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A helping hand most beneficial now

Support to keep the town afloat should be a priority for residents
26822101_web1_211021-CHC-Editorial-Oct21-town_2
Seniors 101 poster to get the message out about the support required from Chemainus residents in their own hometown.

It’s been said before, but bears repeating. Chemainus Needs You.

The town’s businesses have faced and continue to face unprecedented challenges in the wake of COVID-19. Supporting local is more important than ever before.

Chemainus resident Roy Summerhayes, through Seniors 101 social media, newsletters and websites, is promoting the idea further to make sure we all get through this together as intact as possible.

“We’ve never faced this before,” he said. “We might come up with doing things differently. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do it.”

Summerhayes circulated a poster with a Rosie the Riveter war era caricature on it and blurting out those words in a cartoon bubble: “Chemainus Needs You.”

The poster reinforces the message about how businesses, not just here, of course, but all across Canada, have been ravaged by the pandemic. Small communities like Chemainus have been especially affected because none can afford a major hit to the bottom line.

We’ve seen a few close down mostly due to bad timing of start-ups that coincided with the pandemic or others unable to work around restrictions and maintain staff. But the bottom line is most are doing their very best to stay afloat under the circumstances and appreciate anything local residents can do to shop in town first.

“It is well stated that it takes a village to raise a child and the same analogy holds true for our local businesses,” reads a portion of the poster.

One of the things we can try to do, Summerhayes suggests in the message, is for those looking for employment to consider accepting a job in Chemainus. Another is for seniors to consider volunteering to assist local businesses with services they’re utilizing now and ones that would be sorely missed if they were to close.

That doesn’t suggest going back to work. Most seniors have been there and done that; it’s just providing an opportunity for beleaguered owners/managers at the breaking point to take a break. That’s not asking too much.

It’s all about maintaining what we have in Chemainus and allowing for the opportunity to prosper and possibly expand when things return to normal.



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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