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Merry Christmas, Whitchurch- Stoufl‘ville Even in our well-heeled communities here in the burbs north of Toronto, unemâ€" ployment, poverty and hunger live among us. It’s not about fretting over dwindling xetilement investments and buying a use- less Christmas gift for the person who does have everything, all from the comfort of our $500,000 homes. For the knowledge that you are making yourrooimmunity a better place to live. It's about connecting, sharing and being human. For the warm feeling of doing the right thing. You should do heroic deeds for the sat- isfaction of helping others It’s a return io old times in our once small towns, where everyone looks out for one another. And it’s not just about cash, especially for those without money to give. You can give your time t6 the less fortu- natg, the_infi1_'m and the elderly. You should not give of yoinself for the pelspnal glory, a newspaper headline or a So are the service club members, stu- dent leaders, chunch parishioners and workplace leaders who head up drives to collect food, money, toys and clothing for our less-fortunate neighbours. We have heroes here at The bune and throughout the York Region Media Group, too. They are collecting for our Santa, Fund to give back to needy fami- lies across the region. lETTERS POLICY (Located in Churchill Community Church, on the N‘mth Line north of Aurora Road, the find bank is only open Tuesday mornings.) The people who donate money and food to the facility are heroes. And this in an affluent community in which many people don't even know there isafoodbank. Sadlyitisalltooneoessary even here. than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number. name and address. The Sun‘mhune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. Letters to the Editor. The Sun-Tubune 6290 Maui St. 5mm, GM LM K37 We see the effects ofa slumping econ- omy locally. The Whitchurch-Stouffville Food Bank saw record numbers of clients earlier this fall. Hundreds of jobs are being lost, send ing shock waves thmugh. our communi' ties, ecoqu and soaally. Some Of York Region’s largest employ- ers, including Magma Inteman'onal Inc. car parts plants, have announced they will close Small and large businesses have closed in our neighbourhoods We all should be. Noonehastotellyou oureoonomyis inatailspin. The Sun-Nbune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be lese Being a hero in our community lmason.yrm¢.com You can be a hero during this holiday Stoujfville Sun-Th'bune. Thursda); Dec. 11, 2008 Editorial INTERACTIVE MEDIA Marketing 3. Advertising Manager Dawna Andrews dandmvsfi'vrmg mm jmasonQymgmm EnrmmAL Editor lim Mason As a voter, I am disgusted with the thought of a coalition of parties telling me who will govern my We have also set up a few more locations where people can donate: Stoufl‘ville Florist and Fame Salon and Spa as well as the Lebovic Leisure Centre. My trusty elves, Phil Bannon and Mr. Anonymous, and I still have work to do. We’ll keep you posted. LORETTA LAVELL STOUFFVILI.E Disgusted by coaltion However, on Saturday came the Stouffville Kinsmen Santa Claus Parade with the firefighters accepting donations along the parade route. We went back to the fire hall and a grand total of $1, 594.87 was raised. I am so proud of your generos- ity, Stouflville, proud that we can let the troops and their families know that our town cares. People were stopping me on the street and handing me money. Even my dental appointment turned into a donation for the cause. On Friday, my joy turned to tears when I heard about three more soldiers being killed in Afghani- stan. My thoughts immediately went to the fami- lies who have someone serving over there and I felt so helpless. As we headed into last weekend, I was higher than a kite with all the great feedback and generous donations. Stouffville shows troops it cares It is hard to put into words the mixed feelings I have regarding Stouffviile's Koffee in Kandahar project. wow! CHRISTMAsj/ Classified Manager Bonnie Rondeau Retail Manager Dianne Mahoney bmndeaua’yrmg. mm ADVERTISING 'Si'f‘imi'iTribune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot Letters to the Editor 6290 Main St. StoufMlle, ON. MA 167 www.yofluegion.oom Special Events Manager Pam Burgess phu rgessfl’ynfigcom PRODUCTION Team Leader Although we aren’t in favour of any government bailout for the automakers, this was bad PR for our elected members. What a surprise to éee both our federal Member of Parliament and our provincial member n'ding in European-made cars! ‘ We attended the Markham Santa Claus parade Noy. .?.9 with our family. They should be brought forward as a Coalition Party and the Conservative Party, not three individu- al parties. I then have a choice, and whomever wins will have the legal and moral right to govern. Not this abomination thaf has Been brought forward. Foreign wheels faux pas country. They have not been given the right by the Canadian people to govern. I demand that we go to an election and let me decide whom I want to govern. b What do you think of these issues or others? ,-mail letters to the editor to jmason@yrmg.com “II-d HAVE YOUR SAY, WHHCHUBBH-STDUFFVILLE Art r! "I III. Arno Ho Emma m Cum Debora Kelly ‘lassifiod: l-800-743- 3353 Fax DON 8: JOANNE CAMERON S’I‘()UFFVH.I.I€ DISTRIBUTION 905-640-261 2 ADVERTISING 905-640â€"26 l 2 EDITORIAL 905-640~2612 x: 905-640-8778 905-640-8778 A. ADAMS STOUFFVILLE A York Region Media Group community newxpapcr The Sun-Tribune. published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York RegiOn Newspaper Group includes The Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thornhill. Vaughan Citizen, The Era-Banner (Newmarket/Aurorai. Markham Economist Sun. Georgina AdvocateYork Region Business Times. North of the City. yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. I had the heat blasting, but it was the good doctor who was basking. He had to be from so many people who called him by name all along the route. 'I‘hey thanked him for keeping them healthy. delivering their kids or themselves. No one could rain on his parade. 0r ours. lim Mason is editor of The Sunâ€" Tribune. I get the privilege of chauffeuring our Sun-Tribune citizen of the year on parade day. Dr. Don Petrie sat out back atop the Mustang ragtop provided by Houston Ford Saturday. The crowds grow each year, especially downtown (fnee hot drinks and hotdogs may have helped) and near Tenth Line. People, being people, always enter floats the night before. People aren’t supâ€" posed to drive into the Cam Fella sub- division where marshalling and judging take place. But people do, often going the wrong way. People aren't supposed to tailgate like it’s an NFL game, but, judging by the coolers and empties along Main Street, they do. If you’ve never taken part in the parade, do it. Sure, you don’t get to see most of the other 50â€"something entries, but you do see this community at its best, weather aside. A tip of Santa's hat to the Kinsmen. Running this event cannot be easy, espe- cially with the club’s small roster. Rip up the last couple of blocks of the route for reconstruction? No sweat. Shorten the route to an even more man- ageable length? Done. But nothing, it seems, can wreck our parade. On the first Saturday in Decem- ber, the weather is as predictable as the TSX Torrential rain, blinding snow, hard winds or tropical sun. It's a crap shoot, folks. Welcome to Canada. It’s probably just a bad dream. But, when I think of the Stouffville Kinsmen Santa Claus Parade, I get visions of Animal House, the John Belushi clas- sic from the 19705. It’s that last scene, where the bad boys from Faber College sabotage the small town's homecoming parade that sticks. Nothing could rain on our parade, or the doctor {Sim-Tribune with ]im Mason Off The Top