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tribune august 29 1990 easter seals benefit with help of local man kate gilderdale correspondent it would be hard to imagine anyone better suited to the posi tion of director of fundraising for easter seals than ed hakon- son the societys timmy in 1959 and an ardent supporter of their continuing work with physically disabled children born in 1949 and brought up ising goals and projects help society on leading edge of care rt r id at mm ip big mm in the stouffville areaj mr hakonson contracted polio when he was three months old between the ages of nine and 14 he underwent 13 operations to enable him to function with out a brace my parents had their own business and werent flush with money so easter seals helped them cover the costs he says expensive treatment he estimates the cost of his treatment at about 250000 it would be a little over 12 mil lion in todays dollars to understand how important the societys work is he says all you have to do is sit in a wheelchair and find your way around the community and i say that from experience i have a 22yearold brother who is in a wheelchair he has spina bifi da his own experience with the society was instrumental in his decision to become involved as an adult i always think that if you have the opportunity to progress and youve been given that break you have to stand up and be counted thats where my involvement started but perhaps the greatest influ ence on his decision was wrap per billy watson the former world wrestling champion whose work with handicapped children made him a household name shopping centre 5000 hwy 7 markham si loam orchards apples maple syrup honey and much more come and walk our miles of nature trails open this sat sept 1 open 105 tues through sun closed mon j 7300 3rd cone at siloam 1 km north of durham 8 8529418 join now save over 500 includes you beat the gst the tax 1r that begins on health club memberships as early as september 1 1990 you save 7 u you save over 35000 off your initiation fees hurry this discount ends august 31 1990 you get the rest of the summer free applies to annual membership fees pay for 12 months and get up to 2 months free july and august 1990 are your free months is 1st 50 new members get i beat the gst tshirts markham club markham the shape of fitness located in the markham suites hotel 8500 warden ave athwyt markham 4702400 squash courts swimming pool with licensed garden patio stateoftheart exercise gym unlimited fitness classes in our large aerobics studio with cushioned floor whirlpool wet dry saunas luxury private spa licensed lounge free grooming aids and use of hair dryers free towel service wellness nutrition services beautician services massage therapist plenty of free parking child care facilities whipper billy whipper billy died last febru ary but his compassion left a lasting impression on mr hakonson he had a saying follow your dream he recalls it was simple but it summed up what he stood for he was a tremendous humanitarian leg injuries whipper watson himself was run down by a drunken driver an accident which resulted in severe leg injuries but that didnt deter him from his cause as his commitment grew he became a director of the soci ety mr hakonson remembers being carried into a room at the royal york hotel by this gentle giant the year he was named timmy elected to the societys board of directors in 1988 and recent ly named director of fundrais ing mr hakonson has devised an innovative program called easterciser based on exercises and working out which will be launched this fall gyms and health clubs all over ontario will compete against each other via the cable television network he explains television auction corporate sponsorships pledges collected by members of competing clubs and a tele vision auction featuring health items donated by national spon sors through local outlets will all be part of the mix easterciser will not only serve as an important fundrais er but will also emphasize the importance and fun of partici- pating in various forms of exer cise the program is especially appropriate to the children it benefits he points out physically disabled children can be involved as part of their i therapy 10 million goal his own task as a volunteer on the board of directors is to over see the societys full time employees whose function is to raise funds my group advises them on how to do it and directs them mr hakonson says of easterciser which mr hakonson hopes will raise close to 10 million he says i do the easy part i just give them the parameters and the concepts and they have to do the rest other society fundraisers include snowaramaintroduced by whipper billy watson enve lope stickers and the telethon with more than 7000 handi capped youngsters seeking help the societys fund raising bud get for the year is 16385 mil lion the proceeds from the non profit organization go towards a wide range of needs including hospital costs rehabilitation education and summer camps many programs the easter seals society also assists related programs includ- ing downhill skiing and horse back riding for the disabled and the cystic fibrosis campaign on a community level they get considerable support from service clubs including the lions the kinsmen and the rotary clubs of various munici palities our local legion has always been a very strong backer of easter seals and they really are a tremendous group of people he stresses helen taylor and norm dunn have been great and if decisiveness dedica tion and hard work count for anything ed hakonson is sure ly the ideal person for the job he has been selected to do for the easter seals society if you need assistance or advice or would like to offer help to the ess call 4218377 27th annual faa september 6 7 8 1990 markham community centre hwys 7 48 times thursday 7 pm 10 pm admission adults 400 preteen children 150 preview sale dessert party friday 11 am 1 0pm admission adults 250 preteen children free saturday 11 am 5 pm admission adults 250 preteen children free sponsored by the markham lions club serving the community for fortyseven years mmmsiiisaifmiptj