Al’s
NEED A CAR?
LAWN & GARDEN
Snow Removal opeRatoRS wanted
Have Credit Problems? Bankruptcy? Divorce?
Apply in person with resume www.alslawnandgarden.ca
352-4955
YOUR Independent Community Newspaper
Winter Wonderland
Mary Genge/Special to The Chatham Voice
Erin Genge, 24, and Finleigh didn’t let the holiday cold snap prevent them from having some outdoor play time recently near Morpeth.
Driver training for any stage of life
FREE!
Finding, sharing the good amidst the bad
By Mary Beth Corcoran mary@chathamvoice.com
Phone: (519) 351-8305
1-877-354-1118 autofreedomtoday.com
THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018
Vol. 6 Edition 1
www.yd.com /chatham
Call Randy Manicom
It takes a strong person with a lot of love in their heart to make something good from a personal tragedy, and in our community, there are lots of examples. From Mike Neuts and his Make Children Better Now foundation to combat bullying, to Rhys Dulisch’s Soccer Dogs 3 on 3 soccer tourney fundraiser to honour the memory of his childhood friend Tyson Santavy, Chatham-Kent is no stranger to people committed to making people’s lives better. Kim Doucet of Tilbury and founder of Ashley’s Place in Tilbury, along with family and a team of volunteers, is another example of a person who suffered the loss of her daughter, Ashley, in a car accident several years ago. In creating Ashley’s Place, she is carrying on the giving and caring spirit of her daughter, who worked as a child and youth worker. Four years of projects involving youth and their needs means Doucet is no stranger to helping others,
so when she saw the story of Lachlan’s Giving Bin at the (intensive care unit) ICU at a London hospital while at her son’s bedside, she was moved to act. The bin, filled with items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, mints, deodorant, Kleenex and other personal needs, was available for free to family members not wanting to leave the bedside of a sick loved one in ICU. The bin was started by Lachlan’s wife, Donna Laurie, of London. “In November of 2015, my husband Lachlan went into the ICU in London and we didn’t know what was wrong with him. He did have brain cancer, but we didn’t expect him to stay in ICU and we were there for 11 days. Unfortunately, he did pass away on Nov. 12,” Laurie explained. “While we were there, I noticed a real need for the families that were sitting day after day after day for a toothbrush or a mint or just something because you don’t want to leave.” In one corner of the ICU, Laurie said her family and support people named it Lach’s Lounge because they were there all the
time, sometimes upwards of 15 people. On Dec. 18, 2015 Laurie set up the bin, Lachlan’s Giving Bin, in the ICU and she stocks it with items every two weeks to make sure families going through what she did have some comfort items on hand. Doucet saw the bin and read the dedication to Lachlan framed on the wall in August of this year, while sitting at her son’s bedside. “When I saw the bin, the sign and the story, it touched my heart. Not only what was in the bin and what I was able to use to help freshen up a little bit, but the story that I read made my whole inside feel different,” Doucet noted. “I felt so much, not better better, but able to move forward a little better and I shared the story with friends on Ashley’s group page (Get Away and Experience Paradise at Ashley’s Place) that we created four years ago. I wanted to replenish the bin to help others just like Donna does, to have that little bit of peace while you’re in a position like that.” Continued on page 2
Upcoming Courses Chatham
Saturdays & Sundays January 27 - February 4 • 9:15am - 3:30pm • Tuesdays & Thursdays February 6 - March 1 • 4:15pm - 7:00pm •