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Our Community: Cross-Canada run for Make-A-Wish, virtual garden tour with music

A former Island man who now calls Sault Ste. Marie home has embarked on a 4,200-kilometre run from Victoria in a bid to raise $300,000 for Make-A-Wish Canada and Childhood Cancer Canada.
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Rick Fall is running from Victoria to Sault Ste. Marie to raise money for childhood cancer. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST

A former Island man who now calls Sault Ste. Marie home has embarked on a 4,200-kilometre run from Victoria in a bid to raise $300,000 for Make-A-Wish Canada and Childhood Cancer Canada.

Rick Fall, who grew up in Duncan, launched his FalloRick Home to Home campaign last Monday, running his first steps from Mile Zero.

His fundraising and awareness campaign was supposed to take place last year but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was cancelled a day before he was set to leave.

He plans to average about 42.2 kilometres a day, running the equivalent of 100 marathons by the time he reaches Sault Ste. Marie, his home for the last 30 years.

He will be accompanied by his wife, Colette, who will follow him in a support RV vehicle.

He expects to finish sometime in August.

For more information, to follow his progress or to donate, go to fallorick.com.

Friends of Gashora help kids in Rwanda

The Friends of Gashora are hosting an Oak Bay Arts and Crafts yard sale in support of vulnerable children in Gashora, Rwanda, Apr. 24.

Items available include handwoven Rwandan baskets, vintage housewares, handmade dolls, jewelry, quilts, paintings, driftwood art and more.

Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, malnutrition has once again become a serious problem in the country.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 24. For a list of participants and their addresses, contact Gabriele Matheson at gn1matheson@gmail.com.

Three in Victoria honoured for podcasts

Three Victoria creators have been each awarded $10,000 in production funding for their podcast ideas from Telus Storyhive’s inaugural 2020 Podcast Edition.

Podcasts deliver stories and conversations to listeners through their mobile devices. Podcasts and audio content have seen a significant spike in the past few years, with more than 1.75-million active shows in the world.

The three recipients are:

• Christa Martel is the team lead for Let’s Talk Access, a podcast that dives into the mental-health crisis in the midst of a global pandemic.

• Producer Katie Hamilton takes listeners through stories from women in the sports industry in Her Love of Sport.

• Host and team lead Chantal Solomon is recording Resilient Creatives, a podcast full of interviews with emerging, professional and retired artists in Victoria.

The three finalists were selected out of 700 applications. In addition to funding, the recipients will receive mentorship, customized podcast training and distribution for their podcasts.

Storyhive’s 20th edition brings local stories to life through audio storytelling to more than one million listeners across Western Canada through Telus Optik.

For more information, go to storyhive.com.

Earth Day Clothing Drive seeks donations

Spring cleaning? Consider donating your gently used clothes, textiles and shoes to an Earth Day Clothing Drive, April 24 at Max Furniture.

Lifetime Networks is hosting a drive-through event in an effort to collect 4,500 kilograms of clothing.

“Our clothes drop program employs people with disabilities and the money raised — $3,500 — will go towards scholarships and bursaries for those in need,” said Carlene Thompson, finance director for Lifetime Networks.

Lifetime Networks assists families with disabilities through fundraising programs. In 2020, it operated 260 virtual programs that supported 250 families and delivered 560 meals. The organization has been part of the Royal Victoria Marathon’s Charity Pledge Program for 10 years.

The drive-through event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24 at 3460 Quadra St. Call or text 250-744-7655 or email info@lnv.ca to arrange a home pick-up.

Virtual garden tour with sounds of music

Visit some of Victoria’s most beautiful private spring gardens while listening to music at the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s 39th Mother’s Day Musical Virtual Garden Tour.

You can uncover hidden garden gems through virtual tours between April 25 and May 16.

The collection of gardens ranges from a restored 1926 cottage overlooking a garden made up of perennials in the shade of a pair of 90-year-old Sequoias to a Japanese dry landscape garden and an award-winning orchid collection.

Every garden is a labour of love and will be sure to inspire your own spring gardening plans.

Music remains at the heart of the garden tour, with the sounds of Victoria Conservatory of Music students performing in every garden video.

As well, every Sunday from April 25 to May 16, the conservatory’s Facebook page will highlight current and past student and faculty performance videos.

At 4 p.m. on Mother’s Day, May 9, tune in to the Victoria Conservatory YouTube channel for the Grande Finale, an online première of Opera Studio Duets, six works from the conservatory’s advanced vocal students.

The event is a fundraiser for the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Proceeds will go toward keeping music education and performance thriving in Victoria.

Admission is by donation. The virtual tours will be available from April 25 to May 16. The Grande Finale starts at 4 p.m. on Mother’s Day, May 9 on YouTube.

For more information, go to vcm.bc.ca/victoria-garden-tour.

Il Terrazzo helping stricken staff member

Il Terrazzo restaurant is donating the proceeds of sales for one night — including gratuities — as well as holding an online auction to help a staff member who recently suffered a massive heart attack.

Norman deGuzman, the daytime dishwasher/prep cook/sanitization specialist at the downtown restaurant, suffered a heart attack and stroke two weeks ago at his home.

The 45-year-old husband and father had open heart surgery and spent two weeks in the intensive care unit. He is paralyzed from the waist down and faces a long recovery.

On Monday, April 26, the restaurant will donate all of its sales proceeds to deGuzman and his family.

Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant. Donations of any size are gratefully accepted. For more information, go to ilterrazo.com.

Quadra Village Mural Festival in July

The Alter Arts Society will receive a Community Arts Festivals Grant from the B.C. Arts Council for its upcoming Quadra Village Mural Festival, July 1 to 15.

The Mural Festival, a spin-off from the organization’s headline Out There Art Festival, will bring new murals to Quadra Village this summer.

The society is requesting donations from the community to help pay local artists to enliven the neighbourhood and establish Quadra Village as a local arts and culture destination.

“The three murals that we added to the neighbourhood during the Out There Art Festival last year received such a warm reception from neighbours and local businesses that we have decided to bring the mural portion of the festival back as a separate event,” said Jenn Neilson, society director.

Just how many murals get painted will depend on how much community support the project receives.

“Local non-profit organizations and businesses that are interested in murals will support the program by covering the cost of materials,” said Neilson. “But the B.C. Arts Council Grant won’t be enough to pay an artist to design and paint each of the requested murals. We are reaching out to the community for support — the more donations we receive, the more artists we can hire, and the more colour we can bring to the neighbourhood.”

The B.C. Arts Council’s Community Arts Festivals program supports local festivals staged by community-based arts and cultural organizations. For more information, go to alterarts.ca.

parrais@timescolonist.com