Wishing all the athletes competing in Football (soccer) a warm Hamilton welcome, and hoping these Games bring a positive experience of sport, fellowship and community spirit to all who attend and participate. Thank you to the many volunteers who will help make the Games a success. Looking forward to taking in some of the action at the new stadium!
Tomorrow, Sunday July 13th, marks the 23rd annual CAPPY Ride to raise funds for the programs and services offered by the Community Child Abuse Council. At the moment, it looks entirely possible the ride will be a damp one. But the motorcycle community supporting this event comes out for the cause moreso than the ride itself. Yes, it’s a popular, police escorted scenic route and a tremendous show of 2-wheel (and sometimes more) camaraderie. But those who come out know
that the ride wouldn’t happen if we didn’t need to do more for children and youth who are sexually abused – more treatment, more education, more prevention. They know that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually victimized before reaching their 18th birthdays. And they know that too many youngsters, some as young as 3 years, wait far too long for trauma treatment after experiencing sexual abuse.
A tip of the hat to all those who ride for this important and worthwhile cause. And a shout out to the many amazing volunteers, sponsors, donors, and musicians who make the event such a tremendous success year after year.
Registration and breakfast start at 8:30 am at the Ancaster Fairgrounds. All are welcome.
For details, visit www.cappyride.ca
The buzz on the course at Hamilton Golf & Country Club today included the excitement surrounding the arrival of Open Champion, Ernie Els, who will compete this week in the RBC Canadian Open. But on a quiet corner of the course, early in the day, six generous supporters of the Community Child Abuse Council got a real treat when they joined PGA Tour Pro, Bo Van Pelt, for a private clinic. These donors paid to spend time with Bo, get tips on their short game, and putting advice, all to raise funds for the Council’s child abuse treatment, prevention, 
and education programs. Bo Van Pelt didn’t disappoint…he spent individual time with each of the six, provided valuable insights and tips, and shared his knowledge of the game openly. After the exclusive clinic, Bo joined the group for lunch in the RBC Clubhouse Suite and talked about all things golf…life on the tour, competing with the world’s best, juggling family life with career duties, and the quirks of tournament play. He’s a personable and generous man, and a bighearted supporter of the charities selected to partner with tournament stops on the PGA Tour. The hat he wears this week during competition will bear the logo of the Community Child Abuse Council, part of his ongoing support of the many causes embraced by professional golf and its sponsors.
This is an incredibly important week for the Council. Amid the helicopters delivering golf’s royalty onto the course and the media scrambling for the action shots, humble volunteers are engaging golf fans and community attendees in work that will prevail long after the tournament ends. Their efforts over the next several days will help to ensure the right help is there at the right time for children who turn to us for hope and healing after the pain and trauma of abuse. Every purple ribbon they sell, every person they speak with, and every moment they spend being ambassadors for this important cause will leave a lasting legacy that far outlasts the buzz on the course.
Thanks Bo, and good luck this week.
The 2012 RBC Canadian Open (July 23-29) will be an exciting week of golf, and also an unprecedented week of fundraising for this year’s Local Charity Partner, the Community Child Abuse Council. Recruitment is now underway to assemble a team of volunteers willing to help the Council on-site during the week of the tournament…all part of the Council’s Heart of the OPEN Campaign to raise funds in support of child abuse education, prevention, and treatment programs. Can you spare some time to help out that week? If so, please visit the Council’s web site (www.childabusecouncil.on.ca) and look for the green “Volunteers” button on the home page…that will link you to a volunteer portal where you can register and join the team. There will be shifts each day, from Monday to Sunday, requiring more than 200 volunteers in total. All the action takes place at the beautiful Hamilton Golf & Country Club (in Ancaster), where volunteers will have a chance to soak up the atmosphere at one of the world’s leading golf 
tournaments before/after their shifts. So, please consider coming out to help, and know that each moment you give to the Council as a volunteer will directly help to make sure vital services are available to abused children and youth when they need them. THANK YOU!
The Community Child Abuse Council’s Heart of the Open campaign kicked off officially today, beginning an unprecedented effort to raise funds in support of child abuse education, prevention, and treatment programs. Details about the campaign – and how you can help – are posted on the Council’s web site: www.childabusecouncil.on.ca.
