EMC News – The Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital (CPDMH) Foundation has received a gift of $160 from Ana and Dean Antonakos. The sister and brother team, with the help of their parents, Louis and Melanie Antonakos, operated a lemonade stand during the Bridge Street Bazaar and decided to donate the proceed of their sales to the Foundation.

Ana and Dean Antonakos know firsthand what the saying, ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,’ means. The siblings however, took it even a notch higher.

The brother and sister duo, along with some help from their parents, Louis and Melanie Antonakos, opened up a lemonade stand during the Bridge Street Bazaar, where they earned quite a bit of money—$160 in fact.

But instead of buying something with their earnings, the siblings opted instead to donate the $160 to the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital Foundation.

According to Ana Antonakos, when their grandfather Papou was confined at the hospital for lengthy period of time, every at CPDMH took great care of him. She and her brother though it would be a great idea to donate their earnings at the bazaar as a way of thanking the hospital’s staff for their superb services.

She adds that coming up with the $160 amount wasn’t as tough as they had originally thought—in fact the folks at the bazaar were very friendly.

CPDMH CEO Toni Surko was happy to express the hospital’s gratitude at the touching gesture of the brother and sister team. He adds that the Antonakos family’s generosity is a fine example of community spirit.

Carleton Place resident Orm Giles donates $8000 to the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital (CPDMH) as a gift for his 80th birthday celebration. Giles stated that he figured it would be nice to give the hospital $100 for every year of his life. Moreover, he said that the donation is his form of thanks to the hospital for providing great care for him and his family throughout the years – especially to his wife who passed away last 2006.

Giles hopes that his $8000 would help jumpstart the hospital’s fundraising campaign. He hopes that the hospital would receive its necessary approvals from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care so that it could soon move forward.

Giles was once Carleton Place’s deputy mayor. He was a town council member for 32 years. Furthermore, Giles has been a St. John’s lodge member since 1963, and has also spent 31 years as a Shriner. He has lived in Carleton Place most of his life where he was born. He and his wife were able to raise two children together, Stephen and Sylvia. Stephen now lives in Ottawa and works for the Federal Government. Sylvia, on the other hand, is married to Chris Jones: Massage Therapy Clinic operator. The couple resides in Carleton Place.