GUELPH – Kadence Stephenson and Norah Hawkins have received VIP awards from the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB). 

Stephenson is a student at Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School in Rockwood and Hawkins is a student at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Arthur. 

Trustees presented them with the awards during a board meeting on May 5 at the Catholic Education Centre in Guelph. 

One student from every WCDSB school is selected to receive the award each school year, to acknowledge the significant contributions they have made to their school communities. 

Teachers and principals at their schools compile write-ups about each of the winners, describing their contributions, and these write-ups are read by trustees during the meeting. 

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Trustee Cassandra O’Donnell presented Stephenson with her VIP award. 

“From the moment you meet Kadence, you can tell that she would have a profound and positive impact on our community,” O’Donnell read. 

“Her enthusiasm and dedication are evident in everything she does, and she has a remarkable ability to get involved and organize anything and everything.” 

Stephenson is Sacred Heart’s lead ambassador and plans school events, leads initiatives and fosters a sense of community at her school, officials say. 

Kadence Stephenson stands with her teacher, Matteo Caruso, left, and Rockwood’s Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School principal Michelle Nagy, right.

She is described as wise beyond her years, dedicated, creative and a strong leader who “sets high standards for herself and works diligently to achieve them.”

Stephenson’s teachers call her a beacon of positivity and say she made a lasting impact on the school. 

“She consistently looks out for everyone around her, offering support and guidance wherever needed,” her teachers state. 

“Her compassionate nature and willingness to assist make her a trusted and beloved figure within our school.”  

“Norah is one of the kindest students to ever walk the halls of St. John Arthur,” read trustee Sebastian Dal Bo from the award write-up about Hawkins. 

“In a world that often moves too fast, Norah moves with compassion,” her teachers state. 

They say she shows empathy through offering a smile, helping hand and words of encouragement when her peers are in need. 

Trustee Sebastian Dal Bo presents Arthur student Norah Hawkins with a VIP award during a Wellington Catholic District School Board meeting on May 5. Photo by Robin George

“Academically, Norah is driven, curious and focused. She approaches learning not just as a task, but as a joy,” asking thoughtful questions and sharing innovative ideas, teachers say. 

Hawkins is an athlete and an artist who lives “with balance: mind, body, heart and spirit in harmony,” not only succeeding but encouraging others to succeed, too. 

“Today, we don’t just celebrate Norah’s achievements,” Dal Bo read. “We celebrate her character, her light and the way she has made our school, our community, and our lives better simply by being herself.” 

Hawkins’ teachers finished off with a message for her: “Keep dreaming, keep leading, keep being you. The world needs exactly what you have to offer.” 

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CLIFFORD – A community pantry in Clifford is being relocated, due to weather issues. 

The pantry, which holds nonperishable foods and hygiene products for those in need, opened last July as a pilot project, at the Clifford Celebration Square.

The Community Food Share Pantry was created through a partnership between Minto Pride, the Clifford Connects community group and the town’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee. 

“The intent is if people have extra food they can put it in the pantry,” town director of economic and community development Belinda Wick-Graham told the Advertiser. 

The pantry runs on a “leave what you can, take what you need” motto.

“The challenge has been the weather extremes … in the summer it gets too hot, so we have to monitor the food to make sure the cans aren’t leaking or bulging,” she said. 

Then in the winter “it was worse because things would freeze.” 

She noted the availability of food and products became limited. 

“The other element was … the [door] closure would freeze so people would bang on it … and in the process cause damage to the doors,” Wick-Graham said. 

The partners approached the County of Wellington as its library branches are “inclusive and welcoming spaces.” 

Wick-Graham noted the county has other pantry projects occurring at branches in Palmerston, Erin and Elora.

The idea is to place the pantry inside the Clifford library lobby (7 Brown St. N.), away from the damaging elements. 

“In Clifford, they have the library in one side of the building and the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team on the other side,” she explained. “In the middle there is a lobby.”

According to Wick-Graham, both parties were happy to have the pantry installed. It’s currently getting its doors repaired and should be available inside the library around May 9. 

“Unfortunately, it won’t be available 24/7 but it will be open when either the library or medical clinic are open,” she said. “Five or six days a week people will be able to access it.”

After initially being funded by the three partners, the pantry now runs on public donations.

“Some people thought it would be in competition with the [Clifford] Food Bank but it’s definitely not … it’s just another option for people to access food if they need it,” Wick-Graham said.

The two resources differ as food bank users may only access it once every 30 days, while the pantry is open to all, no questions asked. 

