The District of Saanich has pledged up to $534,000 in funding to help pay for the replacement of a floating boardwalk at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
Haji Charania, president of the North Quadra Community Association, successfully encouraged council to consider using money from the Land Sale Reserve Fund for the boardwalk replacement. Council chose to approve funding for the project — should it fail to garner enough donations.
“We have secured a record commitment of funding for the society. The District of Saanich recognizes the boardwalk is truly an asset not just to Saanich but to the Greater Victoria region,” said Kathleen Burton, executive director of the society that runs the sanctuary.
“We encourage all donor partners to match the commitment of Saanich, and donate today.”
Approximately $350,000 has been raised to date, with $800,000 required to span the lake.
The community is encouraged to keep donations coming, as the society looks at the funds committed by council as a safety net.
The sanctuary’s fall appeal will be soon be arriving in Saanich mailboxes.
In addition, a fundraising winemaker’s dinner is being organized by hospitality students from Camosun College.
For more information, go to swanlake.bc.ca.
Be a Santa to a senior this holiday season
Help spread joy to seniors at the Be a Santa to a Senior program.
The organizer, Home Instead Senior Care, along with local non-profit and community organizations, has identified seniors who might not otherwise receive gifts this holiday season.
Each senior writes a gift request, which is put into a Be a Santa to a Senior ornamental bulb. Locals pick ornaments from trees, purchase the items requested and bring them unwrapped to the drop-off point.
Participating businesses and retailers include:
• Walmart Uptown, 3440 Saanich Rd.
• Walmart Langford, 860 Langford Pkwy.
• Progressive Chiropractic, 1595 McKenzie Ave.
• Sooke Evergreen Physiotherapy, 6726 West Coast Rd., Sooke
• Forbes Pharmacy, Goldstream, 755 Goldstream Ave.
• Heart Pharmacy, 3643 Shelbourne St.
Since the program began in 2003, more than 1.2 million gifts have been distributed to seniors. Volunteers are also needed to collect, wrap and deliver the gifts.
For more information, go to beasantatoasenior.com.
Help light up the Bastion Square tree
This holiday season, for every $10 donation, Threshold Housing Society will light up one light on the largest tree in Bastion Square. They hope they will light up the tree’s 10,000 lights — and raise $100,000 this Christmas.
“If we reach our goal, that tree will be a shining symbol of support for homeless youth in our community,” said Mark Muldoon, executive director of the society. “Every time a light is lit, it represents someone who cares for a struggling, desperate youth in our community. That’s a powerful Christmas message.”
All funds raised by the Shine a Light on Youth campaign will support programming and housing for youth at risk of becoming homeless.
The society is hosting a tree light-up event 1 to 4 p.m. next Saturday — just before the Island Farms Santa’s Light Parade. There will be live music, hot chocolate and Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps will be on hand to flip the switch.
Donations can be made at any Coast Capital Branch or at thresholdhousing.ca.
Festive lineup for church’s concert series
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oak Bay will help you get into the spirit of the season with the return of its noon-hour Advent Concert Series, every Wednesday until Dec. 13.
The concert schedule includes:
• Nov. 22: Luna Quartet, Ukrainian Christmas Music
• Nov. 29: Small Hands — Big Sounds: Young pianists from the Victoria Conservatory of Music
• Dec. 6: The Cello, with Friends — Musicians from the University of Victoria School of Music
• Dec. 13: One Piano/ Four Hands — Duo-pianists Jeanne Campbell and Lorna Bjorklund
Bring your lunch. Tea and coffee are provided.
Admission is by donation, with proceeds to the Victoria Hospice Bereavement Fund. The concerts run 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. at the church, 1701 Elgin Rd.
For more information, go to stmarysoakbay.ca.
Island boys recognized for busking, fundraising
Three Vancouver Island children have won a place as finalists for the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award issued by the Association of Fundraising Professionals for their fundraising and busking skills.
Liam Docherty, 10, and his brothers, Ewan, 8, and Connor, 4, perform popular and blues music in public throughout Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, regularly generating a crowd wherever they play.
Two years ago, after learning their local emergency shelter had issued an urgent appeal for donations, they raised enough money to fund the shelter for two nights.
Last year, they raised enough money for their local food bank to provide three meals a day to a child in their community for a whole year.
This year, the boys worked on a project about the importance of remembering the service and sacrifice of veterans.
As part of the project, they learned their great-grandfather took part in the Battle of Normandy. He had nowhere to live when he returned, so went to the Salvation Army, which provided him with shelter.
When the boys learned their local Salvation Army needed donations, they sprang into action. The Thrifty Foods store in Parksville allowed the boys to busk for their customers. They also performed in Qualicum and at the Qualicum Farmers Market.
