2 * THE WEST ISLAND SUBURBAN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2010 PHOTO COURTESY KATHLEEN GREENFIELD

Around the Towns

Dorval's Novartis gives back to community

Recently, more than 200 employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals located in Dorval, gave back to the West Island community by taking part in the Community Partnership Day. Novartis teamed up with Volunteer West Island and the corporate helpers were sent to various neighbourhood agencies such as West Island Cancer Wellness Centre (WICWC), WIAIH's Pat Roberts Centre and the West Island Women's Shelter. "This is the second year that Novartis has helped us out, and it's amazing how much they can get done in the time frame that they're here," said Kelli Diorio of the WICWC. "There are always smiles on their faces and lots of enthusiasm. They brighten the house in more ways than one." A company car wash also raised $1,000 for charity. Novartis employees help brighten up the stairs at the Pat Roberts Centre with a little paint and TLC.

On Rock Ministries hosts a wine tasting fundraiser for West Island food bank

On Rock Ministries will be hosting its third annual wine tasting fundraiser and silent auction to benefit its food bank that provides more than 100 baskets of food to West Island families every week. On Rock founder Kim Reid started the food bank six years ago to help a group he referred to as "the invisible poor. Given the economic downturn, the needs in the community have grown, and so too has our need for financial resources to meet those needs." On Rock also serves 100 lunches to West Island students every week and according to Reid, "we have three more schools interested in our services for the next school year. We expect to double what we're already doing and so we are in desperate need of more storage space, including a walk-in freezer, cold room and dry storage." On Rock Ministries Third Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser will take place Saturday, June 12 at the A Ma Baie Cultural Center, 9665 Gouin Blvd. in Pierrefonds. For tickets and time, call 514-696-1905.

PAGE TWO

Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow, owner of Centre Holistique OM West in Pointe-Claire, puts one of her young students, Kayla Côté, through her paces in front of the city's famous windmill. Gow is raising money for The Canadian National Institute for the Blind's Vision Month's Great Canadian Yoga Stretch campaign.

Pointe-Claire yoga centre raises money for blind and partially sighted

Great Canadian Yoga Stretch part of CNIB's Vision Month

By Ian Howarth The Suburban Bend and stretch, reach for the sky. That's the goal of The Great Canadian Yoga Stretch, a nationwide Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) campaign designed to raise funds for the blind and visually impaired using yoga as the vehicle and motivation. This is the first year for The Great Canadian Yoga Stretch CNIB campaign in honour of May's Vision Month which the organization describes as a health and wellness challenge designed to inspire Canadians to stretch their limits and raise funds for the CNIB by taking up yoga or fine-tuning that difficult yoga pose. Participants are encouraged to get sponsors and at the end of May, some lucky participants may find Publisher: Michael Sochaczevski Associate Publisher: Sari Medicoff VP Business Development & Marketing: David Solomon Sales Manager: David Broadman Production Manager: Karen L. Cross Classified Manager: Charmaine Worrell Credit Manager: Carol Balinsky 7575 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 105, St. Laurent, QC H4T 1V6 (514) 484-1107 (Fax) 484-9616 suburban@thesuburban.com www.thesuburban.com Some images and graphics Copyright 2009 Michael Publishing and its licensors. All rights reserved. themselves winning a flight and two days at the CNIB's retreat in Muskoka, Ontario, among other prizes. The nucleus of Montreal's contribution to The Great Canadian Yoga Stretch is at the Centre Holistique OM West in the Pointe Claire Village where its owner, director and yoga instructor, Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow, has set her own personal goal of 108 sun salutations in 108 days. This is no mean feat for the uninitiated and Gow, with a history of social activism, is not a half-measures kind of person. Her goal of 108 sun salutations in an equal period of time takes up three hours of her busy day. And, by the time she is finished Aug. 3, she will have not only contributed money to the CNIB, but to The Stephen Lewis and David Suzuki Foundations as well. "I know the people at the CNIB and Editor-in-chief: Beryl Wajsman (editor@thesuburban.com) Associate Editor: Anthony Bonaparte (anthony@thesuburban.com) Sports Editor: Mark Lidbetter (sports@thesuburban.com) Editorial Staff: Joel Ceausu, Dan Delmar, Julia Gerke, Joel Goldenberg, Walter J. Lyng, P.A. Sévigny, Samantha St. Jules, Kevin Woodhouse they approached me to be the ambassador for their campaign in Montreal," said Gow, in Day 34 of her 108 days when interviewed. "Everyone can benefit from using yoga as exercise, since it is about feelings and not sight. Yoga is a very accessible physical process," explained Gow, who has about 20 of her students and friends supporting her in her sun salutation quest. "Even my dad has promised to do one sun salutation a day," she added. Her boyfriend is also behind her, choosing to make his contribution with 108 push-ups per day. Gow has so far raised $1,000 with donations still coming in. She admitted that taking a big chunk of her day and devoting it to 108 sun salutations has been a mental and physical challenge. "This is the most difficult Editorial Contributors: Maria I. Anelli, Akil Alleyne, Sam Bick, Mike Cohen, Alex Di Pietro, Mitch Gallo, Ian Howarth, David Lisbona, Bernard Mendelman, Daniel W.K. Rafuse, Lisa K. Savage, Linda Zlatkin Photographers: Andrew Soong, Rob Taussig, Mico Smiljanic CONTACT US via email: Letters: editor@thesuburban.com | Entertainment: entertainment@thesuburban.com | Features: anthony@thesuburban.com | Sports: sports@thesuburban.com | Community Events: calendar@thesuburban.com | Advertising material: production@thesuburban.com See YOGA, page 7 Publisher's liability for error: The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's liability for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. Entire Contents Copyright Michael Publishing Co. Inc., Wednesday, May 26, 2010 IAN HOWARTH / THE SUBURBAN

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

You need to upgrade the version of your Flash Player to version 9 minimum.

Click here

Adobe Flash Player Download Center