Last Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 the Rainy River Activity Depot with financial support of the Ontario government hosted an Active Living Fair entitled “Building a Better Buddy System” at the Club Room of the Rainy River Royal Canadian Legion Br #54. Headed by seniors dynamo Norma Jean Johnston and her group of Activity Depot volunteers they rounded up the representatives from every service provider to the seniors community to highlight not only who they were but how to access them… And there were dozens of them. Tables displayed pamphlets detailing offerings from dental care, to foot care, exercise programs, hobby items, mental health supports, nutrition…. It was a long, long list.
Presenters were introduced and spoke briefly about their offerings over a coffee and muffin session. A panel composed of presenters detailed their areas of interest and spoke to a list of questions detailed by Ms Johnston. The gathering then split into smaller discussion groups to explore the topics in a more detailed manner with each cluster presenting their input to the larger group on the issues they felt were of most significance. It was a surprisingly diverse range of opinions offered. Lack of transportation within the community to adjoining communities was a common observation. A directory of seniors services such as the one produced by the Sister Kennedy Senior Centre of Fort Frances and the “Digital Divide” impact on all seniors was also identified as a major challenge.. Copies of that Directory are available in Rainy River from the Senior’s Activity Depot.
Lunch, always a popular diversion, was supplied by the Legion Auxiliary. Norma Jean then presented Certificates of Appreciation to and introduced an amazingly long list of volunteers detailing their services to our communities over the decades. Many services are shadows of their former selves as members age and community service needs evolve. For example, The Women’s Institutes has only three active chapters in the Rainy River area now where every community across the country once had an Institute.
Give Jim Hall a call. Curling? Pickle Ball? Retired Rail Roader and Volunteer Jim Hall was honored at the Seniors Fair in Rainy River by Norma Jean Johnston. Jim also served the lunch at the Royal Canadian Legion as latest member of the Ladies Auxiliary?
“The Women’s Institutes or WIs were originally formed to educate the rural population on the vital practice of “Pasteurizing milk”, explained Caroline Kreger, WI Member. This practice was of vital importance in defeating the plague of tuberculosis, brucellosis, and undulant fever that stalked the rural community in the 1800s and into the 1900s Modern dairy practices have since eliminated those dangers from our society.
Although society’s need for Volunteers continues to change they are the vital bedrock of our communities. Thank you to all of our communities “Norma Jeans”
