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6 stouffville suntribune thursday sept 2 2004 opinion publisher ian pr0udf00t telephone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonyrngcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial can we afford more funding for olympic athletes many canadians are upset by the t countrys relatively poor showing at the athens olympics a national disgrace it has been labelled even international olympic committee president jacques rogge got into the act this week he said push ing canada to spend more money on sport was very high on my agenda canada won 12 medals including three gold an average showing for our country we won 14 in sydney three years ago and 22 in atlanta in 1996 we are a much better winter olympics nation we ski play hockey and skate better than we swim and run everyone is now calling for an influx of cash into the nations sports systems opinions on where to spend it from the youngsters at the grassroots of the game to the medal contenders are out there assuming were all in favour from where should the money come this is a country struggling to get its act together on one of its major calling cards socialized health care should it be funding sports for the most healthy when it cant look after the very ill we ski play hockey and skate better than we swim and run where were the cries for athletic funding at election time funding of sport was not a major issue in fact we cant remember it being raised by any of the parties or lobby groups if there is a national will to produce gold medal swimmers and marathon runners fine we can give corporations larger tax breaks to encourage support of individual sports and athletes we can decide to build national and regional training centres and hire top- notch coaches we can pay national team members more so they dont have to take on multiple jobs to feed themselves we can build more facilities and write training manuals so the youngest of our future stars can be taught properly canada once competed at or near the top of the international swimming pool not anymore why two months from now people will be more worried about the state of our health care its been a perfect summer nice cool days and cold nights for sleeping and with the rain the garden is the best jn years its been the worst sum jjjj meri i only swamtwice 5s3 and have no tan letters to the editor not waiving parkview fees slap in face of local seniors re parkview must pay fees for new home aug 26 i am appalled to think our council has so lit tle regard for we seniors that we can be placed below the animal kingdown council waived some fees for the ontario spca headquarters but not for the new parkview home we are really hurt many of us are third generation residents who who have helped build this town into what it is today to get slapped in the face is deplorable parkview home has an excellent reputation all we need is help in financing a new building as the present one does not meet todays gov ernmentmandated standards i was a registered nurse with the victorian order of nurses i could write a book on the condition of other seniors facilities parkview home is superior and we seniors do not want to leave our surroundings to be placed in another community away from fami ly and friends council should see fit to give parkview some consideration it has set a precedent for our furry friends that should be extended to our seniors jeanbarkey stouffville the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the stouffville suntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 34 civic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a 7z5 email jmasonyrngcom downtown stouffville flowers brightened up summer next time you plan on taking a walk along main street in downtown stouffville i suggest you take your camera the displays of flowers are spectacular and perfume the air stroll down the flowerladen areas around the clock tower lions gazebo latcham gallery and train station many hands have worked hard to add beau ty to our town the flower vandals seem to have mended their ways water restrictions havent had to be enforced and unlike last year there hasnt been a power outage when all is said and done has it really been a bad summer barbara brass duncan stouffville suntribune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave 3rd floor stouffville ontario l4a 7z5 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website watvyorkregioncom email jmasonymgcom memberontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jim mason reporters joan ransberry hannelore volpe retail sales manager stevekane sales representative susan berry production manager pam nichols office manager vivian 0neil business manager robert lazurko advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gordpaolucci director of production john futhey managing director real estate mike rogerson sales manager new business development 8t distribution dawna andrews distribution manager barry black classified manager ann campbell general manager york region printing bob dean director marketing 8t partnerships debraweller shows manager yrng events management stacey allen off the top with jim mason little baden battles back with help fred and jo klein led their two young children through the crowded picnic grounds a magician was amazing youngsters under the late afternoon sunday sun service club members handed out prizes like summer santas burgers and dogs sizzled on the barbeys life hasnt always been carnivallike for fred a former stoiiffville resident and his family now of kitchener like a lot of ontario parents when their son baden was born 18 months ago we imagined him one day playing for the leafs and we anticipated lots of fun in our future baden now looks like a future brian mecabe but last year he was at deaths door on multiple occasions after being continually sick during his second and third months on the planet he was first diagnosed with leukemia a month later the kleins found out their ill little lad actually had wiskott aldridge syndrome an immune disorder often called the boy in the bubble illness we were devastated the only cure for baden was a bone marrow trans plant recalls fred another month later doctors put baden into isolation and the kleins were told to expect a stay at the hospital for sick children in toronto for six months its really overwhelming the thoughts that go through your mind will baden be ok will we find a bone marrow match intime what will we do with our daughter alison now four what will we do with our home how will we pay our bills fred said the coles notes version tells us it all worked out thanks in part to the hosts of sundays picnic in uxbridge the jennifer ashleigh foundation the brain child of national sports stores owner norm clements paid for two months of the kleins stay at ronald macdonald house in toronto the foundations mis sion is to assist chronically and seriously ill children and their families mr clements established the foun dation in 1990 in memory of his grand- daughter jennifer ashleigh clements who died at age six months from a degenerative muscular disease her younger sister danica died in infancy of the same illness two years later the clements girls family lived in stouffville two block from fred kleins family home small world eh better world jim mason is editor of the stouffville suntribune