Shining examples

The focus certainly has been on the athletic achievements of local and former residents of late—highlighted by Saturday night’s inaugural induction banquet for the new Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame and, of course, “Duncan Keith Day” back on Aug. 1.
But the recent efforts of local young people—far from the realm of an arena or sports field—are equally deserving of recognition.
Alyssa Chiasson showed poise, maturity, and drive well beyond her 17 years as she held fundraisers and other events over the summer in the lead-up to the Miss Teenage Canada pageant in Toronto.
On top of that, she served as a tremendous ambassador for Rainy River District while vying for the crown—and came home with an impressive top 10 finish out of the 81 other contestants from across Canada.
In the world of music, Anna Schwartz, at age 14, wrote a song entitled “My Perfect World” that went on to win a student competition at the provincial level earlier this year. But she actually had begun composing a year earlier as a 13-year-old.
And then there was Matthew Egan, a six-year-old who warmed a lot of hearts here with his free lemonade stand that he set up to raise donations for Ronald McDonald House, which provides bedrooms for families of hospitalized children undergoing medical treatment.
Those young people, who spent countless hours and made other sacrifices over the past year to raise steers for the annual 4-H auction at the Emo Fair, are to be saluted, as well.
They—and so many others who have a special talent or lend a helping hand that may go unnoticed—all serve as shining examples that Rainy River District is in good hands, indeed.