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10 9 I C _ A group of senior citizens at [z the Adult Recreation, with & help from the City of Waterâ€" loo, is working to make Christmas merrier for 100 needy families in the commuâ€" nity. between yoga instructor Pat Carty and two of her of her students, Mary Pringle and Anne Noice. Pringle and Noice, both canâ€" cer survivors, talked to Carty about their healing journeys â€" journeys that included more than medical treatment. "We talked about the healing journey they had taken of getting in touch with more than traditional medicine, to which they certainly give a lot of credit," Carty says. *But they talked about the connecâ€" HopeSpring, which officially opened its doors last Thursday at the historic Kuntz House on King Street in Waterloo, will provide a number of services to cancer patients and their (amily member and friends, including resource material, peer counselling, referrals, structured proâ€" grams, and, if needed, a shoulder to lean The seed for HopeSpring was planted almost two years ago with a discussion An estimated 1,700 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in Waterloo Region. For most, if not all, of those 1,700 people, the diagnosis comes as traumatic blow. But a newlyâ€"opened centre in Waterloo will provide those cancer patients with the emotional support and medical informaâ€" tion they need. Through a *Star Tree" at _ the centre on King Street in Waterloo, older adults and _ Members of the their family members have _ tee members (¢ been purchasing toys for the _ Pearl Heimpel, I hampers, which will provide _ and June Germ: gifts for 290 local children. _ lected. The ham, As well, individual departâ€" ments at city hall have been sponsoring hampers As part of the City of Waterloo Christmas Hamper campaign, organizeps are asking local residents to bring nonâ€"perishable food For the past few months, a committee of 12 people and hundreds of volunteers at the centre and city hall have been collecting funds, toys and {food to put together 100 Chnstmas Hampers for distriâ€" bution to families in Waterâ€" loo HopeSpring offers care and | support for cancer patients . Senior citizens/city staff lend a hand to 100 needy families The joy of giving LIFESTVLES Chronicle Staff Members of the City of Waterloo Christmas Hamper Commitâ€" tee members (clockwise from top left) Maryann Halowaty, Pearl Heimpel, Hildegard Schlegel, Lena Weber, Alma Leeder, and June Germann, exhibit some of the toys they have colâ€" lected. The hampers will assist 100 needy Waterloo families. Carty, Pringle and Noice collected other volunteer board members along the way, such as Dr. Bill Bryant who is a support person with the Canadian Cancer Society, Dan Blasutti, who succumbed last month to cancer but not without seeing his dream for HopeSpring become a reality, and Carty‘s husband J. Michael Carty, a retired "Also, we wanted to offer programs that are unique â€" that aren‘t being offered anyâ€" where else for cancer patients, such as relaxation and stress reduction, journaling, music therapy, art therapy, yoga, and those types of things that will enhance the qualâ€" ity of life for all those involved." "Each cancer patients seems to have to go out and find their support system on their own," Carty says. "And so we thought we could pool our resources â€" have a central place where people could come and not keep reinventing the wheel each time they go around looking for what‘s available in the community. tion of a little more holistic treatmentâ€" body, mind and spirit â€" that helped them in their healing and getting beyond the fear and all the trauma that cancer brings to a cancer patient." After discussing where the women had gone in the community for various types of support and treatment, they concluded it would be wonderful if a facility in the community could provide those various services "under one roof." Waterloo ) Aiso, co provide (0od o Christmas Hamper Commitâ€" YOuchers in the hampers (for top left) Maryann Halowaty, _ fresh foods and meat), camâ€" gel, Lena Weber, Alma Leeder, _ P2igN organizers are in need me of the toys they have colâ€" _ of financial donations, Anyâ€" 100 needy Waterloo families. _ one wishing to make a tax deductible cash donation to the City of Waterloo Christmas Hamper Campaign can do so at the Adult Recreation Centre, corner of King and Allen Streets in For more information about HopeSpring and its programs, call the centre at 742. "People in our area have to go for a lot of their treatments in either London or Hamilâ€" ton or even Toronto. So they come home and, because the people giving them the treatments aren‘t here, they really are feeliftg a little abandoned and isolated," Carty says. "So.we can offer a place where they can come and have peer support from other cancer survivors who have been through it. Even if people want to come down and just have a cup of tea and talk about what‘s going on with someone who has been there, then that is very; very helpful." HopeSpring officially opened this week, and cancer patients and family members and friends of cancer patients are welcome to drop in to access resource material or to discuss concerns with the centre‘s volunâ€" teer oneâ€"onâ€"one peer counsellors. Hopeâ€" Spring‘s programs (including yoga instruction, stress reduction, art and music therapy, and group support) will be offered beginning in January, but those interested can gain information about, and register for, the programs now. "We gradually just began to collect peoâ€" ple who were interested as we needed them," Carty says. "And out of this we‘ve formed a board chartered accountant who is now chair man of HopeSprings board. For the remainder of the light display (through Jan. 6), visitors wanting to take a whirl on the children‘s train ride (Thursdays through Sundays at the Lions Lagoon) will be given the choice of donating a nonâ€" perishable food item instead of paying the $1.50 fee. items to Waterloo Park‘s Wonders of Winter light disâ€" play Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, the first two nights of the exhibit. There will be three drop off areas throughout the park for food donations. gm\s\\’;fis is ts i Y m# .Â¥ 2* Uplown a & Watercolour Art Exhibition Graystone Gallery 14 Princess St. E. Waterloo 746â€"6852 Show & sale continues to December 16, 1995 Farly Snowfall Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 5:00 | h * . Q“\s\mas LSET h $ ampuane E asth § by Waterloo Artist Professor Robert Myers Sunday December 3, 1995 1:00 to 4:30 P.M. The Mutual Group Artist in attendance Your overwhelming support insured the success of The Run! Image 12"xi(