Dads, daughters dance the night away
The Butterfly Ball, Victoria’s only father-and-daughter ball, recently raised $44,000 in support of Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island.
The seventh annual Butterfly Ball was a sold-out event, with attendees enjoying dinner, dancing, games, and live and silent auctions.
“The Butterfly Ball is not only magical but very meaningful for dads and daughters,” says Linda Hughes, president and CEO of the foundation. “The stories that families share inspire dads and daughters alike and bring to life the power of philanthropy.”
One highlight of the evening was a personal story shared by a local family of how support from the foundation has made a difference to them.
The first Butterfly Ball was held in 2009 and it has generated more than $185,000 in support of children with disabilities and health challenges across the region. Funds have gone to child and youth mental health, the Queen Alexandra Summer Camp, therapeutic equipment, Jeneece Place and the Bear Essentials Program.
Buoyed with the success, the foundation will hold a second Butterfly Ball in the Comox Valley on Saturday, June 20. The inaugural Comox event will be held at the Crown Isle Resort. Tickets are on sale at childrenshealthvi.org.
Uptown gives ‘welcome’ kits to women’s shelter
Uptown Shopping Centre has donated 200 emergency-shelter welcome kits to the Victoria Women’s Transition House Society.
The donation is part of Uptown’s #celebrateyou campaign, which centres on sharing positive messages about selfimage and self-esteem. The kits include basic items such as shampoo and toothpaste, as well as additional comforts such as bath salts and nail files. There are also welcome kits for children that include things such as baby wipes, tear-free shampoo and tub toys.
“Transition House provides an important emergency service for women in our community. Uptown wanted to support their work and when we learned their need for donations, including emergency-shelter welcome kits, had significantly increased, we saw a natural fit for a shopping centre to help,” said Kristy Lowes, marketing director for Uptown.
“We’re very pleased to be partnering in this way and we see this as a long-term opportunity to help women and children who are leaving abusive situations in our community.”
Victoria Women’s Transition House Society has provided emergency shelter, support, counselling and education to women of all ages for the past 40 years. The society is a registered non-profit charity and strives to prevent and eliminate abuse through education, advocacy and partnerships.
It offers services with approximately 45 staff and more than 70 volunteers. In addition to the 24-hour Crisis Line and 18-bed Emergency Shelter, Transition House offers additional programs and services for women, older women and children who witness abuse.
For information, call 250-5922927 or visit transitionhouse.net.
Riders raise money for quake relief
Hop on your motorcycle and join Island BMW for a Bike Night to the Track to raise money for earthquake relief for Nepal on Wednesday.
The event features a barbecue dinner, live music and an escorted parade around the track.
Meet at 5:30 p.m. at the dealership, 740 Roderick St. Participants will ride in a convoy to Western Speedway at 6:30 p.m. Activities run 7 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, go to islandbmw.ca.
AIDS Angels celebrate 15th anniversary
Victoria-based African AIDS Angels Society is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a special event on Saturday.
Volunteers for the charity have raised money from the sale of little angel dolls made from pegs and scraps of material. The volunteers who make the angels are very creative, so each doll has a personality of its own. The angels have tags with a typical African name that is translated into English.
Other funds have been raised by donation and other events, such as concerts by University of Victoria music-program students.
Since 2000, the organization has sent $542,000 to fund two orphanages, agricultural projects, dietary supports and HIV counselling programs for pregnant women in South Africa, Zambia and Malawi.
The event is a pot luck. Participants are asked to bring an appetizer or dessert to share.
They are also encouraged to bring fabric or jewelry to trade or exchange.
Free admission. The event runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the James Bay New Horizons Centre, 234 Menzies St.
For information, go to aidsangelsvictoria.blogspot.ca.
Board members learn practical lessons
Sign up soon for a special workshop on board governance with Ontario-based Don McCreesh on June 9.
The event, hosted by the Victoria Foundation, is an opportunity for participants to gain practical tools and enhance the functioning of their boards.
McCreesh is past chairman of the board of Imagine Canada and chairman of the Standards Council, a Canada-wide initiative to establish standards of excellence (including ethical fundraising, financial accountability, transparency, governance and human resources) for all charities and not-for-profits in Canada.
There is no charge for the event but because of reservation obligations and the popularity of the session, cancellations later than June 5 or no-shows will be asked to cover the cost of $25. Seating is limited to two guests per organization.
The event runs 1 to 5 p.m. in the ballroom of the Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour, 728 Humboldt St. Reserve seats by Tuesday, June 2 by calling Maureen Grant at 250-381-5532 or rsvp@victoriafoundation.bc.ca.
Program backs housing for vulnerable youth
The two Home Depot stores in Victoria will be asking customers to help end youth homelessness in Canada with a $2 donation to the Home Depot Canada Foundation’s Orange Door Project,
Proceeds from the annual campaign, which runs until July 2, will go to support the housing and life-skills development programs at Threshold Housing Society.
“Every night in Canada, more than 6,000 youth don’t have a safe place to call home,” said Bill Lennie, chairman of the board of directors at the foundation. “We believe this has to change. Our associates are passionate about this cause, and together with our customers and local, youth-serving charities, we can give vulnerable youth opportunities for a brighter future.”
