Any guesses on the year of this photo?

Miracle Mart in Greenfield Park

Helen Woods Robins is guessing 64/65. I think that is around the year it was built wasn’t it. I was also built in 66 so my memories of those years are a little fuzzy.

Matthew Doucette is thinking it’s around 1972

Mike Reid lived his entire life with Duschenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal disease characterized by the rapid progression of muscular degeneration. And lived he did, because he was determined to live life as a “normal kid”. His caring personality and sarcastic wit made him an instant hit with everyone he met. But it is his love of sports, all sports, for which he is most frequently remembered.

Michael Reid passed away on June 12, 1984, at the age of 20. It was to be his graduation day from the Mackay Rehabilitation Center (MRC), where he had been a student for many years.

Twenty-four summers have come and gone since then. I say summers because when I, like many long time South Shore residents, hear the name Mike Reid, I think of warm summer days at the ball field. The name Mike Reid has come to mean many things to each of us. Competition, reuniting with old friends, family, celebration, good times and laughter are some of the words and feelings that come to mind. For many, the memorial softball tournament that bears Mike’s name has become an annual tradition, almost a ritual, not to be missed no matter the reason. In the past, people have planned their vacations, traveled from across the country, and organized family celebrations, and other important life events around the tournament. To Michael’s family and friends however, the tournament means much more…

The Mike Reid Memorial Softball Tournament (in support of the Mackay Rehabilitation Center and other local charities), will celebrate its 24th anniversary this year. The idea was born out of a desire by Mike’s father Frank, his mother Linda, his sister Kathy and some friends (particularly tournament front-man Wade Wilson) to honor Mike’s deep rooted love of sports, including softball. Further, they hoped to contribute to their community and to support the outstanding work done by the MRC. They have, by all measures, overwhelmingly succeeded. Further, the tournament has served as a pioneer model for other tournaments which annually raise thousands of dollars for local charities.

Money raised by Mike’s tournament has allowed the MRC to help hundreds of children and adults achieve a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence through activities like field trips and camps. These are events that, without the tournament funding, the students and their families might otherwise never have experienced. In 1985, The Michael Reid Memorial Award was created at the MRC. It is awarded annually to the student who best displays honesty, compassion, friendliness, and exceptional determination; all characteristics for which Mike had become well known. The center has also named its resource room in his memory.

Wade Wilson always makes a point in his closing remarks to say of his friend, that “Mike is smiling down on us right now…” Based on the success of his tournament, he has good reason to smile.

I, like most who have participated in the tournament over the years, never had the privilege of meeting Mike in person; clearly our collective loss. For I cannot help but wonder what it would have been like to meet and to know someone with the ability to touch and inspire so many, and contribute so much to his community, in life…and for so many years thereafter.

This year’s tournament will be held on August 7-10 behind the Cynthia Coull Arena in Greenfield Park If you would like more information, you can contact Frank Reid at: 450-671-4380.

To learn more about the Mackay Rehabilitation Center, or to make a donation, please visit their web site at: www.centremackay.org

* Source: Mackay Rehabilitation Center web site.

[editor's note: This post was written by Dean Clark, a longtime supporter and participant in the tournament (and no slouch to community support himself!)]

]]> http://greenfieldparkgazette.com/the-mike-reid-memorial-softball-tournament/feed/ http://greenfieldparkgazette.com/the-rock-and-roll-report/ http://greenfieldparkgazette.com/the-rock-and-roll-report/#comments Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:11:59 +0000 Bruce Hollingdrake http://greenfieldparkgazette.com/?p=103 Based out of Greenfield Park is Mark Boudreau’s Rock and Roll Report. Looks like a great website. Here is a press release with updates on what they’ve been doing.