“If you need anything, then you go and take what you need,” Wick-Graham said.

She noted the group is always looking for donations of non-expired goods and volunteers to keep an eye on the products.

Popular items needed include:

• spaghetti;
• pasta sauce;
• school snacks;
• oatmeal packages;
• granola bars;
• toothbrushes/tooth paste; and
• feminine hygiene products.

The pantry will soon be available at the library and stands in memory of DEI committee member Michael Martin, who died before his idea came to fruition. 

“His wife passed a couple days after him, it was so devastating,” said Wick-Graham.

“This was a passion for him to make sure people in the community had food.”

At the opening in July, his family members were the first to place food in the pantry, honouring his devotion to the cause.

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FERGUS – When Maggie Kurtz died in a motorcycle accident in October of 2023, she left a hole in the hearts of her family, her friends, and Centre Wellington Minor Lacrosse.

And on May 1, the club unveiled a new brand for the development program for its youngest players.

Going forward, the U4, U5 and U7 teams will be known as Maggie’s Minis.

“This is hard,” said club secretary Cheryl Marsland in a phone interview.

“Maggie was a friend, our kids played together, and she was treasurer of the lacrosse club. It was really, really difficult when she died.”

Marsland said Kurtz and her husband Brent often went on motorcycle trips.

In October of 2023, they were at their cottage and went out for a spin, each on their own bike.

A car was pulling out of its driveway at the crest of a hill and hit the two bikes, killing Kurtz and injuring her husband.

“It was a fluke accident,” Marsland added. “Nobody was at fault, but it’s been devastating.”

Kurtz left behind her husband and four children.

So naming the development program after Kurtz was really important to the club’s executive and on May 1, they unveiled the new logo at an event at the Jefferson Elora Community Centre.

The Kurtz family holds shirts bearing the “Maggie’s Minis” logo honouring Maggie Kurtz, the treasurer for Centre Wellington Minor Lacrosse who died in 2023. The development program for the club’s youngest players is now named in her honour. Submitted photo

“She was integral to the lacrosse community and the board wanted to memorialize that,” Marsland said.

The logo, designed by graphic artist Diego Navarro, is an above view of motorcycle handlebars and the gas tank, which is also the shape of the head of a  lacrosse stick. The little lines at the bottom represent her four children.

Kurtz was an accountant with RLB Chartered Accountants, and the firm contributed to the logo and sponsored a team.

Speakers at the unveiling ceremony spoke glowingly of Kurtz as a hard worker who loved her family, was committed to lacrosse and volunteered as part of teams and the executive. 

And she was fun.

“Maggie was the life of the party,” Marsland said.

In a statement released after the event, the family expressed their thanks.

“The Kurtz and Riddle families thank friends, lacrosse families, community and RLB for all their support during this difficult time,” it reads. 

“(We thank) RLB for their continued support in naming an RLB Team award in Maggie’s memory and monetary support for minor lacrosse to be able to brand the development program in memory of Maggie – Maggie’s Minis.”

Marsland said the gesture doesn’t take away the pain of losing her friend.

But the shirts make her smile and rebranding the development program in Kurtz’s honour is very positive action to come from collective grief.

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WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) region has been designated by the province as a risk area for measles.

Public health officials made the announcement on May 7 due to “ongoing measles circulation.”

As of May 6, there were 61 confirmed and probable cases in the WDGPH region, up from 30 two weeks prior.

“While this designation from the province highlights the overall measles risk to our community, it does not change our core guidance,” stated Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical officer of health, stated in the press release.

“I am strongly encouraging every person to review their measles vaccine status and – if necessary – get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

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Officials say those at greatest risk are individuals who have not received two doses of the vaccine.

“The risk for individuals who are fully immunized (with two doses of a vaccine) or born before 1970, is still considered very low,” the release stated.

WDGPH officials are encouraging children in the region to get vaccinated earlier than previously suggested:

• children aged six months and older can receive their first dose and should still receive two doses after their first birthday to ensure longer-term protection; and
• children who have received their first dose can receive their second dose as early as four weeks after their first dose.

“Parents and caregivers of eligible children should speak with their primary care provider or [WDGPH] about an early first or second dose of a measles vaccine,” the release stated.

Adults born after 1970 can also receive a first or second dose if they have not already received them, officials added.

For more information, contact a health care provider, visit wdgpublichealth.ca/measles or call 1-800-265-7293 ext. 7006.

