Long-time Chatham resident Blake Ward, who served for several years as the local Crown attorney, has been blessed with a long and prosperous life in the community.
He is giving back to the community through the Chatham-Kent Community Foundation.
Ward, 88, has donated $10,000 in stock and cash to the foundation, which will be known as the Blake and Sybil Ward Family Fund, which will be part of the Community Endowment Fund.
Ward said he and his wife were born and raised in Chatham-Kent and are proud to call the community home.
He chose the community foundation because it takes the interest from its community endowment fund makes investments in education, health, arts and culture, which were among the interests Ward and his late wife had in their active days.
By contributing to the community foundation, Ward feels “their interests would be continued in the future to the benefit of all citizens in the community of Chatham-Kent.
“It is a privilege to able to assist the volunteers who maintain this community fund,” he added.
Penny McGregor, chairperson of the community foundation board, said $10,000 is a “pretty significant gift.”
She noted the foundation currently donates about $65,000 annually within the community, which is the interest from the funds held by the foundation.
Not only will this donation increase the amount interest income the foundation can give to the community, McGregor said Ward likes the fact his donation “is going to stay here forever.
“He is just a wonderful guy,” she added.

Kiersten Thibeault can’t stand the thought of an animal being abused or hurt in any way.
So in order to do her part, the Merlin girl didn’t want anything for her 10th birthday last Saturday. Instead she asked her friends and family to donate money or food to the Chatham-Kent Branch of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
As a result, she collected $220 and two bags of dog food.
Good job Kiersten

The Chatham-Kent Police Service is sending kudos to the Tilbury District High School for an outstanding display of community kindness and generosity.
Const. Michael Pearce, community information officer, reports TDHS gathered more than 1,000 items of food for a food drive organized by police.
He said the Grade 9s won a pizza party lunch by collecting more than 400 items.

If you like corn on the cob and want to support a good cause, stop by and visit Chris Pidgeon and Kim Bloxham-Jenkins during the Chatham Rotary Ribfest this weekend.
The duo have rented a booth at the event and will be selling corn on the cob and cleanum up kids to raise money for breast cancer research.
They are taking part in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer benefiting The Campbell Family Institute at The Prince Margaret, which is a two-day 60-km walk through the Toronto area on Sept. 12-13.
Pidgeon and Bloxham-Jenkins have set a fundraising goal of $4,000. If you can’t make it to ribfest, you can support them by going online at www.endcancer.ca and putting in their participant identification number — 535033-5 — or calling 416-815-WALK and giving that number.

Being the president has its benefits.
Nancy Hughson, who is currently president of the Ladies Auxiliary Patriarch Militant of Ontario, used her authority to have Dresden Fire Station No. 6 receive more than 300 teddy bears from the provincial group.
Hughson said the group’s international president, Judy Gordon, of Roanoke, Virginia, issued the teddy bear challenge in jurisdictions across Canada and the United States.
Having seen other areas benefit from similar efforts, Hughson said she decided to have the teddy bears donated to the local fire station, where her son, Scott Hughson, serves as a volunteer firefighters.
She said firefighters will use the teddy bears to help comfort a child or elderly person who may find themselves in a traumatic situation, such as a house fire or motor vehicle crash.

The nurses alumni of St. Joseph’s Hospital haven’t forgotten their “old stomping grounds” even though it is now a long-term care facility.
The Class of 1966 recently raised $500 during the annual meeting of the former St. Joe’s nursing students, which has been donated to Riverview Gardens, now located on the original site of the hospital.
The money has been designated to an education fund for registered staff at Riverview Gardens.

The Ursuline Sisters elected a new leadership for the next four years during their 20th General Chapter, “Ursulines Gather 2009” held for the first time at the Villa Angela.
The new leadership includes Sr. Joan Stafford, general superior, Sr. Theresa Campeau, Sr. Delores Senay and Sr. Jean Ann Ledwell.
The gathering was an opportunity to refresh relationships, renew energy and determine future directions in order to move with hope.
It was decided in the coming years the Ursulines will focus particular attention on deepening their commitment to the care of creation and to becoming informed and proactive on the issue of the trafficking of women and children.