The Children’s International Summer Villages hosted an open house on Friday to showcase cultures of children visiting from Ontario, Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the U.S.
More than 50 11-year-old children are in Victoria to attend the summer camp with local community programs. Canada’s delegates were four Vancouver Island children — two representing Greater Victoria and two from north of the Malahat.
The organization was formed in 1951 with the premise that teaching children to live together as friends could help foster true and lasting global peace. It is a volunteer organization with membership in over 70 countries worldwide with over 200 chapters or local groups.
Most youth join at 11 years old and continue with the program through high school. Over the years, hundreds of local children have participated in the international programs. Several of the current chapter youth are second-generation members.
Each year, the organization hosts more than 180 international youth-led camps and programs for more than 7,000 participants.
At Friday’s event, people were entertained by the children performing songs and dances.
For more information, go to cisvvictoria.ca.
Researchers hit the bikes for a great cause
Five cancer researchers went nowhere last Sunday to raise public awareness of a charity ride that has raised more than $60 million to fight cancer.
Dr. Kwame Twumasi-Boateng, Lin Chen, Dr. Lindsay DeVorkin, Victoria Hodgson and Julian Smazynski call themselves the Cell Cyclist team. They are a group of biologists, immunologists and other specialists who work together in the B.C. Cancer Agency’s Deeley Research Centre in Victoria.
They are all taking part in the upcoming Ride to Conquer Cancer, a two-day, 200-kilometre journey that takes participants from Vancouver to Seattle. It is the largest cycling fundraiser in the province.
Last week, the group had their bicycles attached to stationary trainers and pedalled from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of the Foul Bay Road Save-on-Foods store.
“We just wanted to bring awareness to the event,” said Twumasi-Boateng, the team captain who specializes in an emerging field of cancer research that uses genetically modified viruses to teach the immune system to specifically attack cancer cells.
He said this is the first time the group has taken part in the fundraiser, which takes place Aug. 29 and 30. They were brought together because they all cycle to work.
The Ride to Conquer Cancer has raised more than $60 million for the B.C. Cancer Foundation since 2009. The event is open to the public and attracts thousands of participants annually.
For more information, go to conquercancer.ca.
French immersion program celebrates 50 years
La Maison Française, one of University of Victoria’s Continuing Studies’ most popular French programs, turns 50 this year with a celebration to mark a significant milestone today.
The summer French immersion program for adults was created in 1965. Every year, at least 100 students from across Canada and beyond have come to Victoria to study French, have fun in French and live in French for five weeks.
People are invited to a reception that will include past and current participants, staff, students and local officials. There will be a cake, music and memories to be shared.
The event runs 2 to 4 p.m. at the Village Greens dining facility in the Cadboro Commons Building at the university.
For more information, go to continuingstudies.uvic.ca.
Chamber members pitch in for Our Place breakfast
Seven of Greater Victoria’s business leaders, all members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, rolled up their sleeves to dish out pancakes, bacon and fruit, bus tables and serve refreshments to 450 of the region’s most vulnerable people last Friday.
The meal, part of Our Place’s Sponsor-a-Breakfast program, was funded by the chamber.
“As a chamber, we believe that caring for those who require assistance is part of a strong and vibrant community. We promoted and continue to support a national housing-first strategy as cost-effective method of addressing homelessness,” said Frank Bourree, chamber chairman and principal of Chemistry Consulting Group.
“I think it’s fair to say we were all humbled by the courtesy and grateful nature of all of this morning’s patrons. I encourage local businesses to take their turn to get a true perspective of the need in our community.”
The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce boasts more than 1,500 members, representing the interests of small, medium and large businesses in the region.
Our Place is a unique inner-city community centre serving Greater Victoria’s most vulnerable people. For more information, go to ourplacesociety.com.
Cyclists raising money, awareness for hospice
Make sure you wave if you see a group of 60 cyclists today — they could be part of a group participating in the Cycle of Life Tour, a two-day group bike ride to raise awareness and funds for hospice care.
The annual fundraiser, in its third year, started Saturday. The 200-kilometre trek has taken the cyclists along the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, through West Saanich, along the Cowichan Valley’s rural coastline, over the scenic country roads of Salt Spring Island and now back to Victoria along the Saanich Peninsula.
Each rider committed to raising a minimum of $500 in donations. Collectively, the group has raised $70,000 in pledges in this year’s ride.
Proceeds will go to hospices in rural areas that receive no government subsidies and depend solely on funding from the community. This year’s event will support hospices in Victoria, Salt Spring Island, Cowichan Valley, Sooke, Qualicum Beach, Courtenay, Comox, Campbell River and Nanaimo.
To date, the tour has raised $185,000 for hospice care, primarily on lower Vancouver Island. For more information, go to cycleoflifetour.ca.
Oak Bay Rotary donation outfits youth centre
Last Tuesday, the Rotary Club of Oak Bay donated $40,000 toward outfitting a new Youth Centre in the Neighbourhood Learning Centre of the new Oak Bay
High School.
The money will be spent on a full kitchen and new furnishings. The new facilities will replace a double-wide trailer on the school grounds that had been used for the same purpose. That facility had been purchased, outfitted and maintained by the Rotary Club for a number of years.
The trailer has been donated to the Government House Foundation’s Right to Read Program. It will be transported to a First Nations community in Nanaimo and converted into a library.
Over the past decade, members of the Oak Bay chapter of the service organization have raised an average of $25,000 per year for local community and youth literacy programs and the same amount to support international humanitarian programs.
Rotary is a global humanitarian organization with more than 1.2 million members in about 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries. For more information, go to oakbayrotary.com.
Golf event raises funds for veterans’ residence
Homeless veterans in the region will sleep better now, thanks to the efforts of the Malahat Lions Club and retailer All Battery.
The two organizations partnered to host a charity golf tournament in June that raised more than $4,000.
Proceeds from the event will go to Cockrell House, an 11-unit multiplex which serves as a transitional residence for former service personnel. Residents learn basic life skills, get counselling, health and social services and access to transportation. The facility is funded in part by the B.C./Yukon Royal Canadian Legion through the Legion Foundation. For more information, go to legionbcyukon.ca.
Turf Burn soccer tourney is looking for you
Team registration is still open for the Turf Burn seven-a-side adult co-ed soccer tournament, held Aug. 7 to 9.
This is the seventh year of the event, held in support of upgrading facilities and programming for soccer players of all ages in Greater Victoria.
The tournament includes three action-packed days of soccer accompanied by an even livelier beer garden. Activities include a breakaway contest, limbo demonstration, local disc jockeys and a Saturday night social hour.
Since its inception, the event has contributed more than $50,000 to the Saanich Fusion Soccer Club and other local charities.
Registration is $450 per team of between seven and 15 players. The event takes place at the lower fields of Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. For more information, go to turfburn.ca.
