Winners, every one good enough to eat, have been announced in Habitat for Humanity Victoria鈥檚 10th Annual Gingerbread Showcase Challenge.
The 2018 gingerbread showcase raised $93,000. The event attracted 31 entries and wrapped up Jan. 6 after seven weeks at the Parkside Hotel and Spa.
Working on the theme 鈥淭here鈥檚 No Place Like Home鈥� winners are:
- 1st Amateur 鈥� 鈥楢t Home in the Garden鈥� by Jude Somers, Oak Bay
- Best First Impression 鈥� 鈥楾here鈥檚 No Place Like Home鈥� by Veronica and Alyssa Norman, Saanich
- Best Interpretation of the Theme 鈥� 鈥楧orothy鈥檚 Place鈥� by Jesika Edison, Victoria
- Most Creative and Original 鈥� 鈥楢 West Coast Island Christmas鈥� by Carie Miller, Saanich
- Best Use of Skill and Technique 鈥� 鈥楾he Burrow鈥� by Jen Dumont, Sooke
- People鈥檚 Choice 鈥� 鈥楢 House Is a House for Me鈥� by David and Rebecca Gittens, Saanich
Habitat for Humanity Victoria is a charitable organization that works to help families achieve stability and independence through affordable home ownership.
Since its appearance in Victoria in 1990, Habitat has built 22聽homes. It has a home under construction in Central Saanich and has plans to start 11 more this聽year.
Try going dry for February
Want a sober look at the new year? You might try Dry Feb, a聽fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The rules are simple: Sign up and stop drinking for the 28 days of February. Participants are encouraged to reach out to family and friends and ask them to sponsor them for taking part.
Sign-up is free and no minimum fundraising amount has been set.
Proceeds from Dry Feb will support cancer research and compassionate support 鈥� such as the free Cancer Information Service, answering questions from across sa国际传媒 on all types of cancers, treatments and more.
And don鈥檛 worry about a special occasion such as a birthday or a wedding during the month when you might feel obligated to toast and imbibe. For $25, a Golden Ticket can be purchased to give a Dry Feb participant the night off.
In the meantime, participants might enjoy benefits such as a clear head, increased energy, better sleep, weight loss and money in the pocket. It鈥檚 also hoped Dry Feb increases awareness about links between alcohol and the greater risk of all cancers.
To sign up go to:
Ucluelet man earns boat-work scholarship
When Sebastien Eaves arrived from Quebec and went to work at聽a marina in Ucluelet, he noticed a large number of boats tied up needing repairs.
鈥淚 just thought it was an opportunity,鈥� said Eaves in a telephone interview.
That was five years ago and the 25-year-old man now works for Rod鈥檚 Power and Marine in Tofino. But he is taking a short leave to attend BCIT to study marine mechanical technology. The course will better equip him to service marine craft on the west coast of Vancouver Island, from pleasure craft to commercial fishing boats.
Eaves is one of three people, two from Vancouver Island, who have received $2,000 scholarships from Boating sa国际传媒 to enhance their careers in the marine industry.
Don Prittie, president of Boating sa国际传媒, said the business of boats and their repairs is growing in British Columbia. But, as with most trades, people skilled enough to offer good service are becoming rare as baby boomers retire.
So Prittie said his association is聽anxious to see people enter the business of small marine craft and is willing to provide scholarships to help.
鈥淲e need good service providers,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd when you get out into smaller communities, like Tofino or Ucluelet or Port Alberni, the whole marine industry is very important.鈥�
Central Baptist offers nights for young people
Young people looking for music, dancing in a gym and a safe place to hang out downtown on a Friday evening can consider Central Baptist Church.
Every Friday evening, 7 p.m. to聽9 p.m., the church opens itself to young people, Grades 7 to 12. No religious affiliation or church membership is required. Central Baptist prides itself on offering its聽space for all young people as a place to hang out, delivered with some light supervision to keep it all safe.
鈥淲e want to be a church in the city and for the city,鈥� said lead pastor Barton Priebe.
