Celebrate cultural diversity and have fun at the Vining Street Party on the Plaza, today on the grounds of Victoria High School.
This is the the ninth year of the annual family-friendly event, a fundraiser for the Learning Curve Society.
Dance, sing or swing to the beats of well-known acts, including the B.C. Fiddle Orchestra, Wontanara Drum and Dance, Entangados, Veselka, Victoria Irish Dancers, Mr Mojo and the Red Buff Singers and Dancers.
Children will be entertained by the Great Goffini, Sunshine Clowns, an animal balloonist, face painters, a cardboard castle, a bike clinic, hula hoops, interactive photographic illusions, bubbles and more.
People can bid on a silent auction filled with more than 400 items from the practical to the eclectic. Check out more than 60 vendors and exhibitors at the market and enjoy a barbecue.
Net proceeds benefit the Learning Curve Society, which works on behalf of families with children who experience learning and behavioural challenges.
Admission is free. The party runs from noon to 6 p.m. today on the plaza of the Victoria High School, 1260 Grant St. For more information, go to viningstreetparty.com or Facebook.
A&W promotion raises $1.75M for MS
A&W Food Services of Canada raised a record-breaking $1.75 million for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada during their recent Burgers to Beat MS campaign. This was the eighth year of the annual campaign, bringing the total raised to close to $10 million.
During the campaign, which ended on Aug. 25, the company donated $1 for every Teen Burger sold. The total included close to $17,000 by A&W restaurants in Greater Victoria.
The company also donated $20,000 for the 20,000 shares on Facebook that the Burgers to Beat MS online video received.
“Burgers to Beat MS began as a small idea from a group of A&W operators who wanted to make a difference,” said Paul Hollands, chairman and CEO of A&W Canada. “The campaign has been a remarkable success, year after year after year. To us, it’s about making a real difference, both in terms of research and therapies to find a cure and to help make life better for people who live with MS.”
All 861 restaurants in the chain hosted Burgers to Beat MS fundraising activities, with many featuring A&W Root Beer float stands, music and games. In addition to buying hamburgers, customers also donated by rounding up their bill at the register, purchasing $2 paper cutouts, and giving through in-store donation mugs.
Canadians also showed their support online using the hashtag #BurgersToBeatMS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and using A&W’s national Snapchat filter.
“Our partnership with A&W, its employees, and its guests, have enabled the MS Society to make an impact in the lives of people affected by MS,” said Yves Savoie, president and CEO of the MS Society of Canada. “These efforts make possible the crucial information people seek when they are diagnosed, the support and services in communities from coast to coast, and the research that is fuelling life-changing treatments, and will ultimately lead to a cure. I could not be prouder of Burgers to Beat MS, a campaign that unites the country and raises important funds as we work to end [MS].”
Canada has the highest rate of MS in the world. MS is one of the most common neurological diseases among young adults, attacking the central nervous system, affecting vision, memory, balance and mobility.
It is most commonly diagnosed in individuals ages 15 to 40. Early signs include temporary episodes of worsening symptoms accompanied by active inflammation in the brain (called relapses), whereas later on, disease progression is inevitable. The cause of the disease is still not known.
The MS Society of Canada is dedicated to finding a cure for multiple sclerosis by funding leading-edge research and improving the quality of life of those affected by the disease.
For more information, go to mssociety.ca.
Cross-Canada ride benefiting kids’ charity
A father who lost a child has just completed a cross-country trip, Motorcycles for Miracles, to raise awareness and funds for the Children’s Miracle Network. And he hasn’t been alone.
In 1998, Bruce Johnson made a promise to his dying daughter that he would not forget her. This year he is making good on that pledge, with a motorcycle trip that has taken him, accompanied by another daughter, from St. John’s, N.L., to Victoria.
Part of the reason for the trip was to visit all 14 hospitals that are part of the Children’s Miracle Network in Canada. When his daughter was in care, she was one of 2.6 million sick and injured children they help in a year.
The ride is part of the Re/Max real estate company’s Month of Miracles campaign, an annual event that takes place every August. Real estate agents from the chain pledge a portion of their commission from every house sold toward one of the member hospitals in the Children’s Miracle Network.
Last year, offices and associates of the North American chain raised more than $9 million, for a cumulative total of more than $150 million since 1992. Canada is responsible for $60 million of the total.
