Everyone is invited to take part in a candlelight tribute ceremony to recognize the 150th anniversary of God鈥檚 Acre Veterans Cemetery, Thursday at the Esquimalt cemetery.
Dignitaries on hand will include Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin and representatives from the Canadian Armed Forces.
After the ceremony, the Canadian Scottish Regimental Association Pipe Band will lead a marching contingent and colour party, and representatives from veterans鈥� organizations, military personnel from Maritime Forces Pacific, cadets, youth groups and members of the public will place more than 3,000 candles of remembrance on the graves. The candles will remain in place until midnight.
Music will be performed by the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Victoria Children鈥檚 Choir.
The cemetery was consecrated on July 14, 1868, and was established by the Royal Navy. The chapel houses some Royal Navy artifacts. The property was expanded in 1901 to accommodate soldiers of the Royal Artillery. In 1947, Veterans Affairs sa国际传媒 took over the 1.1-hectare site, located between the 12th and 17th holes of the Gorge Vale Golf Club.
The ceremony starts at 6:45聽p.m. Thursday at the cemetery, 1190 Colville Rd., Esquimalt.
For more information, go to .
Arbutus Singers concerts aid charitable causes
The Arbutus Singers celebrate 20 years of fundraising and making great music with The Best of the Best, Friday and Saturday at the First Metropolitan United Church.
Founded by Jack Boomer, the choir has raising more than $400,000 in the past 20 years. Proceeds from concerts have supported more than 15 local charities, special projects in Africa, music therapy, homelessness, community living for the marginalized and hospital comfort funds.
鈥淛ack is a giant of a man with a heart of gold 鈥� and a visionary when it comes to not only supporting, but also creating charitable causes,鈥� said Kerry Dunster, a member of the choir. 鈥淗e truly embodies the spirit of philanthropy at work, at home and through his tireless commitment to the Arbutus Singers.鈥�
Boomer organized and managed the creation of the Arbutus Singers Music Education Society in 2006 to bring choral-music education to kids in communities in Victoria. He helped create children鈥檚 choirs in Victoria-area public schools and summer music camps.
In 2015, the Victoria Conservatory of Music adopted this program under its umbrella of programming for children.
Over the past 10 years, more than 2,000 children from seven schools have participated in the ChoirKids program.
The choir has grown from 20聽members at its inception to more than 80 today 鈥� with a waiting list.
Tickets are $30 for a family, $15 adults and $12 students and seniors. The concerts are at 7:30聽p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the First Metropolitan United Church, 932 Balmoral Ave. For more information, go to .
Community garden welcomes the public
See how a community garden project has created a therapeutic environment for marginalized people struggling with addictions, mental illness and chronic offending at an Open Garden, June 26, on the grounds of the Seven Oaks Facility.
Twice a week for the past six years, a mixed group of 15 to 20 people have gathered to work, talk, laugh and learn to grow food for themselves and others in our community in a large garden overlooking the Blenkinsop Valley.
The official name is Feeding Ourselves and Others, but the participants call it Serenity Farm.
This project is a partnership between the John Howard Society of Victoria as the sponsor, Island Health, the Assertive Community Treatment teams, the Victoria Integrated Community Outreach team, the Victoria Integrated Court and the Seven Oaks Tertiary Care Facility.
Between April and October last year, a total of 33 participants 鈥� and 18 volunteers 鈥� toiled for more than 2,400 hours. For their efforts, they produced more than 1,800 kilograms of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers for sale and themselves. These activities returned more than $8,000 to the project.
The open garden event runs 11聽a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, June聽26 at the Seven Oaks Facility, 4574 Blenkinsop Rd.
For more information, go to or [email protected].
Shoebox Project helps聽women in need
This past Mothers Day was a special day for many mothers, but for 88 women in need, it was also a time to appreciate the efforts of the Victoria chapter of the Shoebox Project.
On May 13 the recipients 鈥� some living in shelters, others at risk of homelessness 鈥� opened a box filled with donations from strangers.
Donors had helped by donating or to help pack and deliver a shoebox full of necessities 鈥� shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and socks. Often the packers try to include simple luxuries such as makeup, nail polish or skin-care products.
The packages almost always include a personal note or card with words of encouragement and hope.
The grassroots initiative delivered 45 boxes to the Cridge Centre, nine to Artemis, nine to the Boys and Girls Club, 15 to Esquimalt Neighbourhood House, eight to the YWCA shelter and two special requests that were quietly and discreetly delivered.
Along with individual donations or money and supplies, radio and TV personality Ed Bain contributed $500 from his Golf for Kids Charity 鈥� enough to create 10 shoeboxes.
