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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CtK's poor planning spoiled football win (This letter was sent to Christ the King Secondary School principal Nijole Vaitonis and a copy was made available for publication). Dear Ms. Vaitonis, Re: Lack of travel planning at senior football championship Nov. 15, Ivor Wynne Stadium Hamilton Congratulations to the Christ the King senior football team for winning the Division II championship at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton. I enjoyed attending this special game because my oldest son was playing for CtK and they were playing the Georgetown District High School Rebels, of which I was a team member during my high school days. There was a lot of anticipation fro this game at both schools. My youngest son purchased a ticket from CtK as soon as the tickets went on sale. The ticket included transportation and the entrance fee. However, I cannot congratulate CtK organizers and administrators of the travel arrangements for the students attending the game. With approximately two minutes to go in the third quarter an announcement was made: "All CtK students are to report to the buses and leave the stadium." The students and parents attending were absolutely floored to hear the entire school had to leave despite more than 25 per cent of the game had to be played. The Georgetown High student body were laughing and making fun of this idiotic turn of events. In my opinion, CtK administration looked foolish and like an unorganized group of incompetent amateurs. Suffice to say, the remainder of the game lacked the very enthusiastic and noisy CtK crowd and what became a quiet, somber event was far less than the team deserved. It is a shame the team could not revel in the glory with cheering fans at the end of the game. This was a once in a lifetime chance at this level of play for the majority of players on this team and you and your administration revealed a lack of foresight, planning and consideration. Yes, there were challenges for the bus schedule but there were several options to have the students there for the entire game and award ceremonies. As it turned out, my son missed his connecting bus back at the school and had to walk home even though the students were forced to leave early from the game. To CtK: Shame on you for allowing this to happen. I was embarrassed to support CtK at this event. A refund of the travel and admission fee, which I paid in good faith to allow my son to see the entire game, and an apology to the team and entire student body that attended the game is in order. Bruce Wenham, Georgetown Holiday shoppers reminded to be polite Dear editor, I was recently out shopping and observed a not-so-pleasant encounter between two shoppers. Life has become quite the hustle and bustle for a lot of us and even more so as the holiday season quickly approaches. I would like to remind everyone that we are all busy, all tight on time and all have places to be, but you need to remember to mind your manners and not to forgot common courtesies. Enjoy the spirit of the season, and while you're out shopping maybe you could pick up an item to donate to the food bank. Julie Morris, Georgetown volunteer committee who made it all possible and our friends and neighbours for their support. I would also like to thank MPP Ted Chudleigh for taking time out of his busy schedule to put in an appearance. Together we will find a cure. Theresa Van Fraassen, Acton Resident enjoys benefit of tree-lined street Dear editor, I would like to comment on how nice, and very important it is to have mature trees in our neighbourhood. Recently one morning, there was a rare opportunity to have a few moments by myself (we have a one-and-a-half year-old toddler) and I sat in front of our house. The street was quiet as it was before everyone went to work or school. The moment was serene. The more I sat there, the more I realized all of the birds that were flitting about from tree to tree. There were junkos, chickadees and blue jays, to name a few. They were singing and zipping around happily thanks to the trees in which they sought rest and shelter. My husband and I will be able to teach our son that the trees clean the air and give off oxygen as well as provide places for birds and animals to live. (I am sure he'll climb a few too!). We are in a neighbourhood with a variety of mature and well-established trees. How very fortunate with the number of trees being removed due to urban development. Tauni Sheldon, Acton Baha'i community thanks local MP Dear editor, In 1982 the United Nations General Assembly (including Canada, the United States and most of the nations in the world) proclaimed and published "The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief". Nov. 18, 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of this document. Its principles include the right to choose one's religion and the right of parents to raise their children according tot he religion of their choosing. As Canadians, we are extremely lucky to live in a peaceful country where human rights, and particularly the rights of minority religious and cultural communities, are respected. However, persecution of religious minorities is still common in many parts of the world. We Canadians, who come from all corners of the world, must always stand on guard for these essential freedoms. Recently, members of the Halton Hills Baha'i community met with MP Michael Chong in Fergus to highlight the anniversary of this UN declaration and to bring this fact to the attention of the members of the House of Parliament. The fact that our MP can take time to listen to the concerns of his constituents is a basic freedom that we should never take for granted. Thank you, Mr. Chong. Ed Weston, Secretary Halton Hills Baha'i community SMA fund-raising gala was a rousing success Dear editor, On Saturday, November 11, we hosted the Angel Gala for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Fundraiser at Glencairn Golf Club in Milton. It was a night to remember. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful community for being so helpful in our quest to find a cure for SMA. There were 220 guests in attendance, many of whom are friends and neighbours from the Halton area. Glencairn was a beautiful venue for our event and the staff did an outstanding job of taking care of such a large crowd. We had 190 silent auction items, many of which were donated by local Acton, Georgetown and Milton merchants. Thank you for your generosity in trying to help our cause. Professional live auctioneer, Ray Veeneman, donated his talents, raising $11,000 in 11 minutes. The winning bidders left with such items as black pearls, a diamond necklace, plasma television, a hot air balloon ride and more. After an electrifying speech by Louise Smith, who represented the charity Families of SMA Canada, the energy in the room was palpable. We raised $48,000 that night which goes directly to research to find a cure for SMA. I would like to thank my dedicated Christmas is also a day to celebrate Christ Dear editor, Christmas is just around the corner and people are busy buying gifts for family and friends, spending time together, putting up the Christmas tree, going to church, singing carols and going to school plays. But most of all this Christmas I pray we will remember that Christ was born on Christmas day. Pat Politi, Acton