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14 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday April 21, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Be en garde for Battle of the Books pril is Battle of the Books month at the Oakville Public Library! This competition has encouraged team spirit, good sportsmanship and an excellent opportunity for public libraries to work with community schools to celebrate books and reading for over 20 years. Battles are held each year OPEN HOUSE SAT & SUN 2-4 1419 HARMSWORTH SQ A at the Central Library with a guest appearance by an author or illustrator to impart some light-hearted knowledge and creative inspiration on how they began their career. This year's guests are author, Marsha Skrypuch and illustrator/author, J.C. Mills. Skrypuch didn't learn how to read until she was in Grade 4 for the second time. When she National Volunteer Week is celebrated each year and during this very special week we acknowledge our appreciation to the volunteers who generously contribute their time and talents to support their community. Without question, volunteers at the Oakville Parent-Child Centre are a valued part of our organization. Our volunteers include parents, past and present, students and community members who assist us with fundraising and special events, maintenance of our toy library & our childrens' clothing store and much, much, more ! At the OPCC we have had the good fortune to have worked with an exceptional volunteer who has been a part of our team for the past 14 years! We first met Joanne Phillips when she participated in programs at the Centre with her 2 sons during their preschool years. The boys are now 14 and 17 and Joanne has continued to volunteer with us for the past 14 years. Joanne is a valued volunteer who takes on many daily tasks in the office but has excelled in her maintenance of our toy lending library. Cataloguing toys, replacing lost parts and following up on overdue items, helps OPCC to continue to provide our lending library to families in Oakville. Joanne also offers her time to represent the Centre in the community and is a wonderful ambassador who can share, first hand, her experiences as both a parent in programs and a volunteer. When asked why she continues to work with our Centre, Joanne responded "My 2 children attended programs at the Centre, so I feel like I am giving something back to the Centre as well as to the community. I really like the interactions with the families and the staff and I always feel appreciated". Thank you to Joanne and to all our volunteers for their commitment to the OPCC. The Centre is a registered charitable organization, that has provided programs and services for families since 1980. Our services are designed to support all families in their parenting role. We also offer early learning opportunities for children 0-6 years. WONDERFUL BLEND OF NEW & OLD $469,900/NORTH EAST OAKVILLE Modern 4 bedroom home on a spectacular lot. Hiking trails, shopping, great schools within walking distance. Finished basement, maple hardwood flooring, renovated kitchen, family room, fireplace, 4 baths. he John Servedio Team of Realty Experts and ... START PACKING!! 905-510-5055 WWW.JOHNSERVEDIO.COM Realty Enterprises Inc. Brokerage 905-855-2200 did, she chose the thickest book in the children's section of the Brantford Public Library: Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. It was a turning point in her life: she became a reading fanatic and promised herself she'd be a writer one day. Skrypuch began writing fiction in 1992, receiving over 100 rejections, but she kept at it and in 1994, her picture book, Silver Threads, was accepted for publication and she's been writing children's books ever since. Her works include: Aram's Choice, Kobzar's Children, Nobody's Child, Hope's War, Enough, The Hunger and The Best Gifts. J.C. (Judith Christine) Mills is primarily a self-taught illustrator. Her published author/illustrator work includes While the Bear Sleeps, Carew and The Goodfellow Chronicles. She began drawing and sculpting in her teens and in the early 1980s decided to pursue a full-time career as an artist. She's had several exhibitions in Canada and the U.S. Over the years, Mill's work has been included in several corporate and private collections including those of Bob Hope, Anne Murray, Reader's Digest, Edmonton Art Gallery, Shell Oil Canada, City of Toronto Art Collection, Toronto Board of Education and Canada Council for the Arts. Currently her work is displayed at Bronte Harbour Fine Arts in Oakville and in Kennebunkport, Maine. A total of 36 school teams will participate in the two-day event: 17 senior teams will compete on April 24 and 19 junior teams will compete on April 26. Junior teams consist of two students from each of Grades 3, 4, and 5; senior level teams have two students from each of Grades 6, 7, and 8. Both levels meet for one full day of round robin competition. The top two teams from each level go to the Grand Battle at Central Library May 6 at 7 p.m. Winners will go to the Regional Battle at Central Branch May 10. Best of luck to this year's teams! If you think your school has what it takes to compete next year, contact Ellen Murray at emurray@oakville.ca. The library To become involved with Rotary in Oakville and around the world visit our website: www.oakvillerotary.org For more information on programs, parenting and services offered by the Centre please contact us at 905-849-6366 or visit our website at www.op-cc.ca www.oakvillebeaver.com