 "Beyond the family fun and non-stop entertainment of Ruthven's Annual Apple Festival is an abundance of teamwork and dedication. Who better to exemplify this than Katherine Gunning, Deputy Mayor of Kingsville, and her husband Wayne Gunning?
In Katherine and Wayne's forty-seven years of marriage they have established an on-going history of achievements. Self-employed for over twenty-five years, the couple have worked together in four successful businesses in Essex-County. Their combined efforts are evident in Katherine's previous campaigns for council. Wayne took a supporting role as campaign manager, stating, "Signs to do, doors to pound, organizing people for phoning and putting out pamphlets". The couple is a self-described excellent team, who work well together, anticipate each others ideas and moves, and compliment each other. With their strong ability to work together, Katherine and Wayne have been able to collectively aid many causes. Some of their current volunteer efforts are with the Kingsville Historical Park Committee and the "Cottam Kingsville Rotary Club". Formerly on the Community Policing Committee, the couple were introduced to Community Living Essex County and began their involvement with them in 1997. Katherine, an appointed member on the committee since 2000, and Wayne, a volunteer on the committee, have made significant contributions to Community Living Essex County for the past decade.
As in previous years, Katherine and Wayne will be again volunteering their time and energy in the donation tent at the annual Ruthven Apple Festival held each year in late September. The personal reward for such an act, as Katherine said, "A sense of satisfaction for the amount of funds raised for an organization (Community Living Essex County) that touches lives across Essex County."" |
 "Sylvie and Dan Zompanti and their children were finding it difficult to spend time together. As a result of their work and school schedules, this family was extremely busy. Weekends were a nightmare, and not having mutual vacation time was overwhelming for the entire family. It seemed like the family was destined to be apart.
A ray of hope came five years ago when Tony DeSantis, Manager of Community Relations for Community Living Essex County mentioned that he needed help with the Ruthven Apple Festival. Tony invited Dan to join him on the Steering Committee and immediately things began to happen.
Dan was instrumental in establishing the Farmer's Market and he persuaded his family to join him in his volunteer efforts. They agreed and for the entire Apple Fest weekend, the Zompanti family is together. Their son, Daniel Jr. started to volunteer at the same time as his parents. He usually helps his dad with setting up the field on Friday and then is with his parents over the weekend. He has invited many of his friends to join them and they are able to fulfill their community service hours toward their high school diploma.
Sylvie helps to bake pies a few days before the event and helps to sell them at the pie tent. Their 9 year old twins, Robert and Christopher have been volunteering since they were very young. The eagerly await the Apple Festival and this year they even invited a couple of their friends to join in for a couple of hours.
Volunteering for the Apple Festival has brought new life to the Zompanti family. It has become a family tradition to volunteer over the entire weekend and has offered many laughs and has created lasting memories. They are guaranteed to have some fun as a family at least for one weekend a year!
Sylvie states "It is very important to volunteer and give back to the community in any way that you can. The skills that you learn and the friends that you make are lasting and will most definitely make an impact for others. We don't tell our children how important it is...we show them."" |
