We want to hear about the good news from the people of Chatham-Kent!
I’m talking about the small things that may have had a big impact on a person’s life, or even one that made a person’s day.
We at The Chatham Voice, in conjunction with the good folks behind Positivity Day in CK, are giving away chances to win $5,000 in cash and $5,000 in travel vouchers from Mainstreet Credit Union and Vellinga’s Travel.
All you have to do is send us a note, either in the mail or via e-mail to mary@chathamvoice.com, of your most positive experience in Chatham-Kent in the last year.
It could be something like a neighbour cutting your grass when you were under the weather, or a good Samaritan helping to get you out of a ditch on a snowy winter day, or even just someone assisting with a load of heavy groceries.
If you know the person’s name who helped you, we might enter both of you into the contest.
Further, if you are that good Samaritan, tell us what you did and why you did it.
Good deeds should be recognized, and no good deed is too big or too small to be considered.
They can be habit forming as well.
Chatham-Kent is filled with great folks doing great things, big and small, to help others.
For folks wanting to drop off their story or mail it to us, send it to The Chatham Voice, 71 Sass Rd., Unit 4, Chatham, ON, N7M 5J4. Please include contact information!
The contest closes at 5 p.m. Sept. 5 and the winners will be chosen the next day.
Community support appreciated
I didn’t have the opportunity to go into great detail last week in regard to the great help we received in our fundraising efforts for the Vandenbogaerde family.
No barbecue is complete without some key elements.
First up, you need a barbecue. I have my Big Green Egg. It’s great, but it is ceramic and isn’t portable. Other folks in the office have natural gas barbecues, which you can’t operate without the direct connection to a natural gas line. A couple had propane barbecues, but they weren’t big enough to handle the number of burgers and dogs we were cooking.
I put out a request for assistance on social media, and Sparky Leonard came to the rescue. He helped us secure a sweet grill from Victory Ford for the night. The Coleman unit was one long grill, powered by two propane tanks, and was perfect.
On that barbecue went burgers and ballpark franks, courtesy of Schinkels’ Gourmet Meats. John and the gang went above and beyond hooking us up.
Hot dogs and hamburgers need to go into buns. Thanks to the folks at Food 4 Less, we had those aplenty, along with the condiments to add some flavour, plus some tomatoes and onions to make the cookout complete.
A friend, who asks to remain anonymous, donated snacks as well.
The Real Canadian Superstore donated a gift card to help us purchase pop, ice and other items needed for the day’s festivities.
The barbecue was just one element of our open house/fundraiser. We also had door prizes and a fundraising raffle.
The Chatham Capitol Theatre, Auto Motion, McDonald’s, Soutwestern Ornamental Concrete, Riverview Gaming Center, Caldwell Brand Source, Lady Blackbird Boutique, Homegrown Health and Wellness, Battery Boy, Duke’s Harley-Davidson and the municipality’s economic development department all helped with donating prizes.
Some donated directly to the family. We thank the people at Canquest, Southwestern Ornamental Concrete, Hinnegan-Peseski Funeral Home and Programmed Insurance Brokers for doing just that.
I have to again mention the Mocha Cruisers Shriners Group for their amazing commitment of $1,000 to help with assisted devices for Ebony, and Nina Pisquem (Sweet Treats by Nina) who made the amazing and original Chatham Voice cookies to give to out.
Overall, the support made for a great evening, and a humbling one for us. I couldn’t believe how quickly people jumped to help.
And at the other end, it was again great to see so many people stop by to say hello and to take part in the fundraising.
Unicorn Jay did a great job behind the barbecue, helping to ensure no one went home hungry.
At The Chatham Voice, we consider each other family. And when we do things, it’s as a family, so it was no surprise to see the offspring of various members come out to assist us as well. Thanks Ivey Owchar, Brenna Corcoran, Matt Han and the entire Pisquem family.
