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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Media -Slave Lake

I just want to say a big "thank you" to the Edmonton media for all their thoughtful hard work in regards to the terrible fires in Slave Lake this past week.

First off, my sincere thanks and respect to every radio and television station that quickly rallied around the need to "help" these poor victims of the fire with both fund raising and "filling the 18 wheelers" with essentials.

Big or small it didn't matter - radio "jumped" on the tragedy and provided much needed relief to these families - and it simply is something radio does 'best' at these times of need.

Next another Thank You to the crew of news personnel that quickly got to the scene and gave us such vivid content surrounding the horrible tragedy.

I was out of the country and checking my iPad for updates and it was clear as a bell with information from the media and especially with the over whelming pictures or video.

The US media carried only a snippet of information mainly because they were dealing with severe Mother Nature tragedies of their own with the floods back east.

Of note "social media" was a huge help as people at ground level fed their video to both the media and the web so that viewers could see the 'real' impact that was going on in a community that is simply not 'top of mind' in the big city!

The video was compelling and powerful, to say the least, and certainly made us all realize how horrible this fire was as it raged through their community

When you read industry blogs and related websites it seems all too often the focus is on criticizing media for various reasons - sometimes valid and sometimes just downright stupid - so it's important for me today to say "thank you media" for an amazing job in handling the Slave Lakes event and for the subsequent rescue plans that were put in to place by smart owners; Managers, and Program Directors in Edmonton.

Ditto Editors of the papers; promotion departments and street teams; and to the citizens of Edmonton who donated 'anything' to help the cause.

I hope the Government (both Provincial and Federal) act quickly to help the rebuild. The gift cards were a good step but when you have lost "everything" you are likely going to have to relocate to survive and the Slave Lake area will not only lose good citizens but 'businesses' that are needed to help it thrive and survive down the road.

Now how about a giant media Habitat for Slave Lake building bee to get these people back into homes as quickly as possible?

Lets not forget this area is going to need a massive rebuild quickly because these types of events are quickly forgotten in a busy world - and lord knows the snow will be flying again in mere months adding to the effect of the loss.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

It's all about you Mom!

If anybody ever wants to debate the effect that divorce has on children I'm the guy to debate.

Very simply our lives changed at exactly 1:30 pm on July 15, 1961 when my Mother and Father divorced in Edmonton and the three boys and Mom boarded a flight to Toronto.

Flights were about 6 or 7 hours to the big smoke back then but I will never forget my first taste of 'jet lag' and moving from a really nice house in Parkview with lots of good friends into the basement of my Aunt Isabels house on Donlands Road in Toronto with 'no' friends.

Over the next several years Mom somehow saved enough money to by a condo for us; then we ultimately moved into a nice small house in the Don Mills area; as we started all over in a totally new environment as a single parent family.

It took me many many years to ask my Mother about those days as I was, at age 10, far too young to understand the impact of what was going on - as were my younger brothers, aged 8 and 5.

Child support for the three of us was $150 a month and Mom worked a full time job to support us too.

I guess we were latch key kids because I remember we would walk to schools then return home after classes where Mom would get home just in time to make us all a good meal.

Throughout the next several years we 'lacked for nothing,' somehow, as Mom found enough money to put all of us into sports; music lessons (accordian Mom - what were you thinking?) buy us each a bicycle, and we had a great 'black and white' tv so that we could watch the two Canadian channels we had and the three from Buffalo that came in over the air before cable.

Mom helped us with our school projects all the time, and we 'squeeked by' each year and eventually got into enough trouble (though nothing serious) that kids that don't have a dominant male around can easily get into. The day we got caught breaking into the Double Bubble company to steal gum (?) was a classic.

About 1964 Mom met a great man, Mike Sheehy, and as a guy who served in the Canadian military brought us that discipline that came in real handy later in life - and that was something that we didn't truly understand or appreciate like we should have until we finally 'grew up' many years later.

I don't want to bore you with all the details of our lives because we were extremely fortunate to have a mother like Noreen Sheehy because it was 'all about us' all the time and I just want to say an overdue "thanks Mom."

I know it must have been tough on you especially every summer on the 'last' day of school in Toronto when we would board the plane back to Edmonton to see Dad and every day on the 'last' day of summer when we would return - robbing you of the summer fun that a normal family would enjoy during theschool break as we were out having fun in Alberta with Dad.

We cried when we left you - we cried when you picked us up again upon our return - that I will never forget.

Mom is now 83 years old and each and every time we chat on the phone she makes me laugh. My brother still has her go 'on the air' with him in Calgary and her Stump My Mom contest is a blast.

She has endured strokes, heart attacks, a brain aneurism, broken bones, and several other maladies that would knock down lesser women but each time she somehow comes back stronger and stronger.

She raised the three of us; bore another great son Neil, and has trained dogs that made it all the way to Hollywood films (James Garner/Mary Tyler Moore flick) and continues to be a grandmother to three more 'boys' in Toronto to this day while she trains yet 'another puppy' in the household.

I've written several times publicly how much my late father Jerry Forbes influenced me in my life; ditto the very positive things I learned from my step father Mike Sheehy - but I just realized today that I've never done a 'written' tribute to one very special lady - Noreen Elizabeth Sheehy.

Mom, may you live to be 100 - we need you around until we finally grown up and really appreciate how much of a huge influence you were and are to us as being good 'people' in this world.

Enjoy the flowers - they really can't say enough about how much you mean to Gord (Josh, Joel, Cally) , Gerry, Neil, my daughters Lauren and Rayanne; your three grandchildren in house and of course ME!

Happy Mothers Day!