THE 52nd WEEK - FINAL CHAPTER

We did it, Congratulations Paige! You should be so proud of yourself for finishing an enormous task and also to be such a great sport through the whole thing.

This week was the final week and instead of migrating to the community for giving; Paige wanted to throw a party for the group of people who pitched in to lend their time and help finish what Paige and Mer started.

It was so thoughtful and cute to see Paige set up for this event. Being held on October 29th (a date that meant so much to all of us) and kept everyones mind off what had happened 18months prior.

All the kids dressed up in Halloween costumes. Paige also wanted to have decorations and lots of food for everyone; so that's what we did. Shelley went out and bought the decorations and everyone who came brought an appetizer. She sure can delegate...She also made hand written invitations; very cute.

In attendance - everyone who helped out with a week was there; knowing the busy world we live in, it was clear this was important to everyone. Paige's Grandma, Papa and Aunt Jenn also came for the festivities.

This whole experience was an eye opener for everyone; we all realized that if you put a bit of effort in to something...anything is possible. It doesn't stop here just because the 52nd week is complete...it's just the beginning Paigee.

Thanks for being a trooper throughout this. What was to take 1 year; took us 2! Another thing it shows you; never give up! I know this experience will enhance your values positively that you can dip into throughout your long life ahead!

Xo

All the girls

WEEK 51!!

I had heard about a local charity in Burlington called ‘Sew on Fire’ which sounded interesting so I looked into it. This is a Burlington based charity/ministry that has volunteers across Canada sew cloth bags, quilts, blankets, t-shirts, baby overalls, ladies knit mittens. These gifts and homemade cloth bags are filled with essential items and sent to orphanages, hospitals, widows living on the streets, young single moms, children living in garbage dumps, refugees and the poor. Last year they sent approximately 20,000 bags to those in need all over the world and right in our own community. I thought this was so great!

So, Paige and I went out and bought some items to be put in the cloth bags; baby needs (blankets, wipes and clothes, soothers, q-tips, rattles, diaper pins, small toys, baby powder), pencils, pens, stuffed animals, candy, shampoo, soap, deodorant, wash clothes and towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste .

We dropped the stuff off to the SEW ON FIRE warehouse which is on Fraser Dr. We met with Wendy who was the person responsible for spearheading this operation. She started it in her home and soon needed more space. They are now in a warehouse full of things that will be packed and sent off. Paige and I were amazed at the time and effort that Wendy and her volunteers put in to make this happen. So awesome!!! They are always in need of items and your time sew together the bags and to stuff them with goodies. If you are ever interested in volunteering, have a look at what they are all about:

www.sewonfire.com

Thanks again to Wendy for showing us around and educating us!!

Another great day with Paige. Love her!!

Susie

Week 50

Melanie and Stephanie decided to do Paige's giving this week together. Melanie came up with a great idea to do a halloween craft with Paige that we could give to some special people in the community. A random act of kindness. The craft Melanie came up with was taking kleenex and putting it over a lollipop with a tie around it to keep it in place. Then Paige drew ghost faces on all of them. To do this we went to Local's and sat at a booth for dinner and pondered as we did the crafts who would we give these cool (and yummy) crafts to. It was a toss up between the nurses in the Pediatric ward or the firefighters. We asked Paige to choose and when she couldn't decide Stephanie decided the firefighters were a great choice! So once we were done the crafts, eating and applying our make-up we headed to Tim Horton's. We grabbed coffee and timbits for our hard working firefighters. We got a pack of 40 timbits but ended up giving 34 because Paige needed to test them on the way there to make sure they were ok for them to eat. Once we arrived the guys were touched and overwhelmed by the kindness. Paige explained what she had been doing and then took a picture with couple of the guys by the truck. Once Mel and I finished handing out our phone numbers we left feeling pretty good and Paige got a cool bag of activities from the guys.