In partnership with the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, the Council is selling “inside the ropes” experience packages, corporate hospitality packages, and group tickets that get golf fans up close and into the action for the RBC Canadian Open’s return to the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, July 23-29. The Council’s team of volunteers will also be on-site at the tournament selling reuseable water bottles and purple awareness ribbons. Proceeds from all campaign activities will support vital prevention, education and treatment programs for child and youth victims of abuse and trauma.
A sizeable lead-off gift from RBC will enable the Council to enhance its current programs and services, but our community has an opportunity to join with RBC and realize an even greater result by supporting the Council’s campaign. Children as young as 3 years of age are currently waiting several months for trauma treatment, and the education and prevention initiatives so crucial to fighting child abuse are in need of financial investment. Remember, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually victimized before reaching adulthood. Here in the Hamilton area, that translates into a significant
number whose lives are affected – shouldn’t we be able to help each and every one of them?
We may never see another opportunity like this one to respond as a community and invest in the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable members – please check out the many ways you can help to support the campaign, and help the Council in its efforts to create a community free of child abuse
.
I had the pleasure of presiding at the induction of two new Leaders for Kids today at a breakfast event hosted by students at Mohawk College. Leaders for Kids is an initiative of the Community Child Abuse Council, bringing together community leaders from all walks of life in support of the Council’s vision of a community free of child abuse. These are individuals who step up, speak out, and lend their support to the Council’s work with child and youth victims of sexual abuse and trauma. 
They go above and beyond, and are recognized as Leaders for Kids in appreciation of their commitment and contributions.
Today’s honourees were Laura Gainey and Vince Isber from RBC, who were both instrumental in the Council’s selection as Local Charity Partner for the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. They join a group of bighearted and generous friends to the Council, all tremendous partners who set an example for community involvement and leadership. Laura Gainey is the first Honourary Leader for Kids ever inducted into this group. In fact, the Council has never before included anyone from outside the Hamilton community. But Laura has embraced our work and supported our efforts in influential ways, and you would be hard-pressed to guess that she wasn’t a Hamiltonian if observing her commitment to local children. Vince Isber is an active and respected community booster, whose involvement with numerous community organizations and projects is admirable. Vince has stepped forward to support the Council in generous ways, and is coordinating the involvement of RBC employees from across this region in the Council’s Heart of the Open fundraising campaign.
These two Leaders for Kids exemplify what it means to get behind a cause and are demonstrating what is possible when leaders offer their talents and ideas to support an important community issue. Laura and Vince visited the Council several months ago, and showed a keen interest in its programs and services provided to abused children and youth. They asked thoughtful questions and followed up by taking action on the things they learned that were needed in order to meet the needs of more youngsters affected by the trauma of abuse. They deserve the honour they received today, and they join an impressive group of like-minded community members who are making a difference each and every day in the fight against child abuse. Congratulations Laura and Vince, and thank you to all our Leaders for Kids.
The eyes of the golfing world will be on Hamilton this July as the RBC Canadian Open returns to the Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
But the heart of the Open, this year, is linked to helping child and youth victims of sexual abuse and trauma here in our community. RBC has chosen the Community Child Abuse Council as the Local Charity Partner for the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, and committed a sizeable financial investment to help the organization in its mission – to reduce the incidence and impact of child abuse and to promote the safe and healthy development of children. This is truly a gift wrapped in hope, and represents a significant opportunity for this community to make great strides in its support of vulnerable and victimized youngsters. By supporting the Council in its partnership with the RBC Canadian Open, the Hamilton region has an unprecedented chance to turn an already generous donation from RBC into something bigger – and to see the legacy of the 2012 Canadian Open be a lasting one for local children’s mental health.
