The CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum has recently unveiled a new exhibit, entitled Hero Warship: HMCS Beacon Hill and Her Daring Commander, to commemorate Victoria’s naval namesake and a wartime hero.
The exhibit tells the story of HMCS Beacon Hill, the naval namesake of the city of Victoria, which was in service with the Royal Canadian Navy during the latter part of the Second World War and the postwar era.
It also highlights the naval career of one of that ship’s commanding officers, Commander Edward Theodore (Ted) Simmons, who was a Victoria resident notable for his wartime service.
Both the ship and its commander played an important role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic, without which the D-Day landings in Normandy and subsequent Allied liberation of Western Europe would not have been possible.
The CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum’s goal is to collect, preserve, interpret and display the history and heritage of the naval presence on Canada’s west coast and of the military on Southern Vancouver Island.
Admission by donation (suggested $2 adults, $1 seniors and students and $5 families). The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily until Sept. 2 in Building 37N, CFB Esquimalt, Naden Street. Access by the base gate entrance off Admirals Road (government-issued photo identification required).
For more information, go to navalandmilitarymuseum.org.
Concert raising funds for organ repair
St. Luke Cedar Hill Anglican Church is hosting Crowd Pleasers Only, a two-hour concert to raise funds to offset the cost of recent repairs of its organ, Saturday at the church.
The organ, which turns 100 years old in 2025, is showing its age. It recently underwent expensive repairs to a cracked Oboe Chest and impacted Sesquialtera pipe rank to restore its rich sound.
At the fundraising concert, you can once again hear the organ in all its glory.
The concert will feature a mix of crowd pleasing music from Bach to Widor — not just classical music.
Saturday’s program will include the famous Widor Toccata (Nicholas Fairbank) and Vierne’s Carillon de Westminster (Jennifer Mitchell).
Enjoy lovely baroque/pre-baroque music by Bach, Telemann and Pachelbel (Christine Purvis, Matthew Robertson and Susanne Reul-Zastre), three jazz chorale preludes by J.M. Michel (Sandra Fletcher), The Empress Hotel Rag and Che Bella Rosa (original funny compositions by Rosemary Laing) and transcriptions of music by Handel, Grieg and Chaminade by W. Felton (David Berry).
Admission to the concert is by donation. Suggested donation is $20. It runs 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at the church, 3821 Cedar Hill Cross Rd. There is free parking, and the church is wheelchair-accessible.
For more information, go to stlukesvictoria.ca/events/crowd-pleasers-only-organ-fundraising-concert/2019-09-07.
Call for artists for Victoria’s winter banners
The City of Victoria is putting out a call for local artists to submit designs for their winter banners, with a Sept. 11 deadline.
Artists in the capital region, including the Gulf Islands, are invited to submit proposals to design a winter banner to be displayed on 100 downtown lampposts from November to February over the next five years.
The theme is Natural Winter in the Pacific Northwest, with a maximum of three colours plus white. The colours chosen should augment a warm white-and-green palette.
The designs should use colours and images that take advantage of light passing through the fabric.
The successful artist will receive a fee of $500.
The deadline for online submissions is 4 p.m. Sept. 11. For submission guidelines and more information, go to victoria.ca/publicart.
Sponsor pays for all KidSport hockey youth
For the first time in its history, a single donor has stepped up to cover all of KidSport Greater Victoria grants related to a specific sport.
Jake Brumby’s Team at CIBC Private Wealth Management has committed funds to support every KidSport Greater Victoria-funded child and youth playing in the 2019/20 hockey season.
Brumby’s group first signed on in 2017, when they signed on as the presenting sponsor for the Jon Montgomery Pizza Pigout, the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
“Sport is so important for kids development both physically and mentally and we are very pleased to be able to help provide some assistance in any way we can,” said Jake Brumby.
The funds will further KidSport’s mandate to support local families in financial need, offering children the opportunity to join seasons of organized sport at any of almost 200 eligible organizations in the Capital Regional District.
“We are delighted to be working with Jake and his team in that same capacity for a third year as we prepare for Pizza Pigout 2019,” said Jill Shaw, executive director for KidSport Victoria. “This latest additional contribution to specifically support young hockey players in need of financial assistance is a unique, generous and incredibly valuable contribution to our organization, the local hockey community, and Greater Victoria kids more broadly.”
