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A8--The Canadian Champion, Wednesday, September 10, 2008 -W. k rmfl cmu Slimming down to beef up youth centre funds t Weight lossfutndraiser to laid The Deck By Stephanie Hounseli CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF I fs no easy feat to shed 80 pounds. But tbat's just wbat Oliver Clarke, direcior of Tbe Deck youtb cen- tre, intends to do. ltUs slow going, but bie knows tbere's a lot nidtng on bis efforts. You sce, Clarke hopes to raise a wbopping $64.000 by dropping those pesky pounds, witb tbe money going toward staff salaries. The cballenge started recently and now ifs one pound ai a tiie. 'Every quarter, t need to lose 20 pounds," Clarke said. The fundraiser, titled 80/80/800, works like ibis: Clarke intends to lose 80 pounds between July 1 of tbis year and june 30, 2009. He's looking no lind 80 people wbo will sponsor hini for $10 per pound, for a total of $800 per sponsor. That would raise a grand total of $64,000. (orporate sponsors are being sought, as wetl as indivîduals - for wbom fuît. half and quarter sponsorshîps are avail- able. AIl donations will qualify for tax receipts. Tough go so far So far, Clarke is down 12 pounds from his oniginal weigbî of 288; hie said it's been partîcularly difficult tbrougbout vacation season. He bas some belp, thougb. Pur Healtb and Fitness bas donated a mem- bersbip and a personal tramner, wbile NRG Fuel Station bas contributed sup- plements. Tbe tried-and-true techniques of eat- ing bealtby and going to the gym will be Clarke's main strategies, bie said. And the encouragement of the students at The t Deck wilt no doubt spur bim on. î The unique idea for the fundraiser came sbortly after a conversation Clarke bad with a student in wbich bie encour- raged the teen to make bealtby cboices and quit smoking. The student tumned the tables and said bc'd quit smoking wben Clarke lost somne weigbt. "He was pretty blunt - pretty on-tar- get," Clarke said. The Deck, located at 200 Main St. E. (back entrance), provides a safe and fun place for teens to hang out through its dmop-mn program, offering a refuge [rom home and school pressures. Caring aduit volunteers act as men- tors and provide an opportunity for stu- dents to, explore life-related concerns and spiritual issues. The past year bias been encouraging, Clarke said, with new projects; betng mi- uated - sucb as the babies' roomn that teen momns or dads can use witb experi- enced parents who can give advice and tend a hand. Serving hundreds of youths Tbroughout this past scbool year, Tbe Deck bas worked witb an estimated 500 to 600 different students. About 365 of tbose came througb the dmop-mn pro- gram, while the others were as a result of various other endeavours încluding coacbing a soccer team at E.C. Drury and working in scbools, Clarke said. "We try and know ail the students' rinmes 50 that we can validate them as bumans wben tbey feel overlooked by others in their lives," Clarke said. But The Deck bas bad a bard time getting funding. Last year it applied for money from tbe United Way of Milton, but was rejected, Clarke said. it was tbe samne story witb the Town of Miltons Community Fund, Clarke said, to wbicb The Deck applied in 2005. Salaries, bie added, are difficult to, raise money for. Currently, the Deck bas two part-rime staffers and one summer student in addi- tion to Clarke's fulI-time position. He's hoping this most recent fundraiser - whicb will mun in addition to Tbe Deck's other fundraisers, like its golf toumnament - will go a long way For more information or to make a donation, visit wwwthedeckmilton.com or cati (905) 876-0368. Stephanie Hounsell can be reached at sthiessen@m)riltoncanadianciampion.com. M - - IG PE ETREATI I905-333-0333 www.escarpmefltpetretreat.ca 6449 Guelph Line, Burlington, ON GRAHAM 'AINE ICANADIAN CHAMPION MEASURING HIS PROGRESS: Oliver Clarke uses a tape measure ta track his ongoing weight loss. )ing away this fail? Plan your pet's retreat as well! F Hy 0 FREE 1 DAY 0F BASIC BOARDING WITH A BOOKING 0F 3 OR MORE DAYS WITH THIS COUPON Somne Conditions Apply Expires December 31, 2008