Wellspring Chinguacousy strives for support in Caledon
By Jon Yaneff

Stan Cameron (center), chair of the Caledon Wellspring team, was flanked by his daughter Carly and wife Debbie as he presented $500 in donations from caledon residents to the Wellspring Foundation. Also on hand were Wellspring Chinguacousy volunteer Kathy Anderson, Mayor Marolyn Morrison, Brampton Councillor and Wellspring Foundation Chair Gael Miles, volunteers Gillian Smillie, Kathy Zammit, Pat Ogilvie and Judi Brinkert, regional manager for Halton-Peel Wellspring.

The sixth chapter of the cancer support centre Wellspring will be opening Wellspring Chinguacousy in Brampton (5 Inspiration Way) April 8 to provide social, emotional, psychological, spiritual and informational support in Brampton, Caledon and the surrounding areas.

It is a cooperative, freeof charge community facility with programs based on the needs of cancer patients and their caregivers. The closest existing locations are in Toronto (two facilities) and Oakville, which were about two-hour drives there and back. The other facilities are in Niagara and London.

There was a meeting at the Caledon council chambers last Thursday, aimed at anchoring support from the community. The chair of the Caledon Wellspring team, and Palgrave resident, Stan Cameron, brought $500 in cheques he received from the community, which was donated to Wellspring Chinguacousy representative and Brampton Councillor Gael Miles, who decided to bring the cancer support foundation to Brampton after recovering from cancer herself.

"We've been friends since teenagers and went to school together," Cameron commented. "When Gael got involved with Wellspring, she gave me call to try to get Caledon involved."

"Today we gave Gael $500 worth of cheques, which was the beginning of the donations from the Caledon community," he added. "That was simply from sending an e-mail to 12 of my friends explaining there would be a mini presentation to the community and it would be nice to give Wellspring Chinguacousy a community donation."

"The purpose of the meeting was really to make the Caledon community aware of the fact that Wellspring exists and the programs that are going to be offered," said Miles. "Since Wellspring is a not-for-profit organization, we really do need the support of the entire community to ensure we have enough volunteers and financial support to continue to offer the programs."

Wellspring Chinguacousy will have 45 leading-edge programs for men, women and children, including family support, healing energy, individual support, coping skills, a resource library, a child care area, as well as body mind spirit programs, which deal with techniques such as yoga, qi gong, tai chi and other relaxation and visualization methods.

The foundation will need 150 people to support the Caledon community, with volunteers including the front desk, peer support, energy practitioners (reiki, therapeutic touch) and drivers to bring some patients to and from the centre.

Cameron said they are asking service clubs for the opportunity to do presentations. Such a presentation is scheduled for the Palgrave Rotary Club in May.

The Brampton community has raised more than $1 million to support the foundation and they are confident their goal of $1.2 million as the centre's three-year operating fund will be reached before the grand opening.

Approximately $1.7 million in contributions of money and services have been received to support the development and construction of the Wellspring Chinguacousy centre. The building site was donated by Paradise and Arista Homes with Zancor Homes and the Cortellucci family kindly offering to build the 6,000 square foot centre at no cost to the community.

At a ground breaking ceremony last April, more than 80 contributors were recognized for donating money or services in excess of $1,000. The list contributors have grown since then.

There is also a draw for a 2008 Honda Civic Sedan donated by Classic Honda in Brampton to help raise money for the centre. The draw will be made at the Annual Evening of Hope at the North Bramalea United Church April 6 at 8 p.m.

"It certainly renews your faith when people rally behind this kind of a project, which is really all about a community caring about the people in the community at a time where they are most vulnerable," said Miles. "I do think Caledon will be receptive and step up to the plate and help."

Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison was also at the meeting and was on the board of directors for the Chinguacousy health services board that donated $700,000 to Wellspring.

"I sit at Regional council with Miles, so when she wanted to bring Wellspring forward she asked if I could help with the services board," said Morrision. "I said I'd be very happy because I think it's an absolutely worthwhile project and I think we're staring to get a real continuum of health in the community now."

There is also Hospice Caledon in the community, but Morrison thinks there's room in Caledon to support both organizations.

"Councilor Miles is like a dog with a bone," she said. "When she gets something in her head, she's going after it. She's fantastic and she will be continue to be successful with this project, just as Hospice Caledon will be as well."

When the centre is open, people will be able to drop by between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. almost every day. Programs will also be scheduled in the evenings.

Anyone interested on volunteering contact the regional director at Wellspring Halton-Peel, Judi Brinkert at (905) 792-6480 or email at judi@wellspring.ca. For additional information visit www.wellspring.ca