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Our Community: Taking the long way home for Dad

Victoria man Ian Bos initially sent pictures of 200 Victoria parks to his father, who was battling cancer in Nova Scotia. When his dad was pronounced terminal, Bos flew himself. After his father died Jan.

Victoria man Ian Bos initially sent pictures of 200 Victoria parks to his father, who was battling cancer in Nova Scotia. When his dad was pronounced terminal, Bos flew himself.

After his father died Jan. 16, 39-year-old Bos lingered a few months to help. But when it came time to return to Victoria on May 21, he chose the long way home, on foot carrying a backpack.

He arrived last week after walking the entire breadth of Canada. It was both a personal tribute and an awareness-raising event for the men and women who deliver palliative care to terminal patients like his dad.

“I started out with a fundraising goal, but in the end, what they really wanted was awareness,” Bos said. “So I took the time to shine a spotlight on these people and the work that they do.”

Bos’s accomplishment has caused a big enough stir in palliative medicine that he was scheduled to speak Saturday in Ottawa at the annual Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Conference.

Palliative medicine is the specialized care delivered to patients who are terminally ill. Sometimes care is delivered via house calls, so patients can die in their homes. Other times patients are cared for in special units such as the 17-bed Victoria Hospice, on the Royal Jubilee campus.

Victoria Hospice Society has operated since 1980, providing care to patients ranging in age from infant to elderly. On any given day, an average of 400 patients are registered with Victoria Hospice.

Bos said delighted reactions from palliative specialists to his cross-country trek grew and grew, as he visited hundreds of spots.

“I had a lot less camping to do as I went on; people were inviting me home or buying me meals,” he said.

Teamwork earns students a national award

Most times, good ideas aren’t like a lightbulb flash. They are often the result of teamwork solving a problem.

Ellie McLeod, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Glenlyon Norfolk School, was part of a team of young people who worked out an idea in July to make physical activity easier for Canadians.

McLeod’s team proposed a lending system for sports equipment, such as soccer balls or tennis rackets, in much the same way libraries lend books.

“We ended up talking to the City of Victoria about our idea and they liked it,” she said. “That was pretty exciting.”

The idea was so good, it earned the top prize at a ceremony this month held by SHAD, a Canadian non-profit that works to help high-school students reach their potential.

SHAD arranges for students, in grades 10, 11 and 12, to spend one month at a participating Canadian university campus. Students are put to work developing solutions to problems arising from specific areas or themes. This year’s theme was play.

McLeod spent one month at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, where she was part of the team eventually awarded the John Dobson Entrepreneurship Cup.

Time to register for TC 10K run 

Registration is open for the 2016 TC 10K, the 27th annual and well-established as one of British Columbia’s premier running events.

The event, which features a 10-kilometre course for runners and walkers, and the 1.5-kilometre Thrifty Foods Family Race are set for April 24, 2016. Training clinics begin in January.

Early-bird entry fees are $40 per adult in the 10k or $20 per runner in the family 1.5k run. Later, the price increases by $5.

Shannon Kowalko, president of the Victoria International Running Society, said the event is a fixture in runners’ calendars, attracting elite racers, weekend joggers and casual walkers — 10,000 people last year.

Kowalko noted the Thrifty Foods Family Race is the fastest-growing segment of the day. Children often get into the spirit by dressing up in a special costume.

“It truly is an event for everyone,” Kowalko said. “We have our elite runners who train for it and look forward to it.”

“But if you walk, that’s fine. If you want to push a stroller along with your family, that’s great,” she said. “It’s really an event for people from all walks of life.”

Runners can enter as a team or as individuals. They can use the run as a fundraiser of their own and raise pledges. Or they can agree to add a donation to their entry fee that will be distributed to one of the seven causes supported.

The TC 10K raises money for: the Heart and Stoke Foundation, B.C. Cancer Foundation, Every Step Counts, Help Fill a Dream, Raise A Reader, Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Victoria Hospitals Foundation.

Police officers honoured with order of merit

Three long-serving and senior members of the Victoria Police have been recognized with a national award for their excellence of service.

On Oct. 5, at a special ceremony in Quebec City, Gov. Gen. David Johnston inducted Victoria Deputy Chiefs Steve Ing and Del Manak as members of the Order of Merit of Police Forces.

Also, Victoria Police Chief Frank Elsner was promoted within the order from member to officer. The order has three ranks: member, officer and commander.

The Order of Merit was established for police officers in 2000. It recognizes exceptional merit, contributions to police work and commitment to Canada.

Elsner said the awards are a good reflection of the Victoria police department’s commitment to work in tandem with its community.

“We really understand the only way we can have any legitimacy in our communities is through partnerships,” he said in a telephone interview.