Rock and Roll Report

The Rock and Roll Report – New Look, Same Attitude

(PRESS RELEASE) Emerging from a graphical overhaul to further its rock and roll
mission, The Rock and Roll Report (www.rockandrollreport.com) has been relaunched
with a new look but the same mission; to spread the word about the amazing amount of
incredible rock and roll being created today by thousands of unsigned bands and
independent record labels from around the world.
“The pendulum is swinging away from the major label and old school commercial rock
media model to a world populated by smaller, more technically savvy indie labels, blogs,
podcasts and social media and The Rock and Roll Report is diving in head first!”
exclaims site publisher and podcast host Mark Boudreau.
The Rock and Roll Report is a number of things, all interrelated and all furthering the
same mission. There is the website itself at www.rockandrollreport.com that features a
number of passionate contributors from around the world who write about bands and
artists, CDs and independent record labels that produce an amazing amount of great rock
and roll that unfortunately rarely pierces the mainstream. “We aren’t telling you if
something is good or bad,” insists Boudreau. “We are simply saying that if you love rock
and roll you just might want to check these bands and CDs out as they blow us away.”
In addition to the website there is the weekly Rock and Roll Report Podcast which
features roughly an hour of incredible rock and roll which host Mark Boudreau feels
could easily find a place on commercial rock radio playlists. “Rock radio is boring. It’s
too predictable, too focused on selling product and too restrictive. The DJs have almost
no say in what they play and all sense of adventure has been sucked out of the medium.
What I try to do on the Podcast and the monthly Rock and Roll Report Radio is to bring
back a bit of variety to the medium. I’ll play hard rock, power pop, garage, punk, heavy
metal, psychedelia, whatever. It’s a niche-free zone and as long as it rocks my boat I’ll
play it!”
Rounding things out are Rock and Roll Report TV featuring videos by artists featured on
the site and podcast as well as the monthly Rock and Roll Report Radio heard on noncommercial
radio station CKUT FM in Montreal and on the ‘Net at www.ckut.ca.
With the new site look come new opportunities and The Rock and Roll Report looks to
tackle those head on. “Look for us to be doing a lot more in the future to bring regional
rock and roll to the world. It’s our take on “think global, act local.” We like to call it
“play local, rock global!”
You can check out the site as well as listen to and subscribe to The Rock and Roll Report
Podcast by going to www.rockandrollreport.com.
Mark Boudreau is available for interview opportunities at mark@rockandrollreport.com
or leave him a voice mail at 1-206-339-3646.

Two weeks ago my daughter Brianna broke her arm in a gymnastics accident. My wife immediately took her to, where else, the Montreal Children’s Hospital. They arrived at the hospital at 8:30 PM. Based on recent media reports about emergency waiting times in Montreal area hospitals, they expected it to be a long night. Brianna was home in bed with a bright pink fiberglass cast a mere four hours later! Not only that, but my wife could not stop raving about the staff and the excellent treatment Brianna had received. All she had was a broken arm.

It turns out that radiology is on the same floor as oncology and nuclear medicine. It is easy to be patient and wait for an X-ray, when you see sick children with I.V. poles and oxygen tanks with their hair starting to grow in. A little perspective goes a long way when your own child is hurt. As Dr. Claude Grandbois, current cancer patient and a legend at the Children’s put it in his retirement speech two weeks ago:

A diagnosis like mine, at my age, is acceptable…it is understandable. It is not acceptable in pediatric patients. We must find a way to cure these diseases in pediatric patients.

I don’t know if Wally Neveu and his organizing committee for the St-Bruno Challenge Cup Softball Tournament ever met Dr. Grandbois, but one thing is certain; they understand and believe in his message…and they are doing something about it!

This year marked the 11th year for the tournament, which has raised more than $240 000 for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. The tournament was held July 4, 5 & 6 in St-Bruno. There were games and face painting for the kids, a live band (What is Hip) and refreshments galore. Team registration was at capacity (32 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams) and the weather was perfect. As he worked behind the counter at the beer tent on Saturday, I asked Wally how much money he thought the tournament could raise this year. “Probably $35 000 to $40 000. We’re hoping for $40 000.” Then with a sincere grin, he handed me my two Coors Lights and said “Thanks for participating!” You see, Wally is typical of people who work for and on behalf of the Children’s. He and his team have devoted countless hours to organize and run this successful event, and his first instinct is to thank me for participating….

Hey Wally… on behalf of all of the kids at the Children’s and on behalf of all of us who merely participated “Thanks!”

There were some great plays made, and many more missed, but there are no game stats or tournament victors that need reporting…the kids won.

You can visit the Challenge Cup website for more information.
The Tournament helps the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation

History of Greenfield Park

Pricing:

The price of the book is $24.95 (Canadian residents will be charged GST) , please select the appropriate button for your destination.

Canadian Residents $24.95 + shipping of $6.50

** remote locations, apartments and post office boxes must add another $6.00 to the shipping amount (this can be done on the proceeding paypal page)

US Residents $24.95 + shipping of $14.00

Thanks

Bruce

We’ve been online now for 6 months and since we’ve been so well received I though I’d put a little more energy into the GPK blog. I’m not sure if many of you know this but I own and operate over 100 websites (on top of running Zeeba Books) so deciding where to focus my energy is sometimes tough to decide. It’s also the reason why at times the blog is not updated too frequently.

That being said I am doing a big overhaul of the GPK Gazette. If you will give me a couple of days grace to sort things then  early next week you will find a new look to the site and a new article (thanks Arlene).

What I need from you guys is one or two people that may like to stretch their journalistic muscles. Perhaps you have a son or daughter that is taking writing or journalism in school and would like some exposure to start a portfolio. I would love one or two regular contributors. There’s no cash involved (yet) but you would get an audience of a few thousand readers every month. Let me know at:  bruce@zeebabooks.com

Thanks