With summer settled in, it鈥檚 time again to enjoy those long, Lawn Summer Nights by lawn-bowling to raise money to battle cystic fibrosis.
Lawn Summer Nights is an annual fundraising tournament for young adults in their 20s and 30s to have some fun and raise money in the ongoing battle to defeat cystic fibrosis.
Sheleena Gutierrez, event co-ordinator, said many adopt fancy dress, wide sun hats and summer prints, and some go for wacky costumes. Every team comes up with a creative name, such as the Bowled and Beautiful or financial advisers KPMG鈥檚 the Lawn Term Assets.
Also, those who don鈥檛 become enrolled on a team can buy a social ticket. According to Gutierrez, most social-ticket holders are granted a chance to substitute on a team.
Lawn Summer Nights started in 2009 in Vancouver and is now held in 16 Canadian cities, including Victoria, which joined six years ago. All events are volunteer run. Since its beginning, it has raised $2.7 million nationally, $430,000 of that in Victoria, all for cystic fibrosis.
Research and treatment of cystic fibrosis has in recent years scored some resounding successes. Life expectancy is now estimated at 57 years, where as recently as 2014 it was only 32 and in the 1990s was the late teens.
A genetic disorder, cystic fibrosis can afflict several organs, most noticeably the lungs, which become impaired with a buildup of thick mucus.
Lawn Summer Nights is every Thursday evening in July, 12, 19, 26 at the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club, 100 Cook St., 6 p.m. to 9听p.m. Social tickets are $30. For more information, go online to lawnsummernights.com.
Canstruction event raises听$180,000
A rolling fundraiser has raised more than $180,000 in support of the Mustard Seed Street Church for summer, when food needs are high but donations drop off.
Canstruction features teams created structures out of nonperishable food items, such as cans of food 鈥� with the building blocks eventually going to feed Victoria鈥檚 less fortunate. The event was hosted by the Dahlia Society at the Hillside Shopping Centre May 4 to 14.
This year鈥檚 event saw 12 teams working with a total of 43,293 cans donated to the event 鈥� equating to 68,987 lbs. of food. In addition, cash donations raised more than $4,700. According to the Food Banks sa国际传媒 ratio, every pound of food is counted at an average value of $2.60. Between cans and cash, Canstruction Victoria 2018 raised a total of $184,135.
Over the past five years, the events have raised more than 177,000 cans of food, which, in addition to the money, equals approximately $571,275 worth of product and funds to local hunger relief.
Teams included Sysco Victoria, three from Fairway Market, St. Michaels University School, Christine Lintott Architecture, SeaFirst Insurance, Knappet Projects Inc., Low Hammond Rowe Architects, Kinetic Construction Ltd., Farmer Construction Ltd. and Canadian Tire.
For more information, go to canstructionvictoria.ca.
Home renovations will听help teen
Parents of a boy who experiences grand-mal seizures because of a rare genetic disorder will get some bathroom relief, thanks to Step Up Community Build Program by Horizon Pacific Contracting.
To help 16-year-old Corvin Miller, Horizon builders added a bedroom, a bathroom and a new sidewalk to accommodate a wheelchair. Before the renovation, Miller鈥檚 parents were carrying the teen upstairs to use the bathroom.
Horizon offers families in Greater Victoria a step up by providing free renovations to reduce barriers in the home and improve the quality of life for people dealing with disabilities.
Miller suffers seizures as a result of tubular sclerosis, a rare genetic condition that can result in the growth of benign tumours throughout the body. In some cases, the tumours can appear in the brain and affect movement and mobility.
The next Step Up Community Build will be announced this summer.
For more information, go to horizoncontracting.ca.
Saanich ready to install time capsule
The District of Saanich is inviting the public to witness the installation of the Saanich 150 time capsule, July 15 at Saanich Municipal Hall.
The capsule will contain messages (written on special Saanich 150 postcards) and personal items submitted by current and former Saanich residents.
The capsule will be opened in 2067 to celebrate sa国际传媒 200.
The event is free. It runs 11听a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 15 at the Darwin Street entrance of听Saanich Municipal Hall, 770听Vernon Ave.
For more information, go to saanich.ca.
Victoria teen volunteers across the country
Vic High鈥檚 own Lily Edwards is on the road with other young people aboard the Peace Bus on a cross-sa国际传媒 ride of volunteer work, education, cultural exchange and fun.
Edwards, a Grade 11 student at Victoria High School, is one of 12 young Canadians awarded a chance to travel to Halifax with the troupe. The 39-day trip is organized by Children鈥檚 International Summer Village, a non-governmental group now known simply as CISV International.