Xo Mel and Steph

Week 49

Books, books and more books!! I had recently heard about our
Church having their annual Mistletoe Mart on November 12th and
thought that would be a perfect idea for another one of Paige’s weeks of
giving. I started sorting books and collecting from others and in no time we
had a complete children’s library…

Paige and Jordan and Kate were very excited to go to the
church to donate the books for the sale. Paige carried the BIG bag and off we
went to find someone in the church to talk to. It is always quiet in a church,
but extremely quiet on a Saturday morning. We were pleasantly surprised to find
one of the ministers and another gentleman to greet us and accept our donation
of books. Paige and I explained what we were doing there and they were more
than happy to have us there and opened up the church library to us. We
continued to chat about how the earnings from the books would help the church
with such things as the library and their various children’s programs. They
were kind enough to let the girls sign out a book from the library to take home
and read…it took them forever to decide which book to take! Then they found
their way to the stage upstairs where Paige and Jordan have their Summer camp
production and they danced around and shared some giggles. Even the minister
shared a giggle or two.

After meeting the minister I learned that he had known my
Grandmother who had just passed away and he shared some wonderful stories of her
with me. What a small world.

With the kids looking through ALL the books, the stories
shared and the memories made, we all left there with a little more warmth on our
hearts. Thanks Paige for another lesson in giving!

Kelly Hassard

Week 48

Last night at the Community dinner, Paige, Jack, Emma and I offered to run a craft station at the church. So I went and got lots of different Halloween craft items and the kids organized the tables and helped run the station. This dinner was a Thanksgiving dinner for the guests who came. Over 130 guest were provided with a warm nutritious Thanksgiving meal. Of that 130, 48 of them were children. The families arrive early to get a seat at a table, dinner is served at about 6:30 and some families arrived at 5:00. So that's where our job came in. We invited the children to come and make Halloween crafts.

Some children need help with the crafts so Paige made sure they had the supplies they needed to make a creative craft. We had Halloween masks, foam pumpkins and ghosts to decorate, Halloween colouring pages, foam stickers, etc. We kept them nice and busy until dinner was ready to be served.

Before we left we listened to the blessings, they opened up the microphone and invited guests and volunteers to say what they were thankful for. It was great to see Paige, Jack, and Emma listen to these blessings and realize just how lucky we all are to have each other. Driving home made for some interesting conversation. I'm sure when a warm turkey dinner is served for Paige this weekend she will have some wonderful things to be thankful for.

We are very thankful to have spent amazing times with Paige working on these 52 weeks of giving. xoxo Paige

Week 47

It's hard to believe that we are almost nearing the end of this giving journey. It's sad in a weird way but is so amazing at the same time.

In Week 47 Paige, Anderson, Kamryn and I went through 6 large garbage bags of clothes to give to those not as fortunate as us. We had the good clothes pile and the ratty clothes pile. Not sure if ratty is a word but this day it had a great deal of meaning. The ratty clothes were thrown out and all the others were given to kids who need it and may only have 2 or 3 sets of outfits. I really made them think about what to keep and throw away. Which in turn brought up some great discussions. Paige kept asking "maybe we can keep this shirt for Peyton or maybe this jacket will fit Peyton next year" and I would say yes but Peyton has so much already, don't you think it would be nice to give it to a girl who doesn't have anything and of course her reply was Yes that would be really nice of us. It started to really make sense to her. There was a couple of items that she made sure stayed in our house to give to Peyton. Love it!

In the end we had 4 bags to give away. What made me laugh was the game we made of it. They (we) were having so much fun and wanted more when we were done. Not like if I was to do it by myself...we all learned something today!

Thanks Paige

xo Kristen

Week 46

We had such a fun day today filled with a lemonade stand and good laughs with friends. Paige learned a great deal too; its hard work to make money but worth it once you see the results of your work and that giving to others who are in need feels good. We had a crew of girls out to help raise money for Sick Kids. There was Taylor, Kenzi, Jordan, Kate, Anderson, Kamryn and Peyton. This was the foundation that Paige and the girls could relate to. We started by making the signs and bringing the tables and chairs up from the basement, then we stacked the cups and got an ice bucket for the lemonade. Everyone needed ice with their lemonade...that was Paige's idea. Lastly we decided to also offer popcorn. I think mainly because they all wanted to eat some.

