Shoe box effort now underway LOCAL SUPPORT continues to mount for Operation Christmas Child, an annual campaign that distributes shoe boxes filled with gifts to children in war-torn or im- poverished countries across the globe, Both drop-off points in Terrace, Safeway and the Al- liance Church, expect to send off more shoe boxes than ever by the Nov. 17 deadline for contributions. Mark Asselstine, associate pastor at the Alliance Church, isn’t surprised the town has really embraced the campaign. “What touches our hearts more than helping children?” Asselstine said. _ =. Practical items like shampoo or a T-shirt are wel- come, but he said people should be sure to include toys and fun gifts, too, “Sure; the basics are very important, but children need other things to stimulate their minds,” Asselstine said. “These are little kids, You've always got to remember that a piece of candy can bring so much joy to a little kid.” He thinks the fact people choose gifts for an individ- ual child is part of the campaign’s appeal. “You know exactly what you have bought is exactly what the kid is going to get.” Operation Christmas Child, a program run by Sdmari- tan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evange- lical mission, delivered 4.1 million shoe boxes last year to children in 75 countries, The Canadian campaign sends gifts to children in 20 countries, ranging from Belize, Guyana, Paraguay and Guatemala in Central and South America; Benin, Gui- nea, and Ivory Coast in Africa; to Cambodia and Viet- nam in Asia and Serbia and Macedonia in Europe. Support has grown to such an extent in Canada that Samaritan’s Purse is now encouraging donors to provide their own containers. Shoe boxes are also available at Safeway and the Alliance church, By the end of next week, hundreds of gift boxes will be shipped from Terrace to the campaign’s Calgary dis- tribution centre, where thousands of volunteers assist to send the boxes on their way. Asselstine said volunteers from across Canada also join teams that travel to the countries for distribution. This year’s distribution teams, heading out before Christmas and in January, are full. “It’s a huge effort and a huge operation,” says Assels- tine, who helped initiate local efforts for Operation Christmas Child when he came to Terrace almost three years apo, THAT'S ALLIANCE Church associate pastor Mark Asselstine with just a few of the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes destined for children living in war-torn and impoverished countries overseas. Council restores centre tax exemption CITY COUNCIL has backtracked and agreed to restore a full property tax exemption for the Kermode Friendship Centre. Council had previously voted to cut the centre’s exemption to 50 per cent based on a new city policy that requires groups’ member- ship and activities be open to all people. It also refused an exemption altogether for the local Masonic Lodge, on the basis that not everyone can be a Mason. Council agreed last week to restore Ker- mode Friendship’s full exemption — saving it about $3,000 per year — after centre’ staff ap-" pealed, arguing the centre is open to all people. . it has non-native members and non-native directors on its board, executive director Ric Smile and Whitening By Dr. Zucchiatti ADENT DENTAL CLINIC Phone: 635-2552 4623 Lakelse Avenue, Terrace Mon-Fri * 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Master Carc Miller said, and many non-natives use centre Services. “It appears they don’t restrict membership,” treasurer Judy Degerness told council. Council refused a request from Skeena Fa- mily Resources to get a similar discretionary tax exemption. Degerness said the agency, which is a divi- sion of Terrace and District Community Ser- vices Society, has a house reserve of $7,500 and a surplus of $9,000. “Based on that, [recommend not to’ grant this request,” ‘she sdid-”. “= " Degerness had previously recommended council not give the Child Development Centre a full tax exemption, because it has a $225,000 reserve fund. Dr. Joe Zucchiatti 20 years of mercury-free dentistry Founding member and treasurer of the Western Canadian Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry General Practitioner Providing services in: Mercury-free white fillings Teeth Whitening Porcelain Yeneers and Crowns Microabrasion Dentistry (No drilling, no freezing) Hygiene and Preventive Care Intra-oral camera assisted Diagnosis For your comfort, we have overhead televisions and headsets. We Welcome All New Patients But council did not take that advice and voted to maintain the CDC’s full exemption. Councillors did agree to look at changing the policy to reduce tax exemptions for groups. that get the vast majority of their money fram government sources. Council members don’t want city tax dol- lars to gradually take the place of other gov- ernment contributions. “It would be our government funding an- ‘Davies. : n Family Resources, and pussibly Kermode Friendship and the Child Development Centre. All get most of their money from government. Want A a = ‘eon eh ame “haiti Photo? <3 Did you see a photo in the paper that you want a copy of? The Terrace Standard along with —— Northern Photo Ltd. a Uvie now provides this service. _ Come into our office located at 3210 Clinton Street and indicate the photo of your choice and size. 4’x6" 5"y7" Other sizes aveilable. Phone for pricing. Prica includes printing fea from Northarn Photo and purchasing fee from the Terrace Standard. All phologrophs ore copyrighted ta the Terrace Stordard, (Note: 90% of photos taken ore digital photos ah gn Arg" of high quality jpeg. Block and white prints of hioh ual 1 black and white negatives.) northern photo "Your Headquarters For Digital Cameras And Digital Imaging Services" 1 4-476 lakelve Avenue TANDARD & STANDARD Ph; 638-7283 Fax: 638-8432 sab eataae bce) SCI prohe underway Doredatte beefed are ‘ _ other government,” said councillor Marylin “Such a restriction might provide firm policy 7 ‘grounds to reject non-profit groups like Skeena News In Brief a Officers promoted THE TERRACE RCMP detachment is the new home to three recently promoted RCMP officers. Corporal Scott Lavell came from Dawson Creek where he was a conslable and Corporal Shawn Wadelius from Prince George where he was also a constable, Both are watch commanders: here, in charge of a shift of general duty officers, The third new arrival comes from the. lower mainland where he was a corporal, Sgt. Jas Basi is the detachment’s operations support non-commi- sioned officer and as.such is.the third-highest-rank officer at the detachment, , He did general duties as well as time with the force’s narcotics and organized. crimé sections there. Basi was an RCMP summer student here in 1986. : Quiet Hallowe’en TERRACE AND area streets were bustling’ with activity on Hallowe’en and despite the night’s no- torious reputation for mischief making, police say they had a fairly uneventful evening. “There was extra manpower on last night and fed- eral fisherics came out with us as well to help out,” Constable Jack Hundial said. Some off duty RCMP members also made them- selves available thal night in case they were nee- ded. With the exception of firecrackers being seized some youngsters being warned for throwing eggs, there were no major incidents to report, Hundial said. Thieves target cars A RASH of vehicle break-ins left numerous local people with vandalized cars and missing items around Oct. 28-29. On the night of Oct. 29 thieves hit several vehi- cles in the horseshoe on Tuck Ave, and Eby, Kalum and Sparks Streets, RCMP said. The next night it was the tum of southside residents. Several more vehicles were entered by smashing or prying windows, Police say six out of seven of those re- ports were within a block of each other, near the 2200 block of Evergreen and Kalum Streets. Officers said the thieves were generally attracted by articles left in plain sight in the vehicles, Big bucks paid out IT’S PROBABLY nat the kind of large-scale heal- th-related expenditure the new provincial govern- ment had in mind when il was first elected. But after just five months on the job, deputy health planning minister John Tegenfeldt left last week, accumulating a combined $300,000 in earnings and severance pay over that period. Health planning was carved off from the much Jarger health ministry by the new B.C. Liberal gov- ernment. Tegenfeldt. was hired by specifically by . the Liberals to put together long term health'plang.! ” * | That-hasn’t worked out and, according to a gov- ernment ‘release, Tegenfeldt’s departure was by mutual arrangement.