Join the Walk for ALS today at UVic
Register as an individual or join a team to take part in this year’s Victoria Walk for ALS, today at the University of Victoria.
Everyone is invited and welcome to join the family-friendly event. The five-kilometre walk gives people the chance to raise funds and awareness for those living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their families.
“The Walk for ALS across Canada is the signature event to raise awareness and funds for patient services for people living with ALS, and the Canadian ALS Research Program,” said Wendy Toyer, executive director of the ALS Society of B.C. “The impact is twofold; aside from raising funds and awareness, this event empowers people affected by ALS — the patients, families, friends, caregivers, and healthcare professionals — to take back some of what ALS has taken away.”
Proceeds from the walk provides support for people living with ALS and research to make the disease treatable, not terminal.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rapidly progressive, neuromuscular disease. It attacks the motor neurons that transmit electrical impulses from the brain to the voluntary muscles in the body. The ALS Society of B.C. raises funds for research, and to provide direct support to ALS patients, and their families and caregivers.
Check-in for the event starts at 11:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 1 p.m. today at parking lot 10 at The University of Victoria. For more information, or to register, go to walkforals.ca.
United Way campaign kicks off Monday
The United Way kicks off its 2017 Community Campaign — its 80th anniversary — on Monday, with a special goal announcement, speeches and cake at the Bay Centre.
The event is sponsored by the Bay Centre and Victoria Labour Council.
To keep the festivities going for the duration of the campaign — Sept. 18 to Oct. 8 — you can enter to win a $1,000 Bay Centre gift card for yourself and $1,000 for your charity of choice.
The contest wants to draw people’s attention to themselves and how they are part of the campaign. To enter the contest they are asked to take a photo of themselves as the ‘I’ in UNITED in the Bay Centre and share it on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtags #unitedyyj, #unitedway, #thebaycentre.
The event runs 1 to 2:30 p.m. Monday in the centre court of the Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas St. For more information, go to uwgv.ca.
Celebrate senior pooches at pet food fundraiser
Bring your four-legged best friend to the Senior Dog Party in celebration of Elder Pooch Day, Saturday at Clover Point.
The event is a gathering to show appreciation for our older canines, with a guitar player, a photographer and donated items for a raffle from four pet food stores.
It is being organized by the Victoria Pet Food Bank. All proceeds will be used to buy pet food and other supplies. Winter is approaching, but the shelves are almost bare. With the focus on the plight of abandoned animals due to the B.C. wildfires, the local pet-food bank has barely received any donations over the summer.
The party runs noon to 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at Clover Point, off Dallas Road. To register, go to their Facebook page: facebook.com/bonelessproject.
Help Cobs Bread feed hungry kids
Cobs Bread will donate $1 from every loaf of bread sold at all their bakery locations to help provide breakfast to children in need during their Start Me Up fundraising campaign, which ends today.
A dollar provides a breakfast for a child a day, and the franchise has a goal to raise $150,000.
The money raised will go to the Breakfast Club of Canada, which serves healthy breakfasts to children across Canada every school day, including 8,100 children in B.C.
One in five children in Canada goes to school on an empty stomach every day. The impacts of this are significant, and a recent report has revealed that students who go to school hungry lose two hours of productivity each day and can create disruptive learning environments.
This is the fourth year the bakery chain has supported the program. Since 2014, they have raised more than $215,000 for the Breakfast Club of Canada through annual campaigns, donations and community days.
This year’s official campaign hashtag is #StartMeUpCOBS.
Four local bakeries, located at 33 Helmcken Rd., 3639 Shelbourne St., 911 Yates St. and 2178 Oak Bay Ave., will be participating in the fundraiser.
For more information, go to cobsbread.com or breakfastclubcanada.org.
Cherry trees a reminder of internment history
The Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society will plant cherry blossom trees as a tribute to the Japanese Canadians dispersed and interned during the Second World War.
Three trees, along with a commemorative plaque, will be planted in the Japanese Garden at Esquimalt Gorge Park to mark the 75th anniversary of the Japanese Internment.
The donation was announced at a luncheon last week honouring Greater Victoria’s survivors.
“There are people in our community who lived through the interment — being forced to leave their homes, losing their properties, being separated from the families,” said Tsugio Kurushima, president of the society.
“These trees honour all the lives touched by the tragedy of the internment — and will serve as a reminder to future generations so it does not happen again.”
Esquimalt’s Japanese Garden has a history directly tied to the internment. The Takata Teahouse and Garden originally located there was the first Japanese garden in Canada when it opened in 1907.
It closed in 1942 when the Takada family were sent to internment camps in the Kootenays. They never returned, and the gardens and buildings fell into disrepair and were eventually lost.
The trees were purchased with financial support from the National Association of Japanese Canadians. For more information, go to vncs.ca.
Bungee fitness workout aids wildfire victims
Get a workout and raise money for victims of B.C. wildfires at a Bungee Fitness Workout hosted by StudioFitness on Saturday.
People can have fun while trying out a variety of different exercise options in Canada’s first Bungee Fitness Workout studio. Six bungee stations will be set up in different configurations, with different exercises for participants to explore.
