| Our involvement in this
wonderful cause was through George Empringham, who was
a resident of Participation House's Green Lane location. Every Monday
George would arrive at our cruise night in his wheelchair,
and spend the evening looking at the cars and
talking to the members. As George was such a regular,
he became a Thornhill cruiser member, and his wheelchair was adorned
with our logo along with flags and other items he had collected. That
was George's own way of customizing his "wheels".
When the sad day came and George passed away, we wanted to do something
special. and so we created "The George Empringham
Memorial". Over the years we have donated items
(big screen TV, a lift to assist the Physiotherapists) that
would make the life of any of the residents of the three Participation
Houses' life either easier or more enjoyable. Last year we
took on our current project, which is to turn the
Henderson residence backyard into something all the
residents can enjoy. This is the "George Empringham Sensory
Garden". It will be completely wheelchair accessible, with the sound
of trickling water from a waterfall, smells from a variety
of plants along with plants specially picked for
their colours. This project is well underway, and
hopefully will be totally completed in a couple of years.
There are a number of companies that have offered to help us in this
project. Sheridan nurseries with design and garden
planning, Morrison Heshfeld Ltd for the plans
for elevation requirements, Dufferin Cement for
contributing some of the cement for pathways etc., waterfalls areas for
the waterless fountain, Beaver Valley Stone for all the
rocks and stones needed for the waterfall. We are
amazed at the number of companies that have offered
their assistance and of the generosity of our Cruise night folk who
have made this possible with their contributions through our 50/50 draws.
To see the progress on
this garden click here.
To
find out more about Participation House click here
|
Hill House Hospice is a home-like
alternative to institutional care and in-home care for those who are in
the final stage of a terminal illness. We continue with our tradition of
collecting paper goods at every cruise that falls on a holiday weekend, and
donating the supplies to this home. Our cruisers once again show their generosity
by filling our President's truck with ever type of paper
product you could find useful in a home. To find out more about Hill House
and to see ways to help support this facility, click
here
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