Along the way, the Peace Bus will stop in communities where members will complete volunteer work, get involved with learning projects, building teams and get a better idea about sa国际传媒. The peace troupers will be met by local CISV chapters, stay in family homes and camp in national parks.
To help with the cost of her trip, Edwards was awarded a scholarship by Windsor Salt, a major supporter.
For more information, or to track their progress across sa国际传媒, go to peacebus.ca.
Doctor earns health-care hero award
One health-care professional and a hospital on Vancouver Island have been honoured at the 2018 sa国际传媒 Health Care Awards.
Dr. Ramm Hering, physician lead for primary-care substance use with Island Health, was awarded a 2018 Gold Apple in the Provincial Health Care Hero category.
By passionately and effectively advocating for improved services for patients dealing with substance use and addiction, Hering has inspired his colleagues to work together to develop new programs and create an efficient, client-centred system of addiction services.
The Dianna Mah-Jones Award of Excellence in Person-Centred Care was awarded to the Resources and Needs Review by the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
The awards, presented by the Health Employers Association of British Columbia, recognize British Columbians who provide outstanding care and support.
Awards are given in 11 categories to projects improving health-care delivery through innovative and collaborative approaches and to people making a positive impact and inspiring those around them.
Twelve Gold Apple and six Award of Merit recipients were honoured.
For more information, go to heabc.bc.ca.
Cowichan Bay gets听public听piano
Cowichan Bay鈥檚 first public piano will be unveiled at a ceremony on Tuesday near the water beside the True Grain Bakery.
The event is intended to celebrate the life of composer, arranger and musician Eric Smith, who died recently.
Some of the Cowichan Valley鈥檚 jazz musicians, all of whom played with Smith, will be at the event to hold a jam session in his honour.
A plaque will be affixed to the piano by his five-year-old grand-daughter, Summer Hillis. It will read: In Memory of Eric Smith. 鈥淲hat I have in my heart and soul must find a way out. That鈥檚 the reason for music.鈥� 鈥� Ludwig Van Beethoven
The ceremony will start at 4听p.m. on July 10. For some background on Smith, go to bit.ly/2zetl4K.
Island dragon-boaters racing in Italy
The Island Breaststrokers Dragon Boat team is racing on the River Arno in Florence, Italy, representing breast-cancer survivors living on Vancouver Island.
They are attending the International Breast Cancer Paddling Commission dragon-boat festival, with teams from around the world. A total of 118 teams have registered with more than 4,000听breast-cancer survivors and听supporters in attendance.
If you are a breast-cancer survivor looking for fitness, friendship and fun, you might wish to give dragon-boating a try.
For more information, go to islandbreaststrokers.com.
Community hall wins听with art sale
More than 1,500 pieces of previously enjoyed art, pottery, posters, fabric art and collectibles found new homes at Art in the Vineyard, a fundraiser for the Prospect Lake and District Community Association in June.
The event, run by 50 community volunteers, realized more than $16,000. The proceeds will go toward improvements to the grounds around the heritage Prospect Lake Hall.
About 40 artists and artisans set up stalls on the lawn or under trees in the gardens of Starling Lane Vineyard, a Saanich designated-heritage property on Old West Saanich Road.
The Prospect Lake Hall is one of the few remaining community-owned and managed halls in sa国际传媒 It is used for programs, meetings and community events. For more information, go to Facebook.
Housing gets a boost from sa国际传媒, Ottawa
Families in need and vulnerable Canadians will get some housing assistance under a 10-year agreement worth $990 million recently signed by the provincial and federal governments.
Jean-Yves Duclos, sa国际传媒鈥檚 minister of families, children and social development and minister responsible for sa国际传媒 Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Selina Robinson, sa国际传媒 minister of municipal affairs and housing, announced a plan under the National Housing Strategy.
鈥淭he government of sa国际传媒 is committed to ensuring every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home,鈥� said Duclos. 鈥淟ong-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade.鈥�
Under the 10-year agreement, the two governments will invest $990 million to protect, renew and expand social and community housing.
鈥淭his agreement will help more British Columbians find homes they can afford,鈥� said Robinson.
鈥淭he new investment from the federal government will build on the $7-billion investment that the province is making as part of our 30-point housing plan.鈥�
The money will support things such as housing repairs, construction and affordability through Homes for sa国际传媒, the provincial government鈥檚 plan to assist with housing affordability.
The new agreement marks the beginning of a partnership supported by long-term funding, starting April 1, 2019.
The agreement also seeks to give the quickest help to people most in need, adopt a human rights-based approach and take note of gender in its decisions.
For more information, go to cmhc.ca.
