Residents of a Victoria seniors’ home are hoping to raise $10,000 through the sale of raffle tickets for a quilt they made in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and featuring an embroidered sunflower.
The Sip and Stitch team, made up of four residents of Tapestry at Victoria Harbour on Belleville Street — Angie Chan, Helen Van Alstine, Pat Montgomery and Don Ross — spent three weeks completing the quilt, dubbed Patchwork of the Heart.
“Like many others, we were distraught watching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February of this year,” said Chan. “Out of love and compassion for these displaced people, we felt we had to find ways to help them feel welcome and secure.”
Proceeds from the raffle will go to the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria to support the settlement of Ukrainians seeking temporary residency in the Victoria region.
To date, ICA has helped nearly 100 displaced Ukrainians who have recently arrived.
Meghan Mergaert, director of impact and innovation at the Inter-Cultural Association, said the funds will directly support Ukrainians arriving in Victoria. “Their needs are diverse and these funds allow us to be flexible in how we can best support [them] as they settle into the community.”
Raffle tickets are $2 each, $5 for three or $20 for a booklet of 10. Tickets can be purchased from employees, residents or at the concierge desk at Tapestry at Victoria Harbour, 777 Belleville St.
Ticket sales will end on Aug. 31, with the raffle draw taking place on Sept. 1.
• To learn more about the ICA’s services, go to icavictoria.org/ukrainian-response/.
President of Rotary International tours coast to coast to coast
Jennifer Jones, the first woman president of Rotary International in its 117-year history, was in Victoria recently as part of her coast to coast-to-coast tour.
After assuming her position, the Windsor, Ont., resident undertook a tour of Canada, travelling from Point Pellee on Lake Erie to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, and from St. John’s to Victoria, arriving on the Island July 11, the final day of the tour.
While in Victoria she was joined by Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin, Rotarian Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich and the Gulf Islands, and Sandra Richardson, CEO of the Victoria Foundation.
They toured the Mustard Seed’s Food Distribution Centre on Viewfield Road, travelled to the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, and checked out the Unity Wall Mural project and the Victoria club’s Rotary Welcome Garden at the entrance to the cruise-ship terminal. After hearing the history of the Terry Fox memorial statue from Rotarian Rob Reid, the group went down to the beach to dip their feet in the Pacific Ocean.
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world, with approximately 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries.
They’re hooked on fishing-line recycling
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. has partnered with Clear Your Gear, a volunteer fishing-line recycling program, to keep discarded fishing gear out of streams and lakes.
The groups are placing 30 fishing-line receptacles at hatchery fishing ponds, high-use urban lakes, high-traffic fishing areas and popular fishing docks around the province.
On Vancouver Island, anglers can find them at six locations: Tyee Marine in Campbell River, Cabela’s in Nanaimo and Gone Fishin’ in Courtenay, Port Alberni, Nanaimo and Duncan.
The fishing-line recycling receptacles have a distinctive periscope shape.
The collected line are cleaned of hooks, leaders, weights and trash by volunteers, and the material is shipped to a company in Iowa where it is melted down into raw plastic pellets.
Fishing line is made of a high-density plastic that requires a unique recycling process and cannot be recycled through household recycling programs.
The groups say that with more people getting hooked on fishing, there is growing need to educate anglers on the proper disposal and recycling of fishing line to keep waterways clean.
Most fishing line is made of monofilament, a synthetic fibre that is non-biodegradable, with a lifespan of up to 600 years. The lines pose a particular risk for birds and animals as they are hard to see. Birds and animals can easily ingest the line or become entangled, leading to injury and death.
Fishing line is the leading cause of entanglement problems for people as well.
“We are very excited to partner with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. and expand this program through their networks and expand awareness of the importance of keeping fishing line out of the environment,” said Steve Loney, community relations representative for Clear Your Gear.
“When people find out how long fishing line remains in the ecosystem and how much damage it can do, they are often surprised. It motivates them to find in a more environmental solution to used gear.”
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. is a private, not-for-profit organization funded mainly through freshwater fishing-licence revenues. In partnership with the province, the society annually stocks six million trout, char and kokanee salmon in 800 B.C. lakes. For more information, go to gofishbc.com.
In Duncan, dozens of artists display works
Artists are taking to the streets in downtown Duncan to show off the region’s artistic works at a one-day outdoor art fair Aug. 6.
At the Breath of Art Market, hosted by the Cowichan Valley Arts Council, visitors can stroll through a traffic-free zone on Station Street between Craig and Canada Avenue and see dozens of artists displaying their creativity with everything from watercolours to woodwork and marquetry. Musicians will play at a nearby park.
“I can see this event growing to become a local tradition like Victoria’s Moss Street Paint-In,” said Janet Magdanz, president of the arts council. “This will be a relaxing way to explore new art forms and meet the well-known artists all in one place.”
The event is supported by the Downtown Duncan Business Improvement Association and local merchants.
It runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 6 on Station Street in Duncan.
parrais@timescolonist.com