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ERIN  – While most teenage boys may find themselves lost in the world of video games and hanging out with friends, 16-year-old Quinton Groves from Erin has lost himself in a world much colder and faster. 

The Erin teen is sledding his way to the Winter Olympics after becoming one of the youngest athletes to successfully pilot a bobsled from the top of the world’s fastest bobsleigh track in Whistler, British Columbia.

Groves was first introduced to the sport at an RBC Training Ground event, a specialized training camp that looks to pair young athletes with Olympic potential with a fitting sport. 

“I went into that and just did my best and then a couple weeks later my parents got the email for bobsleigh,” said Groves.

“It was kind of surprising because it was a strange kind of sport [that] not many people get the opportunity to do.”

Groves told the Advertiser he had always dreamed of being a F1 race car driver, and was happy to have found a sport with the same adrenaline factor. 

“Bobsleigh is considered one of the sports that is closest to F1 racing with all the G forces and speed,” Groves said. 

The young athlete truly began the sport last June, when he attended a “push camp” at Lake Placid in New York – a camp dedicated to pushing the bobsleigh and getting a feel for the equipment.

“I was kind of excelling in that,” said Groves.

“Some of the people that went there a couple times for the push camp, I was beating their scores.”

Accompanied by his parents, Groves was approached by former U.S. Olympian Adam Blandford, now resides in Ottawa and teaches bobsledding under the Ontario Bobsled Association. 

“He had a chance to talk to myself and my wife at the end of the push camp and said that Quinton’s got a lot of ability and he’s young enough that if he was interested in potentially looking at being a pilot of bobsled,” said Grove’s father Grant.

From there Groves was invited to attend a pilot camp in Whistler, where he was coached by former and current Olympic bobsled athletes from all over the world.

The camp ran from March 18 to 31.

“It was not like anything I [have] experienced before,” said Groves.

“The atmosphere … and just being around people that have the specific passion for the sport … really gave me a kind of insight.”

 Under the guidance of his coach, Australian- Canadian Olympian Chris Spring, Groves became one of the youngest athletes to successfully pilot a bobsled from the top of the Whistler track.

It’s easier said than done.

“The biggest challenge is mentally preparing yourself for what’s about to happen,” said Groves.

“My first ever time going down … I was nervous, but once I was actually going down the track it didn’t seem so bad.”

The young athlete intends to continue his training, and perhaps compete on the world stage just as his mentors before him.

“This is a sport that I find myself enjoying very much,” said Groves.

“The Olympics is [something] I can have a goal for.”

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HAMMER, Helen Jean
1931 – 2025

Passed away at home on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Survived by her three children, Morgan Bradford, Martyn Graham and Janet Lynn.

Predeceased by her siblings Sadie (Duncan), Orville (Audrey), Anna (George), Lyle (Avis), Earl and baby sister Isabelle.  Husband, Harold Hammer.

Helen’s life began on the family farm outside of Petrolia, Ontario, she graduated from secretarial school and Bible college.  Over her career, she was the head secretary of GCI High School and was an important asset in opening Centennial High School, both in Guelph.  Her profession in accounting helped her create her own business until she retired.  She is very respected by the companies in the Kitchener-Waterloo area that she has supported. All the while raising three children and her home became the place to be for their friends, most calling her Mom as well.  During her retirement, she spent many winters in Arizona, hiking and travelling.  Helen loved life, enjoyed the company of people around her, her long-time friends and family, laughing and being interested in every aspect of their lives.  She was very intuitive, and you couldn’t get much past her, and she always gave good advice.  Helen was much loved, sweet-natured, caring, gentle and patient.  “She was a good mom, and we adored her.”

Special thanks to her many friends who cared for her deeply and made her laugh and smile.  To the Doctors, nurses and caregivers who came into her home, made sure her needs were met, and created friendships.

A funeral Service was held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, Waterloo, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.Interment took place at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Breslau, ON.

In lieu of flowers, condolences for the family and donations to Pet Patrol may be arranged through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street S. Waterloo, at www.erbgood.com

GUELPH – It’s been 16 months since Dave Genereaux died in a two-vehicle crash in December of 2023.  

The other driver in the crash, Micheal Shular, pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death during a trial at the Ontario Court of Justice in Guelph on April 28. 

The collision took place on Highway 6 between Fergus and Guelph, south of 8th Line and Wellington Road 22, at about 10:30am on Dec. 29, 2023. 

Genereaux was driving south when a northbound black Dodge Ram pickup truck, driven by Shular, crashed into his beige Ford SUV. 

