When life has dealt you a blow and becomes difficult, I wish you could meet a friend of mine, Melanie Cooper.

On Friday June 25th, Melanie, who is visually impaired and considered legally blind, opened her Connect Learning Centre for challenged adults. Melanie knows from personal experience just how important a centre like this can be for those who are facing many physical challenges. Just 21- years-old when she suffered a massive stroke, Melanie was a university student hoping to become a teacher; her parents were told that she likely would not survive. Melanie awoke to find herself completely paralyzed on the left side and legally blind, yet she told her parents that she would, one day, open a centre to help others like herself. On Friday, she realized that dream. This centre will teach adults many life skills and to acquire independent lifestyles. After her own stroke, Melanie depended on the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

"If it weren't for CNIB, I wouldn't be where I am today," she often says.

With budgets being what they are, many of these vital services have been cut. Basic skills such as laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and cooking can be learned at Melanie's centre, located in Mississauga. She's been called stubborn and independent, but Melanie says that these are the qualities that kept her dream alive. I am proud to call Melanie my friend and as she cut the ribbon at the opening ceremonies, I realized that with perseverance and hard work anything is possible. Congratulations Melanie and good luck.

The Churchill library branch manager is Debra Mann. The library is closed on Sunday, Monday and Friday, but open Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 7, Wednesday from 1 to 8, Thursday from 1 to 7, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The telephone number is 456-2671, the email address is churchill@innisfil.on.ca.

TumbleBooks Library: Children’s books are now online. Check out TumbleBooks for stories, games and puzzles. Find the TumbleBooks link on www.innisfil.library.on.ca.

TD Summer Reading Club: Swing down to the library and sign up for the TD Summer Reading Club. The library will feature exciting events and programs all summer long. Be sure to watch for the flyer or check online for details in early June. Registration began June 22.

Book of the Month Club: Love to read, but don’t want to talk about it? Try the Book of the Month Club. Books are available on the first Tuesday of every month, and there are no meetings. The July book is For One More Day by Mitch Albom.

Quilt raffle: Buy a ticket for the chance to win a quilt valued at $900. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Innisfil Public Library. Tickets are available at all library branches for $5 each or three for $10. The draw will take place at the Alcona Sobeys on Saturday July 10 at 2 p.m.

Movies are $2 per tickets and $1 for snacks. How to Train Your Dragon plays July 3, Madagascar runs July 6, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will be featured July 10. Over The Hedge plays July 13, Spiderwick Chronicles runs July 20 and Open Season takes place July 27. All movies begin at 1 p.m.

Seepe Walters Short Story Contest: Students in grades 3 to 12 can enter this annual writing contest. Write an original story on any topic for a chance to win fantastic prizes. Call or visit the library for more information on how to enter.

St. Peter's Anglican church is collecting used eye glasses to be shipped to Guatemala. Many organizations, churches and optometrists collect the glasses and forward them to Lions clubs across the country. Once they are received by the Lions, glasses are sorted and all broken ones have the lenses removed and are then, along with the cases, discarded. The good glasses are packed and shipped to the Canadian Lions Eyesight Recycling Centre in Calgary, where they are scripted and then packed in plastic sleeves with the prescription on a label on the outside. The loose lenses are given to the University of Waterloo School of Optometry to be used in training. Eye teams that are travelling around the world then place orders with CLERC and glasses are shipped or taken to Guatemala. Carole, the contact person on this project, is pleased with the response and has collected over 100 pairs of glasses in under a week. Innisfil Eye Care were among the first to answer the call with a generous donation of glasses. To make a donation, contact Carole at 431- 2428, or drop it off at the church on any Sunday until 11 a.m.

Carole tells me that she has received quite a number of eyeglasses in the past few weeks. We thank all participants for their support.

The St. Peter's Anglican Church Youth Group

C.O.O.L) has meetings every Thursday at the church from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Meetings will resume in the fall. Kids ages eight to 12 are welcome to attend in this age group. Please call the youth coordinator, Pam Gervais at 436- 1522 for information about the junior and senior youth group.

The senior youth group will meet at St. John's Anglican Church in Cookstown. For more information on the next meeting, contact Pam at 436-1522.

The homeowners of Church Drive South are having a huge street garage sale on July 3 and 4th. Come out and look at experienced goods in Lefroy, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 456-6431 for all information.

Euchre: Bid euchre at St. Peter's Anglican Church on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to drop by any Wednesday and join in the fun. Light refreshments are served. Call 458- 1801 for details.

Euchre at Lefroy United Church: on Tuesday afternoons, at 1 p.m. Once a month (usually decided one or two weeks before), there will be a pot luck lunch. For more information, call the church at 456-2098.

In the summer of 2010, the Open Hands Youth Mission Group of Living Waters Presbytery of the United Church of Canada will travel to Nicaragua.

Lefroy's Katie Bea will participate in the mission. While there, the group will experience the country's beauty and poverty. They will visit various projects that are being supported by the United Church of Canada, including partnership with a local elementary school in the impoverished area of Matagalpa.

For more information, contact the church at 456- 2098.

A $5 meal: On the third Wednesday of each month, Churchill United Church will offer a $5 meal. Enjoy quick and simple meal on busy night, and a bit of fellowship. Children eat for $2. The next meal is scheduled July 21st.

Smile: This is a personal favourite. A lawyer was cross-examining the doctor about whether or not he had checked the pulse of the deceased before he signed the death certificate. "No," the doctor said. "did not check his pulse." "And did you listen for heartbeat?" asked the lawyer.

"No I did not," the doctor said.

"So when you signed the death certificate, you had not taken steps to make sure he was dead," said the lawyer.

"Well, let me put it this way," said the doctor. "The man's brain was in a jar on my desk. But for all I know, he could be out practicing law somewhere."

If you have any news or items for this column, please submit them by 5 p.m. on the Sunday before publication. Contact me at 436-9769 or email lagerow@rogers.com.