Cheers & Jeers
JEERS: To the person or person’s responsible for stealing the Christmas lights at Alysha Toombs Memorial Park in Kensington. Alysha’s parents discovered a few days after the town’s Christmas parade that the purple Christmas lights on the shrubs in the park had been taken. Alysha was 15 when she was tragically killed in a car accident in 2008. The string of lights have sentimental value since they are the same ones that have been used since Alysha died. This holiday season is especially tough for families who have lost a child. Let’s hope someone realizes what they’ve done and have the decency to do the right thing and return the lights.
CHEERS: To Island hockey players Colby MacArthur, 18, and Zach Biggar, 16, for being part of the Canada East team that captured sliver medals at the World Junior A Challenge in Dawson Creek, B.C. In the gold medal game, Canada East lost 2-1 to Russia in overtime on Dec. 15. Now that the tournament is over, MacArthur and Biggar returned to the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals to continue the season. Congratulations Colby and Zach.
JEERS: To another heartbreaking act of robbery, this time to whoever broke into a Nova Scotia food bank and stole three turkeys, cases of beef jerky and candy. As reported in The Guardian on Friday, the thief or thieves broke a window, entered the Twelve Baskets Food Bank in Nictaux, N.S., and then made off with the food items. Now, the food bank has to repair the window, beef up security and replace the stolen items. This doesn’t include the court costs to the public if the suspects are caught. The math is simple –three turkeys feed three families. This is a senseless and selfish act. Rather than rob the food bank for food, all anyone had to do is ask for help.
CHEERS: To Canoe Cove’s Chrys Jenkins for once again fundraising for the Children’s Wish Foundation at his farmhouse Dec. 6-8. This is the ninth year he’s raised money for the organization by recreating the living nativity biblical scenes. The Children’s Wish Foundation does outstanding work to make wishes come true for children and teenagers who are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. This year Jenkins raised $10,100 in the three days, enough to grant a wish to a deserving Islander. It’s great to see the community come together for such a great cause.