints against mem- ber newspapers. Any complaint about news, opinions advertising or conduct should first be taken to the newspaper. Unresolved complaints can he brought to: Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton Street, Sum: 1706. Toronto. ON., MSB In. COPYRIGHT The contents of this newspaper are protected by copyright and may be used only for persohat non-commer- cial purposes, All other rights are reserved and commercial use is pro- hibited, To make any use of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copy" right. For further information con- tact Boll Vmanac. Editor, Waterloo Chronicle, 279 Weber St, N. Suite 20, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 letters to the editor must contain the writer's full name, signature. address and Ielephone number. Addresses and telephone numbers are used only for verification purposes and will not be published, Names will not be with. held. We reserve the right to edit, oun- dense or reject any contribution for brevity or legal purposes, Lem may be, submitted by fax to 519-88tV9383 or by email to editorial®wnter- loochronicleca or by mil or deliv- ered to Waterloo Chronicle. 279 Weber St. ll. Suite 20. Waterloo, Ontario N21 3H8. LETTERS POLICY WATERLOO CHRONICLE 219 wax: St. N, Suite 20 WW. Oman) N21 3H8 511886 2330 Fax. 519-8809”) www watedoochnmideia FAX “98859383 extiqrxiaf W‘umk‘k an EMA ll It‘s always interesting to see what values are reflected back to a community when it has a chance to see itself in a mirror. Kitchener-Waterloo will have that opportunity March 3, 8 p.m., as WNED-TV, the PBS affiliate out of Buffalo, holds the broadcast premiere of its Our Town series fea- turing the local community: The novelty of this program is that it is done from the perspective of local citizens. Sure the production is pol- ished up for broadcast, but the ideas, content and how it is presented came hom 20 local groups who had some- thing to say about this community. This is no public relations piece bent on selling the community, or a tool for the local economic develop- ment department. This is a group of our fellow citizens who have come together to tell the story of the area. and share why they think this is such a great place to live. The producers of the program were not only blown away by the response of the public to engage in that type of process. they were also impressed by the passion shown and the professionalism demonstrated by people from every walk of life. Even the enriched students from Centennial public school in Waterloo did a great job of expressing their pride in their community, and had a hard time hiding their enthusiasm for the subject matter. That's why for the first time ever this project will feature DVD extras filmed by these future leaders providing an even richer viewing experience for people who want to add it to their home viewing collections. While the broadcast explores the highways and the byways of the area, touching on the history, culture and activities that make it a vibrant community, the thing that stands out is the area's community spirit, Local citizens are infused with a spirit of innovation and co-operation that not only makes us a model for successful communities today - it also provides a blue- print for the future. Our Town VIEWPOINT Well. I survived my mile- stone 29th birthday this past weekend: _ Thank you to all the peo- ple who sent birthday wish- es, and to those who kindly reminded me that 29 is not really considered a mile- stone. In my world, it is, so we'll have to agree to dis- agree on that one. Saturday was the big day. In the morning I admired my stack of gifts, wondering what treasures were under- neath the colourful wrap- ping paper. At this point, I'm probably sounding more like a nine- year-old than a 29-year-old. but apparently I haven't got- ten over my unadulterated love of presents yet. And! would be lying ifl said I ever will. After a leisurely morning of sipping coffee, reading the paper and exercising (yes, I'm still on my routine), I had a shower. The doorbell rang soon after I got out. Normally, I would ignore it (as I do many of my phone calls thanks to caller ID), but I figured it was probably someone deliver- ing flowers. %ter all, it was my big day. Surely someone had sent me flowett; I threw on my robe and ran downstairs, my wet hair dripping the whole way, and swung open the door only to find a Heart and Stroke Foundation canvasser stand- ing on my doorstep. -She aime bearing pledge form s, not mews, Recognizing that I was in no condition to chat, she gave me a brochure and went on her way. I tossed it on my desk and went about my day, but something brought me back to it eventually I Actually, it 'was more like someone. I've done two stories on the Heart and Stroke Foun- dation this year, one of which is in this week's Chronicle. It's Heart Month - as many of you probably know - a time when volunteers go door to door collecting money for the organization. The last story] wrote revolved around aWtterioo man named Bob Bamford, who was diagnosed with heart disease a couple of The Conestoga College teacher is a fit mart. He exer- cises several times a week and eats right, But he Has a family histo- JENNIFER ORMSTON During our interview he told me that heart disease and stroke are the number 1 cause of death in Canada. I found that kind ofhard to believe, but an employee at the foundation confirmed the statistic for me. ry of heart disease. His story was scary beginning with a twinge in his chest and ending with surgery to repair five blocked arteries. And it could happen to anyone. His illness has affected his entire family - a message he wants to get out to the pub- lic. And it nearly cost him his life. So on my birthday, a day when my childish love of gifts resurfaces, I decided to do something for someone else. I got out my chequebook and made a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation - something it's not too late to do by calling 519-571- It wasnt a lot of money, _ but every bit makes a differ- ence, going towards funding four research teams at the University of Waterloo, as well as local health promo- tion, education and advoca- cy initiatives. After filling out the pledge form, I felt realty good about what I had done, even though I didn't get any flow- as that day. Maybe this is a sign I'm maturing with age? But that dotesnt mean you're off the hook for gifts next year,