THE CURE

Submitted by Joélle Rabu, AFN member and Maple Sugar Festival du Sucre d’Erable spokesperson

nother summer has passed, sunshine and warmth have been replaced by chilly, damp air and grey skies
A\announcing the arrival of winter in just a few short months. For many, this is a depressing time of the year.
|, for one, remain in denial that summer has ended so soon and | refuse to lay out my winter woollies or find my
umbrella...just in case Mother Nature decides to change her mind, as she is wont to do.

Over years, | find myself searching for a cure for my winter blues. A cure that can take my dwindling get up and go,
that has got up and gone with the summer sun, and can place my waning energy into a world of exciting projects,
enthusiastic folks and challenging prospects. In a perfect world, this cure would be sending me on a brief tropical
vacation, but hey, | get enough of those on a daily basis as | embrace menopause! So | tend to search for a cure
that meets my reality and budget.

Having spent the last 6 months performing at the Chemainus Theatre, | found myself out of touch with all my
friends at the Nanaimo Francophone Association, so | recently dropped in to say bonjour and take their collective
pulse. | had forgotten that when September rolls around, pulses are rapid at the AFN and conversations are very
energetic as everyone launches into Maple Sugar Festival mode. Et voila...as | entered the office this effusive
energy had me spinning! Once the preliminary ‘re-bienvenue’ chats were done, | was given a stack of documents
to read, dossiers to peruse and a list of things to do ASAP. Within a few short days | was handed a slightly different
hat to wear at this year’s Festival as our beloved Mimi, who has been in charge of marketing, has decided to ‘jump
ship’ and, get this: go to Africa for 6 weeks! Apparently this trip has been in the planning stages for some 30 years
so | suppose | can’t hold anything against her for going. You must understand though, Mimi is a true gem and one
of the many ‘souls’ of the AFN and its Festival. When | got wind that she would be away during the all important
marketing strategy period of the Festival, my heart started to race, my pulse quickened, my body felt a surge of
excitement and...wait a minute, that’s exactly what | yearn for...it’s‘THE CURE’, staring at me in the face! Between
you and me, | wasn’t excited for Mimi and her upcoming tropical vacation (the real kind)...1 was excited by the
fact that there was a huge task to be accomplished and | was offered the challenge.

This all leads to my next request, simply put....HELP! | have done many things in my life, | have taken on many
challenges but in all honesty, being given the task of maintaining the Festival’s high level of community support
and marketing strategy is somewhat daunting. | must rise to this challenge but | willingly admit that | am not
super-woman. | have the fundamental tools and skills required, now it’s a matter of obtaining the all important
support which comes in the form of team-work. Cash and In-Kind donations are the financial life-line of the
Maple Sugar Festival and if you are one of those team players who knows people...who know people...! welcome
you with open arms to come and see me about ideas or contacts for community sponsors and support. | can be
reached at the AFN: 729-2776 or by email at: joelle@francophonenanaimo.org. Your input is always welcome

and... who knows, it could end up being the cure for what ails you!

14 Lebastion Nov. Déc. Jan. 07/08