Genereaux, who was 40 years old and father to a newborn, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Shular, 30, of Tara (near Owen Sound), was transported to Guelph General Hospital with minor injuries.

They were the only occupants in the vehicles.

On Jan. 11, 2024, police announced that Shular was charged with impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, obstructing a peace officer by providing false information, possession of a Schedule 1 substance (fentanyl) and two counts of driving while suspended. 

Shular has pleaded guilty to just the first of the above charges.

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Genereaux’s death came just two months after the birth of his first child, Jason. 

Jason is now 18 months old, and his mom, Sabrina Genereaux, says he’s “growing like a little weed.”

He’s a happy, healthy toddler figuring out how to navigate the world, she said. He’s learned to climb the stairs, open all the doors in the house and enjoys climbing up on his “independence stool” in the kitchen to watch his mom and grandparents make coffee or cook dinner. 

“He’s got the best little smile,” Sabrina said. 

And he recognizes his “Dada,” often kissing the photo of Dave that Sabrina has saved as the background on her phone. 

Sabrina said she often tells Jason stories about his dad, and “as he gets older I will tell him anything he wants to know.

“I tell him all the time, he’s like his dad. I want him to know everything about his dad,” Sabrina said, and she has put photo albums together, ready for him. 

A lot has changed in Sabrina’s life since Dave’s death, and she described it as a “roller coaster of emotion,” with lots of firsts and learning curves. 

“I’m learning how to be a mom while dealing with everything,” she said.

Sabrina Genereaux and her son, Jason. Photo by Robin George

She added she’s become more of a homebody and described her life as “more of pushing through than actually living.” 

Without Dave’s income, she couldn’t afford to keep their apartment in Fergus so she moved in with her parents, Sante and Gloria Dona, in Elora.

“He always paid rent and I did the rest,” Sabrina said.  

For now she’s living in her parents’ home, but the next step will be building a little house in the backyard for Sabrina and Jason to have more independence – “still close enough, but separate,” she said. 

“It’s nice living here,” Sabrina said, and having her parents’ support has made things much easier.

Jason’s cat K9 is doing well – the orange tabby lounged comfortably on a cat tower while Sabrina spoke tearfully about her late husband. 

But Jason’s other cat, Firefly, had to be put down last July, Sabrina said. 

In the days leading up to court Sabrina said she was so anxious she could hardly sleep, eat or even drink coffee. 

She told the Advertiser she has mixed emotions about Shular’s guilty plea – especially as he only pleaded guilty to one charge. 

“I’m glad he owned up to it,” she said, though she worries he did so just to get a lesser sentence, not because he feels remorseful. 

“He wouldn’t lift his head up” while people read impact statements in court, she said. 

“He just stared at his shoes the whole time.” 

It was hard for Sabrina to be in the same room as Shular, she said. 

A lot of people attended court to support her, she noted, including her and Dave’s friends and family, members of Dave’s paintball team and Sabrina’s baseball team, and some of Dave’s coworkers. 

About 10 people gave impact statements, she said, including herself, and a few friends and family members. 

“I went first,” Sabrina said. “It was super hard – I cried the whole time.” 

Her statement was about how they first met, what they enjoyed doing together, and how they tried for a long time to start their family, finally getting pregnant with Jason in 2023. 

Sabrina said her best friend Alicia Curry’s statement was directed at Shular and  described how he “sentenced me and my son to life without Dave. She was very angry,” Sabrina said. 

Dave’s aunt talked about what Dave was like as a little kid, and how he was so excited to become a dad,  always calling and texting her with updates. 

Dave’s best friend, who knew him for 31 years, shared childhood memories, and another friend talked about playing paintball with Dave and always chatting with him at Jaylor, where Dave worked as a welder. 

Someone Sabrina plays baseball with talked about how Dave’s death impacted the whole team. 

“My dad was short and to the point about how Dave was such a good guy,” Sabrina said. 

She noted it was hard, but nice, to listen to people share their memories of Dave. 

And now that it is over, she feels a bit of a weight has been lifted, though she still feels heavy knowing she’ll have to go back for Shular’s sentencing, which is scheduled for June.  

“No matter what he gets, it’s not going to be enough,” Sabrina said. She added the Crown lawyer is expecting him to get seven to nine years in jail, followed by a 10-year driving ban. 

The driving ban seems pretty pointless to Sabrina, as he was driving with a suspended licence the day Dave died.

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