Volunteers will be on hand to safely demonstrate how to use each bungee apparatus and configuration. Exercises are suitable for all health and fitness levels.
All money collected will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross.
The drop-in event is by donation (suggested donation $10). It runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at StudioFitness Victoria, #1-3946 Quadra St. (inside Quadra Sports and Fitness).
For more information, go to studiofitnessvictoria.com.
Co-op fundraiser aims to help kids
Peninsula Co-op’s Fuel Good campaign promises to be a highoctane fundraiser for the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island.
On Tuesday, the co-op will donate five cents from every litre of fuel sold at any of their 16 gas centres in Victoria, Mill Bay/Cowichan, Duncan or Comox.
“We are extremely excited about next Tuesday’s Fuel Good Day. Anyone who fills up their vehicle will be contributing towards an amazing cause to help kids in our communities,” said Penny Sopel, marketing and community relations manager for Peninsula Co-op.
Keep an eye out for Children’s Health Foundation staff and volunteers thanking everyone for filling up.
The fundraiser applies to all grades of gasoline and diesel fuel purchased Sept. 19 from stations in Saanichton, Brentwood Bay, Sidney, North Saanich, Victoria, Langford, Colwood, Mill Bay, North Duncan, South Duncan, Duncan and Comox.
Peninsula Co-op is a retail cooperative that has been serving the Duncan to Victoria area — and most recently Comox — for the past 40 years. The Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island believes that all Island children deserve to reach their full potential.
For more information, go to peninsulaco-op.com or childrenshealthvi.org.
Geric Construction aids Royal Oak playground
Geric Construction presented Royal Oak Middle School with a $50,000 cheque last Friday to build a playground.
Both parties have been working on this example of community partnership for the past three years.
For more information, go to royaloak.sd63.bc.ca or gericconstruction.com.
Bike-skills course aimed at adults 55+
The Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society is hosting Bike Freedom, a three-part knowledge and skills training course for adults 55 and older, today and the next two Sundays at St. Dunstan’s Church.
The program is presented in collaboration with the CRD, Joyriding and BikeCyclers.
There will be experienced instructors who are 55-plus, small class sizes (maximum of six people per instructor), a relaxed pace and plenty of opportunity for questions during practice.
The program is delivered in three parts — in class, in the parking lot and on the road — over three weekends starting this afternoon.
Each class is $25. All classes take place 1 to 4 p.m. • Sept. 17 - Best Practices of Safe Cycling • Sept. 24 - Bike Handling Skills • Oct. 1 - On the Road
The classes take place at St. Dunstan’s Church, 1806 San Juan Ave.
For more information, go to biketoworkvictoria.ca/bike-skills or 250-920-5775.
Help buy a Steinway for Dave Dunnet theatre
The Keys to Our Success is a fundraising campaign to purchase a Steinway piano for the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre.
Pianorama 2 is a fundraising concert featuring seven local pianists playing different forms of solo piano music — from classical to traditional jazz blues, country and rock to bebop and contemporary jazz and Latin jazz.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre, Oak Bay High School, 2121 Cadboro Bay Rd. Tickets are available at Scotiabank Oak Bay, Oak Bay Recreation Centre and Oak Bay High School.
For more information, go to tinyurl.com/keystooursuccess.
Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease
Attend the Family Caregiver Alzheimer’s Workshop, a free event that teaches people how to respectfully and compassionately interact with those affected by the disease on Wednesday at Home Instead Senior Care.
September marks world Alzheimer’s month. Research has shown that 1.13 million Canadians will be affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia related illnesses by 2038.
As this number grows, so does the likelihood of almost everybody being touched by this disease, whether through a family member, friend or neighbour.
At Wednesday’s workshop, people can gain insights on working with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. They will learn strategies, engage in conversations and draw strength from the unity of shared experiences.
Home Instead Senior Care is a business that provides in-home elder care.
The event is free to attend. It runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Home Instead Senior Care, 222-1595 McKenzie Ave.
RSVP: 250-382-6565.
Free reading tutoring, support for kids
Literacy Victoria and the READ Society have combined their forces to provide tutoring services through the Family Centre of the Mustard Seed.
School-age children can now access free tutoring and one-onone support on a number of subjects to help them succeed in school.
The Mustard Seed strongly believes that breaking the cycles of poverty starts early — and that children deserve to get all the support they need to ensure that the bonds of generational poverty do not continue.
The Mustard Seed fights hunger while restoring faith for families and individuals living in poverty — as well as the working poor — throughout the Capital Regional District.
For more information, go to mustardseed.ca.
Celebrate Gratitude Day at Bolen Books
This Thursday is World Gratitude Day, and one local bookstore is taking the opportunity to thank their customers.
On that day, Bolen Books will set up a gratitude table with free Thank You cards for customers who have used a gift certificate and want to say thanks. The cards also include postage.
Owner Samantha Bolen said she was inspired by the many customers who reached out to her family and staff after the death of her mother, Madeline (Mel) Bolen, last December.
Mel Bolen founded the store in 1975 and built it into a successful business. For more information, go to bolen.bc.ca.