Mike in the Media

A beautiful bench dedication

When being benched is a tribute, not a punishment
by Bram Eisenthal
The Monitor Newspaper

Article online since September 23rd 2008, 15:18
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One of THE most poignant sights I’ve ever seen was a mere bench, at the end of a beachside boardwalk near Hollywood, Florida. A Jewish man and Italian woman had been in love. When he died, she affixed a “mezuzah,” the religious artefact you see on the doorposts of Jewish homes, onto a wooden board next to that bench, where they often sat together, likely holding hands and whispering sweet nothings. Her visits to that bench after his death proved to be of great comfort to her.
A bench. Seems like an insignificant slab of wood. But to many, it can signify so much more. Ninetysomething Hyman Fishman is a neighbour and friend of mine, a guy I like and respect a lot. He’s more than 40 years my senior, but he’s taught me that the power of love can transform a bench into a time machine. Thanks to an initiative of the latest incarnation of Cote St. Luc’s city council, a portfolio handled by District 2 councillor Michael J. Cohen, you can have a bench dedicated in memory of a loved one, sit there, meditate and commune with them in the most spiritual of ways.

Hymie recently had a plaque affixed to the bench on Kildare Avenue, near the corner of Sir Walter Scott, in memory of his late wife, Faye Cooperman, who passed away in 2000. You can often find him there on early summer evenings, greeting his neighbours and feeding dog biscuits to tail-wagging canines. Without the love of his life beside him, however, life hasn’t been the same. Hymie has often confided that the thought of joining her again isn’t such a terrible one, at that.

Raffi Abikian is also a special guy. Would I entrust my car’s health to just anyone? So, when his beloved father-in-law and partner, Kris Demircigil, passed away last year, the forlorn atmosphere at Raffi’s Shell station on the corner of Westminster and Guelph was palpable. It still is, as every one of his regulars gazes at Kris’s empty chair and remembers the big, friendly and wise man that was a fixture in the place. So, to commemorate Kris’s life in a meaningful way, Raffi also contributed to Cote St. Luc’s bench dedication/restoration program and a lovely bronze plaque with Kris’s name engraved on it is now affixed to a bench in Yitzhak Rabin Park, across the street from the station.

This opportunity to honour a loved one or memorialize an important birthday or anniversary in this way is open to anyone. The cost is $500 for a restored bench and $2,000 for a new one. For more information, call 514-485-6800 ext. 1802.

From the Archives: CSL pursues sponsorship program

by Martin C. Barry

Article online since April 16th 2008, 11:02

For $2,000, residents of Côte St. Luc can buy a new a park bench to be dedicated to the memory of a loved under the city's sponsorship program.

CSL pursues sponsorship program, with less emphasis on corporations

The City of Côte St. Luc is going ahead with a money-raising initiative involving residents' sponsorship of various pieces of municipal property, like trees and park benches, but corporate 'naming' of larger infrastructure, such as a playing field or the arena, is being downplayed at least for the time being.

Côte St. Luc city councillor Mike Cohen provided an update on the progress of the program handled by city council's Toponomy and Sponsorship Committee at a recent meeting of the Côte St. Luc Senior Men's Club.

Cohen, who released a groundbreaking set of guidelines on naming rights last fall, revealed that the city has taken the step of delegating a recreation department employee, Brad Horner, to handle incoming sponsorship dossiers within Côte St. Luc's Public Affairs and Communications Department.

Horner listed a number of high-profile city events, including Canada Day and the winter carnival, in which corporate sponsors have begun collaborating. However, Cohen noted that the city has decided for now not to hire a specific fundraiser. Instead, departments are developing their own strategies.

For now, he said, the city is concentrating on the sale of trees for $500 and park benches for $2,000, dedicated to the memory of residents' loved ones. So far, according to Cohen, he has been approached by several residents expressing interest in sponsoring park benches.

He said that one resident, who has requested anonymity, has provided $2,000 to pay for new baby swings to be installed in Rembrandt Park. They are to be dedicated in memory of all the children who perished during the Holocaust.

"We're not looking at bringing in an enormous amount of money," Cohen said in an interview. "Basically the goal right now, and probably for the rest of the mandate of this council, is simply to subtly get the word out to the community and to people that these opportunities now exist."

Cohen said various departments of the city's administration, including public works, parks and recreation, EMS and the public library, are developing booklets and other materials listing various sponsorship options. In addition to the naming benefits residents can obtain by becoming sponsors, Cohen said the city gains from the program.

"If I were to go to the city and ask them for a park bench, they might not have funds for that in the budget and it might not be a necessity so we have to wait," he said. "But if someone comes forward and says they want to put a bench in Rembrandt Park, then that money's not coming out of our budget." Regarding corporate sponsorship, Cohen suggested the city is being cautious.

"We're not going to turn away a corporate sponsor, but, honestly, I think that may be a couple of years down the road before we really move in that direction," he said. "Not to say that we might not get lucky in the next few months with some of the people we meet with. But we're going to be very careful."

Archives clipping from October 2007: CSL Seeks Sponsors

CSL to invite local sponsorships

By Joel Goldenberg, The Suburban Published October 17, 2007

Côte St. Luc has developed a program, two years in the making, in which individuals, families and companies can sponsor or have their name attached to new city programs through donations. The guidelines for the program were developed by councillor Mike Cohen, in charge of toponymy on council, and his committee. Cohen believes this is a first for Quebec. “Whether we are talking about the children’s section of our library or a field at Trudeau Park, there are some wonderful sponsorship opportunities available,” he said. “The option of sponsoring a city event, such as a concert or winter carnival, also exists. We hope that a large number of people with connections to Côte St. Luc will wish to exercise this new option. Mayor Anthony Housefather said donations can also be accepted for a park bench, swing set, “works of art or monies to help build a new indoor swimming pool.” The mayor pointed out that there are many families who have lived in Côte St. Luc for decades, and added that any project of this sort will need council approval. For more information about the program, call 514-485-6800.

Donor dedicates swingset to memory of Holocaust victims

The Monitor Newspaper

July 22, 2008

A new set of baby swings have been installed at Rembrandt Park in Côte Saint-Luc, District 2 City Councillor Mike Cohen has announced. What makes this unique, he notes, is the fact they were paid for by an anonymous donor.

The swings, in fact, are dedicated in memory of the children who perished at the Mauthausen-Gusen Nazi concentration camp in Austria. Councillor Cohen says this is a perfect example of how the city’s new sponsorship program, which he unveiled last fall, can work to the benefit of the community at large.

“In this particular case the cost was about $2,000,” said Councillor Cohen. “After we announced our new sponsorship guidelines, a constituent asked me whether we could put new baby swings in the park. I told him it was not presently in the budget, but told him about the sponsorship option. His parents are Holocaust survivors as are a number of residents of Rembrandt Avenue. He generously provided the financing, but wishes to remain anonymous. I really do hope others follow his example in the future.”