Foothills Lions Club Hosts Successful Interclub

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By Nancy Bolluck
The Foothills Lions Club (FLC) held their annual Interclub March 15th, 2011 with representatives from the Blackie, Nanton, Okotoks, 2 Calgary Clubs and several guests in attendance enjoying fun, food and friendship while raising money for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide program. Dog guides are bred and trained in Ontario then matched with people with vision or hearing impairments, those with special needs, epilepsy and now children with autism. To train these dogs cost the Lions and other donors between $4,000 and $12,000 each, however the help and joy these animals bring to their human partners is immeasurable.
Following the dinner the Foothills Search and Rescue gave a very interesting presentation on their mission, objectives and training through a PowerPoint presentation and discussion. Often we take for granted the valuable service these volunteer men and women provide.

The evening closed with a silent auction in which the local businesses graciously donated items. With the help of these partners the FLC was able to raise over $1,400 to help with the Dog Guide project.

The Foothills Lions Club
“Serving Our Community”

We would like to thank the following businesses who donated to our silent auction:
Stirr!
Koop's
Bar T5
OK Tire
Bohemia
The Stop
Bali Bling
Royal Bank
Planet Auto
Pharmasave
Coyote Moon
ATB Financial
Foothills Pizza
Ralph's Liquor
The Firestarter
Bluerock Gallery
The Chuckwagon
Sweets & Blooms
Pop's Barbershop
Sandul's Pharmacy
Longview Jerky Shop
Priddis General Store
One on One Esthetics
Black Diamond Liquor
Black Diamond Gallery
Black Diamond Bakery
Hayden's Machine Shop
Ian Tyson's Navaho Mug
Marv's Classic Soda Shop
Pegasis Spirit of the Earth
Diamond Valley Vision Care
AG Foods/Country Food Mart
Turner Inn Family Restaurant
Eastern Slopes Veterinary Clinic
Diamond Valley Veterinary Clinic

Chicken Soup for the Soul - My Dog’s Life....

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Okotoks Woman’s Story Pulls at the Heartstrings!

When Connie and Jamie Greenshields agreed to take a guide dog puppy into their Okotoks home for a year and a half they had no idea how incredibly difficult their job would be... or how heartbreaking and rewarding at the same time. Now Connie's story about Dudley is about to be shared with the world via the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul - My Dog's Life - available in bookstores mid April.

The Greenshields, like many families, wanted to teach their children about the importance of giving back to their community. When they heard Alberta Guide Dog Services, a local charity, needed volunteer puppy raisers, they willingly opened their home - and their hearts.
 

Dudley came to them at eight weeks old, a Golden Retriever puppy with gentle eyes and impossibly soft fur. From the very beginning he was a challenge. “He could grab something and eat it, no matter how much you watched him," says Connie. He devoured children's socks, pebbles and even a bottle cap when he was very young. Dudley survived the resulting-surgery to remove the cap and started to thrive...quickly becoming an important part of their family. Everyone loved him - even their own dog Bogey.
 

Connie's story describes their growing pride in their puppy as Dudley finally mastered basic commands and the tears that came when he went off to college to become a guide dog. “Letting him go was the hardest thing I've ever had to do,” says Connie. “And yet we know this was the ultimate gift to someone who really needed him.” Today Dudley is a guide dog, giving independence to a blind man living on Vancouver Island.
 

Dudley's story in Chicken Soup is a “must-read" for anyone who loves dogs. Connie, who still volunteers as a puppy sitter for Alberta Guide Dogs, also receives a cheque for her story. To nobody's surprise, she's donating it back to support future guide puppies.

ATB Supports DVB&GC

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 In support of the Diamond Valley Boys and Girls club, Cindy Boldt with ATB Investor Services, Joyce Ostroski and Marlene Ryks of ATB Financial recently hosted a seminar and invited local small business owners to attend. Participation from the community business owners was excellent and ATB would like to thank them for attending. An organizational expert was brought in to provide the business owners with ideas that would be easy to implement immediately. Some wonderful tips were passed along.

As a result of this effort, ATB is proud to be able to contribute $325.00 to the Diamond Valley Boys and Girls Club.

Sheep River Health Trust - Purple Day

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 March 26th marked the 3rd Annual Purple Day, supporting epilepsy around the world campaign.
Epilepsy is a condition of the central nervous system, characterized by the tendency to have seizures. The term epilepsy covers a wide variety of disturbances in consciousness, ranging from mild sensations or interruptions in normal thought, feeling or behavior, which are barely noticeable, to the more severe convulsive seizure. Approximately 2% of the population has epilepsy. Anyone at any age can get epilepsy, although most cases are diagnosed early in life. As the baby boomers age, more seniors will be affected by epilepsy as a result of strokes, tumors and other conditions associated with aging.

