Focusing on the positive

To put it bluntly, it hasn’t always been easy to find good news stories in Oshawa in 2019. Yes, there’s been many, but in the media world, the bad often outweigh the good.

The continuous looming of, and recently completed, closure of the GM assembly plant has hung over the city like a fog.

The headlines have been dominated by the ongoing opioid crisis, which has seen nearly 70 per cent of Durham’s overdoses happening in the City of Oshawa.

We’ve had a newly re-elected Prime Minister who donned blackface years ago and a Premier who’s popularity has sunk to record lows.

On the surface, 2019 has been a pretty lousy year in some respects.

But as we enter the last stretch towards Christmas, there are plenty of positive stories in this week’s edition to end the year off right.

Oshawa firefighter Scott Cannata was recently named Oshawa Fire Services Humanitarian of the Year.

Outside of his firefighting work, Cannata has raised nearly $60,000 for cancer research, including running from Newfoundland to B.C., an equivalent of 202 marathons.

We also looked at the many charitable and community efforts of the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood.

While its outreach in the city is year round, Rotary’s spirit of giving is definitely heightened throughout the holiday season.

On Dec. 18 and 19, The Professors of Funk, lead by Ward 4 city councillor Derek Giberson, hosted the annual Christmas fundraiser for Back Door Mission raising $21,500.

The popular event has now raised more than $70,000 since 2014.

Employees of Oshawa Power recently provided support to Simcoe Hall Settlement House.

They each picked a child to buy a gift for, and the presents were recently dropped off to be handed out in time for Christmas.

Epilepsy Durham Region made a donation of 1,900 plush dogs, Lora the Lavender Labrador, to local first responders to help provide comfort for those experiencing traumatic situations.

The annual Keller Williams Energy Turkey Drive also wrapped up, providing 2,500 Christmas meals for families in the community.

While the media can often zero in on the negative, we are hopeful these stories brought some warmth to you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers.