The Peanut Gallery

Most people see the vegetables. They don’t see the pressure, the risk, the family sacrifices, or the stories behind the farm. In this episode, Fred Froese shares the real story behind Froese Vegetables Inc. Growing up in a migrant Mennonite family, building a farm business from the ground up, navigating financial pressure, working with family, and the realities of mental health in farming. It’s ho...

We had the opportunity to sit down with Miles and Jessica to discuss Planet Youth. If you haven't heard of Planet Youth and the impact the organization is having on reducing and stopping substance use in communities - it is well worth looking into. Planet Youth is an upstream prevention approach focusing on changing the environment by reducing the known risk factors and strengthening the know...

We chat with our friend and fellow MAC board member Ingrid VandenBorre about finding a healthy family balance with kids in competitive sports and how sports can impact building a healthy unified community.

Lots of updates coming for the MAC project in the near future! Before that...Patrick and Albert take some time to answer some frequently asked questions about the project.

We spend some time with MAC Board President Linda talking about her life - immigrating to a new country, dealing with bullying and the unique impact that sports had on her life in high school and continues to have today.

We sit down with our resident basketball superstar and board member to talk about sports, life and the impact that coaches can play in our life.

Does it matter if a community can offer kids and adults a space to play year round? Sports have had a big impact in our lives and we believe they matter for a healthy community. This belief is one of the driving forces behind visioning for a year round indoor facility in our region.   One of the things we have come to love about our community as we have done various projects is the amount of incre...

We are back and we are recording new interviews! If you've forgotten - this podcast is about sharing people's stories and getting to know our community better. Our first series of interviews will be some of the incredible people we have met along the way as we have been working on the Malahide Athletic Project...can't wait to share them with you! The Peanut Gallery, Albert/Patrick/T...

Today we sat down with Paul Cowley. Paul has been very instrumental in developing the emergency shelter here in Aylmer. The shelter serves throughout the winter to ensure that emergency housing is available in our community if needed. Paul's passion for the community and heart of service is incredible and he truly is a hometown hero!

This week, as we continue with our series about  “Hometown Hero’s”, we sat down with our special guest Ali Neville. Ali shared with us her family’s history of community involvement from the beginnings of the Aylmer Food Bank(Corner Cupboard), to Christmas Care for teens. Not only did we learn a lot about some incredible people in our community, but we had a great time doing it!

Today we had the opportunity to sit down with Aylmer Kinsmen member Justin Benner & talk about the importance of volunteering and being involved in your community. If you'd like more info about the Aylmer Kinsmen visit their website at https://www.aylmerkinsmen.ca

We are grateful to again sit down and talk with Karen Vecchio. Karen is a good friend to the gallery and is our current MP here in Elgin-Middlesex-London. We discuss the recent events in politics and her life as a female in leadership. Karen has the opportunity to be an inspiration to the many gifted females in our region and country and she offers great advice to others dreaming of and working to...

We had the opportunity once again to sit down with former liberal party candidate Afeez Ajibowu to discuss his journey from Africa, to England and finally Canada. Now calling London Ontario home,  Afeez shared his insights on different cultures, his experience with racism, and how he chooses to live life through a lens of hope.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Jason Dykstra to discuss ways to approach conflict in relationships. The reality is that even when we want to reconcile, we often struggle to know how. Jason has worked in conflict mediation for the past 10 years and offers some great insight and you can find out more information about him at www.jasondyk.com Check out our merchandise here! -----------------...

For better or worse, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer…till death do us part.  Sometimes the most challenging relationships are the ones in our own homes…the ones we choose. No one gets married expecting the worst…when marriage goes well it is a source of joy and hope but when it doesn’t…the pain is deep and profound. Many of us have experienced or had loved ones go through the pai...

In an ideal situation, families get along without rift or division…but in real life, we can easily be divided by the way we understand things. Sexuality is one of those topics that easily divides us.  Whether it’s because of religious beliefs or personal viewpoints, we often struggle to fully agree with each other or see things the same way. When that happens, especially in churches or in families...

Welcome to season 2 of The Peanut Gallery Podcast!  This year we are focusing on "taking hate out of the conversation"  We've had the opportunity to sitting down and chat with some really cool people with really cool stories. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!  Website: https://tpgpodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-peanut-gallery/id1553350468...

On January 22nd, 2015, Rachel Wall’s life would change forever. Her dad, a very loved man in our community, was tragically killed in a vehicle accident. Nothing can prepare us for the death of a loved one and the grief can leave us breathless. We sat down with Rachel to talk about living with the loss, finding resilience and the impact that this had on her faith. Thanks Rachel for your vulnerabili...

Today we sit down with Danielle Neilson.

This week we headed out to learn more about an exciting new Farmer’s Market that is coming to Aylmer. We toured the Elgin Innovation Center (Former Imperial Tobacco building) to see the progress and learn about the vision for the market. Then we sat down to talk with Terry Dueck and Amy Burkes, who are two of the key members heading up the project about what to expect when it opens in November. To...

This week we sat down with Franklin Yeo, the son of a British war bride. Frank shared with us the story of his Father, a Canadian soldier, who won the heart of a young British woman during the height of World War Two. 

We were so privileged to have Alex and Lisa come in and share their story of addiction, recovery and finding peace. Their stories of persevering through detox and battling for freedom from addiction are inspiring and give hope that addiction doesn’t need to be a life sentence – there is freedom, there is peace and there is life after addiction. Thanks for sharing your story with us! Canadian Menta...