Hubtown Life

Meet André Long Time Pro Wrestler Who Gives Outside The Ring You may recognize this married guy with four cats, who is originally from Bayfield in Antigonish County but now calls Truro home. He has traveled around much of the Atlantic Provinces entertaining fans with his two personas for many years. He shared, Well, ‘Old School’ André Myette is really just me; a burly fun loving guy. But my other villainous wrestling persona is The Answer who is a genius that likes infli...cting pain, he chuckled, a pretty far departure of who I really am but a fun role! Besides wrestling, I wondered what else André is a fan of. I love video film, comic books, and board games, he said. Since he loves comic books, I had to ask, If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why? Without hesitation he answered, Spider-man! He's always been my favorite mainly because he was a bullied kid who did his best to right by his friends and family. No matter what was thrown at him, he always maintained his resolve, and used his abilities to help others. Like his comic book hero, André also has a passion for helping others. He is involved with Hubtown Theatre, sits on the board of Directors of the Community Credit Union as Chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, and he is a proud Big brother with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. I asked, What made you decide to become a Big Brother volunteer? He reflected, I don't have any children, and live a pretty fast paced lifestyle. I don't regret the decision to not procreate, but I do think it's important to be an ear or just a friend to kids who may be in need of one, he smiled, I thought it may be a fun and rewarding experience and it sure has been so far. André and his Little Brother, Ethan 15, have been together for a year and a half. They enjoy watching movies, going for walks, playing board and video games, and just hanging out. What is one life lesson that you think everyone should know especially Ethan? He paused, My general life philosophy boils down to one sentence, ‘What are you going to do?’ Life can bring a lot of hardships and you have two options; make a change to make things better or accept it, and move on. Life is too short to hold on to negative feelings, he smiled again; I choose to make a change. I hope Ethan does too. #hubtownlife #community #belonging #BBBSMonth Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colchester Hubtown Theatre Society Community Credit Union New Breed Wrestling André Myette - Professional Wrestler

Good News Story Act of Kindness by Anonymous Donor Restores Faith in Goodness In a world of 24 hour news, sometimes good news gets lost in the shuffle. Well, today we have a local good news story to share with you. This is a story that warmed our hearts and reminded us that amidst hardship there are still lots of good people out there. A couple of weeks ago I reached out to Joe, a positive, energetic, very community-minded fellow who we did a story with back in February to... see how things we were going. I was shocked to hear what he had to say, In addition to taking mini strokes lately, someone broke into our house, and garage and stole all my tools and some money. I suddenly felt a lump in my throat, and sadness in my heart. Are you and your wife okay? I quickly asked. With his usual positive attitude he replied, Yes, we are ok. No one got hurt and that is the most important. As one of the founders of Mobility Ryders in Truro, his attention quickly turned to the folks in the community who also lost when his tools were stolen. I think this hurt him the most. He shared, I’m trying to get tools donated so I can get back to fixing scooters again. The culprit(s) stole about $1700 in tools. In an effort to get donated tools, Joe shared his mishap on his personal Facebook page as well as in a couple of local Facebook groups having faith that someone may be able to help by donating tools. And, guess what? Someone did in a HUGE way! A person in the local community reached out to Joe with an offer that he could not believe. An offer that made his big caring heart grow even bigger! Joe lit up as he told me, Someone, who wants to remain anonymous, reached out to me and gave me tools, he smiled warmly, They did not give me second hand tools which I would have gratefully accepted, and appreciated, they bought me all brand new professional grade tools. I am so thankful and happy to get back to fixing scooters. Just to add frosting on the cake, Joe also shared that he, his wife, and a few volunteers have also been making safety flags to go with each scooter. They have made over 20 flags so far for donation. It is amazing what can happen when you have faith, stay positive, and believe that goodness and kindness will prevail. As Joe says, Community is all about neighbours helping neighbours. We are all here to help each other in whatever way we can. That is truly what makes a community great. We couldn’t agree more. Kindness for the win! #hubtownlife #community #belonging #actofkindness #trurons Mobility Ryders Truro NS Town of Truro Colchester Community Cares

Meet Hannah, Allan and Noah One of the Best Ways to Have a Rewarding Experience This story began in 2011 when Hannah and her husband, Allan made the decision to move from the UK to Truro for Allan to pursue his PhD at the Dalhousie Agricultural College. Having no family here, they did not know exactly what to expect upon arrival. What they discovered was a beautiful little town where the people made them feel welcome. People are very welcoming and easy to talk to here. Al...l of our neighbours made a huge effort to engage with us, she giggled, They even invited us to Thanksgiving and Christmas when we had just arrived and didn’t know many people. While living in the north England, Hannah was involved in running a mentoring program, and saw the difference that it made to children’s confidence and well being. She shared, I signed up to be a Big Sister about a week after I arrived in Canada. I wanted to get involved right away, she laughed, Before I even had a job! Hannah has many years of experience being a big sister. First, as a big sister to her younger brother, and then to Jenna who she was paired up with from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program when she was 12 years old to when she finished school at age 18. Hannah recalled how she used to share stories of their adventures with her husband, Allan. It wasn’t long after that this happy couple decided to become a Big Couple so Allan could enjoy the rewarding experience as well. It’s been a little over a year now since they became a proud Big Couple to 9 year old Noah. As she spoke about him, I could tell that she and Allan both cherish the time they spend with him. I asked, What is the best part of being a Big Couple to Noah? She replied, Noah loves swimming more than anything. We put him through two sets of swimming lessons. His confidence has grown as a swimmer and as a person, she smiled, and you can’t put a price on that! Hannah and Allan both enjoy the outdoors, and love to cook food from all over the world. She excitedly shared, We are building an outside brick pizza oven! We’ve done lots of cooking with Noah. His favorite is tacos; we are trying to come up with creative ways to encourage him to eat fish. Since I also love food, I had to ask, What is your favourite? She paused, Oh so many to liststuffed zucchini flowers, thin crust pizza, steamed buns and Singapore noodles, and good old classic British and Scottish cooking like meat pies, pasties and haggis! It is often said that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. It is no wonder that Hannah, Allan, and Noah are now part of each other’s hearts, minds, and lives creating memories that will last them all a lifetime. #hubtownlife #belonging #community #bigcouplelittlebrother Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colchester Dalhousie Agricultural Campus