“If we can talk to people and educate people, then we can all work together and solve the social issues that can involve police work more than crime in our community.”

James Bay celebrates 40 years of volunteering

James Bay Community Project is having a 40th birthday celebration on Thursday, honouring achievements and paying homage to volunteers who make them happen.

Volunteer archivists and historians are putting together a visual display, to be posted on the website, and past volunteers and members are being contacted and invited.

Special 1970s themed games, photo booths and a silent auction are all planned for the party.

Paula Greene, spokeswoman for the James Bay Community Project, said the group counts 300 people among its volunteers. Their contributions range from outreach work aimed at people with disabilities to buying groceries for seniors with mobility issues. “We’ve been here doing this for 40 years, so we decided it was time to acknowledge that,” Greene said. “People are still very passionate about the James Bay Community Project.

The event occurs on Thursday, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the James Bay Community Project, 547 Michigan St.

Space might be limited, so those who would like to attend are asked to call ahead at 250-388-7844.

Friday is the day for acts of kindness 

Teachers, administrators and students at Tillicum Elementary School are wondering how to plan for Random Acts of Kindness while keeping them random.

The philanthropic Victoria Foundation has announced it is bringing Random Acts of Kindness Day to Victoria this Friday. The first was in 2008, started by the Kitchener/Waterloo Community Foundation. This year, 22 organizations across Canada will take part in their own events.

Lori Burley, principal of Tillicum Elementary, noted the school has already been busy with Halloween and will mark Remembrance Day next. But the Victoria Foundation has helped the school in the past with reading resources, so it will take part — even if it hasn’t quite figured out how.

“It fits in well with what we do here,” Burley said. “We do a lot of work on empathy and putting ourselves in the shoes of others.”

This week, the Victoria Foundation is co-ordinating the distribution of “kindness cards” throughout the community. These cards ask the bearer to perform an act of kindness for someone: a neighbour, friend or complete stranger.

The card is then passed along with its instructions to do the same. The act can be anything from buying a coffee to giving encouragement for a job well done or simply holding a door.

Random Acts of Kindness cards will be available at Home Hardware and Island Savings.

The Victoria Foundation was established in 1936 and is Canada’s second-oldest community foundation and the fifth largest of 200 across the country.

It manages charitable donations in permanent income-earning funds, and distributes the proceeds as grants for local charities or education. To date, it has invested $150 million in people, projects and non-profits.

Help youth in need with Christmas backpacks 

Some people in town are looking to fill 30 backpacks with some of the finer things in a young person’s life in time for Christmas.

The Threshold Housing Society operates 30 beds, in single apartments or group settings, for young people aged 16 to their early 20s who otherwise might be at risk of homelessness,

This year, Threshold is hoping to distribute to the young people in their charge Christmas backpacks.

They will be filled with special things such as movie passes, high-end hair products, grooming items or gift cards for stores, restaurants or coffee shops that cater to young people.

Peggy English, Threshold life-skills co-ordinator, said the small non-profit, which offers safe housing, emotional support and some life-skills instruction, often has little left over at the end of the year.

“So what we want to do is give them something that will make their faces light up,” said English. “And they are so moved.”

She recalls one young man who came close to tears when he received his gift pack. “Why do people care about us when they don’t even know us?” he asked.

Donations of money are easiest because Threshold can get a gift a young person will enjoy and make sure everybody is treated equally. On the other hand, gift certificates or items appropriate for young people will be appreciated.

To make a donation to Threshold Christmas Backpacks, contact Monica at 250-415-3574 or Lu at 250-383-8830 or email assist@thresholdhousing.ca.

Down syndrome walk a time to celebrate 

People with Down syndrome, their families, friends and supporters will step out and march with pride on Saturday in Victoria’s second annual Go21 celebration walk.

The Go21 Walk for Down is being organized by the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society and is a call-out to the community, a chance to hold heads high as part of National Down Syndrome Awareness Week, Nov. 1 to 7.

Go21 is a national organization, and similar activities will be held across Canada. The name refers to extra genetic material on the human 21st chromosome, which determines the Down syndrome mental disability.

Michael Fisher, president of the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society, said last year’s walk attracted more than 100 people and raised $12,000, “a huge shot in the arm for the society.”

It was also a huge emotional boost for those affected by Down syndrome, who had a chance to get together and share some experiences.

“So often, the most important thing is to bring the sense that says: ‘You are not alone in this,’ ” said Fisher, father of a 25-year-old woman with Down syndrome.

The Go21 Walk is on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at the Cadboro Bay United Church, 2625 Arbutus Rd. Registration fee is $30 for teams or $10 for individuals

A potluck lunch will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30, followed by the walk at 1 p.m., which will end with a celebration and cake.