Ron Nicholson recently received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society on behalf of the Governor General of Canada’s office.
The medal recognizes living Canadians who have made significant, sustained and unpaid contributions to their community.
Nicholson was nominated by the Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society, where he has volunteered since 2006, preparing income tax returns for older adults and individuals with physical and mental health challenges.
Through the society, he works in partnership with the Canada Revenue Agency’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program to help people file simple tax returns.
“I really don’t do that much — it’s mainly seasonal work,” said Nicholson, 76. “I took accounting in college and a number of income-tax preparing courses from H&R Block and Liberty Tax.”
That statement garners a smile from Renee Lormé-Gulbrandsen, executive director of the Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society, who notes the medal was not just for Nicholson’s help filing taxes, but for his more than 17 years volunteering with the organization — along with years spent volunteering at other organizations before his move to Greater Victoria.
Nicholson served as vice-president of both the B.C. Black History Awareness Society and the Victoria Genealogical Society. Since moving to the capital region from St. Catherine’s, Ontario, where he was born, Nicholson has dedicated years to making people aware of the contributions of Black Canadians — and their importance in the history of British Columbia and Canada.
As a direct descendant of a slave who escaped via the Underground Railroad to the Niagara region in the 1800s, he is especially proud of serving on the Government of Canada’s National Action Apology Committee. The committee spent years seeking recognition for the All-Black No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, the largest all-Black unit created in the history of Canada.
The battalion was designated an event of national historic significance by the federal government in 1992. Thirty years later, it received a formal apology from the federal government for the racism members of the battalion endured.
Nicholson, who has lived in Oak Bay since 1999, is modest about his hundreds of hours of volunteer work.
“It is very rewarding helping other people,” said Nicholson. “I believe you get more benefit out of it than the recipient. I have formed relationships — even friendships — with many of them over the years.”
• For more information, or to volunteer, go to oakbayvolunteers.org.
>>> Camosun paddles forward
Indigenous trades students at Camosun College are applying their carpentry skills to preparing red and yellow cedar paddles with designs reflecting Camosun College’s strategic priorities. Students from Camosun’s Indigenous Peoples in Trades Training program, working with Cowichan canoe builder Francis Wilson, are creating paddles with the six priorities of the college’s strategic plan stencilled onto the blades.
“It’s been amazing to work with these students and see them apply what they’ve learned in the trades classroom,” said Francis, a third-generation canoe builder from Cowichan Tribes. “I’ve watched their confidence in their new skills grow every day, and they’ve become more proud of their culture, too.”
The designs include: Strengthening the Camosun advantage (Thunderbird), ÍY,ĆȺNEUEL OL: doing good work together (hands together), responding to community needs (eagle), rising to the challenges of climate change (salmon), honouring Indigenous resurgence (the ancestor) and advancing social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (mink).
“It’s inspiring and appropriate that Indigenous students are crafting the paddles,” said Dr. Lane Trotter, president of Camosun College. “They represent the college’s strategic plan for students’ success. The designs reflect what’s important to the college community and will help us paddle forward together.”
• For more about the Indigenous Peoples in Trades Training program, go to camosun.ca/programs-courses/find-program/indigenous-peoples-trades-training.
>>> Grandmothers for Africa gear up for cycling tour
If you answer yes to “Want to have fun getting fit and feisty?” and “Are you female and 55-plus?” you have a chance to join members of the Victoria Grandmothers for Africa on their Cycle Tour 2023 fundraiser, which runs Aug. 13 to Sept. 10.
The month-long time-frame allows participants to set their own goals, deciding how far they will cycle in the month. They can ride a regular bike or e-bike on the street, or pedal at home on a stationary or spin bike.
One year, Carol Guin, an older participant who lives in a hilly part of Galiano Island, cycled back and forth on the flat stretch in front of her home until she reached her goal.
To make it fun, regular group rides — from easy to more strenuous — are planned, with short outings on trails around Victoria (always including a coffee shop) or a three-day, 275-kilometre ride from Campbell River to Victoria.
Non-cyclists can also join the Cycle Tour by supporting a rider, or the team.
Funds raised go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers Campaign for community-led organizations in 15 African countries, where grandmothers strive to provide a healthy future for children left orphaned or vulnerable by HIV and AIDS.
The fundraiser raised more than $117,000 last year and organizers hope to exceed that total this year.
• For more information, to register or to donate, go to vg4a.ca/Cycle-Tour.
>>> Toolkit helps students learn about microplastic pollution
Students can learn about microplastic pollution and its effects on local ecosystems thanks to funding for a Microplastics Community Science Toolkit for the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
The toolkit, which will support ocean literacy and STEM education across the capital region, was funded by the Rotary Club of Sidney.
The toolkit, designed by local clean technology company Ocean Diagnostics, gives students knowledge, skills and hands-on experience to tackle plastic pollution. The kit includes beach-sampling activities, imaging technology and data evaluation tools.
The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea will include the toolkit in its school programs and summer camps, connecting youth to local ocean ecosystems through nature-based learning and technology.
A community science study on micro plastics in the Greater Victoria region done by Ocean Diagnostics last year found that 81 per cent of microplastic pollution in the area is polystyrene foam — known as Styrofoam — which is commonly used in the marine sector, such as in docks, marinas and aquaculture.
• For more information, go to rotaryclubofsidney.org.
>>> Soap for Hope seeks funds for shredder to reuse plastic
A non-profit is looking for funds to purchase a plastic shredder, with the aim of turning 22,700 kilograms of plastic waste into thin filaments that can be added to concrete.
Soap for Hope Canada collects 68,000 kilograms of reusable hygiene products from local hotels, but is left with 22,700 kilograms of empty, non-refillable plastic bottles.
The group has partnered with Setu Technologies to use the shredded plastic, converted into thin filaments, as a filler in concrete. The material can make the concrete “crack-free,” enhancing the tensile and flexural strength of concrete by over 12 and 10 per cent respectively.
Currently, all the plastics are shipped to Vancouver and businesses can purchase them back in different forms.
The shredder would keep the product and jobs local.
• Soap for Hope Canada has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to purchase the shredder. For more information, or to donate, go to gofund.me/a6ed0db7.