Since 2000, KidSport Greater Victoria has distributed more than $2.83 million in sport registration fees to organizations across Victoria, so all children — 18 years and under and living in financial need — have an opportunity to play.
There are roughly 150 chapters of KidSport across the country. The Victoria chapter is one of the largest, in terms the number of local children and the number of dollars distributed to local sport organizations.
For more information, go to kidsportvictoria.ca.
Bear Mountain hosts kids’ charity tourney
Almost 200 golfers will come together to pay it forward and make dreams come true at the 21st annual Golf for Kids Charity Classic, played at the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa on Saturday.
More than just a charity golf tournament, it is one of the most successful single-day fundraising tournaments in the country, bringing together golfers, volunteers, community advocates and devoted youth in support of B.C. children and their families.
Proceeds support several important child and youth-focused charities on Vancouver Island, with the primary beneficiary being the Help Fill A Dream Foundation.
Every year, about 20 to 25 dreams are filled, sending Island children and their families to dream destinations such as Disney World, Universal Studios, Google headquarters and other memorable locations.
This year, seven children whose dreams came true are themselves fundraising to help make dreams come true for other children.
Andrei (10), Aurora (6), Braiden (19), Seth (13), Emma (14) and twins Asher and Nolan (9) have banded together to raise almost $14,500 for the cause.
Money was raised through bake sales, making crafts, birthday parties, recycling bottles, busking and selling lemonade. And their fundraising hasn't stopped there — in these final weeks before the event, they have banded together to create an online fundraising page and asking the public to join them in their efforts.
Asher and Nolan, twin boys diagnosed at an early age with cerebral palsy, received a dream visit to Disney World in January with family.
“We cannot thank [the golfers] enough for this opportunity. Not only did we make a lifetime of happy memories, but this trip also gave us a break from the challenges of everyday life, and the value of that is truly immeasurable,” said Tracey Trousdell, the children’s mother.
Upon receiving their dream, the boys and their sister Rio began raising money through their birthday party, a Christmas party and by selling holly at a roadside stand over the holidays.
“Our growth is intricately linked to the success of Golf For Kids,” said Craig Smith, Help Fill a Dream Foundation executive director. “We have grown up together and assisted thousands of Island children as a result. In addition to the money raised, the whole team at Golf for Kids provides us with support, encouragement and inspiration throughout the year. This year, seeing some of our kids turn around and reach out to support other kids like them is incredibly inspiring.”
This year’s tournament hopes to raise $1 million in one day for the third year in a row. About 192 golfers will play for more than 100 prizes donated by sponsors.
The Golf for Kids Charity Classic is presented by Iconix Waterworks.
The tournament runs 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa, 1999 Country Club Way.
For more information, on Help Fill A Dream Foundation, go to helpfilladream.com.
For more information on Golf for Kids Charity Classic, go to golfforkids.net.
United Way honours longtime volunteers
Chris Coleman and Mary Ellen Purkis both received honorary life memberships at United Way Greater Victoria’s 82nd annual general meeting.
Coleman has been an active member of United Way Greater Victoria's Campaign Cabinet for 14 years. He has served six terms as a City of Victoria councillor. He has been repeatedly recognized for his work including Victoria's Citizen of the Year award in 1994; Honourary Citizen Award, City of Victoria, 2000; Queen's Jubilee Medal, 2002; and CFAX Santa's Anonymous Volunteer of the Year in 2014. Coleman was the local co-chair on the national homelessness initiative for nine years.
Dr. Mary Ellen Purkis has been involved with United Way since the mid-1990s, when she was a key participant in the reorganization of the organization’s funding process. Since 2012, she has been a board member, chair and most recently, past chair. A supporter since 1995, she created a Donor Advised Fund to support her family's passion for volunteerism in 2018. Since 1993 she has been with the University of Victoria, as Professor of Nursing, Director of the School of Nursing, and Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Development. Her research and community leadership has focused on advocating for the homeless, the elderly and for Indigenous Peoples.
The United Way is one of the region's largest annual funders of local social service programs. It assists charitable organizations by identifying and funding programs to address immediate needs and underlying causes of the community's local social issues. For more information, go to uwgv.ca.
