#OurMurality #HerTrackHisField
Donation protected
In the village of Haliburton, Ontario, a small community three hours north of Toronto, unique murals have been painted on the outside of the A. J. LaRue community centre, celebrating the achievements of five local athletes who went on to national and international acclaim. Two significant local athletes, however, have not received the recognition of the others: the brother and sister pair of Lesley Tashlin and Taly Williams.
Lesley Tashlin was an OFSSA champion in high school, and went on to become the fastest female 100-meter hurdler in 1995 in Canada. She competed in 6 major international competitions: the Pan-Am Games (x2), the Commonwealth Games (x2), the Francophone Games, and the grandest stage of them all: the Olympic Games in 1996.
Lesley Tashlin was an OFSSA champion in high school, and went on to become the fastest female 100-meter hurdler in 1995 in Canada. She competed in 6 major international competitions: the Pan-Am Games (x2), the Commonwealth Games (x2), the Francophone Games, and the grandest stage of them all: the Olympic Games in 1996.
Her brother, Taly Williams, was a star athlete in track and football in high school, studied engineering and played football at the University of Waterloo and went on to become a CFL defensive back with the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 1990s.
Both have gone on to significant success in their subsequent careers.
Twenty-five years after Lesley and Taly’s athletic successes, students from a 7-8 French Immersion class at J. D. Hodgson Elementary School learned about the accomplishments of these athletes, and also discovered their omission from the local “wall of sports heroes”. The students began to question why these athletes had been excluded and decided that it was time for them to be added to the wall. Not only were they the first Olympian and the first CFL player from Haliburton, Lesley would be the first woman and Taly and Lesley the first Black athletes in the series.
The students approached the Municipal Council to inquire about these omissions and presented the history of Lesley and Taly’s accomplishments.
Although it took some time and further advocacy from the students, Council finally agreed that both Lesley and Taly should be honoured with murals on the side of the A.J. LaRue community centre along with the other sports heroes. The students and the community are very proud of Lesley Tashlin and Taly Williams and their accomplishments. They serve as outstanding role models for our local youth.
The next step is to raise the money required for the murals! The funding for the last set of murals (2012) on the Mural Wall of Sports Heroes was provided by a private donor. The municipality has a long history of partnering with organizations and individuals to help fund a wide range of projects in the community, including recent projects such as the Skateboard Park, the outdoor rink and the Visitor’s Welcome Centre. For this current mural project, the Municipality is contributing staff time, covering the cost of fundraising expenses, supporting the project administration and providing charitable tax receipts for donations. It's now our turn as a community to raise the funds for the murals to honour Taly Williams and Lesley Tashlin.
Please get behind these students and help them fund murals for Tashlin and Williams on the outside of the community centre, as a celebration of these athletes’ amazing accomplishments. Please share this story on your social media platforms and let’s make this happen! Thank you so much for your support! #HerTrackHisField #OurMurality
If you would like to make a donation of $50 or more and get a charitable donation receipt please send the funds directly to the Municipality of Dysart et al:
- Please make the cheque to ''Municipality of Dysart et al'' and in the note section write that the donation is in support of the mural wall. Each donation must include the full donor name and address (civic address plus P.O. box) which is used to complete the donation receipt. Please mail it to Municipality of Dysart et al P.O. Box 389, Haliburton ON K0M 1S0. Payments can be dropped off at the municipal drop box located to the left of the public entrance.
- E-transfer donations: Send an e-transfer from your bank account to ar@dysartetal.ca
Use the Question: What is the code for the mural wall
Contact Cindy Watson at the municipal office at (705) 457 - 1740 x. 630 for the password
Write: 'Mural Wall donation' in the comment section.
Once you have made the e-transfer send a second email to ar@dysartetal.ca with your full name and street address plus P.O box (if you have one) so the municipality can issue a charitable donation receipt to you.
Calling all Mural Artists!
The Municipality of Dysart et al is looking for proposals and quotes from artists interested in creating murals to honour our local sports heroes Lesley Tashlin and Taly Williams.
guidelines and application form
Both have gone on to significant success in their subsequent careers.
Twenty-five years after Lesley and Taly’s athletic successes, students from a 7-8 French Immersion class at J. D. Hodgson Elementary School learned about the accomplishments of these athletes, and also discovered their omission from the local “wall of sports heroes”. The students began to question why these athletes had been excluded and decided that it was time for them to be added to the wall. Not only were they the first Olympian and the first CFL player from Haliburton, Lesley would be the first woman and Taly and Lesley the first Black athletes in the series.
The students approached the Municipal Council to inquire about these omissions and presented the history of Lesley and Taly’s accomplishments.
Although it took some time and further advocacy from the students, Council finally agreed that both Lesley and Taly should be honoured with murals on the side of the A.J. LaRue community centre along with the other sports heroes. The students and the community are very proud of Lesley Tashlin and Taly Williams and their accomplishments. They serve as outstanding role models for our local youth.
The next step is to raise the money required for the murals! The funding for the last set of murals (2012) on the Mural Wall of Sports Heroes was provided by a private donor. The municipality has a long history of partnering with organizations and individuals to help fund a wide range of projects in the community, including recent projects such as the Skateboard Park, the outdoor rink and the Visitor’s Welcome Centre. For this current mural project, the Municipality is contributing staff time, covering the cost of fundraising expenses, supporting the project administration and providing charitable tax receipts for donations. It's now our turn as a community to raise the funds for the murals to honour Taly Williams and Lesley Tashlin.
Please get behind these students and help them fund murals for Tashlin and Williams on the outside of the community centre, as a celebration of these athletes’ amazing accomplishments. Please share this story on your social media platforms and let’s make this happen! Thank you so much for your support! #HerTrackHisField #OurMurality
If you would like to make a donation of $50 or more and get a charitable donation receipt please send the funds directly to the Municipality of Dysart et al:
- Please make the cheque to ''Municipality of Dysart et al'' and in the note section write that the donation is in support of the mural wall. Each donation must include the full donor name and address (civic address plus P.O. box) which is used to complete the donation receipt. Please mail it to Municipality of Dysart et al P.O. Box 389, Haliburton ON K0M 1S0. Payments can be dropped off at the municipal drop box located to the left of the public entrance.
- E-transfer donations: Send an e-transfer from your bank account to ar@dysartetal.ca
Use the Question: What is the code for the mural wall
Contact Cindy Watson at the municipal office at (705) 457 - 1740 x. 630 for the password
Write: 'Mural Wall donation' in the comment section.
Once you have made the e-transfer send a second email to ar@dysartetal.ca with your full name and street address plus P.O box (if you have one) so the municipality can issue a charitable donation receipt to you.
Calling all Mural Artists!
The Municipality of Dysart et al is looking for proposals and quotes from artists interested in creating murals to honour our local sports heroes Lesley Tashlin and Taly Williams.
guidelines and application form
Fundraising team: Murals Fundraising Committee (3)
Marina Thomazo
Organizer
Haliburton, ON
Barbara Swannell
Beneficiary
Jim Blake
Team member
Marina Thomazo
Team member