“Children’s hospitals depend on local donations, like those from Re/Max agents participating in Miracle Home and Miracle Property programs, to provide the top-of-class care kids deserve,” said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Johnson and his 15-year-old daughter, Holly, will officially end the journey at Mile 0 at 1:30 p.m. today.
For more information, go to childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals. org/Partners/Sponsors/ReMax.
Clover Point walk aids bladder-cancer society
There is still time to join in the Bladder Cancer Canada Awareness Walk, which takes place Sept. 25 at Clover Point.
Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Canada (fourth among men and 12th among women). It is among the least understood cancers, one of the most expensive to treat and one of the most underfunded areas of cancer research.
People can join as an individual, a team captain or join an existing team.
Funds raised from the event go toward helping bladder cancer patients and their support teams address the day-to-day issues of this disease, increase awareness and fund research.
The event takes place between 9 and 11 a.m. If you are unable to join the walk, please consider making a donation to Bladder Cancer Canada. For more information, go to bccwalk.ca.
Golf tourney names Help Fill a Dream as partner
Victoria-based Help Fill a Dream has been named as the official charity partner of the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship, which runs Sept. 19 to 25.
The PGA Tour Champions event will team up with the local charity, which celebrates 30 years of raising awareness and funds for children and families suffering from life-threatening diseases on the Island. The charitable organization has touched the lives of 2,220 children and their families since 1986.
“We are thrilled to be the charity partner for such an amazing event. It is a unique opportunity for us to highlight the impact of dreams,” said Craig Smith, executive director of Help Fill a Dream.
“Our programming is focused on making life better for children with life-threatening conditions and we can only make that happen with the support of the entire community and outstanding partners like the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.”
The 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will not only raise awareness, but will also provide financial support and fundraising opportunities. The PGA Tour’s charitable platform boasts more than $2 billion in all-time charitable-giving.
The tournament week will begin with pro-ams on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 54 holes of championship play from Friday through Sunday. All three competitive rounds will be broadcast live by the Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world.
For more information, go to helpfilladream.com.
SuperWalk a fundraiser for Parkinson Society
Sign up now for Parkinson SuperWalk, the most important provincial awareness and fundraising event for Parkinson Society British Columbia, which takes place at Gorge Park next Sunday.
More than 20 communities across the province, including Victoria, have organized walks to raise money for research and support services through individual pledges and corporate sponsorships.
This year, their goal is to attract more than 2,400 walkers and raise $440,000 or more. Proceeds from SuperWalk will enable the Society to invest in research and continue to provide essential programs and services to the 13,300 individuals and their families who live with Parkinson’s in B.C.
Registration is at 9 a.m., with the two-kilometre walk around the park starting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 10 at Gorge Park, 1020 Tillicum Rd.
For more information, go to parkinson.bc.ca/superwalk or contact Kate at 250-920-9663.
Long weekend a reminder blood is always needed
Canadian Blood Services is urging Victoria-area residents to take one hour before or after the long weekend to give life as they scramble to collect more than 32,000 units of blood by Labour Day.
There is an immediate need for new and returning donors to roll up their sleeves to give life to fill the gap.
“We’ve recorded fewer blood donations again this summer and we are urging people to join the community of selfless Canadians who give life by donating blood,” said David Patterson, director of donor relations in the B.C. and Yukon region. “Our immediate need is for 32,000 units by Labour Day.”
He said there is a call for more people to become new and regular blood donors to replace the aging donor base and maintain the national blood supply.
Victoria-area residents can donate blood at the Victoria blood donor clinic, 3449 Saanich Rd. it is open 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on alternating Saturdays (next one Sept. 10). Walk-in appointments are also available. Donors can sign up to receive an SMS text message to remind them of their upcoming appointment. People can download the GiveBlood app or visit blood.ca.
Dinner a benefit for victims of Italian quake
The Victoria Italian Assistance Centre will be hosting a fund-raising earthquake relief dinner to benefit victims of the Aug. 28 earthquake in central Italy, on Sept. 25.
The meal includes pasta with regular tomato sauce, beef meat balls, green salad, buns, coffee and tea. Open bar. All proceeds to the Red Cross.
Cost is $20 per person. Doors open at 4:30 with meal served at 5 p.m. at the Da Vinci Centre, 195 Bay St.
For more information, go to davincicentre.ca or redcross.ca.
