Women In Need has opened a new resale shop on the West Shore after being forced to close the previous one by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Returning to the West Shore has been a long-held dream of ours since we closed our location here in 2020,” said Clare Yazganoglu, WIN’s executive director. “It is so thrilling to be back.”
The new location on Goldstream Avenue is WIN’s fifth, following the recent opening of its store in Saanich Centre, at the corner of Quadra and McKenzie. It also has an online shore.
The store sells secondhand clothing for all genders and ages, shoes and accessories, housewares, linens, books, toys, furniture and more.
“By opening this new location we will be increasing accessibility to program participants living in the West Shore,” said Nicole Lapierre, WIN’s program co-ordinator. “This community is growing, and we are so excited to grow with it to better offer our empowerment programs.”
Revenue from WIN’s stores, along with financial contributions, is used to fund the non-profit’s five empowerment programs: crisis and referral, gift certificates, emergency funding and food certificates, self-sufficiency bursaries, and new start, which provides household items to set up a new home after leaving a transition house or crisis situation.
Each year, the organization supports more than 2,000 program participants.
The newest shop is at #2-310 Goldstream Ave., in the plaza beside Thrifty Foods and behind Rexall.
• For more information, go to winonlineshop.ca.
>>> VIU hosts camps for Indigenous students
Vancouver Island University is once again accepting applications for a free seven-day youth summer camp for Grade 8 to 12 Indigenous students in August.
The goal of the Thuy’she’num Tu Smun’eem: Building a Foundation for our Youth summer camp, organized by the ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Indigenous student mentorship program, is to make Indigenous youth feel like they belong at university.
“The biggest thing about this camp is to get Indigenous youth thinking about post-secondary. A lot of us feel like we don’t belong,” said Sheldon Scow, program co-ordinator with the Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement. “We want to show them that at VIU, you get to walk in both worlds. You can get an education and still keep your cultural identity — you don’t have to give up one for other.”
Youth stay in VIU residences and participate in camp activities that include cultural teachings, storytelling, traditional crafts and outdoor activities that promote a connection with nature. Everything is organized and co-ordinated by VIU’s ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Indigenous student mentorship program.
The Peter Cundill Foundation has given VIU a grant to run the program for the past seven years.
Talela Manson, a camp counsellor who just finished their second year at VIU, was a camp participant in high school.
“I had no idea what I was going to do when I got here — I just knew I wanted to be here with the Cousins,” said Manson. “This program has inspired me and made me the person I am today. If I can do that for just one other person, then I feel like I am doing my job as a Cousin.”
The camp is free for youth to take part in. It takes place Aug. 6 to 12 at the Nanaimo campus of Vancouver Island University.
• For more information and to apply, email [email protected].
>>> Team Victoria-ous targets another $30,000 cancer goal
A Victoria team that raised $32,000 for cancer research and care on the Island in last year’s Tour de Cure fundraiser is setting its sights on raising another $30,000 in this year’s event.
Team Victoria-ous plans to participate in this year’s edition of the B.C. Cancer Foundation’s cycling fundraiser, which will see about 2,000 riders ride 100 kilometres each day, from Cloverdale to Hope, on Aug. 26 and 27.
Tour de Cure, presented by Wheaton Precious Metals, is B.C.’s biggest cycling fundraiser, with funds going toward research and enhancements to cancer care in British Columbia.
One in two British Columbians will face cancer in their lifetime.
The B.C. Cancer Foundation is the largest philanthropic funder of cancer research and care in the province and the fundraising partner of B.C. Cancer. Donations fuel hope for the 80,000 patients a year who depend on B.C. Cancer.
• For more information, to register or to donate, go to tourdecure.ca.
>>> Victoria Foundation distributes record $4.9 million
The Victoria Foundation has distributed a record $4.9 million to 199 organizations in the capital region through its 2023 Community Grants Program.
This year’s program provided represents a doubling in available funding for the Community Grants program since 2018.
Seventy-five per cent of the grants will support organizations or projects that benefit equity-deserving populations, including Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, women, children and youth, persons with disabilities and newcomers.
“There are significant pressures on our region including the non-profit sector, and the funding will help many organizations better meet these challenges,” said Victoria Foundation CEO Sandra Richardson.
The Community Grants Program supports registered charities and other qualified groups whose work benefits community wellbeing in the capital region, providing organizations with flexible general operating funding.
The Victoria Foundation says its staff aim to ensure an equitable distribution of grants across the region and sub-sectors, including arts and culture, environment and others. Last year, the foundation distributed 1,742 grants totalling more than $25 million through its various programs.
Established in 1936, the Victoria Foundation is Canada’s second-oldest community foundation and the sixth largest of nearly 200 nation-wide.
Note to readers: This story has been corrected. A previous version included an incorrect dollar figure in the Victoria Foundation item.
