On the 13th of April, the Milton Muslim Moms organized their Annual Interfaith Iftar Dinner. This event used to gather four hundred people before the pandemic hit the world, this year it saw a hundred and forty guests at the Milton Seniors Center. Some of the noted members of the Milton community at the event were Mayor Gordon Krantz, MP Adam van Koeverden, Councillor Rick De Lorenzo, Councillor Sameera Ali, Councillor Kristina Derksen and Councillor Mike Cluett.
All of seventeen and Aarav Bhatt has written lyrics, composed music and now even acted in his first ever singles which are out on YouTube. This dance enthusiast also plays a few musical instruments, is an artist and don’t forget he is a DJ too!
A jack of many trades, Aarav is a master musician. Aarav says he was thirteen years old when he had his first music technology class, where he learned how to produce and write songs more in-depth. He says over the years he has tried to polish his talent. “My biggest inspirations are Justin Bieber, Lauv, Charlie Puth & The Kid Laroi. Even a little bit of Ed Sheeran too. These artists are currently putting out some of the most amazing-sounding music, and I’m here for it.” says Aarav. Telling us about the ‘Me and You’, his first music video Aarav says, “The music video is about liking this girl, and she texts you that she’s coming over, so you spend the whole day cleaning the house and tidying up so it can look good for her to show up.”
In late November 2021, long time Milton resident John Saunders passed away. Two of his local friends, Rob Hewlett and Robin Read Griffin, put their heads together to organize a memorial for John once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. As Jordan Bassett, GM of East Side Mario’s, was also a friend of John’s it seemed fitting to host the event at East Side Mario’s. On April 24, Milton’s East Side Mario’s restaurant hosted the John Saunders Memorial Fundraising Event. John was quite passionate about donating his time to help others both in Milton and around the world. He served as an inspiration to many to make a difference.
Ramadan is a very special month for Muslims not just because they fast in it but because this month promotes the act of charity. Sanan is a 12 years old Muslim resident of Milton, decided to live the spirit of Ramadan this year. He wanted to contribute to a worthy cause and immediately MDHF came to their mind. He liked the idea of making a charitable donation to the hospital. His mother decided to help him understand the true essence of doing charity and gave him an idea of preparing gift boxes and to sell them. It took a while to finalize the details but as soon as the message went out to friends, families and neighbors the generosity of people of Milton kicked in and orders started pouring in. Sanan’s target was 50 boxes, but soon orders of about 150 boxes were received, and then orders kept coming. Time came for the family to join hands and help Sanan put together the orders and distribute them.
April is Sikh Heritage month in Milton where we officially recognize the rich heritage and culture that the Sikh community brings.
All across Canada and the world Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi (also known as Khalsa day) which signifies the creation of the Khalsa and the Sikh articles of faith. On Monday April 4th members of the Sikh Community and friends gathered at Milton Town Hall where the Mayor read the official proclamation while honoring the Sikh flag raising.
Are you feeling overwhelmingly stressed?
Does that question make you want to laugh, scream, or cry?
Higher levels of anxiety are not uncommon as we navigate a world changing at a rapid pace! We’ve heard this message before: now is the time for us to work and cope together – mental health is by no means a luxury but rather a vital necessity.
As restrictions are lifted in our province, the consequences of COVID-19 showed us how complex an issue it is, and we feel the weight of its impact globally across all societies.
The provincial elections are coming up which means things are getting exciting locally too!
Sameera Ali is Milton’s Liberal MPP candidate and we are excited to share that her campaign office is opening up on Tuesday May 3rd 2022.
“Almost a decade ago, the people of Milton welcomed me and my family with warmth, compassion and love when we moved here. Their optimism, positive energy and hopeful vision inspired me to run as the Ontario Liberal Party’s candidate in the upcoming provincial election to be a strong voice on their behalf at Queen’s Park.” says Sameera.
Yes you read that right! Popular event organizer and decorator, Kanwal Waseem organized Milton’s first ever Basant event on Feb 26th at the Connect Centre located at 121 Chisholm Dr.
For those of our readers who don’t know, Basant is a colourful kite flying festival celebrated in Pakistan. This festival usually falls in late January or early February and marks the beginning of spring. It is customary to wear bright yellow outfits on Basant, as it’s the colour of the mustard flowers.
Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) is a winter-rific family-friendly walk to raise money for Milton Transitional Housing. It’s cold out there…
Over $90,000 was raised this year for 9th Annual CNOY Milton event which is a new record amount. The top 4 teams being #miltonstrong ($15,613), CFUW Milton & District ($8295), Faith United ($8110) and Italian Cultural Centre of Milton ($6975).
The Dads of Milton (DoMs) held their 2022 kick-off at Champs Family Entertainment Centre on Friday February 25th. The group shared the new vision for 2022 as well as conducting a Billiards gaming competition to help raise funds for Allendale Long Term Care facility in Milton.
Congratulations to Alan Cooke and Sonesh Jane coming in first place with Keith Gillespie and Tiberio Ponceano coming a close second.
Organizer, James Secondino had this to say about the night
“Thanks to the hard work of our exec team – especially Daniel Marshall & Tiberio Ponceano – everyone had an awesome night.”