The Growing Gap: a rally for people of all faiths to address poverty
Sunday, 15 January 2012 from 12:30-2:00 pm.
St. Paul's Cathedral, 472 Richmond Street (at Queens). Everyone welcome.
Refreshments 12:00-12:30 pm. www.stpaulscathedral.on.ca/growinggap

Interfaith Curling
in Ilderton Mondays @1:00 - 3:00pm. All welcome. Experience not necessary! A great time to get a little exercise, plus have some fun in a most social sport. Contact Noble C.

Scouting
Scout leader Alex Killby now sports his new uniform, part of today’s scouting renewal. The new duds are modern, loose-fitting and baggy while remaining functional and durable.

"Less than two weeks ago, I was camping on an island in a remote area in Northern Ontario. It was about a campfire, tent, fishing pole, canoe, clean air, clean water, peace and quiet, the noise, grit and traffic of the city forgotten.

How did I get from A to B? It's a journey that began nearly 50 years ago when I became a Beaver and, later, a Cub with Scouts Canada. In those early years the seeds were sown for a lifelong appreciation of the outdoors, survival and the environment. And, today, the Scouting movement in Canada is alive and well and undergoing a major renewal, including the introduction of new uniform this year that is undeniably modern with its loose-fitting, baggy style, yet still functional and durable. "It's an exciting time to rediscover Scouting," said Steve Kent, chief commissioner for Scouts Canada, sitting in an office in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, as Hurricane Maria bore down with heavy rain and high winds, school cancelled and people scrambling to prepare for the onslaught.

Since 1907, when Lt. Gen. Robert Baden-Powell started the Scouting movement, children and youth in Canada have been learning how to be prepared, survive and build a better world as contributors and leaders in society. "It's all about experiencing things you wouldn't normally experience in everyday life," Killby said. "Learning about things you wouldn't experience sitting in front of a video game or television." Killby has been involved in the Scout movement since he was four year old and now is leader of the 73rd troop in Byron. In those 17 years, Killby has seen a lot of change, from the lows of a movement that shrank to about 95,000 participants in the mid-1990s to the one today that includes girls and has grown to an estimated 125,000 across the country, somehow managing to compete with the growth of sports and other extracurricular activities, even in the face of the new technology that is delivering change as fast or faster than any hurricane can deliver. "Actually, technology is something that Scouting embraces," Killby said. "Just last week we were out in the park doing a 'geocache' hike learning to use a GPS to find a stash of goodies."

It costs about $175 to enrol a child in Scouts for a full year, a fraction of the cost of hockey and other sports for an activity that goes year-round. The new uniforms cost anywhere from $52 for a Beaver (age 5) to just over $100 for a Venture Scout (up to age 26). The guiding principles of the Scout movement are duty to "God, others and self" achieved by "learning by doing," teamwork, learning about nature and getting adult to become "self-reliant, supportive, responsible and committed person" who contributes to their community. "It's more about how we live out those principles and engage youth in our community," Killby said.

To register in Scouts is affordable for the average family, but Scouts Canada also has a "no one left behind" policy to assist low-income families. For special activities, such as camping trips and other outings that cost extra, each Scout group will hold fundraisers to offset the cost. A shy child growing up, Killby is now enrolled in a media studies at the University of Western Ontario and radio broadcasting at Fanshawe College. "I was so shy when I was a kid and Scouting has given me a high level of confidence and a desire for knowledge, but also a determination to improve and evolve as a person," Killby said.

For more information on the 73rd St. Anne's Scout Group, the 2010-11 section contact leaders are:
 
Beavers –
(Meet Mondays from 6:30 - 7:45PM in church hall)   
Steve Durstin - (519) 657-1371  steve@thedurstons.ca
             
Venturers and Rovers –
(Meet Mondays from 7-9PM in library)
(Venturers) Lynn Gunn - (519) 641-8463 lgunn70@rogers.com
(Venturers B) Don Bugden – (519) 473-5061 dhbugden@rogers.com
(Rovers) Shelley Pelisssero (519) 457-0600 shelley.pelissero@sympatico.ca
 
