It鈥檚 time again to lace up your shoes to take part in the 27th annual Michael Dunahee/Child Find sa国际传媒 Keep the Hope Alive Drive, a five-kilometre run/walk on March 25 from the Esquimalt Recreation Centre.
This family-friendly event is open to people of all ages in support of the Dunahee family and Child Find sa国际传媒
Commemorative T-shirts for participants are available upon registration.
鈥淥ver the years, we have asked the children of the local schools to help us design the T-shirt for this annual family event,鈥� said Crystal Dunahee, president of Child Find sa国际传媒 鈥淭his year, the chosen student and their school will again be recognized at their school and at the family fun run/walk with a certificate presented to them and a prize along with $500 for their school.鈥�
Child Find sa国际传媒 works in conjunction with community policing, law enforcement and community-based organizations throughout sa国际传媒 to reduce the instances of missing and exploited children in our communities.
Pre-race activities start at 9:30, with the event starting at 10聽a.m. Sunday, March 25 from the Esquimalt Recreation Centre, 527 Fraser St. For more information, go to .
A mass for Michael Dunahee and his family will be said at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 24 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 849 Old Esquimalt Rd.
Great horned owl needs聽your help
A rescued great horned owl presently in the care of the sa国际传媒 SPCA鈥檚 Wild ARC needs your help to fly free again.
Rescued by a Good Samaritan, the owl was underweight and had problems with one of her eyes.
鈥淪he was very skinny 鈥� the problems with her eye were most likely caused by head trauma,鈥� said Meg Hatch, assistant manager at Wild ARC. 鈥淪he was very quiet and not very responsive at first and her eye continued to deteriorate, so it was decided the best option would be to remove the eye completely.鈥�
A veterinarian volunteered her services and not long after, the owl started to perk up in the care of the centre鈥檚 specialized team of wild-animal caregivers.
The owl has been moved to the facility鈥檚 outdoor flight pen, where she has more room to fly and has been hunting prey successfully. She will be released back into the wild once she is fully recovered.
However, the estimated medical costs associated with the owl鈥檚 treatment and recovery are expected to be more than $4,000.
A non-profit organization, the sa国际传媒 SPCA relies primarily on public donations to carry out its life-saving work helping the province鈥檚 most vulnerable companion, farm and wild animals.
If you can help this owl or other wild patients like her in need at Wild ARC, please donate online at or in person at 1020 Malloch Rd.
Contest will help 鈥楽uperpower鈥� schools
Staples sa国际传媒 and Earth Day sa国际传媒 have teamed up again for the 鈥淪uperpower your School鈥� contest to provide students with the opportunity to learn, discover and enhance their education through leading-edge technology.
One hundred publicly funded schools from across the country are eligible to win one of 10 shopping sprees of $20,000 worth of new technology.
Finalists in the region include Cloverdale Traditional, 脡cole Margaret Jenkins and False Bay School, a rural school on Lasqueti Island.
Projects that helped winning schools stand out include:
鈥� Restoring a native plant garden
鈥� Reducing paper usage through online learning platforms and applications
鈥� Battery/cellphone recycling program, 鈥淶inc Saves Lives鈥� to provide children with zinc tablets
鈥� Bring Your Own Cup initiative to reduce the number of plastic bottles used.
For more information, go to or follow the conversation online using .
Peninsula Singers pitch in for hospital foundation
Last week the Peninsula Singers presented a $2,500 cheque to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation to help fund the hospital鈥檚 highly regarded music therapy program.
Music therapy is increasingly playing an important role in the world of palliative care. It has been found that music can cheer those facing their last days. They often smile, cry, become energized and explore their creativity at the sound.
鈥淭his is exactly where our proceeds should go 鈥� to our community and to the magic of music,鈥� said Louise Jovanovic, president of the Peninsula Singers.
To date, the group has donated more than $46,000 to the hospital.
For more information, go to .
Indigenous cuisine on聽the聽menu
Join in an evening of Indigenous cuisine, culture and cooking for reconciliation with a focus on food sovereignty at Food Sovereignty and Reconciliation, Friday at the Songhees Wellness Centre.
Staff and students at the Anthropology, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management departments are partnering with the Songhees Nation to host this event.
鈥淲e want people to understand that the locally sourced foods in these traditional territories are really an embodiment of the connection with the land,鈥� said instructor Nicole Kilburn. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be physically going out to connect with the landscape and forage many of the ingredients that we鈥檒l serve on people鈥檚 plates.鈥�
Attendees will dine on wild salmon, stinging nettles and horsetail plants as well as produce from the land and sea around Victoria.