Okotoks resident, Kim Karran was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15 and used to suffer from 16 to 20 seizures per month until she had the Vegas Nerve Stimulator installed in her chest. Being a “guinea pig” for the newest tool to treat epilepsy, Kim now suffers from 5 to 9 grand mal seizures per month.

Recently, Kim had a grand mal seizure that caused her to bang her head off the bathtub and bite through her lip. When she awoke on the bathroom floor, she was covered in blood. “The bathroom is the most dangerous place and the worst place for a person to have a seizure. I am scared going into the bathroom and never lock the door which ensures that help can come in if something goes wrong”, said Kim Karran.

Kim is motivated and passionate about volunteering with the Epilepsy Association to raise awareness and get people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel myths and inform those with seizures that they are not alone. Kim and others in the community could be seen wearing Purple on Saturday to show support for those who battle epilepsy on a daily basis that there is hope. For more information check out this website:
http://www.epilepsycalgary.com/information/general.php.

Gardens Galore by Karen Brewka

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 Spring Lists bring Summer Bliss, Part 1
 
Around here, the easiest way to get great summer colour from flowers is by growing them in containers. Now is the time to start planning our container gardens. I always make plans and lists and then, once I start shopping for my plants, I get sidetracked by something new or something on sale. But the planning is fun anyway.

Summer flower containers are great on decks, stairs, by doorways, along driveways and even tucked into shrub and perennial beds. Larger containers can take larger plants and won't need as much watering, but they can be heavy. Smaller containers need more watering but can be very versatile when grouped in floral displays.

Most flowers are going to need 10 – 12 inches of growing medium to last the season. Width is more important than depth as many roots are going to grow sideways as well as down. Large containers can be partly filled with woodchips or other material before adding the growing medium. This helps to reduce the weight. I use a soilless mix (3 parts peat moss, I part perlite, and 1 part vermiculite) for most of my containers. I add a bit of garden compost to the larger containers. Or you can purchase ready mixed container medium. A note about peat moss: it is hydrophobic. Once dried, it is very hard to re-wet. Dry peat moss is flammable. In the fall and winter, you can use your containers for seasonal displays but they should be moved away from doorways and stairs and, if not used, they should be emptied or covered to prevent them being used as an ashtray.

Anything can be used as a container but the flowers need drainage. An undrained decorative container can be used by putting some gravel or small rocks in the bottom and then putting a drained container inside the decorative container, perched on the gravel. Hanging baskets need to be anchored with enough hardware to support the weight, even in the wind.

Next article, we'll talk about placement, size and colour, and choosing plants. Some questions to ask yourself about the locations you might want to use for containers:
    How much sun exposure each day?
    How much wind exposure?
    Does my hose reach this location?

There are lots of books and magazines in the library to provide inspiration. Plant catalogs and internet sites on container gardens can be helpful.

The Valley Neighbors Garden Club meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm. For information call Susan at 403 – 933 – 7675.

The Horticultural Club meets every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm. For information call Sheila at 403 – 931 – 3989.

Diamond Valley Business Expo

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By Todd Curran
With over 600 licensed businesses in Turner Valley and Black Diamond, the Diamond Valley Chamber of Commerce shone a spotlight on the area's skilled artisans, professionals and businesses by hosting the Diamond Valley Business Expo on March 18th and 19th.

With the support of the towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley and an enthusiastic group of individuals called the Diamond Valley Economic Partnership, the Diamond Valley Business Expo became an instant hit with consumers and business owners alike.
 

After setting up on Friday evening at the Flare & Derrick in Turner Valley, registered businesses got to meet, mingle and network over hors d'oeuvres and refreshments. A presentation emphasizing the importance of collaboration, joint initiatives, partnerships and mutual support was then given.
 

From 10:00am to 4:00pm on the Saturday, the public visited 40 local business booths to discover new products and solutions for installing solar panels, avoiding renovation pitfalls, finding grief management support and hundreds more. The 24 presentations in the new Sheep River Library and dozens of gift packages were also crowd-pleasers. “We had a great turnout and received a lot of positive feedback,” says Diamond Valley and District Chamber of Commerce president Clayton Foster.
 

With the success of this first Expo, the Chamber is aiming to make it an annual event. “It went really well,” Clayton says. “The public was happy to discover businesses in the area that they weren't aware of, which made the Expo really effective for the vendors. We've already got new people interested in participating next year.”
 

