BARRIE CARES
LIFE & TIMES
Fred Day
March 2008

On 31 January, a groupof six charities got together tohost a night of music and a fashion show. Bon Jovi Forever supplied the tunes and six local clothing stores, with the help of local models, supplied the fashions.

Money raised from the event goes toward support for the six charities involved. Barrie Cares is a way for cahrities to work together instead of competing. Robin Munro, head of Barrie cares says, "this is a great way for the community to throw support to six charities at the same time." Hospice Simcoe rep., Betty Matos agrees and wants peolpe tokeep their eyes open for other opportunities to support these charities. Betty had a simple philosophy, "We all feel (the charities) work to bring care and support to the Barrie area, so why not all work together. It just makes sense."

Bon Jovi Forever rocked the crowd with all the favourite hits of Bon Jovi. It was easy to see why they are considered to be the premier Bon Jovi cover band in Canada. Kathleen and Teri, two memebers of the crowd, spent much of the time on the dance floor. They are both big Bon Jovi fans and felt, "we just had to check these guys out. It's even better that we are here supporting charities as well."

Between sets, a fashion show took centre stage. Clothing stores, Imago, Angie's Outdoor, Bruno Henry Couture, Tunnel Clothing Inc., Nook Atmosphere and Swoon Clothing Company supplied clothing for five localmodels to wow the crowd. Donning approximately six outfits each the girls strutted and posed for the audience, representing the supplied outfits in a fun and upbeat manner. A big thanks to Samantha, Victoria, Rebekah, Caitlin and Pam for doing a great job.

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JAZZ AND BLUES TAKES OVER CITY
THE BARRIE ADVANCE
Leigh Blenkhorn
June 06, 2007

Hundreds of musicians are invading the city for the 12th-Annual Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival. Between June 7 and June 18, musical performances will take place daily across the city at various venues. The festival kicks off Thursday with an opening night dance gala at the MacLaren Art Centre featuring Tony Springer.

New this year to the festival is Barrie Cares, a night in support of the AIDS society of Simcoe County. Barrie Cares runs June 13 starting at noon at the Centre Stage in Heritage Park. Robin Monroe, organizer of the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival, said it’s important for the festival to help other local organizations and the AIDS Society is a great cause. “I wanted to do something at the festival, maybe a pride day or something like that, but then I was told about Gerry Croteau at AIDS society, so I called him up,” said Monroe. “We talked about turning it into a fundraising event, and then I realized the sky’s the limit with this thing.”

The theme for Barrie Cares is Women and HIV. Gerry Croteau, executive director of the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County, said the theme relates directly to the area. “Bringing awareness to Simcoe County, where we have three to four Aboriginal communities,” he said. “We want to bring to the forefront of peoples’ attention.”

Barrie Cares features guest speakers such as provincial Liberal candidate and former federal cabinet minister Aileen Carroll, and Laverne Monette, the executive director of the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy. There will also be a fashion show, performances from a variety of musicians and a panel discussion.

For more information on the Barrie Blues and Jazz Festival and a schedule of events, visit www.barriejazzbluesfest.com.

BARRIE CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
City Clerk's Office - June 5, 2007

The Following Matters Were Dealt With at the Council
and General Committee Meetings held on June 4, 2007.

COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS (Continued)

Councillor A. Nuttall announced an open house will be held on June 12, 2007 at the Southshore Community Centre from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to discuss traffic in the Sandringham Drive and Hurst Drive areas.

Councillor L. Strachan advised that provision of water services on Tiffin Street and Miller Drive was approved by General Committee on June 4, 2007 and will be considered for adoption by Council on June 11, 2007. If anyone wishes to make a deputation in opposition to the recommendation to advise the City Clerk’s office in writing by noon on Wednesday, June 6, 2007.

Councillor J. Lehman announced that he and Councillor J. Moore will be holding an open house on June 27th, 2007 at the Southshore Community Centre to showcase the City Centre Revitalization plan involving the Downtown, Waterfront and Allandale Station Areas. He noted that further details will follow.

Councillor J. Lehman announced that the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival is presenting the inaugural “Barrie Cares Festival” in support of the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County. The event is co-sponsored by radio station 107.5 Kool FM. The event takes place on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at the Centre Stage in Heritage Park from 12 noon to 11:00 p.m.
Tickets are $5.00 and available at the Park.