AroundTOWN a” Our person for Our People Glen Freeman 365-7266 GRAB A Saturday, July 25, 1992 @ OurPEOPLE PEN, PAL Not too many Castlegar kids will ever get the chance to travel to Korea, but that doesn’t mean they have to be denied a cultural experience. Miss Park Myeong Shim, an English teacher at a large Seoul high school, would like her students to write to Canadians right here in Castlegar. She feels it would be beneficial to her kids English skills, and local folks could gain a better appreciation for the world. If you would like an oriental pen pal, write to Park Myeong Shim at CPO Box 3315, Seoul, 100-633, Korea. BIG MEETING The Little People of British Columbia Association is holding their 10th anniversary celebration this year in Richmond, B.C. from Aug 13 to Aug. 16.If you are under 4 feet 10 inches and would like more information on the conference, call Roger Stark at 432-7873. Growin g up too fast | says, “I want to learn. I’m tired Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER Forget about Archie comics and Barbie dolls. The comics have been replaced by childcare magazines. and_ dolls substituted for the real thing — a baby. At an age when many high school girls are of being out. I’m not expecting it to be real easy.” Plotnikoff is a friendly, soft- spoken young woman. And she manages to see some humor in her situation. “The people I used to babysit for are now babysitting for me,” Plotnikoff says. After completing high school, looking towards going to university or travel, some collect welfare and have a child. We call them teen moms. And the Kootenay Columbia Child Care Society has a program in Plotnikoff wants to study early childhood hopefully open her own day care for other teenage moms. education, and “Young women who get involved in these programs are highly motivated,” Conroy said. On-site education is one of the the works that will help these young women finish high school. “The society received notice of a grant from (the Federal Ministry of) Employment and Immigration for the Stay In School project,” KCCCS administrator Katrine Conroy said. The program is slated to begin Aug. 10, and will allow young mothers to keep their children in day care while the moms work Sixteen-y: The Casitegar teen mom p! News photo by Neil Rachynski ear-old Leana Plotnikoff feeds her three-month-old daughter Kyla. lans to finish her high school education in a new program with the Kootenay Columbia Child Care Society. main aspects of the program, and Conroy says it will be designed keeping in mind the mothers’ needs for flexibility. “The problem for young moms is that the school system is a very structured system,” Conroy said. “There will also be a support group,” Conroy added. “It’s a chance for the moms to get together and talk. It deals with real basic things and just lets them know they’re not alone.” Conroy also says information on basic life skills will be offered. It will help the women at finishing their high school diploma. “The unique aspect about our program is that young moms can access Hobbit Hill,” Conroy said. Hobbit Hill Children’s’ Centre looks after kids from three to five years old, while the KCCCS takes in children under three years. Leana Plotnikoff plans to take advantage of the program. The 16-year-old Castlegar youth has a three-month-old baby girl, Kyla. Plotnikoff dropped out of school when she turned 15 to go work as a waitress in Jasper. “I skipped (classes) all the time and they were going to kick me out anyway, so I quit,” Plotnikoff said. Since then she has decided to finish Grade 12, and says having the baby has really changed her outlook. “I don’t want to go on welfare,” Plotnikoff with day-to-day operations such as budgeting and nutrition. Aside from what she calls a few “teething pains,” Conroy expects the program to be well received. “«“We’ve had incredible community support,” Conroy said. “The need is there and the need is not going away.” “Some people don’t think I can do it because of the way I was in school,” Plotnikoff said. “I think they’re wrong. I’m determined.” @ Saturday, July 25, 1992 that is designed to assist paramedics and others in re- sponding to emergency calls, is: now available through pharmacies in Castlegar. Everybody agrees that, as a safety measure, it’s a great idea — an easy to find, easy to identify vial with all the per- tinent medical information when paramedics respond to an emergency call. It is considered especially useful for seniors and fami- lies with children and has the support of emergency re- sponse personnel and the British Columbia Pharmacy Association. The vial contains a bright red and white decal to be at- tached to one’s refrigerator door — right where every paramedic can see it. Attached to the top shelf, The Vial of Life, a device inside is the vial containing crucial medical information at a time when prompt and appropriate treatment may be critical. A new company has been formed to produce and mar- ket the Vial of Life and make it readily available. Each counter-top box con- tains two dozen vials, each with a medical form, the de- cal for the refrigerator door and the rubber band which attaches the vial to the top shelf of the refrigerator. Vial for Life’s President Bill Girard says their compa- ny is committed to saving lives. “For a minimal investment of money and time, people give themselves a decisive edge should they fall victim to a medical emergency in their home,” he said. Castlegar Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Some people are happy sitting in one little corner of the world. And some people, like 22- year-old Erin Finney, are not. “I graduated from the University of Victoria with a double major in political science and French,” said the long-time Castlegar resident. “It’s sad, but there aren't a lot of jobs out there for people who major in political science and French.” But Finney soon found herself in Tours, France, teaching English for the government while she went back to school, getting her masters degree in French literature. coed finds France educational “When I thought of going to France I thought ‘Oh, what a romantic life it’ll be,’ but it’s no more or less romantic than a intelligent person how I interact with people has far.” nothing to do with success.’ “Well I’m sorry, but those people are not going to get very But Finney is going far — and away. summer in Castlegar.” Castlegar? Our Castlegar the city of passion? “Well, maybe (France) would be more romantic if I wasn’t teaching and working on my masters.” But the one-time Miss Castlegar Queen said that there’s more to life than school. “Being Miss Castlegar was a positive experience,” she said. “I learned a lot that you can’t learn in school. For instance, I learned how to present myself to other people. “People today tend to look at (social skills) and say ‘That's not important. If I’m an News photo by Glen Freeman Erin Finney may not find reading Jules Verne romantic, but that’s life as an international university student. coupons OF cv explain & ne Package W" ry How to put yourself in Hawai, California . or Europe for free: 1 boardi God’s stre Not long ago I heard a cler- gyman from Nova Scotia, from the area of the recent mine disaster, being interviewed on the radio. : He had been asked a month after the disaster how the peo- ple were doing. He replied that they were doing very well. He then went on to say that even the clergy of the area were surprised and moved by the spiritual strength of these people,. and he added, “the hours of Sunday school and long sermons paid off.” The point that minister was trying to make was while as children and beyond, we did not always care much for long sermons of Sunday school, it did provide a pattern of belief and understanding that is a foundation for living. There was a teaching, a wisdom that underlay every- thing and on which one could depend. And when times of trouble came, as come it did to this community with great ~ nght surround us all practice has hada hard time of it lately. Church attendance is down, church schools are smaller, and Statistics Canada tells us that fewer people at- tend church on a regular basis. _ But it was conventional re- ligious belief and practice brought these people through the nightmare. It was the Sun- day-by-Sunday activity of worship that gavethem strength. So it is the daily, weekly activity of putting one’s foot forward as we walk toward fulfillment of the King- dom of God. So it is with the daily, weekly activity of hear- Pulpit & Pew St. David’s Anglican Church The Rev. Dorothy BARKER tragedy, there existed a strength the human and the ordinary on which they could depend. They were not alone. The minister was talking about a generation of people who were brought up in what we might refer to as ‘conven- tional religious belief’. I want to affirm that I believe in con- ing God’s word and attempt- ing to live it out day by day, of gathering together with God’s people that renews us on the journey and strengtheris us for whatever joys and sorrows life may bring. God gives God’s people strength. ventional religious belief. I wish we had more of it. Conventional belief and _. May you find that strength in the church of your tradition this week. Send away for a free Aeroplan™ membership today and you're on your way to free travel. 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