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ill wmmmm mmmm wm mmmmm a4 tribune september 11 1985 outreach dear jim recently there have been several page 1 stories in the toron to star regarding the ever- increasing number of people depen dent on food banks and clothing de pots for survival for nearly three years many re sidents of the stouffville area have been supporting the ecumenical outreach committee in its effort to help the needy by contributing food clothing and money those who wish to join this prog ram may do so by buying an extra nonperishable food item and plac ing it in the special boxes at the a p and the iga ask the cashier for location or by leaving the food at christ church anglican sunset boulevard next to orchard park school monday to friday from 9 am to 12 noon clean mens clothing may also be left at the church limited quanti ties of fresh produce can be accepted and anyone who would like to contribute produce is asked to call 6404479 for information cash donations may be made to the deacon al fund box 339 stouffville and receipts for income tax will be issued upon request during the period june 1 to aug 31 1985 the sum of l140oo was distri buted from this fund some in toronto and some in whitchurch- stouffville ecumenical outreach committee town of whitchurchstouffville markhams heritage day linked the old with the new the tribune established 1888 dmas bruce annan patpappas jenni hutt aon editor publisher advertising manager distribution manager editorial dept chris shanahan kelly connelly display advertising dept lois wideman real estate classified advertising joan marshman distribution doreen deacon national sales representative metroland corporate sales 4931300 published every wednesday by metroland printing publishing distributing at 54 main st stouffville ont tel 6402100 single copies 50 subscriptions 1700 per year in canada 4750 elsewhere member of canadian community newspapers association ontario weekly newspaper association ontario press council and suburban newspaper of america second class mail registration number 0896 the stouffville tribune is one of the metroland group of suburban newspapers which includes the acton free press ajaxpickenng news advertiser the aurora banner brampton guardian the burlington post the burlington weekend post the etobicoke advertiserguardian the georgetown independent the milton champion the mtssissauga news the newmarket era the willowdale mirror oakville beaver oakvile f beaver oshawawhitby this week oshawaavhitby this weekend the richmond hill liberal thor- nhili liberal the scarborough mirror the markham economist and sun and woodbridge liberal metroland printing publishing and distributing is a division of harlequin enterprises ltd r 6402100 6492292 roaming around an abused wife speaks out by jim thomas editorial our proudest project whitchurchstouffvilles recreation centre phase one of the town recrea tion complex will officially open thursday i ontario premier david peterson will do the honors i its a tremendous project one we can point to with pride yes we did it ourselves certainly there has been andwill be assistance from outside government sources but for the most part for a change weve accomplished something on our own hook without the usual handout from a private entrepreneur art latcham to iwhich wed become accustomed i the centre has had and still has its critics in a project of such size and cost this was to be expected certainly when kwe continue to debate such minor issues ras the relocation of downtown pedes trian traffic lights and the repainting of the bia fire hydrants the construction of a 23 million edifice such as a new rec centre was sure to ruffle a few feathers at this point we trust the agin- ers will bury their collective hatchets xat least on thursday evening and tcome out and see the result of this mag- ban smoking i atsdss for several years a situation at stouffville dist secondary school has jbeen a source of irritation to this news paper and many parents t at various times during the day a handful of students would congregate on the road puffing on cigarettes the group became known as the smokers circle while no major crime it made the school look bad citizens undoubtedly wondered who if anyone was in control in truth no one was in control for the jroad then was a public highway that has changed this section of ed- ward street is now school property and the principal has total jurisdiction over what goes on in this area i and it hasnt taken him long to exer cise his authority the smokers circle there is no more however this doesnt mean theres no more smoking at sdss the ring has simply drifted from one location to another the smokers will congregate on a trial basis to the north of the cafeteria outside the building but on i school property from a visual standpoint we applaud i move out of sight out of mind wc feel however the edict didnt go far enough wc contend there should be no smoking anywhere at stouffville high the habit is a definite health risk by allowing it the school is condoning it nificent town undertaking this is not just another hockey rink the facility will be the source of varied social and recreational activities some thing this municipality has needed for years the possibilities are endless and we have the confidence in the present parks and recreation department to predict ongoing programs that will cap ture the enthusiasm of all ages all is not finished not even in phase 1 in order to keep costs down to an accept able level council had to delay comple tion of certain items these will be finished as funds become available many groups and individuals are de serving of praise and appreciation space will not permit acknowledgement of all we wish to single out only two- former mayor eldred king and mem bers of the 19831985 whitchurch- stouffville council who actually put the show on the road and the whitchurch- stouffville coordinating committee through whose endeavors this dream has become a reality yes its a project we all can point to with pride display that pride at thurs days celebration itll be a night to re member did you beat your wife today many husbands will smile so will many wives wife abuse to them is not a problem for others thousands of others the question will prick their conscience they wont smile neither will their wives for them wife abuse is a prob lem although some husbands wont admit it its