The fundraising goal for the United Way Southern Vancouver Island’s 2024 Community Campaign is $4 million, Camosun College president Lane Trotter announced at the official kickoff in Centennial Square this week.
“Our 2024 community campaign has an ambitious fundraising goal for the year, reflecting the level of demand for programs, supports, and services throughout Southern Vancouver Island,” Trotter said. “We know many people in our community are facing tough times, more so now than ever before.”
The impact of United Way donations is felt throughout the community, especially in the agency’s three “areas of action” — seniors, families, and people struggling with mental health and addictions.
Jacquelin Green, acting executive director at Saanich Neighbourhood Place, spoke at the kickoff event about how United Way funding supported programs that helped local fathers, including those who are currently incarcerated, with parenting education.
United Way Southern Vancouver Island executive director Erika Stenson said her group and United Way sa国际传媒 will create a single organization next April — the first of its kind in sa国际传媒.
“Our new combined entity will remain focused on local programs, and we will continue to serve the region with staff who live and work here,” she said. “Dollars raised locally will stay within the region.”
Donations to the campaign can be made in person or online at and workplaces can find out how to run their own United Way campaigns at .
You can also follow the campaign on X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
The campaign launch was supported by the City of Victoria, sa国际传媒 Transit and CUPE Local 50, which hosted a barbecue at the event, with representatives from 18 social-service agencies supported by United Way in attendance.
Cliff LeQuesne from 100.3 The Q was the emcee.
>>> Bring your own cup to Victoria Tea Festival Revival
The ninth annual Victoria Tea Festival Revival is set for Saturday Oct. 5 at Nootka Court and will be BYOTc — Bring Your Own Teacup.
It’s meant to cut down on waste, but there will be some reusable cups available by donation.
Festival-goers can enjoy tea tastings, a tea symposium, food, live music and documentary screenings, courtesy of the International Tea Appreciation Society, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
This year’s symposium will include experts on ancient tea and Japanese tea traditions, and will be streamed to the society’s YouTube channel.
“This festival is always a celebration of those who drink tea and want to enrich their lives, alongside those who wish to hone their tea-making skill,” said festival president Jared Nyberg of JagaSilk Tea, which is hosting the festival at 633 Courtney St.
More than 20 merchants are set to participate, with tea from Japan, China, Bhutan, India, Taiwan and Korea, along with a Tea Ceramics Museum.
Nyberg said Daniel Lui from the Chinese Tea Shop in Vancouver’s Chinatown has teapots for the museum that are hundreds of years of old — some of them recovered from shipwrecks.
Festival-goers can also take in the World Tea Championship, which features the Chinese tea-making style called gongfu (also known as kung fu) — one of the oldest ways of making tea in the world. According to the tea blog In Pursuit of Tea, the gongfu cha method involves using brewing vessel and cups to infuse a large proportion of leaves in a series of short steeps, which are decanted and consumed one after another.
“It’s really common in Taiwan, South Korea and China,” said Nyberg, “You don’t see it that much in North America but there is a boom that’s happening.”
You can sign up to participate in the championships online, with eight competitors to be chosen by the contest’s judges.
Nyberg said the name of the contest is just for fun, but festival organizers don’t know of any others like it.
Supporters of the festival include the National Association of Japanese Canadians and Creative BC.
Admission is by a suggested donation of $15 to $25.
For tickets, to register for the World Tea Championship or to access the YouTube channel, go to .
Tickets will also be available at the door.
>>> Ceremony celebrates truth and reconciliation
For the fourth year in a row, the 12 organizations in the ReconciliACTION Oak Bay Network are hosting a community ceremony on Sept. 30 to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The event will be held in front of the Sno’uyutth (“Spreading Good Energy”) Welcome Pole at Oak Bay High School starting at 9:30 a.m. — so as not to conflict with the day’s South Island Powwow set for Royal Athletic Park.
“Reflect on and honour the day, the work ahead and the ways in which we all can play a role in advancing Truth and Reconciliation in our community,” the network said in a statement.
The network’s member groups include the Community Association of Oak Bay, Oak Bay United Church, St. Mary’s Anglican Church, the Oak Bay Heritage Foundation, the University of Victoria Living Lab Network, the Canadian Heritage Arts Society, the Vancouver Island Trail Association, the Friends of Bowker Creek, the Oak Bay Climate Force, ReconciliACTION Cadboro Bay, the Friends of Uplands Park and St. Philip Anglican Church.
>>> Time to sign up for Run for the Cure
Victoria’s 2024 CIBC Run for the Cure will be held Oct. 6 at the University of Victoria.
There will be one-kilometre and five-kilometre routes through the campus, with the start and finish near Centennial Stadium.
Sign up online or register at the event at 8:30 a.m.
Opening ceremonies are at 9:30 a.m. followed by the run at 10 a.m.
The Run for the Cure — held in communities across the country — is organized by Canadian Cancer Society staff and volunteers, and raises funds for breast-cancer research, support services and advocacy.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer for Canadian women.
Over 46,000 people took part in runs last year and helped raise more than $14.5 million.
Sign up or donate at.
>>> Victoria Morris dancers welcome Vancouver group
The traditional English folk dancing known as Morris dancing comes to the legislature this Saturday.
Victoria’a Hollytree Morris group, sa国际传媒’s oldest at 50 years, will be welcoming the Vancouver Morris Men and Tiddley Cove Morris at 4 p.m.
The public is invited to come to help celebrate, and even to learn some dance moves, the group says.
Hollytree Morris was started in 1974 by David and Christina Winn.
