Volunteers collected 122,880 rolls of toilet paper during the Prodigy Group’s TP the Town event, Oct. 13.
The thousands of rolls of toilet paper will help Greater Victoria families in need, thanks to the efforts of the group, a Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce committee dedicated to emerging professionals.
About 120 volunteers set up collection stations at Thrifty Foods, Save-on-Foods, Country Grocer and Quality Foods stores across the region.
The rolls were donated to the Mustard Seed Street Church, which will distribute them as needed throughout the year.
“The work that the Prodigy Group did to make this year happen was incredible,” said event co-founder Shaun Cerisano. “To set a record of nearly 123,000 rolls of toilet paper raised for the Mustard Seed is a feeling that I cannot put into words. It just goes to show the time and effort put into organizing this event and how wonderful all of our volunteers were.”
For more information, go to prodigygroup.ca.
Island couple honoured by MS society
Vancouver Island residents Darcie and Kevin James have been chosen by the Multiple Sclerosis Society as this year’s Women Against MS honourees for an event Nov. 22 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
The luncheon attracts leading professionals and organizations from a wide range of industries in support of the movement to end MS.
The society chose the couple for their devotion to each other while living with multiple sclerosis.
Not long after being married, Darcie heard her diagnosis. They turned the devastating news into motivation toward fundraising efforts to advance MS research and support services. The couple has organized a variety of events that have raised more than $1 million in donations over the years.
Women Against Multiple Sclerosis is a network of women creating awareness and raising research funds for better treatments and a cure for MS.
Tickets are $125. The luncheon runs noon to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, 900 West Georgia St., Vancouver. For more information, go to wamsbc.ca.
Unique works show healing power of art
Purchase unique art works — from oil-on-canvas paintings and line drawings to sculpture and poetry — at Pacifica Housing’s 7th annual Tenant Art Show, Nov. 13 at the Parkside Hotel and Spa.
All the works are by residents at various Pacifica Housing properties. The creativity of the works illustrate the power of art as a healing agent for those who have been affected by homelessness or housing insecurity.
“Some individuals have gone through journeys that you and I probably haven’t, and this is a unique way for our tenants to express themselves to the greater community through their art, and we feel that is a very positive and worthy exercise,” said Dean Fortin, executive director of Pacifica Housing.
The event includes a silent auction for a mixed-media piece by Malcolm Barber.
Light refreshments, coffee and tea will be made available.
The event is free to attend. It runs 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Parkside Hotel and Spa, 810 Humboldt St.
For more information, go to pacificahousing.ca.
Promise Ball raises $150,000 for diabetes
The 14th annual Promise Ball in support of JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) has raised more than $150,000.
The theme of the ball this year, held Oct. 27, was Dia de la Cura or Day of the Cure — complete with Brazilian-themed music, colourful costumes, decorations and Victoria entertainers.
Dave Prowten, the president and CEO of JDRF Canada, awarded the Living and Giving Award to former journalist and CHEK News anchor Jim Beatty in recognition of his years of volunteer service. Beatty has lived with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 15 years.
He has been the chairman of the JDRF’s Vancouver Island chapter, where he spent many hours organizing, fundraising and advocating on behalf of those living with the disease.
Over the past 14 years, the event has raised $2.7 million, which has gone toward making life better for the 300,000 Canadians living with Type 1 diabetes.
For more information, go to jdrf.ca or Facebook.
Makeover contest aids Women’s Transition House
The Frump to Fabulous Make Over, a fundraiser that took place Sept. 12, recently presented a $1,950 cheque to the Victoria Women’s Transition House.
The event is sponsored by the Westshore Women’s Business Network and presented by Linda Ferguson, a fashion designer at Linda Ferguson Designs and the founder of the Frump to Fabulous Make Over.
Two winners of a contest received a total makeover and guidance on a journey of transformation. They met with a hairstylist, makeup artist, nutritionist and fitness trainer to learn new skills to make positive changes in their lives.
The funds will go toward Victoria Women’s Transition House to assist women who are fleeing abuse.
For more information, go to lindaferguson.ca or Facebook.
Teens advocate for youth employment
A Victoria teen represented British Columbia as part of the fifth annual YOUth In Office on Parliament Hill.
