Jane and Finch community doing great things

To the editor:

The area surrounding Jane and Finch represents a region of this city that routinely finds itself on the front pages as a home to crime, poverty and various other societal ills.

In short, the area has, rightly or wrongly, become famous for being a part of the problem.

Despite this, on Saturday, Jan. 30, I was privileged to attend a historic event, which was hosted by St. Augustine of Canterbury Church.

St. Augustine's is located in one of the poorest areas of our city.

Despite this particular handicap, our community has come together to raise more than $500,000 to fund the construction of a facility that will serve as a home for a range of family, cultural and academic activities.

The proposed John Paul the Great Family Centre will give those living in the Jane and Finch area a place to congregate, to learn and to share in a sense of community, in a setting that is safe and conducive to building important social and life skills. Despite facing tremendous economic challenges, the people involved in this program have said they want to be known as being part of the solution.

As the federal representative for York West, I was immensely proud to see what was possible when good people pool their efforts for a common purpose. Despite that pride, I was disappointed with the lack of media at the event.

As I have already said, when crime or poverty rear their heads on Jane or Finch, media from across Canada appear in droves. Headlines ring out and the area is held up as and example of all that is wrong with our city. I would wonder, when residents have come together to show what is right with the community, why is it not worthy of the same attention?

The purpose of this letter is not to poke at the media; but rather it is to underscore the great work that is being done on Jane and Finch. Despite tremendous obstacles, the community has shown it has tremendous resolve to be part of the solution.

I for one am proud to be part of that community and I would urge everyone reading this letter to contact St. Augustine's. Get involved and let's show the world that a story like this is worth covering.

York West MP Judy A. Sgro