The Council is about to launch a fundraising drive – The Heart of the OPEN Campaign – to engage the support of the community and to involve Hamiltonians in this partnership with RBC and the Canadian Open. Some of the campaign’s activities are directly tied to the Open, including advance ticket sales, exclusive VIP and “inside the ropes” experience packages, and on-site sales. Limited edition hats will be sold in area RBC branches in the weeks leading up to the Open with proceeds going to the campaign. Other campaign efforts are bringing together some of RBC’s corporate clients, community leaders, and friends of the Council in a range of fundraising initiatives aimed at demonstrating that the Hamilton community can and will step up to support child abuse prevention, education, and treatment in partnership with RBC.
Campaign proceeds will help enhance treatment programs for child and youth victims of sexual abuse, expand parent support groups, and invest in proven prevention initiatives. The Community Child Abuse Council is unique in providing these specialized services in the Hamilton community, and continuously works to increase its capacity so that all children needing this help can receive it. A waiting list for treatment has been an ongoing challenge, with children as young as 3 years of age often waiting several months for clinical services. A robust campaign success will also enable the Council to secure a permanent home for its programs and services.
Statistics show that one in three girls and one in six boys is sexually victimized before reaching adulthood. In Hamilton, Chief Glenn De Caire of Hamilton Police Service has publicly referred to rising rates of sexual assaults against children and women, and child pornography, as “troubling” given otherwise declining rates of violent crime in the city. The trauma resulting from sexual victimization can have a lifelong and significant impact if not treated early and effectively. The scars of abuse can last decades and can impact generations.
The 2012 RBC Canadian Open will be held July 23-29 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club
An energetic campaign team comprised of volunteers from all corners of the community is now hard at work to ensure the success of this fundraising initiative. Their efforts, along with the generosity of RBC, bring much-needed attention to child maltreatment and a vital financial investment in the future of local children and youth. To find out more about The Heart of the OPEN Campaign, to volunteer, or to support the cause, watch the Council’s web site for details ( www.childabusecouncil.on.ca). If you’re a golfer, a golf fan, or know others who are, you can help make the excitement of the Open (July 23 – 29 last long after the trophy has been claimed and the crowds have dispersed…be part of the Open and please support the Council’s campaign and help to make sure the legacy left by the 2012 RBC Canadian Open is one that invests in children and youth well into the future. If we as a community can match RBC’s investment we can take huge strides that are long overdue. Thank you!
A shout out to all the brave souls who took part in any of the various “polar bear dip” events on
(Photo: Hamilton News)
January 1st to help raise funds for charitable causes. Not my own personal cup of iced tea, but an admirable feat nonetheless. From nearby Oakville’s big event to the smaller inaugural dip held this year to support the Community Child Abuse Council, these are social occasions as well as fundraising ventures. Costumes, props, and a beach full of supportive onlookers add to the festive atmosphere. A tip of the toque to all the volunteers, sponsors, participants, cheerleaders, and hot cocoa providers who make these chilly events happen. It takes a very warm heart to do such good from an icy dip in the lake. Happy New Year to all.
Summer’s official start is generally recognized to be June 21 (or, more specifically, the Summer Solstice). But for many of us, the “May 24” long weekend has traditionally heralded the arrival of the warmer weather and released us to once again enjoy outdoor living. Here’s hoping you are all making the best of this seasonal (and uniquely ours) celebration. As you stock up on charcoal, 
hose off the lawn chairs and otherwise prepare for summertime, however, take a moment to think about the season change from another perspective…
The network of community service providers whose programs and supports are vital to so many of our neighbours and fellow citizens approach the summer months with a different view than most of us: will there be enough food at the food banks to respond to the increase in demand that generally happens when school lets out? how can we best utilize the summer students who will be helping us? how many days of dangerously high temperatures are we in for and are we ready to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable? will our board volunteers meet over the summer? will enough donors remember us when our fundraising appeal comes during their summer vacation? how will the coming provincial election impact our ability to provide services? have we recruited enough replacements for our key volunteers who will be leaving for holidays?
The community engine that responds to human needs is ever running. There is no vacation for the safety net that is vitally essential to the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens. The ongoing activities that keep this engine running are often unseen but always imporant. Taking time to consider that as we plan our summers can only add to the strength of the response. As we take time out to enjoy the season, we may also be in a position to help make sure it’s a good summer for all. Worth thinking about.
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