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April 12 to 18 is a special week devoted to saluting g those who donate their time and energy to their fel- low citizens -â€" our volunteers. ! National Volunteer Week raises awareness of the vital Fcontribution volunteers make to communities and the country. ; Milton’s volunteers serve on boards and committees, : mentor peers, organize cultural and recreational ac- tivities, support the elderly, provide shelter, counsel youth, clean parks, coach teams, read to children, and so much more. National Volunteer Week was first proclaimed in 1943. in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, Wom- en’s Voluntary Services organized special events to draw the public’s attention to the vital contribution women were making to the war effort on the home front. In the late 19605, the idea of a designated week to honour volunteers was revived and the focus was broadened to include all community volunteers. Mth local community organizations taking the lead, National Volunteer Week promotions and celebra- tions continue to grow, and for good reason. Findings from the most comprehensive study on giving and volunteering (2013 General Social Survey â€" Giving, Volunteering and Participating) reveal that Canadians continue to be generous by volunteering close to two billion hours in 2013. Volunteering those hours were 12.7 million Canadi- ans, according to the survey. Volunteers do the work they do because they believe in causes, equal opportunities, clean, healthy and safe community spaces, active living and helping others. Simply put, volunteers strengthen our community. For example, what would Halton Healthcare do with- out the 288 adult, student and youth volunteers sup- porting more than 30 services offered by Milton Dis- trict Hospital? "This year's theme, ’Volunteers â€" A Work of Heart; describes perfectly the contribution the volunteers make," Sharon Norris, vice-president, human resourc- es planning and organizational development, said in a media release. "They truly are the heart of our organization.” No doubt the same can be said for the countless volunteers who serve local charities, service clubs, schools and sports groups in this town. Volunteers aspire to make life better for others and we honour them for doing so. inion We salute our volunteers, who give gift of their time I had a Raptor Encounter on Sunday. Up close and personal, I met barn owl Shad- ow and a host of other birds of prey at Mounts- berg Conserva- tion Area, home of the Raptor Centre. Karen Mlcell The experience Managing Editor â€" which was a birthday gift from my best friend Kim Chandler, her husband Mike and their daughter Kayla, all of Hamilton â€"â€" is a program of Conservation Halton (CH). As described on the CH website, partici- pants in the Raptor Encounter (a fee ap- plies) get a personal introduction to ea- gles, hawks, owls and falcons, and enjoy a private 45-minute presentation led by expert Raptor Centre staff. Talk about nosetobeak expen'ence The Robertson Lime Company was a large and successful company that built three 50-foot high natural draft lime kilns in the late 1870’s. A tramway was used to carry the limestone to the kiln entrances. The quarried limestone rock supplied building stone and the lime produced was used in mortar. This 1920 photo of Frank Newell was taken south of the railway tracks off Kelso Road on land owned by D. Robertson showing the workers cottages provided by the company. Working at the lime kilns was dangerous and unpleasant work and like similar industries of the time, many of its employees were new immigrants. The Italian immigrants who came to the Milton Heights/Peru area in the early 19005 initially started working at these kilns and living together in the area. ' Heritage Matters â€"- Submitted by Heritage Milton and Milton Historical Socicty Depending on raptor health and trainâ€" ing, participants might even get a peak at feeding, raptor care, training, socializa- tion, or even a behind-the-scenes tour of centre facilities. Best of all, unlike CH’s other programs, the Raptor Encounter can provide participants with the oppor- tunity to hold one of the centre’s native, non-releasable raptors. My friends and I were lucky to get both a facilities tour and the chance to hold Shadow, who was simply magnificent. Indeed our adventure was led by an ex- pert Bobby Bowen, Raptor Centre re- sour .1 interpreter, was very knowledge- able . 1d answered all of our questions. It was clear that the centre is a topâ€"notch facility, evident by the calibre of the staff and how well the birds are taken care of. I won’t give away any more about the Raptor Encounter. You'll have to experi- ence it for yourself. Karen Miceli can be reached at kmiceli@mil~ toncanadianchampion.com or on Twitter @ ChampionEditor. Advertising is accepted on the condition that. in the event of a mmphieel error, that portion of the advertislnfl space oecupledbytheerroneousitemeetherwlthareesoneble all0wance fur signature, will not be charged fer, but the balance of the oWertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. “A” twfgiiiiiif ' Champ‘fon 555 Industrial Drive, Milton, Ont L9T 5E1 bl .x 1 )MF.‘ 'AGON «if ahsidehaltonmm EH The Canadfian Champion. published 905-878-2341 QPC Rocoglndformolloncoby mummmuwm TheCamdlanGMmplonls apMIdMaspomorfor: every Thursday, Is a dMslon of Metmland Medla Group Ltd. fivertising Fax: 905-8 76â€"2364 f"~<sified: 905-875-3300 ‘ulation: 90‘ " 3947 Editor in Chief Jlll Davls, Halton Radon Director ofAdve. :3 Production Manager Circulation Director “a! Genen' Mav ManagingflEditor Ontario Pres Council WHWHWflk-fl GdaAwards Canadian Community Newspapers Association CCAB Audited Ontario Community Newspapevs Association of Americé mmmm my. sin Fund CANADA DAV Sell: 9 2"x"6' 1 20 '100 i533 , 2RD"): exercil new. 2893 for bral 3/16” @ Bx $95, 9 like I 3100‘ firm. E new (e ters. chair. for n for la; or 289-! shw WAVE 335, £ x 48. chine plain for ‘08 adju toot $20, 2 air 5‘ $100.