Scouts –
(Meet Wednesdays from 7-9:00 PM in church hall)
Don Carlson – (519) 471-5828 73rdlondon.don.carlson@gmail.com

Cubs –
(Meet Thursdays from 7-8:30PM in church hall)
Jason Matthews - (519) 473-4493 akela73cubs@rogers.com 
 
73rd Group Commissioner:
Gerry Lidington, (519) 657-7591 gerrylid@skynet.ca

St. Anne’s 73rd Scouts make headlines
London gets a spring cleaning Trash: Volunteers pick up nearly 3,000 bags of garbage
By PATRICK MALONEY THE LONDON FREE PRESS April 18, 2011 8:18am

A few snow flurries notwithstanding, London’s looking much cleaner and greener than
it did just a few days ago.Nearly 3,000 bags of litter were picked up during Saturday’s 16th annual London Clean & Green event that drew Londoners to roadsides and other public spaces across the city.“We’re very pleased,” city hall environment director Jay Stanford said, noting the cold weather kept even more trash from being collected.

“What’s equally positive is we’ve already got e-mails from people saying ‘We didn’t
get out (Saturday), when can we get out?’ The answer is, any time.” The city works
with several groups to run the annual post- winter clean-up: Joe Kool’s, Amway, Try
Recycling, London police, Pillar Nonprofit Network and the London- Middlesex
Housing Corp Groups need to tell the city where their bagged litter is being left, and it will be picked up. Stanford said Saturday’s 3,000 bags — filled with 18,000 kilograms of trash — were collected from 150 sites… A key focus for the event is Veterans Memorial Parkway, a highly visible gateway into London that takes a beating over the winter months. That’s where Coun. Bud Polhill, along with his son, Steve, and several volunteers spent Saturday morning picking up pop cans, bottles and other trash.“(The parkway) is probably the one that attracts the most attention and the one that needs the clean up the most,” Polhill said. “People were just getting fed up with the mess, especially the veterans. This (parkway) is to honour them — let’s not disgrace them.”The green-focused weekend continued on Sunday, when volunteers braved chilly weather to plant an expected 1,500 trees and wildlife shrubs along the Thames River.The Earth Day London event was held at Watson Street Park — on the east side of Wellington Rd. just south of the river — for the third straight year.

(accompanying photo) Gerry Lidington right, pulled one of the 20 garbage bags filled with litter collected out of the ditch on Veterans Memorial Parkway during Clean and Green day in London on Saturday April 16, 2011. Lidington who was volunteering with the 73rd Scouts London group joined other volunteers cleaning the east side ditch between Gore Road and Tartan Drive. Volunteers across the city were busy picking up litter, removing graffiti and planting trees during the annual cleanup day. (SUE REEVE/THE LONDON FREE PRESS)

Community Preparedness:
Tips for getting involved

Recent disasters around the world, and here in Canada, have demonstrated the importance of communities becoming prepared for emergencies of all types.
 
The goal of Emergency Preparedness Week, which runs from May 3-9, is to encourage Canadians to become more engaged in emergency preparedness activities, like the ones listed on www.EPweek.ca.
As a member of your community, here are some things you can do to get more involved:
•    Talk to your friends, family and co-workers about emergency preparedness. Develop the plans you need to make sure you are ready.
•    Volunteer to help your neighbours and co-workers get prepared, and consider volunteering for a local emergency organization.
•    Lead efforts in your community. Educate others by teaching them of the importance of emergency preparedness and by encouraging groups to coordinate their efforts.
•    Take stock of the emergency response agencies in your community. Ask them what they need and how you can help.

Remember, emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere.  Experience has shown that individual preparedness goes a long way towards communities being able to cope better – both during and after a major disaster. More information is available on the Emergency Preparedness at www.GetPrepared.ca.

A Resource Library for Diocesan Leaders
In February, a room in the undercroft of Huron Church House was converted into a Resource Library for Diocesan Leaders. The library presently houses approximately 3,000 books, journals, videos, tapes and other resource materials.
Items may be signed out for a period of up to four weeks. It is hoped that as diocesan leaders come to Huron House for meetings they will check out the available resources and use them for their ministries. The library is open to all members of the diocese.