With an official “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez,” Victoria’s town crier, Robert Alexander, kicked off the United Way Greater Victoria 2018 community fundraising campaign on Tuesday.
The call to give is being heard throughout Greater Victoria.
Last year, United Way Greater Victoria announced its three-year goal of $15 million and raised $5 million. This year, the organization is looking to raise at least $5 million.
The United Way funds a network of programs and services throughout the capital region. Last year, it assisted nearly 87,000 people, including youth who are aging out of foster care needing transition help, and isolated seniors looking to go out for Sunday dinner.
Donations to United Way Greater Victoria 2018 Community Campaign are accepted at workplaces, the United Way office, 201-633 Courtney St., by phone at 250-385-6708, or online at uwgv.ca.
Meanwhile, check out the Facebook page of United Way Greater Victoria to nominate someone who brings some shine to the community with volunteer work or acts of kindness.
You and your friend will be entered to win a Bay Centre experience valued at $1,000. The contest ends Sept. 30.
Langford man steps up in honour of sister
Langford’s Sean Houlihan stepped up and out last weekend in memory of his sister, Lisa Ruffolo, who died in August with ALS.
Asked to take on the mantle of co-ordinator of the 17th annual Victoria Walk for ALS, the 50-year-old Houlihan agreed immediately.
His brotherly commitment paid off since the event, a walk around the University of Victoria’s Ring Road last Sunday, drew 955 participants and raised $91,000.
“Lisa was great,” said Houlihan. “I felt and other people who knew Lisa that I met when I was walking around said to me: ‘She is definitely here.’ ”
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive disease attacking neurons that transmit signals from the brain to the muscles, including those that control the lungs. Without signals to move, muscles shrink and atrophy. Eventually, a person can no longer move, swallow or breathe, and death results without extreme medical intervention.
Wendy Toyer, executive director of the ALS Society of B.C., said about 50 people in Victoria are living with ALS. At any time, about 400 people in B.C. are dealing with the disease and 4,000 in Canada.
But Toyer said people with the disease will require about $140,000 in equipment and intervention each year to cope.
The society provides equipment, from personal hoists to hospital beds and breathing-assisting apparatus.
Forty per cent of the money raised will go to research, because nobody has unlocked the mystery of the disease, what causes it, or what can prevent or delay its onset.
Run for the cure next weekend
One in eight Canadian women is expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer, and next Sunday is a chance to turn things around.
On Sept. 30, 80,000 Canadians will come together in communities across the country in the CIBC Run for the Cure, recognized as the country’s largest, one-day, volunteer-led event.
Since the event began in Toronto in 1992 with 1,500 volunteers, it has gone national and raised $430 million for breast cancer research and support.
Success appears to be on the rise. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, mortality rates are 44 per cent lower than in the mid-1980s, when they peaked. Today, about 87 per cent of people diagnosed are expected to live five years beyond their diagnoses.
To learn more, including how to donate or take part, go online to cibcrunforthecure.com.
Get a look inside Victoria police operations
Anyone who ever wondered who is in charge of police officers on the road is invited this Thursday to the third Victoria Police Watch Commander’s Open House.
The patrol-division watch commander is the staff sergeant, a senior police officer in charge of the patrol watch. The watch commander is the officer most immediately responsible for keeping Victoria and Esquimalt safe.
At the open house, members of the public can meet the watch commander and other frontline officers and staff. They can hear about officers’ duties and ask about current issues.
Visitors can learn how the department responds to their calls, from 911 to the non-emergency line. Or they can just share a cup of coffee.
The Watch Commander’s Open House is on Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Victoria Police Department’s Hall of Honour, 850 Caledonia Ave.
Restaurants help mental-health campaign
The suicide of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain on June 8 highlighted what many diners don’t appreciate: All restaurant work — waiting on tables, greeting diners, washing dishes and cooking — comes with mental stress.
So when Victoria restaurants were asked to be part of Kitchens 4 Mission, a food philanthropy event to raise money for mental-health support, most reacted positively.
“In our industry, mental illness and mental health affects a lot of people,” said Frank Naccarato, owner of Frankie’s Modern Diner. “The event just seemed like a good way of giving back.”
Kitchens 4 Missions will host its event for the first time in Victoria on Sept. 29. That night, some of Greater Victoria’s best restaurants will host a meal for a table of 10, with all the money from the ticket sales going to the Greater Victoria Citizens’ Counselling Centre. After the meal, Victoria Harbour Ferries will take guests to the new Victoria International Marina for an after party of music and dance.
Brian Newham, spokesman for Veneto Kitchen and Bar, said his restaurant was happy to step up.
“The chef and I were both pretty sad to hear of Anthony Bourdain’s death and so we thought this [Kitchens 4 Missions] sounded like a pretty good way to help the cause,” said Newham,
For times, details and to purchase tickets, go online to kitchens4missions.com. Prices vary according to the restaurant.
School children looking for mentors
Island Savings and its partners in the Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies on Vancouver Island are marking eight years and 1,800 children matched with in-school mentors.
Over the eight years, Island Savings has raised $500,000 to help the organization and contributes $20,000 annually to the Victoria branch.
Rhonda Brown, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Victoria, said the in-school mentoring program works by pairing elementary-aged children, identified by the school, with an adult volunteer mentor. Parental consent is always required.
Child and mentor meet for one hour per week during school to hang out on school property. They might do arts and crafts, bake, fire hockey pucks or shoot basketballs. It’s often aimed at children who are dealing with stresses at home, from family breakups to poverty or drug and alcohol abuse.
“The greatest benefit with the in-school mentoring has been identified by teachers and mentors as confidence, self-esteem in the child,” said Brown.
“When we tackle that at a young age, we can help point them to be successful in the later years of school.”
Brown said the Victoria organization has also matched 570 children in the traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters relationships, with 85 kids on the wait list. Meanwhile, every school is looking for in-school mentors.
To learn more go online to victoria.bigbrotherbigsisters.ca
Food bank donations dropping
Food bank officials are noticing two new trends this fall: More families with working parents are showing up for help, and donations are drastically down.
“Rent, gas, grocery prices, they are all going up and salaries are not going up,” said Janiene Boice, director of development for the Mustard Seed Street Church food bank. “It’s just getting tighter and tighter for people, and I think that is affecting donations.”
Boice said the food bank has come to expect a drop in donations every fall. But so far, cash donations are down by one-third over last year, and food donations are down by half.
So the Mustard Seed Street Church is grateful to the Rotary Clubs of Greater Victoria for organizing a Food Rescue Chef Challenge fundraiser, Saturday, Sept. 29. The Victoria Foundation has also stepped in, offering to match all donations.
Professional chefs from the Oak Bay Marina and Camosun College Culinary Arts with go head-to-head in a chef challenge to create two appetizers and dessert, using a “rescued food” item.
Guests will judge and be invited to bid on live and silent auctions, enjoy locally produced beverages and wine, while participating in the creation of an amazing community project that is the Food Rescue Kitchen, used to create items such as soups and sauces for food-bank clients.
Tickets are $50. Doors open at the Food Security Distribution Centre, 808b Viewfield Rd. at 1:30 p.m. with chef challenge and tastings starting at 2 p.m. The event wraps up at 4:30 p.m. For more information and ticket sales, go online to Eventbrite.com (Food Rescue Chef Challenge).
