Two brothers from Victoria are sharing their passion for the outdoors with youth groups in the Caribbean as part of an eight-month paddle from Brazil to Florida. Graham and Russell Henry are seven months into a 7,000-kilometre kayaking expedition in two single kayaks. They expect to reach Juno Beach in Florida some time in February.
While it has been an adventure of a lifetime for the two, part of the trip aims to inspire and encourage youth to embrace the outdoors.
“The two have always been outdoors-focused,” said their dad, Brian Henry, who owns Ocean River Sports. “But they are also gregarious and engaging speakers, making them naturals for making presentations to schoolchildren.”
Graham, 22, has worked as a camp counsellor at Camp Thunderbird and is a level 2 sea kayak guide. When he returns from this trip, he plans to follow a career in environmental law. Russell, 21, received his Adventure Sport certificate from Thompson Rivers University. He recently worked at Mount Washington.
When the two return to Victoria, they plan to speak about their adventure to local students to promote an active lifestyle.
For more information, go to henrykayak.com.
DND employees pledge $500,000
Canadian Forces members and civilian employees working at Department of National Defence sites in Greater Victoria have pledged more than $500,000 from their paycheques over the next year to the United Way as part of the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign.
“Our organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job throughout this year’s campaign,” said Captain Luc Cassivi, base commander of CFB Esquimalt. “There was great unit participation and a lot of excitement generated throughout.”
Employees at DND have been leading contributors to the United Way of Greater Victoria. They raised contributions through a variety of activities, including an exhibition hockey match with the Victoria Royals.
Nationally, the office campaign is the largest and most successful workplace fundraising campaign in Canada, raising more than $38 million last year in support of United Way and thousands of other registered Canadian charities.
Charities benefit from RCMP ride
After four months, the numbers are finally in. Proceeds from admission and the concessions at the 2013 RCMP Musical Ride, held in August last year, along with the generosity of sponsors, helped raise $60,000 for two charities.
The two-day display of horsemanship was the culmination of nine months of planning by volunteers at Greater Victoria Lions Clubs, which hosted the event. Lions members and their families directed traffic, worked the food concessions, fed volunteers and helped with dozens of tasks behind the scenes.
The show attracted more than 6,000 spectators to see the RCMP equine riders and pre-show entertainment by acrobats and musicians, including the Victoria Police Pipe Band.
Camp Shawnigan, an Easter Seals camp at Shawnigan Lake, and the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association each received $30,000.
Musical Ride staff were impressed with the work put in by the club, requesting the Lions sponsor the show when it returns in four years.
For more information about Lions Clubs, go to lionsclubs.org.
Mural visionary honoured
The man behind the Chemainus Mural Project, a series of murals that turned a once-declining sawmill town into a tourist destination, was recently awarded an honorary member emeritus citation for his outstanding vision.
Chemainus businessman Karl Schutz was presented with the citation by the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society in conjunction with the Municipality of North Cowichan. Schutz is an international speaker on topics such as economic development through arts and tourism.
“It is time for us to recognize his accomplishments and thank him for all he has done for Chemainus,” said Tom Andrews, president of the murals society.
A total of 44 murals and numerous sculptures, which dot the tourist town, are maintained by the society, a not-for-profit founded in 1987.
The society hopes to increase public appreciation of the arts by updating the existing murals and creating new ones in the Chemainus Valley.
For more details, go to muraltown.com.
Santa fund pockets $5,000
A silent auction and pool tournament between C-FAX radio and the Victoria Eight Ball Association netted the Britannia branch of the Royal Canadian Legion more than $5,000 for C-FAX Santa’s Anonymous.
The branch, at 780 Summit Ave., raises money for up to 14 non-profit groups every year, including youth sports teams, Salvation Army, cadets and the Garth Homer Society.
For more information, go to legion7.iticanada.ca.