The Shoebox Project is a charitable movement boasts 45 chapters (including Victoria), delivering 25,000 gifts annually to hundreds of communities across sa国际传媒 and the U.S.
For more information on the next campaign, contact [email protected] or go to .
Concert features 18th-century martial music
Music lovers have a rare opportunity to hear two of the most unusual and popular chamber works of the late 18th century at Classical Battles on Saturday.
This is the last concert of the third season of the Intimate Encounters series of Early Chamber Music in a Sacred Space.
Frantisek Kotzwara鈥檚 The Battle of Prague is a vivid musical depiction of that memorable historical event, complete with the sounds of horses galloping, dragoons advancing, the cries of the wounded and the trumpets of victory.
Its sequel, The Siege of Qu茅bec is a compilation of more of Kotzwara鈥檚 martial musical sound-painting, including cannonades, capitulations, a drinking song and a moving lament for the death of General Wolfe, all put together after Kotzwara鈥檚 death by 18th-century Canadian composer W.B. de Krift.
Both of these works will be played by a trio consisting of Paul Luchkow, violin, Nathan Whittaker, cello, and Michael Jarvis, harpsichord, plus the cathedral鈥檚 director of music, Donald Hunt, sitting in on percussion.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students in the Chapel of the New Jerusalem at Christ Church Cathedral, Quadra Street at Rockland Avenue. Tickets are available now at Ivy鈥檚 Book Shop in Oak Bay, Munro鈥檚 Books downtown, and at the cathedral office, where credit and debit purchase options are available.
For more information, go to .
Brain Tumour Walk today聽at UVic
The Brain Tumour Foundation of sa国际传媒 is hosting a Brain Tumour Walk today at the University of Victoria.
This annual fundraiser brings hope to the estimated 55,000 Canadians living with a brain tumour and the dozens more who are diagnosed each day.
鈥淧atients and families are the heart of Brain Tumour Foundation of sa国际传媒 and we want them to know they are not alone,鈥� said Susan Marshall, CEO. 鈥淭ogether we walk to raise awareness about this often-devastating disease and to let our community know we are here to help.鈥�
There are more than 120 types of tumours, and they can be complex and difficult to treat. Symptoms can range from hearing loss to hormonal problems.
Brain tumours can also affect vision, memory, balance and mobility.
Proceeds from the event go toward specialized resources, support programs and fund research across the country.
Brain Tumour Walks have been the community event to bring together thousands of Canadians in tribute to and in memory of people affected by a brain tumour for the past 20 years.
The event begins with a Survivor Photo at 9:45 a.m., a ceremony at 9:50 and the walk at 10聽a.m. today at the University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd.
For more information, go to .
Fundraiser celebrates the聽Power to Play
Teams from the city鈥檚 business community will trade office wear and hard hats for running sneakers and team jerseys for Power To Play today at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park.
Teams race 10 kilometres and face 15 challenges as they use their physical strength, mental wit and group dynamics to compete through land- and water-based obstacles.
Awards will go out for the highest fundraising team in different industry categories, fastest race times and team spirit.
Power to Play鈥檚 goal is to raise $230,000 to help provide services to more than 1,400 Power to Be participants this year. The non-profit organization empowers people living with a barrier or disability to explore their limitless abilities through inclusive adventures rooted in nature.
Free to view. The team check-in is 9 to 10 a.m., with the race running 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Beaver Beach at the Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. For more information, go to .
Got an old bike? Send聽it聽to Africa
That bike you no longer ride still has the unique ability to help change the lives of some of the world鈥檚 poorest people for the better.
Bicycles for Humanity has just launched their 2018 bike donation drive.
The small group of dedicated volunteers have been scouring Greater Victoria for the past few months collecting good used bikes, financial donations and spare parts to facilitate the shipment of their 10th container-load of bikes to Africa.
To date, they have collected 207 bicycles and need 243 more to fill the container.
This container will mark the 4,400th bike shipped to Africa. Two container-loads have gone to Namibia, two to Uganda, and the past five to Malawi.
Local citizens are hired to fix and refurbish the bikes. They are sold for modest amounts to the locals who use them to greatly improve their access to food, water, employment, school and work. A portion of the bikes are donated to needy organizations.
Any profits from the bike sales are put back into the program, for the purchase of spare parts, assisting in the shipping costs and to help fund an orphanage.
To find out where to drop off a bike, or to arrange for a volunteer to pick one up, contact Chris Wille at 250-479-4715.
For more information, go to or .
