Community that cares

by Shawn Lackie

In one of my previous missives, I talked about having crazy neighbours and ended the piece by mentioning we were fortunate to have neighbours like Ross and Debbie, who weren’t afraid to help out. That means a lot.

One of the big things about Port Perry has always been that the town is home to a great number of people who genuinely care. For the welfare of the community, the buildings, the environment and the people who inhabit the area. Take a look around at what people are willing to do.

A year and a half ago, I joined the group The 100 Men of Scugog. I wish I had done it sooner. The group, led by Tyler Renaud and Nick Semeniuk, meets once every three months and hears presentations from local charities seeking funding. And lord knows we have a lot of groups in need of funding these days. Start with food banks and work out from there.

There was a time many, many years ago when smaller communities rallied around causes and made things happen as a collective. Whether it involved building something or raising funds. Whatever was needed got done. In many areas, giving seemed to dry up. Except not around Scugog.

I have lived in a number of busy areas in the GTA for various reasons. Many years ago, I had the luxury of travelling around the province and seeing many of these small towns up close for a week at a time. That was an eye-opener. Every one I visited, I would compare to Port Perry. For a myriad of reasons. One of the main things I kept coming back to was the exceptional people of this area.

Check any recent publications, and you will see local businesses getting involved in community donations. The hospital has been on the receiving end of many a very handsome donation. Many local merchants set aside some of their well-earned dollars to support very worthy causes. Dana’s Goldsmithing, Mark Willes, McMurtry Law, to name just a few. Apologies to any that I left out here. Please get in touch, and I would be happy to follow up. There are also the Lions Club and the local Rotary chapter that stage fundraisers to benefit local causes.

The thing is, this isn’t something which has just been going on lately. I remember attending fundraisers 30 to 40 years ago for one cause or another. The Town Hall rebirth was a good example of that. And the old Post Office. I have yet to see or hear anyone say “No thanks” when there is a good chance to lend a helping hand. That is one of the things that makes this community a notch or two above many I have visited. They also help out in times of need, such as when a family has suffered a tragic setback. Offering time and whatever money they can raise to help out. There are many reasons why this little town has become somewhat of a lightning rod for people wanting to move here. One of the very good reasons is the local folks' appetite to help out.

Feel free to check out this story and more on my blog site at: https://slackie14.wixsite.com/buy-sell-and-more.