Joshua Kazakoff, Central Baptist youth director, said Friday night youth events draw young people from all over the region, from the West Shore through the Saanich Peninsula. Numbers usually range from 30 to 60.
Kazakoff said Central Baptist has its own band and plays music the young people like, which unfortunately for him, no longer seems to include much rock 鈥檔鈥� roll.
鈥淲e play a little bit of everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I should say we play a little bit of Tom Petty, but really, that鈥檚 just for me.鈥�
Every other Friday, Central Baptist also hosts Club 456, a gathering of kids in Grades 4, 5 and 6 with games and entertainment aimed at a younger set.
Central Baptist is at 833 Pandora Ave. To learn more about Friday Youth Night or Club 456 go online to .
Donors put Kettle Campaign over the top
Victoria responded to the call f辞谤听help from the Salvation Army,聽helping boost its annual Christmas Kettle Campaign to聽$235,000.
That鈥檚 beyond the Salvation Army鈥檚 goal of $225,000 and beyond 2017, when the campaign failed to reach its target.
Patricia Mamic, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army, credits local media such as the sa国际传媒 and CHEK TV for spreading news of the need.
But mostly, Mamic credited and thanked Victorians for their聽generosity. They were especially generous in the last weeks when it聽looked, for a time, as if the campaign might come up short.
鈥淰ictoria has come forward once again to help those who are less fortunate,鈥� she said.
Across sa国际传媒, the Salvation Army met its fundraising target goal of $21 million. Across sa国际传媒, confidence is high it will meet its聽$4-million goal, because money is still being counted and funds already sit at $3.8 million.
Donations are still welcome. Give online at 辞谤听, by telephone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY or in person at any Salvation Army location.
Metchosin trumpets its biological diversity
Metchosin is more than sheep and rural ambience. It also qualifies as the most biologically diverse community in all sa国际传媒, says biologist Andy MacKinnon.
Metchosin resident, municipal councillor and forest ecologist, MacKinnon said his community can cite proof of its claim with seven years of surveys conducted by experts in plants, fungus, butterflies, insects, birds and other living things.
鈥淥ne of the reasons we can say our list of species in Metchosin is so large compared to other communities is because we have counted them,鈥� he said.
MacKinnnon will be leading a session at the University of Victoria on Thursday titled the Extraordinary Biodiversity Value in Metchosin.
He said the number of Metchosin species is easily explained by the municipality鈥檚 varied landscape. It has everything a person can encounter on southern Vancouver Island: Conifer forest, Garry oak meadows, grass fields, fresh-water ponds and streams, beaches and saltwater marshes.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got it all,鈥� MacKinnon said.
The Extraordinary Biodiversity Value in Metchosin is on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. in Room D-288 in the MacLaurin Building at UVic. Admission is by donation.
Saanich man helps the homeless
Three times per week, Saanich resident Frank Woods loads up his white Ford van with food, clothes, tarpaulins, blankets and anything else somebody living homeless might need.
For the past three months Woods, now 63 and retired, has traced a route that takes him to spots where vulnerable people take cover. And when people show up, he passes out items, asking: 鈥淲hat is it you need?鈥�
鈥淯sually, the first thing is food,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if it鈥檚 cold, they will say gloves or sleeping bags, tents or blankets.鈥�
He calls his van the 鈥淛ustice鈥� and he identifies it with a magnetic sign on the van鈥檚 side. The mission costs about $200 per week and while Woods has had some help, it鈥檚 mostly supported by him.
Woods avoids the well-known shelters and food kitchens, such as Our Place, 919 Pandora Ave., because his van gets mobbed and his items are gone in an instant. But he won鈥檛 disclose his routes because he says the people sheltering in those spots want it that way.
He is even somewhat reluctant to discuss what he does because he fears people will think he is seeking public acclaim; he won鈥檛 allow his picture to be taken.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about me, it鈥檚 about them, the people who need some help,鈥� said Woods.
To communicate with Woods use the email [email protected].
鈥� With files from Bill Cleverley