In total, they raised more than $600 in memory of their great-grandfather and in support of the Salvation Army.
They have created a Salvation Army online kettle, which to date has raised enough money for the local Salvation Army Soup Kitchen to feed more than 100 men, women and children for two days.
They hope to raise a further $400 by allowing anyone who missed the boys playing live the opportunity to view them online and make a donation.
For more information or to donate, go to their website at buskingforchange.ca.
The Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Awards takes place on Wednesday.
Hampers of Hope aim to help less fortunate
Help people transitioning from shelters to their own homes this holiday season by donating to Hampers of Hope, an initiative of Disaster Aid Canada.
Each hamper includes bedding, blankets, dish soap, household cleaners, hygiene products and laundry soap. Products required include paper towels, pillows, toilet paper and towels.
Businesses and individuals can sponsor a Hamper of Hope for a monthly $50 donation.
Donors will be given a “Soap’n you have a Merry Christmas” card to write to someone that will receive the Hamper of Hope. You have an opportunity to write words of inspiration to bring even more hope to them.
For more information, go to disasteraidcanada.ca.
Two local authors to read in Sidney
Enjoy an evening of readings and discussions with George Mercer and Ulrike Narwani, two Victoria-based authors, Friday at Shoal Centre in Sidney.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go to support the 2019 Sidney and Peninsula Literary Festival.
Admission is $10, includes refreshments. The event starts at 7 p.m. at Shoal Centre, 10030 Resthaven Dr., Sidney. Tickets are availableat Tanner’s Books and sidneyliteraryfestival.ca/ november-24-2017.
Fundraising dinner to aid Rohingya refugees
The Bangladesh Canada Cultural Association in Victoria is hosting a community fundraiser dinner to support relief efforts for the Rohingya refugees, Saturday at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre.
The dinner is a part of a community effort to raise more than $30,000 to provide much-needed relief for the more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees who have been forced to flee from their homes in Myanmar.
Oxfam Canada is a key partner in this initiative, along with the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, Victoria Immigration and Refugee Centre Society, Saanich Parks, the British Columbia Muslim Association and others.
Tickets are $20. The dinner runs 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd. If you are unable to attend, please consider a donation instead. From now until Nov. 28, all funds will be matched by Global Affairs Canada.
For tickets, call Rafiqul Islam at 250-885-6939 or visit their office on the third floor of 637 Bay St. For more information, go to bccav.ca.
Shred-a-thon to benefit Nigel House
Safely dispose of sensitive personal documents and help adults with disabilities at the same time at Broadmead Care’s Holiday Shred, Saturday at Nigel House.
At the shred-a-thon, you can safely dispose of old bank statements, tax files and other unneeded documents cluttering up your house.
All proceeds collected this year will go towards the Nigel House replacement project and benefit adults with disabilities.
There is a suggested minimum donation of $10 per box (up to two boxes per household). The event runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Nigel House, 846 Nigel Ave.
For more information, call Shannon at Broadmead Care or broadmeadcare.com.
Learn the finer points of spinning and knitting
The Saanich Pioneer Society is hosting Lori and Friends, a group of ladies with their own spinning wheels, for a spinning and knitting gathering — a traditional pioneer activity — Saturday at the Log Cabin Museum.
A fire will be lit in the giant fireplace and the kettle will be on for tea. Lori and her group of experienced knitters will demonstrate their craft and give free instruction to those interested. People are invited to bring along their knitting project.
Admission is by donation. The event runs 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Log Cabin Museum, 7910 Polo Park Cres., Saanichton (in the park behind Thrifty Foods).
For more information, call 250-658-8347 or go to http://victoria.tc.ca/Community/ Spsma/sps_muse.htm.
Travelling exhibition celebrates Canada
The Together truck, a rolling exhibition highlighting Canadian contributions to positive change around the world, will be in Victoria this week.
The award-winning exhibition is aboard a custom-built truck travelling across the country as part of Canada’s 150th-anniversary celebrations.
The exhibition aims to inspire visitors to explore lasting solutions to global development challenges through:
• Powerful photography, objects, film and audio that transport visitors around the world.
• A quiz that enables visitors to discover what kind of global citizens they are and how to get involved.
• An interactive world map that illuminates Canadian contributions to global development.
• Opportunities for visitors to share their ideas and experiences.
The exhibit will be open to the public 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the University of Victoria, Parking Lot C, 3800 Finnerty Rd.
It will be at Claremont Secondary School, 4980 Wesley Rd., Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. each day.
Together was developed by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and features the work of 21 Canadian organizations working to reduce poverty around the world, including the Canadian Red Cross, Save the Children and UNICEF. The exhibition was developed with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada.
For more information, go to akfc.ca/together.