We got started and it wasn't very busy...let me just say it was drizzling rain which didn't make for lots of people outside. That didn't bother us though, we just decided to knock on doors and tell them about it. It was so funny to watch them run from house to house. They were little negotiators by saying they would bring them the lemonade if they bought it. How smart is that. Anderson was telling people it cost $50 instead of $.50.

In the end the girls made over $40 and were more than happy to donate it to charity. We went to get our nails done later and I knew they learned something when they were telling people about the charity. I was so proud and I know Mer would be too.

Thanks Paige for teaching me so much today too! xo Kristen

Week 45

April 22nd, Good Friday

Paige, Emma and I started our shift at the church at 3:30!! The girls set the tables, 135 place settings. Once they finished that they were asked to make treat bags to go on top of each plate. So they got busy making 135 candy bags!! After about 30 minutes the girls were off to get the craft table ready for blowing out and dying eggs. The children guests tried blowing out the eggs for the first time ever. They were so happy and excited to do a new craft! It got messy but never once did Paige complain. When we invited a new 10 year old girl to try dyeing an egg, she shook her head and sat at her table quite nervously. By the end of the night she came up with a big smile on her face and told us about the egg she had made. So great! Dinner was served at 6:00. So many guests arrived that we had to take down the art tables to accommodate more families. We forget that for some this Easter tradition is not a number one priority, as many of our families are struggling to make ends meet and don't even have enough to feed their children and pay rent. Once everyone had gone up for their hot meal of turkey, veggies, stuffing, etc. Emma and Paige walked around and gave every child a goody bag and card that they had made. It was such an amazing thing to watch. All the kids put on their masks and gave the girls a big smile!! They worked hard until 6:45 and we finally were able to sit down and enjoy the turkey dinner too!! What a great way to spend GOOD FRIDAY!!

Week 44

Cute picture eh?? Hard to see who it is behind those cute little bunny masks. That's Paige, Abbie, Emma, Brock, and Jack!!

In March when we were at church volunteering, Jack and Emma offered to make goody Easter bags for the children who came to the hot meal service on Friday nights. Paige has been to church with us before so we thought it was fitting that she and the other kids could help make these bags for the Easter dinner on April 22nd. Inside the bags the kids decided to get pencils, silly bands, stickers, bunny masks and of course lots of chocolate eggs. They worked together as a team and set everything up on the table and made 30 goody bags. We tied them up with a nice ribbon and put them in a big Easter basket, ready for church. Then Paige had a great idea!! She wanted to make Easter cards for all the children that we would hand out the bags to. So the girls sat down for a couple hours and made 30 Easter cards! They did an amazing job. We talked a lot about why they made the goody bags and cards for the children. The families that visit the church for a hot meal on Friday nights may not have enough money to be able to buy special treats, or cards for their families. Paige and the girls quickly realized just how lucky they are!! As I was bringing home Paige that day she asked if she could come to the church too, the following week. So we booked our next date, April 22nd to prepare a hot turkey dinner and hand out the great goody bags they made:) Till next week Paige!! xoxo

WEEK 43

Thursday April 7th, 2011 Today Paige and I got together to continue her 52 weeks of giving. It never ceases to amaze me how excited she gets to go and do these events. She really loves going out and helping people and her community!! The weather seemed to be holding out for us so we decided to go to the Hamilton Beach strip (by hutches-- oh ya!!) to clean up some of the litter that had been uncovered by the melting snow. With Earth Day just around the corner it seemed fitting. We were surprised at how much garbage was on the beach considering that the weather hasn't even been nice yet. We figured that some of it had washed in from the water and that some had just been moved and uncovered by the winter. The weather down at the beach was not so nice to say the least - super windy and chilly. Not the best for this event. However, Paige..in what seems to be true Paige fashion...totally trooped it out with me to gather enough litter to fill one black garbage bag. Can you believe that it only took us 20minutes to do it?? How sad is that?? Not sad for us..we rocked it..but sad for the environment!! And of course...after our lightening speed garbage pick up...we needed to warm up with some classic Hutches fries and icecream!! Perfect way to end a hards days work I say!!! Good Job Paige!!!Jo

Week 42

A dear friend of mine Diana is a teacher in a 'rough' downtown Toronto school and is one of those people who always seems to be on an adventure!!

