INSIDE
COMMUNITY
EVENTS B2

E Ready to dance

MARISSA PRINTZ, 6,

is one of the dancers fea- .

. tured in the Vicky Parviainen Dance Revue 2002,
presented Friday at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre, This
27th annual revue is a benefit for the R.E.M.

Theatre Alive Society.

Local scenery

lights up the
silver screen

THE SPECTACULAR
scenery of northwestern
B.C. is getting big screen
exposure this summer as

the- backdrop for some of- -

the scenes in the thriller
Insomnia.

The movie, which hit
theatres. across North
America May 24, is
filmed ‘in part at the Bear
Glacier, just outside of
Stewarl, B.C.

The psychological chil-
ler stars’ Academy Award
winners. Al Pacino and
Hillary Swank as detec-
tives investigating a cop-
killing in small town Alas-
ka. Rebin Williams plays
the bad guy who attempts
to blackmail Pacino.

One of the movie’s fight

scenes sees Pacino and
Williams battle on a
cabin’s rooftop with the
glacier in the background.
". Visitors wanting to fol-
low the movie’s footsteps
in the north country can
‘easily reach the Bear
Glacier.

It’s about a three-hour
‘drive ‘north of Terrace, fol-

lowing Highway 37, on pa-
vement al] the way.

From Stewart, it’s easy —
to drive or even walk
across-the border. to Hyder,

Alaska. The “friendliest

ghost town in Alaska” is
known for its souvenir
shops and a local drinking
ritual called Hyderization.

A further drive on gra-
vel beyond Hyder takes vi-
sitors first to Fish Creek,
where bears can be viewed
gorging on spawning sal-
mon. Keep driving and you
will cross back over into
Canada and ascend to a
breathtaking view of the
even more spectacular
Salmon Glacier. The view-

point over looks the point ©

where two massive arms of
the glacier merge into one.

Insomnia isn’t the only
movie to have been filmed
in the Stewart area. It also
mimicked the Antarctic for
John Carpenter’s The
Thing and was the set for
Ice Man, among others.
The area also been used as
a set for Bear Island and

_ Leaving Normal.

TERRACE. STi NDARD

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 22, 2002 - Bl

COMMUNITY-

SECTION B

Completing the journey

A look at the role of hospice at a time when its linancial future is uncertain.

By JENNIFER LANG
AT ITS most basic definition,
hospice means no one has to die

alone. -

Deirdre McEwan, executive
director of the Terrace Hospice
Society, once got a call from an
anxious, frightened man who was
dying and didn’t know where to
turn for comfort.

*.*} don’t want to die alone,” he
told her.

McEwan went to see him. She

sat with him, telling him he
wasn’t alone and reassuring him
there was nothing to be afraid of.

“Within 10 minutes, he went
from anxiety to peace:”

McEwan calls birth and death
the parentheses of life. As a soc-
iely, we spend a lot of time focus-
ing our attention on the begin-
nings of life.

The end facing us all is another
matter.

“This final parentheses is still
a bit of a mystery,” she says.

The Terrace Hospice Society is
a non-profil agency that provides
- support to terminally ill people
and their families.

“People say, ‘How can you do
this?” McEwan says, admitting
the work is often painful.

“The work hurts, but it’s such a
privilege that people let you into
their lives at such an incredible
time.”

Sometimes death doesn’t come
ealling quickly, or easily. Termin-
ally ill people can linger in the
twilight between life and death -
or they can pass away suddenly.

McEwan says most people’s
needs are pretty simple when
they're dying. They just want to
be pain free. And most want to be
able to say good - -bye to” “their
loved ones.

That’s where hospice volun-
teers come in. They help ease the
Strain of providing care at home
so family members can focus on
what McEwan describes as their
primary task — saying goodbye.

That's something McEwan
knows all about.

In 1995, she joyfully reunited
with her birth mother, who even-
tually became seriously ill with
cancer,

Last December, McEwan was
able to ‘spend two weeks visiting
her birth mother in Calgary before

IS HOSPICE terminally ill? Deirdre McEwan, executive director of the Terrace Hospice Society,

fears for the non-profit agency’s future.

returning home, only to learn that
her condition was worsening and
would soon die. Her birth mother
was surrounded by family, but
back in Terrace, McEwan was
distraught.

So she asked a volunteer at
Agape House (Agape is Greek for
unconditional love of God), the
hospice facility where her birth
mother lay dying, to read out a
‘goodbye letter on her behalf. - ~~

She poured her feelings onto
the page and faxed it off.

