Cornwall Ontario — It has been a busy month here in Cornwall! There are so many things to do during the year but December seems to be the busiest month with all of the year-end activities andof course the holiday events!

Many community business members from the city and surrounding areas gathered on Wednesday morning for the Team Cornwall Year in Review. The annual event summarizes all of the activity in the city and showcases the many improvements, business developments, activities, events and highlights of the year to date and is extremely well-attended.  It was so wonderful to see all of the outstanding achievements that our city has had over the past year alone.   Special guest speaker Jean-Luc Brassard (gold medalist at the 1994 Winter Olympics and coach of Olympic athletes) spoke about the importance of teamwork and working towards a Common Goal using Confidence, Trust, Respect and Transparency as some core values.

On Friday, December 19th, the downtown core will come together to help the United Way reach their fundraising goal. As many of you know, they are a little shy of this year’s goal and would like your help in reaching it.  Downtown businesses will wear their Ugly Sweaters on Friday to help out the cause. Many of the local businesses will have promotions or donation jars in their stores to collect donations.  And of course, Pommier Jewellers will have their yearly Christmas Angel ornaments on sale ($20 each) to help out as well. These are beautiful keepsakes and I personally collect them every year as well. We encourage you to shop locally and help support the United Way, such an important agency that helps so many in our community.

And on that same note, the Agape Centre also needs your help at this time of year. And in the spirit of giving, they have teamed up with five local businesses to offer FREE Family Photos and a Photo with Santa this coming Sunday, December 21st from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion.   Being a local photographer, I have offered to provide the photos free of charge and 4×6 prints will be available to take home on-site.  The Agape Center families will be officially invited by the Agape Center but the event is also open to other local families who would like to have a free photo of their family or their children with Santa. 

Many families in Cornwall cannot afford a professional family photo or to pay for their child’s photo at the local mall even if the cost is minimal. At this time of year, some families are very hard hit and even though these services can be offered at an affordable price, when you’re suffering from poverty, every penny counts and many of the families right here in our own community cannot afford to even spend $10 or $20 on a photo. I have heard this from many families and would like to give back to my community by offering those in need a free photo with their family as well as a one free photo with Santa.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 297 has offered their hall free of charge.   Staples Business Depot has donated some of the printing materials to ensure that each family receives one 4×6 printout of their family photo and one photo with Santa per family to take home within 10 minutes of their photo shoot.  Bridal’s Dream has donated the beautiful chair that Santa will pose with and Santa will also be donating his time.  We have such a giving and generous community here in Cornwall and I am so proud to be a part of this City!  

While not a requirement for the free photo, for those who are able to donate, a collection area will be setup for non-perishable items to be collected on behalf of the Agape Center. There could be many families in attendance so families should come prepared to expect a small wait time if attendance is large.  The process should take approximately 10 minutes per family.  If you’d like more information about this event, contact Carol Grant at 613-861-9036 or email Carol at carolgrantproductions@hotmail.com.

Women Entrepreneurs of Cornwall & Area gathered last week for their Annual Christmas monthly meeting and helped raise funds for Hospice and donations for Baldwin House and Agape Centre. This dynamic group of women meet monthly at the Ramada Inn and welcome new ladies to join their organization.  

It’s certainly the season to celebrate and Cornwall has no shortage of entertainment at this time of year. The Centennial Choir of Cornwall recently held their Annual Christmas Concert.  The group hosts an annual Spring and Christmas concert which usually both normally sell out every year.  Watch for details of the Spring concert as the weather gets nicer and plan to attend this yearly event. 

While we will be on a short break over the holidays, I encourage you all to enjoy the many wonderful activities planned throughout the city for the remainder of this month. If you do not already have plans for New Year’s Eve, please join us for Cornwall & Area Pop Event’s (CAPE) New Year’s Eve Party being held at the Ramada Inn.  Tickets are $60/couple or $35 for siigle tickets and are available at Fantasy Realm (227 Pitt Street) or Bridal’s Dream (404B Montreal Road).  The event is being held to help raise awareness and help secure additional funds to bring in more celebrity guests for the event happening on April 18th.  For more information, visit www.cornwallpopevent.com

   Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! 🙂