BY JULIE CHENG

My involvement with what’s now called the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News started more than 25 years ago when it was first founded as part of the Building Communities through Cultural Expression project. It has been an amazing journey as the editor of this local newspaper for more than 15 years to encourage people to share their thoughts and speak up in the community.

But now, it’s the right time for me to step down. Paul Reid, the original founder of this newspaper, takes over the editorial duties and I’ll stay on as the online editor.

It has been a privilege and a joy to have shared your stories, artwork and events with the wider community all these years. The RCC News has always been a way for me to bring neighbours together and build community.

I first learned about community-building when I sat on the board of Collingwood Neighbourhood House in the early 1990s with such local luminaries as Terry Tayler, Don Van Dyke, Rob Burkhart and David Hanuse. Paula Carr, CNH’s visionary executive director back then, taught me one important value that I still live by today: Everyone has a gift to share.

This has translated, through the RCC News, as “everyone has a story to tell.” I came from an immigrant family whose parents kept their head down, worked hard and didn’t have a voice. That’s why my motto with the RCC News has long been “every voice matters.”

Over the years the newspaper mobilized community in many different ways. RCC News was there when Green Thumb Theatre saved the historic Carleton School House (Carleton School House: Green Thumb to the rescue, October 2011). More than 10 years later, we’re still getting the word out about saving a local school with our recent story to stop the subdivision of school grounds at Bruce Elementary.

Our regular series evolved and have been popular over the years. Paul Reid and Emily Tam give us the scoop on local restaurants in the Eating Out column. Loretta Houben gives us history galore, starting from her memories of Chatty Cathy and moving on to her Family Tree Tips and Collingwood Corner series. And the Read On! series by Sophia Han and Tony Wanless has been a staple for English learners across the community.

I’ve so enjoyed sharing your charming voices and remarkable gifts in stories such as the ones celebrated during the newspaper’s 20-year anniversary (just search Renfrew Collingwood RCC News 20 years). Our wonderful contributors include Akberet Beyene, GeekBoy, Susan Wong, Deanna Cheng, Esther Yuen, John Mendoza, Crecien Bencio, Yoko Tomita, Ann Wong, Rania Hatzioannou and her student writers. More recent writers and artists have included Karen Vanon, Penny Lim, David Penny, Robert Edwards (aka The Other Guy), Vince Prasad, Carmen Rosen and Still Moon Arts Society as well as students from the Windermere Leadership program, who have long fought for climate justice. There are so many more contributors – thank you to you all.

Please keep telling your stories and supporting the newspaper as RCC News celebrates its 25-year milestone. You can send your stories to Paul Reid at editorial@cnh.bc.ca.

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