“Without that volunteer who

society, celebrating its [Oth anni-
versary this year.

Pointing out that May is Hos-
pice Month, McEwan wonders if
ils in critical condition.

The program receives just
$5,700 in government funding, It
takes about $35,000 to run hos-
pice each year.

The rest of the money comes
from charitable bingo fevenues,a

question hanging over the future
of hospice, she says, -
Local charities still haven't

“’m really concerned ," Deirdre McEwan says.
“Is hospice terminally ill?”

fact that remains the biggest ~

carried my heart for me, who
cried my tears in my stead, I
would be left with quite a
wound,” McEwan says. “She said
my last good bye for me.”

She wishes mere people in
Terrace were uware of the hospice

heard how many of them will be
permitted to receive a portion of
bingo revenues under gaming re-
gulation changes.

With the future uncertain, time
and funds are running out.

“I'm really concerned — is Has-

pice terminally ili?”

The society organized a num-
ber events this month designed to
raise ils profile in the communily
and raise money.

On June 2, there’s the third an-
nual Hike for Hospice, an event
that began in Terrace and has
since become province-wide.

“We hope ta have a really
great turnout,” she says.

‘The Hike for Hospice takes
place on the Grand Trunk Path-
Hospice volunteérs have ‘also
been selling raffle tickets all
month long to help raise money.

“Donations have just been
low,” she says, “We've been in:
ihe community for 10 years, and
Terrace has always been generous
and supportive, and because of
this, people will respond and ass-
ist us with a new measure of life.”

Memberships cost just $15 per
year, a fee McEwan would like to
keep low to encourage people to

sign up.

More meaning for Mother's Day

SOMETHING special hap-
pened in Terrace on Mo-
ther’s Day as 363 people
gathered in George Little
Memorial Park for one
common cause.

gw Come and get it

THE FILIPINO Focds stand Is back for another
season. Lydea Rosello, seen here with barbe-
cue meat sticks fresh off the grill, worked
opening day with her aunt, Deloras Gonzales.
The stand launched Its 11th year at the Skae-
na Valley Farmer’s Market earlier this month.

They were all there to
raise money and aware-
ness about cancer research
by taking part in the an-
nual Relay for a Friend.

The popular- downtown
park was taken over by an
atmosphere filled with
music, laughter and most
,importanuly, hope.

Adrian Wesley, along
with friends and family,
took part in the event for
the first time ever.

Wesley always wanted
to da something meaning-
ful in her community and
Relay for a Friend seemed
like the perfect opportunity
to get involved,

“Cancer’s such a wide-
spread disease — it killed
my father and grandfa-
ther,” she said. “I was
hoping this might be the
year they find a cure,”

She added fighting can-

_. cer is an important issue

because it is a disease that
doesn’t discriminate based
on race or gender.

The Broughton family -
taking part in the event as
part of Team Hava Java —
turned the 12-hour relay
into a Mother's Day cele-
bration. the whole family
could enjoy.

Denise Broughton set
up a barbecue and the fa-

_ mily feasted. on. prawns,

SHIRLEY DAUGHEATY and Aline Hanes took part in A Relay for a Friend with Team Four Leaf Clovers.
They were participating in memory of Gerry McTague who passed away from cancer twa years ago.

steak, corn on the cob,
sauteed onions and mush-
rooms and garlic bread,

Her team auctioned off
a full plate with all the
fixings for $15 which they
added to the donations
they had already raised.

“It was something we
could do as a family,”
Broughton said. “Too
many people I know have
got cancer.”

Broughton’s grandmo-
ther Helen. Booth, 85,
picked up the honour of
being the. eldest partici-
pant.in this year’s event.

Thirty-one teams took
part in this year’s event
raising $52,227.30 com-
pared to last year’s tally of
$45, 595,90.

“I just really want to
thank everybody who
helped out,” said event or-
ganizer Lynda Fagan,

She said the event's
success derives from the
community coming toge-
ther, hours upon hours of
volunteer. ‘time and of

course the. peaple who:
took part to. get the mes-

sage out. there.’
- “There? s the saying, *

‘raised’ a

takes a community to raise
a child’, but it takes a
community to raise this
much money,” Fagan said.

She added she is espe-
cially grateful the event
was such a success in light
of recent tough economic
times.

The person who raised
the most money was Leah-
Anne Rogers who raised
$1600.50,Her team also re-
ceived top honours for
raising the most money as
a group.

-Teami SpeeDee Printers

whopping”

Helen Booth
$3390.87,