The City of Victoria is dealing out another round of souvenir cards to honour the lifters, digger and trimmers in its public-works department.
The cards, available at city hall, mark National Public Works Week, which acknowledges the planning, building and other tasks performed by public works.
Victoria has more than 300 employees in public-works jobs.
Five new cards were added to last year’s initial roll-out of cards. The 2023 collection includes a bucket truck, a carpenter’s crew cab, an electric lawn mower, a backhoe and the city’s first electric pickup.
The cards also have key information and some little-known details about the vehicles and machines.
For example, bucket trucks are sometimes called cherry pickers because they were often used for picking fruit when they first hit the market. And the electric truck is one of 143 electric vehicles the city hopes to have in its fleet in the next two years.
“Public-works crews provide the core services that keep our city running,” said Mayor Marianne Alto. “Because of their work, we can flush our toilets, recycle our waste, use our streets, bike lanes and sidewalks, and so much more. The amount of work that keeps a city functioning is often taken for granted, and this is our time to recognize the people whose work Victorians rely on.”
• Printable versions of the cards are at victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/streets-transportation/maintaining-our-network/meet-the-fleet.html.
Gala raises $790,000 to support upgrade of MRI machine at VGH
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s second annual Miracle on the Mountain gala has raised $790,000 to support the $2-million upgrade of an existing MRI machine at Victoria General Hospital.
The upgrade is expected to make the machine faster and more precise, achieving the benefits of a new machine for a third of the cost.
“This replacement method will allow us to continue to prioritize the needs of our patients without disrupting care,” said Dr. Alan Andrew, a radiologist and medical director of Island Health Medical Imaging. “It also means our teams will be better-equipped to serve the community.”
The gala at the Westin Bear Mountain Resort was attended by 300 people.
“For the second year, our Greater Victoria and West Shore communities joined together with a shared vision to advance care at Victoria General Hospital,” said Avery Brohman, the foundation’s chief executive. “The Miracle on the Mountain gala is an occasion to celebrate the care teams and hospitals who serve all of us on Vancouver Island, and this ultimately means uniting together to help equip them with the tools they need to do their best work.”
Don and Ruth James pledged $250,000 to the cause, Clint and Carole Foster pledged $100,000, and Larry and Estelle Boulet pledged $50,000, while Engel & Völkers: The Ratcliff Group made a $165,000 pledge.
Meanwhile, the foundation has entered a partnership with the Amica Helping Hands Charity to create the Amica Helping Hands Compassionate Fund, dedicated to improving quality of life for Greater Victoria seniors living in poverty.
The fund includes a $100,000 pledge from the charity, to be given out over five years. The charity was established by Amica Senior Lifestyles, which operates 30 seniors’ residences in B.C., Alberta and Ontario.
“Amica as an organization has been a fantastic supporter of our hospitals through the years,” Brohman said. “Now, through this incredible initiative, Amica is truly changing the way some of our senior community members receive all-encompassing care, within our hospitals and beyond.
“This generous gift and partnership with the Amica Helping Hands Charity is grounded in the belief that health care extends beyond our hospitals and into our community. We are so grateful for their support.”
The Amica Helping Hands Compassionate Fund is geared to seniors who have challenges with personal expenses, and affording basics like clothing and haircuts. It will give social workers, case managers and others access to financial support for the seniors they work with — both in hospitals and in the community.
The funds can be directed to things such as medication and mobility equipment.
“As health-care professionals, we have an obligation to ensure that all our patients receive the best possible care,” said Dr. Marilyn Malone, Island Health’s medical director of seniors health. “In seniors health, we are focused on dignified, individualized care for every one of our seniors, even more so as our aging population is growing.”
B.C. has one of the highest seniors’ poverty rates in Canada. One in four Vancouver Island residents is over 65 and one in seven lives in poverty. Over 20,000 Vancouver Island are experiencing “financial strain,” the foundation said.
For Anney’s Closet, it’s 10 years of helping women make new beginnings
Anney’s Closet is marking 10 years of helping women transition to new, usually independent living situations.
The women helped by the volunteer-run “free store” can be aging out of foster care, or fleeing violence or domestic abuse.
Soroptimist International of Victoria Westshore organizes Anney’s Closet, with women often coming via referrals from social workers and youth and family counsellors. School counsellors are also involved through their work with girls who are in foster care, or are pregnant or parenting at a young age.
Household items available at Anney’s Closet are donated by downsizing seniors and many others who support the values of Soroptimists — a volunteer organization that works to improve the lives of women and girls.
Donations are organized into a shop-like setting, with volunteers on hand to help women choose the items they want, pack them up and transport them to vehicles.
Sandra Sterling-Weicker, president of the Victoria Westshore chapter, thanked sponsors, partners and community members who have supported Anney’s Closet over the years.
“Without them, Anney’s Closet would not exist,” she said.
“We would also like to thank WestShore U-Lock Mini Storage for their incredible generosity in providing us with lockers for Anney’s Closet for the past 10 years.”
Erika Stenson, executive director of United Way Southern Vancouver Island, said Anney’s Closet is helped by United Way funds.
“UWSVI is proud to be a funding partner of Anney’s Closet, knowing that ‘shoppers’ are acquiring household items that can transform a house into a home — a place of safety and comfort, and an incubator for fresh beginnings.”
• For more about Anney’s Closet, go to sivw.ca/anneys-closet.
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