Brittany Arnold recently returned from Ottawa, where she and other young adults met ministers, senators and MPs to advocate and educate around two important issues: Youth employment and mental health.
The event was co-hosted by Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.
She and other participants attended a media-training session, learned from the experiences of young Indigenous activists, met the 2018-19 Parliamentary interns and toured the House of Commons.
Arnold is also a member of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada’s national youth council.
For more information, go to bgccan.com.
Local museums honoured with awards
The Mayne Island Museum and Sherri Robinson, a volunteer at the Esquimalt Municipal Archives, were both recognized as the B.C. Museums Association handed out awards to the best and brightest in the museum sector.
The association handed out its Awards for Outstanding Achievement Oct. 23 in Kelowna as part of its annual conference.
The awards recognize institutions and individuals who exemplify excellence in the province’s museums, galleries and history community.
The Mayne Island Museum received the Award of Merit, Excellence in Collections for the John Aitken glass plate negative digitization project, which preserved more than 300 historical images of 19th and early 20th century Mayne Island and made them available online as high-resolution images.
Robinson collected the Museum Service and Stewardship Award for her extensive knowledge of the community of Esquimalt and for her dedication to the documentation and preservation of the municipality’s history.
“This year’s recipients really showcase the breadth of amazing things happening in B.C.’s museum sector,” said BCMA executive director Erica Mattson. “From community involvement to digital programming to volunteer engagement, B.C. continues to be at the forefront of museums in Canada.”
For more information, go to museumsassn.bc.ca.
100 Women donation for Shelbourne kitchen
The Shelbourne Community Kitchen has received a donation of more than $25,000 from the Victoria branch of 100 Women Who Care.
The kitchen, which assists those living on a low income to access sufficient nutritious food, will use the funds to maintain its Power to Choose program. The program increases access to essential grocery items specific to individual needs, such as fresh proteins, cultural foods, hygiene items or food to address dietary restrictions.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous gift which will have a tremendous impact on the kitchen,” said board chair Laura Cochrane. “The Power to Choose program gives our participants the opportunity to acquire items that are not always available through our other programs.”
100 Women Who Care Victoria meets quarterly for one hour and jointly selects a local charity or not-for-profit organization from the three drawn to make a presentation that evening.
Every woman writes a $100 cheque to the selected organization. So far this year, the group has donated more than $91,000 to local organizations.
The next meeting is Dec. 10 at the Belfry Theatre.
For more information, go to 100womenvictoria.com or shelbournecommunitykitchen.ca.
Make-A-Wish gets a big boost
The recent UnWined Vancouver Island fundraising event raised almost $56,000 for the Make-A-Wish B.C. and Yukon.
Children living with a critical illness are granted wishes that can take almost any form. The average cost to grant a wish is approximately $14,000, half of which comes from donations and funds raised from events such as UnWined.
“Our Vancouver Island community showed up in a big way,” said Simone Conner, director of the Vancouver Island operations of the organization. “Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and attendees, we are going to be able to fully fund five more wishes for Vancouver Island wish kids — and then some.”
Future fundraising opportunities include events such as the return of ReWined in April and the annual Rope for Hope event in late May.
For more information, go to makeawishbc.ca. You can watch a wrap-up video of the UnWined event at makeawishbc.ca/ unwined-victoria.
PISE gets $13,500 grant for kids
The Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence has been awarded a $13,500 grant from the Parasport Jumpstart Fund to help fund weekly programs that affect more than 60 children with disabilities.
As part of Jumpstart’s Play Finds a Way movement, the Parasport Jumpstart Fund is a joint program between Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the Canadian Paralympic Committee to create greater opportunities for sport and play for children with disabilities.
The grant will help support PISE’s adapted programs, which include Active Development, Teen Community Connections and Power Physical Literacy.
“The support that Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the Canadian Paralympic Committee provide to our programs is so valuable. Having the opportunity to get children and youth with a disability involved in physical activity programs enables them to see their potential, and flourish in a fun and engaging setting with their peers,” said Chris Wright, PISE physical literacy co-ordinator. “We know this is just the start for many of these individuals on their journey within physical activity, and this allows us to get them off to a great start.”
PISE is a charitable organization that reaches 5,000 children each year, most of them through funded programs that provide opportunity to kids who can’t access quality physical activity programs. For more information, go to pise.ca.