For more information on the Diamond Valley Chamber of Commerce visit www.diamondvalleychamber.com. 

MRAS - New "Farm To Table" Initiative

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Developing bridges between local farmers and food-conscious consumers will be the goal of a new "Farm To Table" initiative sponsored by the Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society.

"Our Agricultural Society, particularly through our famous Millarville Farmer's Market, is uniquely positioned to establish closer 'farm to table' connections between our local area farmers and those regional consumers who would like to know first-hand where the food they eat is coming from," says Hugo Bonjean, best-selling author, local resident and Vice-President of the Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society (MRAS).

"We will be looking to promote awareness about local sustainable agriculture, solicit contacts from consumers who are interested in the direct purchase of their food from farms and hope to promote direct sales to our area restaurants and food artisans, starting with our own Farmers Market food concession."

"We think sustained awareness and support through a new MRAS "Farm To Table" committee will lead to more farmers in the area being able to make a living from agriculture," added Mr. Bonjean.

A March 25th launch of Mr. Bonjean's book, A People's Power, doubled as a fundraiser for the new Farm to Table committee, with food and talent being donated for the cause.

For more information on the new Farm To Table initiative at MRAS, please contact Hugo Bonjean at 403-933-3913 or e-mail hb@hugobonjean.com.

Turner Valley School News

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Student Reviews

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
It was a cold dark night when Harry was sitting on his wooden bed listening to the suspicious sounds coming from his cupboards. In fact Harry was so curious that he walked over to his cupboards and SWUNG them open and an odd creature pounced out!

Harry was even more suspicious now because the creature kept on repeating do not go to Hogwarts over and over again. But Harry could not stay because his friend Ron was floating outside in his sky blue car.
Harry ran towards the car and sprinted inside and they drove off into the darkness.

I really liked this book because it's very magical and there are disappointments around every corner. I also liked this book because the author has such a creative mind and excellent description.

I would recommend this book for ages 10 to 14. So go ahead and find out what will happen next in the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

By Shae

Grown Ups
This is a movie rated PG-13. The problem of the movie is that his two sons are video game geeks and his high school team coach passed away. He went out to the lake house with his old high school basketball teammates.

They were all out at the lake house when they found a rope tied to a tree beside the lake. The kids didn't know what it was for. When the guy explained it they made him go first. When he was out far enough he forgot to let go! When he came back he hit the bird out of the tree and landed on it. They were worried about the bird he landed on.

My personal preference on this movie is that it is a hilarious comedy. You can watch it over and over again and you will still laugh. The reason it is a great movie is that the characters just act so funny.

Grown Ups is an outstanding movie. I really think this is the best movie I have ever seen. I would recommend this movie for anyone in grade 4 to grade 6.

By Justin

My Trip to Panorama
When I went to Panorama we stayed in a hotel with a window and three beds. It took one hour to unload our things. I only had one suitcase. My mom had two. That's a lot!!!!!

When we were all unloaded we went to the pool. There were two pools, one freezing, one burning. I had to keep switching pools because none were just right. I was really tired after switching so many times. After we swam Kyra, Keydra and I ate KD. My mom had salad. Yummy!

I really liked that there was more than one pool so I could switch. I loved the food it was delicious. My family really liked the ski lift. I was really scared at first. I loved the hotel rooms. They were huge! They rocked! I felt rich when I saw the hotel rooms!!!

This was my second favourite trip I've ever been on. It was so much fun! I think people ages one to fifty would like this trip. There is a lot of hotel space and rooms. I hope everybody in my class can go and have the chance to enjoy it.

By Kynlie

High Country Rockies Win Midget Tier 1 Championship

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What an unbelievable game hockey is.

The High Country Rockies Midget Tier 1 team have shown us what dedication and team sportsmanship is all about.

Right from the start of the season, families and fans have watched as this group of young men has grown together into this fast-paced Team. I say team with a capital 'T' because that is exactly what they have become. They play good, fast, skillful hockey.

They finished regular league play in first place with 30.5 points plus 3.5 points for sportsmanship for a total of 34 points after playing sixteen games and winning thirteen of them. They lost two, early on in the season and tied one.

Entering the seven series play-offs, with several members on the injury list, they played with determination.  In a challenging three game series they beat Hanna 4 to 3 in overtime at home, lost 4 to 2 in Hanna and then came out fighting for the banner in the final home game.

Synonymous with this area, Cow Bells and Bull Horns raised the roof at Oilfields Regional Arena as the home team shot to victory with a resounding 7 to 4 win.

Congratulations to Everyone Involved!