Author: carolynamyotte

Having birthdays so close to Christmas (February 2 and 3) we often find ourselves often overwhelmed by the amount of gifts our daughters receive.  Several years ago as we prepared to move into our new home we realized how much ‘stuff’ we owned.  While packing up all the toys we discovered nearly 30 Barbies in various toy bins!  Faced with a toy and Barbie overload, we decided to explore a new way of celebrating that would eliminate the ‘gift glut’!  We discovered ECHOage ‘where children celebrate giving’.  It is an environmentally-friendly, charity-driven online party service that helps families celebrate birthdays while teaching their children the value of giving and receiving.   You and your child choose a charity to support.  Then birthday guests are invited to donate with half the money raised going to the charity you choose and the other half to put towards your child’s ‘dream gift’.  

My husband and I found that this was a great way for us to teach our daughters about the importance of giving back, how to budget and save up for something that they really want and how to deal with the consumptive and materialistic nature of children’s birthday parties in a positive and inspiring way.  We have had several ECHOage parties over the years since.

Recalling the success of these parties and inspired by many of their friends who choose to collect donations for a charity rather than ask for birthday gifts, we decided to have ‘Giving Birthdays’ for both Halle and Natasia this year.  They really wanted to support a local cause and something for animals so we contacted Apsley Veterinary Services (AVS) and discovered the Gwen Scott Fund.

This fund was created in honour of Dr. Facey’s mother who cared deeply for the welfare of animals.  Its purpose is to help cover the costs associated with the many stray, neglected and abandoned cats and dogs that come through their doors.  It also covers costs associated with the treatment of injured wildlife.  AVS works with other local rescue groups like HART and LAWS to provide medical care, vaccines, spays, neuters and find forever homes for these abandoned pets.  In 2017, AVS re-homed 9 cats and 1 dog.  It is a policy for any animal to be returned to AVS if they are not a good fit for home and/or can no longer be taken care of.

The Gwen Scott Fund was the perfect Cause for our girls to support.   Our pet cat Smokey is the off-spring of a pregnant cat that was abandoned at our Marina nearly 18 years ago.  Back then we were lucky to find homes for the rest of the kittens and the mother, as AVS and the Gwen Scott Fund did not exist.  Recently our neighbour found an abandoned dog left at their home and thanks to AVS and this Fund, all its medical needs were addressed and it was placed in a loving home.  Given our personal experiences with neglected animals raising money for the Gwen Scott Fund was a no-brainer!

Many thanks to Apsley Veterinary Services especially Vet Tech Kyla Nelson for all the info and for giving the girls and their friends an after-hours tour of the clinic, and the chance to meet a couple of kitties that were under their care while waiting for the forever homes.  Our daughters collected nearly $250 in donations for the Gwen Scott Fund. 

If you would like to support the Gwen Scott Fund, please contact Apsley Veterinary Services at 705-656-2838.  You can also search ECHOage online for a variety of ideas on how to turn birthdays and many other events into ‘Giving Celebrations.’ 

On October 4, 2017 Apsley was shocked to learn that RBC, Apsley’s one and only bank would be closing next April 2018 after nearly 60 years of service in our community.  The community’s reaction was swift and powerful.  Amanda Gray and I took to social media and created the ‘Stop Apsley RBC Closure!’ Facebook Group and the SOB (Save Our Bank) campaign was born.  Within days over 1000 petition signatures were collected, a letter writing campaign was organized and a story was featured on CHEX TV with several news articles appearing on line.  

We have been inspired by how quickly North Kawarthans have banded together to protest this closure and fight to keep our financial institution in our community.  However there are some that say we are wasting our time, it’s just the reality of technology and business, and it doesn’t really matter because they don’t even bank there. We would like to explain why it does really matter… to everyone.  

Whether you are a local that works here, or commutes to the city to work or run your own business; a cottager who just visits on weekends; a seasonal resident  or retiree that spends half the year here, at one point or another you will need a local product or service.  Your car needs a repair, your boat needs to be stored, your pet gets sick, a tree has fallen on your roof, your septic needs pumping, you need to sell your home or cottage and so on.  Those local businesses and services that you call for help have staff, have families, they have homes and they have expenses.  In order for these people and businesses to be available for you they need a ‘complete community’ that has the infrastructure to support them.  Infrastructures like a school, a post office, child care, health services, a grocery store, a library… and a bank! 

 We are not a community that is located in close proximity to a large urban area- we are a 2 hour round trip to the closest city.  We are a community that lacks adequate transportation choices. High-speed, low cost, reliable internet service is not available for a large number of residents.  We are a community that is the gateway to prime vacation/wilderness areas and on the fringe of everything else.  We are a village that serves many remote residents.  An ATM and on-line banking are not viable options and do not address the needs of a small rural community.  

The greatest part of economic development is sustaining what we have.  Losing a critical piece of infrastructure and/or service can create a ripple effect which is harshly felt in rural/remote communities.  It often becomes a slippery slope as to what other amenities or services we can ‘live without’ or ‘drive for’.  While it may not happen overnight or be a quick, painless death, many small rural towns across this country are struggling to avoid ‘death by a thousand cuts’.   Losing our only bank would be a brutal ‘cut’ indeed.

Bank closures in communities such as ours highlight the growing divide and disconnect between urban and rural.  Yet we all recognize the importance and the need for our rural communities.  That recognition is the very reason why North Kawartha’s population swells to nearly 7 times the number of its permanent residents during the summer as those from the ‘city’ come to relax, rejuvenate and reconnect with our natural environment.  Apsley needs to have basic ‘bricks and mortar’ infrastructure to support the local businesses and community members who in turn provide goods and services for the huge influx of seasonal residents, cottagers and tourists every year.

So you see… it really does matter.  If there is a little piece of North Kawartha that you love and cherish then please support our cause.  Sign the petition, write a letter of complaint, attend the public meeting and SOB! – SAVE OUR BANK!

Sincerely,

Carolyn Amyotte and Amanda Gray

SOB!  How you can help Save Our Bank!

• Join the Stop Apsley RBC Closure! Group on Facebook for the latest news and info
• Go to www.change.org and sign the Save Apsley RBC online petition or sign one of the many paper petitions located throughout Apsley
• Please send an email to ALL of the following people expressing your concern about the closing of our bank

• RBC President and CEO- David McKay  david.mckay@rbc.com
• Group Head Personal and Commercial Banking-Neil McLaughlin  neil.mclaughlin@rbc.com
• Region President, Ontario North and East- Tina Sarellas  tina.sarellas@rbc.com
• Regional Vice President Kawartha Lakeshore- Scott Mancini  scott.mancini@rbc.com
• Lakefield/Apsley Branch Manager- Patti Perry  patti.perry@rbc.com
• RBC Office of the Ombudsman  contact@bankingombuds.ca 
• North Kawartha Township Clerk- Connie Parent  c.parent@northkawartha.on.ca

• If you would prefer to write a letter, then please send it to

ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office 

P.O. Box 1006  

112 Adelaide Street East 

Toronto, ON  M5C 1K9 

• Please attend the public meeting on November 2, 2017 at the North Kawartha Community Centre from 7-8:30pm
• Email either Amanda Gray graylandscape@nexicom.net or Carolyn Amyotte carolyn@eelslake.com if you need further info or assistance