The event features award-winning Indigenous chef Richard Francis with a format designed to be both engaging and educational.
During the evening, guests will enjoy a multi-course meal and move around to themed stations representing different aspects of nature and their connection to food,鈥� said hospitality management instructor Brad Boisvert. 鈥淓ach course will represent the themes of the land, the sea and the beach with ingredients such as salmon, clams, venison and locally foraged ingredients.鈥�
Guests will enjoy wines from Indigenous vineyards in the Okanagan.
Proceeds go toward creating a scholarship fund for the Songhees Nation.
Tickets are $80 and can be purchased online at . The event runs 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Songhees Wellness Centre, 1100 Admirals Rd.
Pizzeria offers slice of life to Indigenous youth
Pizzeria Prima Strada has teamed up with the Victoria Native Friendship Centre to provide Indigenous youth with role-model leadership and reconciliation in the local community 鈥� over an authentic southern Italian meal.
This month the restaurant invited the Youth Program at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre to a free dinner.
The eatery donated the food and the entire staff volunteered to make a special experience for the group.
鈥淢ore than a handful of the kids that take part in the Victoria Native Friendship Centre Youth Program have never been to a restaurant due to a number of barriers,鈥� said Cortney Baldwin, a Prima Strada employee and graduate student in the Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies department at the University of Victoria. 鈥淚 immediately thought of Pizzeria Prima Strada and how we, as a company, could provide an impactful experience for youth.鈥�
The experience will not just provide the youth a unique dining experience, but will also provide the youth insight into the service industry and how one can positively affect a community from any position.
For more information, go to .
Operation Trackshoes looking for volunteers
Operation Trackshoes is in need of volunteers to help athletes during the event, an annual sports festival for sa国际传媒 residents with developmental disabilities.
They have more than 140 athletes on the waiting list and need more counsellors in order to accommodate them. If they don鈥檛 get more volunteers, these athletes won鈥檛 be able to attend.
Orientation sessions for volunteers start in May. The event runs on the weekend of June 8 to 10 at the University of Victoria.
People can complete an online application form by visiting the counsellor section at .
Meet budding artists at聽Victoria Flea Market
The support services branch at Cool Aid have tentatively started promoting an arts collective program, with the premise of providing exposure for low-income artists.
The initiative aims to help artists get a start with a small business at craft fairs and other public markets.
Cool Aid has hosted craft fairs of their own as well as reserving shared stalls and space at public markets.
Many individuals involved in the program are in recovery or have been in the past, and the hope is to provide opportunities for positive interaction with the wider community as well as the self-esteem boost that comes from a successful small business venture.
The next event takes place at the Victoria Flea Market today. The market has been kind enough to donate free space so the artists can attend.
For more information, go to or .
Breakfast to Remember raises $230,000
Community leaders in Victoria joined Breakfast to Remember in February to fuel the movement toward a dementia-friendly sa国际传媒
The event, held in Victoria and Vancouver, raised more than $230,000 to support the Alzheimer Society of sa国际传媒鈥檚 programs, services and advocacy efforts.
At the event, Jack Knox, columnist at the sa国际传媒, shared his thoughts on aging and seeing someone he was close to hide a dementia diagnosis to avoid the stigma of the disease.
鈥淭his year Breakfast to Remember, and the personal stories our speakers told, engaged and inspired more guests than ever,鈥� said Maria Howard, CEO of the society. 鈥淐ommunity leaders left with a greater understanding of the movement needed to create a caring and inclusive world for people living with dementia and the knowledge that they鈥檙e now a part of the movement. This year鈥檚 events expanded our community of care and brought us one step closer to creating a truly dementia-friendly province.鈥�
For more information, go to .
March For Our Lives at the legislature Saturday
Students and residents of Victoria can gather in solidarity with students and people of the United States against gun violence at March For Our Lives, Saturday at the legislature.
Youth Political Commons, a group of concerned Victoria-area high-school students, is organizing a rally to stand in solidarity with those who have been affected by or lost their lives to gun violence, in the United States and around the world.
Speakers and guests include the Raging Grannies, students from Youth Political Commons and others to be confirmed.
Organizers would like to acknowledge the unceded territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations on which the legislature is situated.
The rally runs 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, email [email protected].
