Pass the word

Have you had a chance to read The Law is a Ass, Heather Dunlop’s Grade 12 Law course essay?  Isn’t that quite a girl?  Wait till her dad reads this!  It will, I would think, warm the cockles of his heart.  Well done Heather.  Your pride in and love for your Dad is refreshing. Your essay is indeed thought provoking!  Well said and well done!!

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I am being kept busy these days trying to keep abreast of the blogging on the Freeholder website.   The blogs too are refreshing.  How wonderful to see such passion from Cornwall about children and paedophiles and cover-ups and Perry Dunlop 🙂  Pro or con, at least people are starting to talk openly.  That I believe is so much healthier than the silence which has engulfed the community for so long.

I had a good talk with Perry yesterday.  All things considered he is in good cheer.  I say all things considered for two reasons:  (1) Perry is thinking of Heather’s Grade 12 graduation.  He won’t be there.  That will be hard.  On both of them. (2) I have heard from other sources that Perry’s grandmother’s health is declining rapidly.  He hasn’t seen her yet.  The hope a week or so ago was that she would be in good enough health to get in for a visit.  She wanted so much to see Perry.  It didn’t happen.  She just wasn’t up to it.  How I pray that somehow Perry has a chance to see his grandmother.

But, for all the wishes of what might and can not be, and the pain of knowing a dear and beloved grandmother’s day’s are drawing to a close, life must go on on “the inside.”

Perry’s daily yard time slipped considerably last week.  Friday was his first day out for five or six days.  I had to ask to find out.  Perry just does not offer up the information and does not complain about his situation.

He finds he is getting enough to eat to keep him going and then some.  Thursday supper was meatballs and some kind of sauce.  Friday morning breakfast was dry cereal and “ an Elvis sandwich” (peanut butter and banana)!  Lunch was a chicken burger with gravy.

It seems there is a cycle to the breakfasts.  Perry thinks he may have sorted it out now.  Seems it’s maybe two days of cold cereal followed by a hot breakfast.  The hot breakfast is either two boiled eggs or pancakes 🙂

The mail is still coming.  He loves it.  He truly loves getting those cards and letters.  Every single one.  Keep writing.  He will never tire of hearing from you.

And, I erred.  Pictures (photos) can be sent.  A photo does not have to be photocopied.  Several people have sent photos – they now join the collection which adorn his cell walls.

He is right up on the news – reading the National Post and Ottawa Sun from cover to cover!  The National Post is a welcome addition to his daily update on life on ‘the outside.’  As I mentioned before I personally believe he could round out his reading with the Ottawa Citizen.  If someone would like to get him a gift subscription for a month or two, or the next five months he would I am certain read every word.   He has the time.  Plus, as an added bonus he gets the Sudokos, and Crossword puzzles.

If  some kind soul does decide to get the Citizen for Perry could you let me know?  Or Helen?  That way we can ensure he doesn’t inadvertently wind up with several subscriptions.

The address for the subscription is the same as that for mail

Perry Dunlop c/o OCDC
Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre
2244 Innes Road
Ottawa ON
K1B 4C4

An important note re visiting this coming week.  There will be no visits during the week.  Perry has friends visiting from, I believe, BC, next weekend.  He is therefore saving his two 20 minute visits for the weekend.

Please don’t head over to the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre for a visit on Wednesday of this coming week,  or for that matter any day during the coming week.  Perry has to save the time for these friends who will have travelled so far.  That means that if anyone arrives unexpectedly to visit during the week he will reluctantly be obliged to decline the visit.  He doesn’t want to have to do that to anyone.  Please therefore hold the visit until Wednesday 23 April 2008.

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Let’s all fly Helen and the girls to Ottawa and back

I will get the website reorganized to make this information more readily accessible.  Until then, a reminder about the AIR MILES PLAN.

We can all help Helen and the girls travel to Ottawa to see Perry and it won’t cost them or us a penny!  We can contribute our Air Miles at the time of purchase to Helen’s Air Miles account.  All we need to do is show our Air Miles card, tell the cashier we want our reward  miles put on Helen’s account, then give Helen’s Air Miles account number. The cashier will manually key the number in.

Helen’s Air Miles number is: 81721906405

As I said before, jot the number down and pop it in your purse or wallet. Better still, put it on a small post-in note and stick to your own Air Miles card.

Pass the word and the number to family, friends and co-workers. Ask those stores/outlets which sponsor Air Miles to put a sign with Helen’s number at the check out suggesting people can transfer their miles at purchase to Helen.

If you don’t have an Air Miles card, there’s no time like the present:

https://www.airmiles.ca/arrow/login/Welcome

Stores which sponsor Air Miles can be found by going through the list:

https://www.airmiles.ca/arrow/SponsorDirectoryByRegionCategory?fromSponsorDirectoryForm=true&category=36&region=

I see they also have quite an online service now.

Whichever route, online or otherwise,  the thing is that if we all get on board and start directing our miles at time of purchase to Helen the miles will add up in a hurry. It takes a lot for a trip, but if we collectively frequent those stores which sponsor Air Miles they will add up

Pass the word…

And, another reminder –  Air Miles which have already been accumulated can be transferred to Helen’s account. This is more complex and the process requires contact with Helen. She can be reached at 250-748-3233.

Again, pass the word.

And, for the next few months don’t go shopping without Helen’s Air Miles number in your purse or wallet!  And where possible shop at outlets which sponsor Air Miles.

Before 31 May 2008 it will take 2850 reward miles for a return trip Victoria to Ottawa.  From June on (high season) it’s 3850 reward miles.  That means that 200 people earning 20 reward miles in one month on their purchases could fly Helen down for a visit and back.  200 earning 40 reward miles could fly Helen and one of the girls down and back.
400 people with 40 reward miles could fly Helen and all three girls!!!

Pass the word.  Put an ad in your local paper.  Stick a note on bulletin boards -at the grocery store, at church, at the office – wherever there’s a bulleting board .
Let’s make it work 🙂 The more we can do to defray the costs of travel the more other welcome financial contributions can be directed  to the every day costs of keeping the house running while Perry is in jail.

And, keep the prayers going, for Perry, for his mother and grandmother, for Helen, and for Monica, Heather and Marlee……

Enough for now,

Sylvia

(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)