a problem in- whitchurch- stouffville unfortunately few wives talk about it its embarrassing humiliating they try to keep it quiet sweep it under the rug but not donna she wants the world to know what she endured and shes start ing right here in stouffville would you believe that in metro toron to there were 50000 reported wife beatings last year and probably just as many not reported maybe twice as many although donna has no statistics for our town shes not naive enough to be lieve quiet little stouffville is immune to this sort of thing and neither am i i know of cases and so does she her own story is devestating donna was sixteen when she met a man who by her own admission swept me off my feet two years later they were married at first the incidents seemed minor he would light his cigarette then touch the hot end of the match to her hand despite protests this continued he con sidered it a joke donna said about a year after the birth of their daughter now nine the abuse both verbal physical and sexual worsened on the ad vice of a neighbor donna made an appointment with a counsellor at the markham family life centre they both attended and it helped however six months later the situation deterio rated further i planned to kill myself to jumpoff a bridge donna said but she didnt in stead she prayed i was given the strength to continue she says for my daughters sake and eventually mine the straw that broke the camels back says donna was the evening she returned from work and observed a red welt on her daughters back question ing her husband about it he admitted hed kicked her that was too much they separated and are now divorced donna describes the past 3 v4 years as a struggle both financially and emo tionally she appreciates the support shes received from her church and her friends my faith in the almighty god in life itself has helped me through i now look forward to tomorrow and will face whatever it brings a little stronger and a little wiser while knowledge of wife abuse is more public today such acts of violence date back to 2500 bc donna explains women were considered chattels of their husbands and treated accor dingly for some this opinion still holds here are the facts marital status623of all abused women are legally married 242 are living commonlaw the re mainder are single separated or di vorced fiftyfive percent of their hus bands are steadily employed 34 have a criminal record 50 were themselves beaten as children eighty percent of all battered wives are beaten during pre gnancies middle class husbands are more prone to physical assault than the poor habitual wifebeaters are said to be doctors lawyers and business execu tives medical responsemany physi- amazing dear editor i was intrigued by the story con cerning the markham area girl struck by lightning while employed at a provincial camp site in north ern ontario the fact she survived is indeed a story for ripleys believe it or not the fact she survived with only a couple of burns and a shattered ear drum is even more amazing she is certainly the luckiest girl alive sincerely cecile harpur hemlock drive stouffville cians says donna characterize wife- battering as a psychic problem of the woman shes either given tranquilizers or is referred to a psychiatrist police responsealthough police can charge the husband with assault this often worsens rather than improves the situation donna explains the hus band becomes angry and resumes beat ing his wife when he returns also many police officers tend to side with the husband sharing the belief that a mans home is his jiastte this ieayesthe wife with feelings of isolation and helpless ness donna is highly critical of pornogra phy explicit photos and films she says leave some men with the idea that vio lence against women is normal and acceptable pornographic literature and movies have become more widely avail able in canada in recent years she points out sanctity of familymost social workers says donna are trained to re spect the sanctity of the family and en courage reconcilliation she agrees with this to a point my daughter kept me there i feared for her she said i kept hoping things would change these are traps into which wives fall theyre afraid of what may happen when they leave so they stay bandaid treatmentmost gov ernment assistance progrms are short- term says donna she calls it a paci fication ploy to gain the womens vote donna urges longterm housing pro jects retraining progrms subsidized daycare facilities improved marriage preparation and parenting courses dropin centres and family health cli nics if donna had the last eleven years of her life to live over shed undoubtedly do many things differently right now shes anxious to use past experiences to assist others facing similar problems members of organizations wishing to hear donnas story firsthand can con tact her at 6405765 abused wives in whitchurch- stouffville id like to think it isnt so but it is another tragedy in our time this is a scene typical of the annual quilt auction at black creek pioneer village the event organized by the mcnno- nitc community will be held sat sept 21 beginning at 1230 pm auctioneers arc arnold wotton foreground of bow- manvillc and frank bennett background of rr 1 union- villc the quilt auction usually raises in excess of 15000 with overall proceeds surpassing 30000 funds arc utilized by the mcnnonite central committee for world relief editors mail festival the autumn festival at black creek pioneer village isnt hosted by the mennonite community the festival itself was initiated almost 30 years ago the mcnnonites be came a part of it some time later a very important part the fact these people raise up to 35000 for world relief is almost unbelievable the sale of home made quilts alone brings in over 15000 through the tribune id like to emphasize the fact the festival is sat sept 21 id like it known too that the mcnnonite contribution is all volunteer those interested in quilts or merely attending a quilt auction should be on the grounds by 1230 pm the quilt sale is an education in itself next to markham fair its the most enjoyable fall event in the dis trict but your readers shouldnt take my word for it they should come and sec for themselves thousands do every year and they still keep coming back black creek pioneer village is lo cated on the southcast corner of jane street and stceles avenue sincerely arnold hunter rr 1 unionvllle mii