Exposure to music and art can enrich the lives of people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.
With that in mind, the We Rage, We Weep Alzheimer Foundation reached out to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to create a summer program for clients and caregivers of people with the disease.
The result is Arts & Alzheimer's disease: A Day at the Gallery, a special bi-monthly guided tour. It offers participants an opportunity to spend an hour viewing and taking part in discussions on selected art works, as well as a new way to socialize and meet new friends.
The art gallery was enthusiastic about the idea, said chief curator Michelle Jacques.
“We strive to reach as broad of an audience as possible,” Jacques said.
“The program we offer the foundation is an offshoot of one we already offer. All we had to do was adjust the content slightly.”
Other galleries and museums offer similar programs, the best-known is hosted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Jacques said.
She heard from one colleague of a non-verbal participant who began to speak again after a visit to view art.
“We are constantly looking for different ways to engage and hold the attention of the public,” she said.
“And every time we do engage a different audience, we are pushed to think of art in a different way — because there are as many different responses to art as there are people.”
The A Day at the Gallery program runs 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. every other Thursday. The next session is Aug. 15.
Admission is at a reduced rate and space is limited. For more information or to register, go to werageweweep.com.
Blood Services wants your help
Every drop counts.
The Canadian Blood Services has invoked the Blood Signal, a call for Canadians to give blood because the need is great. Canadians are urged to roll up their sleeves and make an appointment this month.
“Every summer is a challenge, but this year, the trend is especially concerning,” said Ed Yee, director of donor and clinic services for the agency’s B.C. and Yukon region.
“There are 51,000 appointments to fill between now and Sept. 3 to keep blood inventory at an acceptable level, including 9,500 appointments in the B.C. and Yukon region.”
Already this summer, nearly 12,000 appointment times have gone unfilled. There is no acute shortage as the organization operates a national system and is able to draw on reserves across the country at times like these, Yee said.
People who have already booked an appointment are asked to make every effort to keep it and, if they can, bring along a friend to donate blood.
To book an appointment, visit blood.ca or 1-888-2 DONATE. Residents of Victoria can give blood 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on alternating Saturdays at 3449 Saanich Rd. (across from the Uptown Shopping Centre).
Westshore Quilters aid flood victims
We recently featured a local quilter who had gathered a few friends to sew and send quilts to Alberta after the devastating floods in that province.
Turns out, they are not alone.
The Westshore Quilters Guild, which meets every fourth Thursday of the month at Church of the Advent in Colwood, have also sent 20 new quilts to help affected families in Calgary.
People who have quilting material they would like to donate, or want to pitch in to help, can contact Jan Gillis at 250-474-6020. The group’s next meeting is at 7 p.m., Aug. 22, at the church, 510 Mt. View Rd.
For more information, go to westshorequiltersguild.com.
Golf tournament raises $135,000
A three-day weekend of golf at one of Victoria’s premium golf clubs has helped raise $135,000 to benefit Victoria Women’s Transition House and Pacific Centre Family Services.
The Victoria Golf Club’s Links to Change fundraiser is a charity invitational tournament that has been held annually since 1995.
Including this year’s total, the club has raised more than $855,000 in the past 12 years in support of safer families.
The tournament, which was held last week, saw men’s, women’s and mixed events, a gala evening and a helicopter call drop.
For more information, go to victoriagolfclub.com.
Donations can put muscle in campaign
Muscular Dystrophy Canada has just launched Make Muscles Move, a fundraising and awareness campaign with Canada Safeway.
Throughout the month of August, any Safeway customer who donates $2 will receive a limited-edition key chain and five Air Miles. Proceeds go to support muscular dystrophy research and fund the Safeway Mobility Grant program, which provides specialized equipment for families across Canada.
Since 2008, Safeway has provided 498 grants totalling more than $2.7 million. Collectively, the grocery chain has raised more than $5.5 million for Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
For more information, go to muscle.ca.
Credit union grants go to youth groups
Coast Capital Savings recently awarded more than $250,000 in grants to 24 youth-focused community organizations on Vancouver Island.
Initiatives include bullying prevention initiatives, projects aimed at strengthening youth leadership and civic engagement and workshops that help Coast Salish youth reconnect with their ancestry and communities.
The grants are part of the credit union’s community investment program, designed to empower youth so they support their peers and give back to their communities.
“Our goal is to help build richer futures for youth in our communities,” said Wendy Lachance, Coast Capital Savings’ director of community leadership.
“The organizations we’re partnering with align with our four building blocks of community leadership: building knowledge, financial literacy, healthy minds and a sense of belonging.”
This year, the granting decisions were made by community leaders under age 30 who are part of Coast Capital’s new Young Leaders Community Councils in Surrey, Victoria and Vancouver.
Each year the credit union, the second-largest in Canada, invests seven per cent of its annual pre-tax profits back into the communities it serves — a total of $4.8 million in 2013.
For more information, go to coastcapitalsavings.com.