So it came as no surprise when she told me that she was heading to Ghana to volunteer for six weeks in a little village called Dekpor where the population lives well below the poverty line. The school is overflowing with students who come from around the local region to attend class, many orphaned but despite this, they have made school a priority in desire to better their lives through education. There is no electricity or running water in the village, let alone a proper school building.

Diana along with other teachers were heading over to help finish build a library as well as classrooms. The kindergarten class is held underneath a tree and there are 140 children in that ONE class!!

So where does Paige fit into all this, well Diana was looking for donations of anything; school supplies, books, summer clothing, etc.. so when talking to Paige, her response was "Well don't we have lots of clothes and books?" Paige along with Oliver, Brendan and I decided to go through the boys clothes and make a pile, we covered everything from newborn up to size 7 (a lot still with tags on) and trust me the pile was HUGE!! Along with the clothes, we gathered school supplies, books and baby supplies and along with all the clothes made a big care package for Diana to take to Ghana. Paige was so proud of how big the pile was....the boys were a little concerned where their stuff was going...

Paige was a little upset that she didn’t get to go to Africa and see all the kids (well maybe one day), but Diana was thrilled and has said that the village was blown away.

The headmaster at the school told Diana that this group of volunteers was the first in history to help this village and told them of a Ghanaian saying

“god helps tail-less animals” meaning that animals who have tails are able to swat the flies from their backs on their own but god doesn’t forget about the animals who don’t have tails and steps in to help" They felt that god intervened and sent them as help (i'd like the think Mer had a part in it too!)

The village now has a library filled with books and the classrooms are in a more presentable state thanks to Diana and friends. I’d like to think that because of that one afternoon spent ‘making piles’ we’ve put a smile on a little boys or girls face that will last a lifetime.

I’ve included some photos of the school and the village rather than Paige standing by a pile of clothes so we can see how fortunate we are here with our education! More information can be found on their website http://dekporschool.org

Thanx Paigee

Mel xo

Week 41

So I know we don't normally post two pictures but I thought it was important for you to see just how much trouble we had making something that I thought was simple!

In thinking of something for Paige and I to do, a very nice girlfriend, Donna, thought of this great simple idea! To make dog treats, and then take them over to the Animal shelter to visit with the dogs and have a tour. Donna was even nice enough to bring all the cooking materials and ingredients over to my house for us to do with Paige.

So Jack, Emma and Paige mixed and measured all the ingredients together, but they were so mushy and messy! Paige thought that they were just disgusting! Anyhow, finally we created some sort of shapes out of the goo. Paige dared Jack to taste our blend, and he did!! GROSS.

Needless to say we baked them and they didn't turn out so well. Braddock (our family dog) gave them a taste and he was looking for more so they must have been alright! Our baking took a little longer than normal so we still need to do the visiting part for this week!! We will keep you posted!

Week 40

Paige and I were talking about all the wonderful things she has done with all her friends by paying it forward. She gladly told me them with a cute little grin and a sparkle in her eye. Olivia and Reese (my girls) sat back and listened to all of Paige’s opportunities and wanted to do the same. How great is this! Thanks Paige…xo.