Threshold Housing Society provides transitional housing to youth who have been abandoned, are escaping violence or are leaving foster care. The housing is augmented by a life-skills program aimed at building selfesteem. Once stabilized, youth receive the resources they require to complete their education, train for a job or seek employment.
The Home Depot Foundation has made a three-year, $10-million pledge to support renovation and repair projects and programs that provide vulnerable youth with access to safe, stable housing and support services. For information, go to homedepot.ca/foundation.
Four school choirs burst into song
Children from four elementary schools will join the Arbutus Singers as they perform year-end concerts Wednesday and Friday.
Children’s choirs from Victoria West, Tillicum, James Bay and Craigflower elementary schools will perform songs from the musicals Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar. Two schools will perform each night, with renditions of Imagine, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, the Jackson 5’s ABC and Stop the Love, Nella Fantasia and Don’t Forget Me from the TV show Smash.
Funds raised from the concert will support ChoirKids, a program developed by the Arbutus Singers. The program sees more than 150 children participating in fun choral-music classes.
Home-baked treats will be available after each concert.
Tickets: $15 adults, $12 seniors or students and $30 per family. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. on both days at First Metropolitan United Church, 932 Balmoral Rd. (at Quadra Street). For tickets, contact Julie at 250-384-2840 or go to arbutussingers.com.
Clubhouse builds a place of hope
Help people with mental illness find hope, inclusion and a place where they are wanted and needed at the Clubhouse Builder dinner on Thursday.
The event is hosted by the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Tickets are $50 or $360 for a table of eight. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at the University Club, 3800 Finnerty Rd.
For information, go to cmha.bc.ca/clubhousebuilder.
70-year-old cycles across Canada
Gilbert Lowe, a 70-year-old selfproclaimed Vegan Geezer, has embarked upon an unaided trip across Canada to spotlight the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet and physical exercise.
Lowe, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and diverticulitis, is pedalling to Halifax on a recumbent bicycle, raising funds for cystic fibrosis along the way. To donate, go to cysticfibrosis.ca.
Do yoga and do a good deed
A yoga studio has come up with a simple way to give back to the community throughout the year.
Every Friday, Moksha Yoga Westshore is offering Karma Classes (a regular yoga class with music) for a minimum donation of $5. Money collected from class participants is given to a different charity every month.
The recipient for May is Big Brothers Big Sisters Victoria.
The one-hour class runs 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Fridays at the studio, 311-895 Langford Parkway. For information, go to mokshayoga.ca.
Heart walk funds cardiac equipment
The First Open Heart Society of B.C. is holding its annual Heart Walk and Silent Auction on June 7.
Proceeds from the event are used to purchase cardiac equipment for area hospitals.
Registration starts at 11:30 a.m., the walk at noon at the Maria Montessori Academy, 1841 Fairburn Dr. Pledge sheets and maps are available by email from admin@fohs.bc.ca or by phone 250-595-2123 (Monday to Thursday).
Donations can be made online through PayPal at fohs.bc.ca.
Wellness wheels explore healthy choices
The Victoria Women’s Transition House Turning the Wheel Exhibition runs June 3-17.
This show features 30 wellness wheels created by women over 50 exploring healthy choices and change in their lives. An opening reception runs 3 to 5 p.m. June 9. Email MyriahB@vwth.bc.ca
The exhibition can be viewed during regular hours of the Café Gallery at Cedar Hill Recreation Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
For information, go to artopenings.ca/wellness-wheels.
Nepal school needs help to rebuild
The Canadian World Education Society is dedicating proceeds from its seventh annual Charity Golf Classic golf tournament to pay for major repairs to the English School in Nepal following the recent earthquakes in that country. The event takes place June 7.
The kindergarten to Grade 9 school is in Sanitar, Nepal. Proceeds from the tournament fund scholarships, school supplies, texts, school uniforms, building maintenance and teacher salaries. The school educates about 250 students, employs 18 teaching staff and has been in operation for seven years.
The tournament includes lunch, nine or 18 holes of golf and a cart, with a silent auction afterward. The society has charitable status and tax receipts are available for donations.
Cost: $80 for nine holes, $110 for 18. Registration is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There is lunch at 1:30 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. tee-off for people playing nine holes. Players playing 18 holes will tee off at 9:45 a.m., stop for lunch, before completing their last nine holes. The event takes place at Olympic View Golf Course, 643 Latoria Rd. For more information, go to canwes.org.
Prostate Centre benefits from Ride to Live
Hop on your motorcycle to join individuals from all walks of life for the Vancouver Island Ride to Live on June 7.
The goal of this year’s event is to raise $80,000 to benefit the Prostate Centre in Victoria.
Participants can register as individuals or part of a team. They can also sponsor a rider or just donate. In the past six years, more than 1,500 people have participated, raising more than $400,000.
The day starts with a 7:30 a.m. breakfast, with the first riders off at 9 a.m. There is a poker run, a barbecue lunch and closing ceremonies at noon. For information, go to ridetolive.ca.