Vernice Smith Classification

Vernice was born in Virginia in April of 1965, the youngest of 8.  She has an Aunt in Ohio who has 9 children and another in the Chesapeake with 6.  They don't need to invite any extras to make up a crowd in her family.  Norfolk Virginia is home to the Naval Station, the Beach and the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel/Bridge.

She didn't meet her father till she was 13 and though getting to know each other was difficult - she still just calls him 'the old man' - she finds that with her mother's passing a few years ago it is nice to have someone to talk to.  Her mother instilled a sense of caring, empathy and religious feeling in her children and Vernice was helping at her local nursing home while still in high school.  They even took patients home for holidays and festivals.  Can't do that any more.  They had an uncle living with them who needed attention as well.

In High School she did a lot of athletics - running and the high and long jumps but basketball was too much chasing the ball up and down the court so she dropped that.  In Junior Achievement she developed a lamp with an electric metre for the base.  You can still find the odd one on ebay.

She married, did some modelling, took IT at college but didn't enjoy it and so went back for Business Admin. and then went to work for Sumitomo Drive Technologies which modified conveyor belts with speed controls for manufacturing applications.  She started co-ordinating  United Way drives in that company and in others to make them more effective.

She has two daughters and in 2005 she divorced and moved to Oakville, starting as a United Way volunteer and sidelining as a Karaoke champion.  Oakville's expensive and, having been to Midland as a visitor, she applied for a job at the Wal Mart and worked there for a while, meeting and marrying Ron Smith in 2011.  She was head hunted by the Heart and Stroke organization and co-ordinated their campaigns throughout Simcoe/Muskoka for 3 years.  She found she enjoyed it and took fundraising at Georgian.  Finding the large area involved too much driving, she moved to CLH this May to become the Foundation Co-ordinator.

She knows there's a long history between the CLH and Rotary and is thankful for the support.  They are promoting a Christmas on the Green next week at Brooklea, they work with Nancy Spiker on her Fashion Show and other events are coming.

Vernice showed a video of the people who work and the ones who live at CLH.