Today is February 10th and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I told Paige that I have the opportunity to make people smile every day. She looked at me puzzled and asked, “how”? I told her that I am a nurse for many Long Term Care homes who have many wonderful people live in them. I told her of a man named Jack who once earned medals by helping us save our country and is now living with his wife in one of our villages. I also told her of all the special caregivers that care for people like Jack and his wife by cooking meals, taking them shopping and even take them on special trips. I then asked her if she would like to pay it forward by giving “candy grams” to all our residents and caregivers at our villages for Valentine’s Day. Paige thought this was a great idea and then the fun began….HA! Paige, Olivia and Reese we so excited to put together these candy grams. I have to admit they enjoyed a few treats of their own as we made over 50 candy grams. Way to go girls!!

Thanks for a great day Paige!! All our residents and caregivers are thankful for you and your amazing heart…xxoo.

Melanie

WEEK 39

On december 20th Paige and I had the task of giving during the holiday season this past week. Easy as it may sound, it is difficult to actually have anyone under the age of 16 become a full fledged, legitimate volunteer. I thought it would be so easy to go to a soup kitchen or hand out meals to the homeless through a McMaster University program or volunteer our time at the Salvation Army for the night-- but hit brick walls at every request. I really didn't realize how difficult it is to volunteer. They even wanted to do a police check on me!! And anyone Paige's age...well you may as well forget about it. So..back to the drawing board we went. Looking back, I was just thinking to big. It is really just the everyday people and things that can sometimes benefit from a strangers act of kindness. I realized that there are so many people in our communities that don't find Christmas to be a happy time. In fact, it can be one of the loneliest times for some. Thats when the idea hit me....I thought it would be fun for Paige and I to bake some gingerbread cookies and bring them to the residents at my nana's nursing home. I remember my nana telling me that some of those people don't even have one visitor all year. When I threw the idea at Paige she was all over it. So we headed back to my house, baked our amazing homemade cookies; decorated them with these really cool edible markers and packed them up for our trip to the nursing home. On our way there Paige was eager to make sure that we were going to be able to actually hand out the cookies to each of the residents. She is so cute. We arrived at about 730 pm and approximately 3/4 of the residents were already in bed!! LOL!! The nurse gave us the 'a- ok' to go into the rooms and give each resident a cookie. Most of them were hard of hearing so here we are yelling at them 'we hope you have a Merry Christmas' and leaving them the cookies. It was really pretty funny. But you know what? You should have seen how their eyes lit up at the sight of Paige and then when they knew they were getting the cookie...it was priceless. And not to brag or anything...but those cookies were pretty darn fantastic. After we left I wanted to let Paige know what an amazing thing she did for those people. She brought some warmth into that nursing home that evening. It really was in the true spirit of Christmas and we both left with that little 'warm fuzzy' feeling!!

XOX Jo

Week 38

On December 3rd, the Gauthier's and Paige went to Wellington Church downtown Burlington to prepare a dinner. There were lots of helpers to prepare a meal for about 100 people. Paige was busy trying out all the possible jobs. The kids must have peeled about 200 carrots and cut about 500 green beans. Paige also helped make juice for the kids who come in. The church also takes gently used clothing items, so Paige helped organize the clothing to lay them out for the people coming in to help them find some warm clothing for the winter months. We also had to set the tables for the 100 coming in. People come from all over Burlington to enjoy a free hot meal. It was such an amazing feeling to put in just a couple hours of volunteer work to see so many happy, grateful people. The church band filled with teenagers also came in and sang Christmas songs during the dinner hours. The atmosphere was awesome!! It was a fabulous night, and I think a wonderful experience for all of us. We have decided to make this a monthly event for my family, and of course Paige whenever she can join us!!

Shelley

WEEK 37

Week 37 Food Donation
Paige and I decided to find a food drop off in preparation for those in need at Christmas time.
So, off to Fortino’s to shop!! We bought pasta, tomato sauce, canned vegetables, soup, baby food, crackers, cereal, canned tuna salmon and chicken, snacks and a HUGE bag of rice. This was another of Paiges’ wicked ideas!! The great thing about the food drop at Fortino’s is that the food is distributed to those in our community. So great to give a hand to people who live in our own neighbourhood!
Paiges’ constant awareness of what others may need is an inspiration to me....love this kid!!
Again, GO PAIGE GO!!!
Susie