The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 23, 1994 - B1 TERRACE STANDARD INSIDE “SECTION B COMMUNITY JEFF NAGEL EVENTS B2 638-7283 '- HERE BY CHOICE | FAE COLLINS MOONEY To the night’s unsung heroes H, FOR THE nine-to-five life, Monday to Friday. With weckends off. And nights spent in bed, sleeping, like the rest of the world. Oh, for a litle boredom in the form of a regular routine, a steady shift, like a permanent day shilt. Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly. This became a wish very early in my mar- riage. Through the years, more often than not, by hubby has been a shift worker. It began way back in the mid-1960s. Be- fore the unification of our armed forces, my new hubby was a gentleman of the Air Force. As one of many other military radio oper- ators, my handsome young RCAF corporal worked shifts around the clock in the defense of our country. I remember a clipping, at the communica- tions squadron where he worked. Pinned to the bulletin board was this picture of a prizzled, gummy little guy with a bristly beard and leather flying helmet, and a com- forting caption that read, ‘‘Sleep tight tonight. Your air force is awake.” Right. Although the little guy in the picture didn’t look like he ‘could defend himself, much less the whole country, he was, and is, representative of many others, probably much more capable (and certainly better looking), who serve us in a multitude of ways. And we, for the most part, are unaware of the sacrifice it involves. While everyone else sleeps, who patrols our streets, who stands by in the emergency ward, who stocks the shelves al the super- market and cleans the offices, who moves goods up and down our highways? Who keeps this country going while the rest of us snooze? That unsung hero, the shift worker. When there’s a job to be done in the mid- dic of the night, sometimes there is no choice. And all too often it requires a sacrifice of some kind. As Bob, a shift worker for over thirty ycars, related to me recently: “Tf you think about il basically most situations are geared to the 9 to 5 Monday to Friday worker. Try taking a course in something... it’s geared to everything but shift work,’’ ‘Then there’s the pressure it puts on the family unit. Had to miss the son’s ball game, the daughter’s school play. Thanksgiving the family gels together minus Dad — he’s at work making a living.”’ “*How about your health, three or four in the moming your body wants rest but no you have to make another trip to Rupert.” “Almost 35 years of shift work and I’ve missed a heck of a Iot in those years be- cause of it.”’ Bob, and many others, as he reminded me. The policemen, the fireman, the doctor or nurse are ‘‘the more visible ones, but also the highways maintenance workers who keeps our roads open day and night, and of course the average shift worker who keeps industry going night and day seven days a week,” Bob is right, these people are the silent unsung heroes of our community. Sa, we can sleep tight tonight. Thanks to our unsung heroes our neighbourhoods will remain safer, our 4 a.m. emergencies. will be tended to, our supermarkets will be well- stocked and our officcs will be clean, the roads will be clear and commerce will con- tinue around the clock, As my Friend across the street was quick to observe, there is one thing that can’t be said for these hard working people, You can’t call them (ahem) - shiftless. Here’s to that gummy. little guy and all you weary workcrs still awake at 4.a.m. on our behalf and for our benefit. Thanks, And have a good day’s sleep. Life on the edge | -Anti-poverty group fights to survive HE CITY’S poverty fighters have them- selves Fallen on hard times. Stuff at the Terrace Anli- Poverty Society have already agreed to voluntary pay culs in an attempt to save money, And they're consider scaling back hours of operation to fewer days per week to achieve further cuts, The clothing room they operate adjacent to their office in the Til- licum Twin Theatres building will also be cancelled as of the end of this month. “*That was a really bard step for us,’ said staff member Helga Kenny. Clothes that haven’t yet been handed out to the needy will be given to other organizations, like Birthright, the Terrace Women's Resource Centre, the men’s shelter and the Salvation Army. Kenny says the pay cuts were the idea of herself:and advocate Gerry King — the only paid staff members. “The board dida’t want us to do it,’’? she said. ‘‘But the pay cuts are necessary. It’s either that cr one day we might have to close.”” Terrace Anli-Poverty keeps a low profile, but is well known to the city’s less fortunate residents. Stories abound. of how the society ‘staff have helped people get emergency assistance, fill ina form, write a resume — or shame a slum landlord into coughing up a damage deposit. Baitling uncaring government . bureaucracies and crusading for tenants’. rights are among the society’s specialities. They work on more than 150 social services cases per month and around 60 Jandlord-tenant cases per month. They also run information workshops and public legal edu- cation seminars. King’s motta is ‘‘The only tights you have are the ones you know about.” They often represent poor people who don’t know their rights or who are afraid to chal- lenge bureaucrats or landlords. -But most of all the socicty is about support and caring. Kenny remembers her own ex- perience — before the society ex- isted. “Twas on welfare for 10 years’? she says. ‘I went from a TERRACE ANTI- POVERTY workers Gerry King and Helga Kenny work on behalf of the city's less fortunate. Now they're also trying to turn around the fortunes of the society, which has been forced to cut services because of declining revenues. lot of money to no money — to getting by on less than $700 a month for two people." “Back then there was no moral support, no emotional support. | was alone in the world as far as I knew.” big part of the battle,’’ she says, “Té I'd had that, I don’t think it © would have taken me 10 years.’” Most of the society’s money comes from a poorly attended — Thursday night bingo with the balance from local donations. “There’s strength in numbers and knowing you're not alone is a big part of the battle.” An anti-poverty group can give you courage to fight and the tools to say ‘No’, Kenny explains. There’s strength in numbers and knowing you're not ajone is a They applicd for government grants for. the first time this ycar and were tumed down. Their application for 4 charitable tax number was rc- jected because they said their t Ser Be vices includes “‘advocacy”! - =a term that raises political warning : f flags among bureaucrats, * ‘A dance. earlier this’ minth © raised $1,300 for the society and they arc going to plan more fund- raisers in the months ahead in an effort to maintain services: It’s a day-to-day existance, just, like some of their clicnts, and’ every viclory is an achievement. Kenny reminds everyone she secs that they, too, could find - themselves in a similar situation. ‘"You are one paycheque away —- and this is you,’’ she says. “That’s what it really boils down lo.” For more information about the Terrace Anti. Poverty Society, call 635-4631 or drop in to the office ‘at 200-4721 Lazelle Ave, rr sae | The mural zone EVERY STUDENT at Copper Mountain Elementary School had a. hand in the creation of a colourful corridor at the school. They painted five murals that now adorn the hallway eee am there, The landecapes represent the plants, animals and: people of five differant biomes — desert, jungle, tundra, - temperate rainforest, and tropical rainforest.