Meet Alexander A Hero Born Premature at 27 Weeks Like most other 22 year old young men, Alexander loves music, hockey, wrestling, socializing, and spending time with family. He also volunteers in his community, loves horses, sailing, water skiing, rock climbing, bowling, and playing basketball with his two sisters, Maddison and Kaileigh. What is different is Zander does all of these things despite being in a wheelchair! Alexander was born premature at 27 weeks, and as a re...sult has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy, epilepsy and is legally blind. That doesn’t stop me because being different is a gift. My parents have always taught me that nothing is impossible. We may need to tweak things a bit, but I will do it in my own way, he smiled. This very caring, and determined guy graduated from the Cobequid Education Centre in 2016, he is a Special Olympian competing in bowling, he volunteered at the Rock for Dimes fundraiser, and he is awesome at selling 50/50 tickets! If there are 300 people at the event, he leaves with 299 new friends. I asked, What always makes you smile? He replied, Including everyone, especially the ones that feel left out. I love giving compliments to people to make them feel special, help people solve problems, and make people laugh. He certainly put a huge smile on my face and made me laugh many times during our conversation especially when he said, I love wresting and hockey. Go Caps Go! Even though I’m in a wheelchair my name is on the Stanley cup, he laughed, Alexander Chiasson played on the Washington Capitals Stanley cup winning team of 2018! He also couldn’t resist sharing a joke, Why do hockey players never sweat? They have so many fans! to which we both laughed. I also learned that he loves calling his Nanny and Grandpa to check in, text with his cousins in NB, his favourite meal is steak and fries (his dad can cook a mean steak on the bbq), and that he would love to share a meal with WWE Wrestling star, Drew McIntyre and meet hockey icon, Alex Overchkin. He laughed, I would give Alex some hockey tips! Shoot hard and fast. I’m sad he didn’t make past playoffs this year, but I am hopeful for next year. Alexander is definitely one of the most inspirational people that I’ve ever had the honour of getting to know. I looked up the definition of hero, and this is what it said, Hero a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. I have to say, you may not wear a cape Alexander, but you are definitely an Inspirational Hero. You are touching lives in so many meaningful ways that you probably don’t even realize.including mine. Thank you for being you. #hubtownlife #community #belVON Colchester East HantsoSpecial Olympics CobequidaSpecial Olympics Nova ScotiaOCobequid Educational Centred Educational Centre

Meet Angela Multiple Sclerosis Doesn’t Stop This Married Mother of Three This story started 28 years ago when Angela went to a 4-H Provincial Show in Yarmouth where she met her now husband, Brian. Ironically, Angela is from North River, and Brian is from Old Barns, but it took a trip to Yarmouth to bring them together since they attended different schools growing up. This agriculture loving couple have been married for 21 years, and are the proud parents to three boys; Rile...y 19, Linden 16, and Parker 10 who also share in their love of farming, agriculture, and 4-H. In 2011, things changed for Angela and her family when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She shared, Initially I had a lot of fear. Unfortunately, we have had family friends who were disabled and passed away from MS, and that was my expectation. I did conventional treatment of daily injections for about three years, she continued optimistically, Since then, I have tried to manage my symptoms through lifestyle choices. If I look after treating the cause, my symptoms also subside. Her positive outlook, determination, and strength are so inspirational. I just had to ask, Who inspires you? She smiled, I would have to say it is my mom. She went back to school when I was in university and started a new career working with seniors. It was something she was very passionate about while also making time for my siblings and I, our children, volunteering, and helping my dad on their hobby farm, she paused, I have had lots of opportunities in my life because she worked so hard to make them possible. It was easy to feel the sense of heartfelt gratitude as she spoke. In addition to living on a rural property where she and her family like to raise livestock, and garden, Angela started working at the 4-H office last fall and loves it. How does spending time on the farm make you feel? I asked. She beamed, Spending time with the animals is very therapeutic. It can help distract from a stressful day and it helps me relax. I also love taking our dog Toby for long walks. He keeps me motivated. It is easy to see that farm life is her passion. Before we ended our conversation I asked one last question, Do you have a favourite quote or life motto you can share? She smiled softly, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain, she continued, I think each stage of life brings its own challenges and desires, but practicing gratitude for what we have and where we are right now is the most important. I couldn’t agree more Angela. Thank you Pictured: Angela, Brian, Riley, Linden, and Parker #hubtownlife #community #farming #belonging #family Old Barns, Nova Scotia North River, Nova Scotia Colchester County 4-H