Vancouver Island dogs are invited to compete for 13 spots in a 2023 calendar, as part of a contest to raise money for a Fanny Bay-based charity that trains service dogs for people with disabilities.
To enter the contest sponsored by Operation Freedom Paws sa国际传媒 in partnership with Pauliina Saarinen Photography, submit a photo of your dog with a $10 donation and start collecting votes for your entrant.
Each vote costs $1, with a $5 minimum, and participants are invited to share the link with family and friends to maximize votes for their favoured contestant.
Operation Freedom Paws sa国际传媒 provides dog-handler teams with support, training and guidance for a minimum of 48 weeks. At the end of their training, the dog-handler teams certify as Service Dog Teams under the sa国际传媒 Guide Dog and Service Dog Act.
For more information or to enter the contest, go to . The contest runs until June 12.
Goddess Run returns in Langford on June 4
After having to cancel its live event in 2020 and holding a virtual event in 2021, the Goddess Run is returning as an in-person event in Langford on June 4.
This is the 10th anniversary of the run, which raises money for the Victoria Women’s Transition House and Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre. This year, it’s also raising money to buy a new prosthetic for Rose O’Neill, a long-distance mountain runner who lost her lower leg as a result of complications from a domestic violence injury, and received a prosthetic in late 2019.
“While we have been able to keep our Goddess community active and training over the last two years with our virtual series, it will be so amazing to see all the women and girls at the start line this June,” said Cathy Noel, founder and presenting sponsor. “We have all missed that start-line feeling, and even more amazing, the finish-line smiles.”
The event will include five and 10-kilometre options. A post-race festival is planned with music, entertainment, games, presents and more. A virtual Goddess Run is also still offered.
Since the first Goddess Run in June 2012, more than 12,900 participants have crossed the finish line, raising $250,000 for charity.
For more information or to register, go to .
Fundraiser for Alzheimer Society at Clover Point today
The Alzheimer Society’s signature fundraiser, the IG Wealth Management, returns to Victoria today after a two-year hiatus from in-person events.
Apart from fundraising, the goal of the event at Clover Point Park, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and involves a walk along Dallas Road, is to raise awareness of the impact of dementia in the community.
“There is something very powerful about seeing community members join together and walk in support of people affected by dementia,” said Cathryn France, the charity’s director of resource development. “The support services we are able to provide are made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors, who provide over 70 per cent of our funding.”
There are typically more than 20 Walk for Alzheimer’s events held in communities across the province. Each is dedicated to an honouree — an individual or group affected by dementia, or someone who has contributed to the lives of people living with the disease.
This year, the Victoria event honours Candy Porter, a member of the community who has been affected by dementia.
To donate, go to .
$50,000 donation to care for people with brain injuries
A company that offers neurovisual therapy has partnered with the Victoria Brain Injury Society, pledging to donate $50,000 in care to people with brain injuries.
Opto-mization Neurovisual Performance focuses on how the eyes and brain work together to help people with learning disabilities, attention problems, dizziness, migraines and ongoing post-concussion symptoms.
The company is set to launch See Success, in which it covers the cost of treatment for 10 children from the Victoria school district. Ten schools will get to nominate for treatment a child whose family is struggling financially.
Over the last 10 years, the company has donated $500,000 in care to the community.
For more information, go to .
Ukrainian choir raising funds by selling art cards
The Kalyna Ukrainian Choir is raising funds to support those affected by war in Ukraine by selling art cards featuring pictures of hand-embroidered Ukrainian textiles from the collections of choir members.
The series includes 10 different 5 x 7 art cards, on the back of each of which is the story of each textile.
Money raised will be forwarded to organizations that support people in Ukraine. The first major donation is going to Maple Hope Foundation, a Vancouver-based Ukrainian charity.
The cards are available in sets of five or 10 with a minimum donation of $30 and $50 respectively. Cards can be purchased at Oak Bay Optometry Clinic, 2075 Cadboro Bay Rd.
For more information, go to the or [email protected].
Firefighters’ 24-hour relay supports Oak Bay High School track
Firefighters from four of the region’s fire departments are running a 24-hour relay to help raise $230,000 to refurbish the Oak Bay High School track.
So far, 24 area firefighters have agreed to participate in the June 25-26 event, running laps at the school’s Jack Wallace Track.
The relay will start at noon June 25 and end at noon on June 26. The public is invited to cheer on the firefighters, with entertainment and food lined up to help raise funds.
Oak Bay Rotary has also scheduled several bottle drives through the summer months to raise money for the track.
Cheques can be sent to Oak Bay High School Alumni Association c/o Oak Bay High School, 2121 Cadboro Bay Rd. Cheques should be payable to School District #61 and reference the Jack Wallace Track Project. Alternately, you can donate to the Oak Bay Rotary Foundation at .
Re-distributing used art materials
The pop-up location at the Vancouver Street Plaza has closed to prepare for the grand opening of a larger Creative Reuse Centre in Fairfield in July.
Since it opened in February, the non-profit says it has diverted hundreds of kilograms of used art materials from the landfill, redistributing the supplies at no cost to more than 1,100 people in the community and supporting 15 local non-profits with material for their art programs.
Organizers of the initiative say it removed barriers for low-income artists, created a space for community connection and offered inspiration for folks to think about waste in a new light.
The new Creative Reuse Centre at 750 Fairfield Rd. is set to open on July 2.
