Our Community: A love of big trees rewarded

Dr. Al Carder was recently awarded the 2014 Forest Sustainability Award from the Ancient Forest Alliance for his decades of service to document, research and promote the conservation of old-growth trees in British Columbia.

The 104-year-old Carder is considered the oldest forest conservationist in the province. His relationship with giant trees began in 1917, when he was seven and he helped his father measure a tall tree near their home in the lower Fraser Valley. He went on to become Canada’s first agrometeorologist after earning a doctorate in plant ecology.

In his retirement, he and his wife, Mary, set off on a “World Big Tree Hunt,” with Mary often being used as human scale next to giant trees in photographs he took of his finds. His work was published in two books: Forest Giants of the World, Past and Present (1995) and Giant Trees of North America and the World (2005).

“Al Carder was researching and raising awareness about B.C.’s biggest trees years before old-growth forests became an issue of popular concern in this province,” said Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director. “His work decades ago on the most iconic parts of our old-growth forests, their unbelievably huge trees, helped to lay the foundation of public awareness that fostered the rise of the subsequent ancient-forest movement.”

Carder’s children, Judith, Mary-Clare and Andrew, accepted the award on behalf of their father, who is currently ill with pneumonia.

Along with his books, Carder is perhaps best known for his work to highlight the Red Creek Fir, the world’s largest known Douglas-fir tree, located in the San Juan Valley near Port Renfrew. Since then, the town has become known as the Tall Trees Capital of Canada, with tourists from around the world coming to visit the Red Creek Fir, nearby Avatar Grove and the Walbran and Carmanah valleys.

The Ancient Forest Alliance is a B.C.-based conservation group working to protect endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry. For more information, go to ancientforestalliance.org.

Concert to benefit African orphans

The Arbutus Singers will be hosting their annual holiday concert on Wednesday.

For the past six years, the local six-part choir has put on a performance every December to raise funds for an orphanage they sponsor in Anerley, South Africa. Nearly all of the children at the Thembalethu (“Our Hope” in Zulu) Children’s Home have been impacted by the deaths of parents from HIV/AIDS — and many are infected with the virus themselves.

The orphanage is meant as a temporary shelter until the children can be placed with extended family or adoptive parents — but the sad reality is that many children spend most of their early years there.

Proceeds from the concert help pay for the care of the children.

Admission is free but donations are appreciated. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker church (at Burnside Road and McKenzie Avenue). For more, go to arbutussingers.com or thembalethuhome.org.

Good News Choir presents old-fashioned concert

The Victoria Good News Choir, directed by Louise Rose, presents An Old-Fashioned Carol Singalong on Tuesday.

The multi-generational choir performs musical arrangements specifically designed for children and adult voices at the same time. The sing along also features the Conservatory Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Central Middle School Choir.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. The concert starts at 7 p.m. at the Cordova Bay United Church, 813 Claremont Ave. For more information, go to victoriagoodnewschoir.com.

Architects’ gingerbread houses benefit kids

What does an architect-designed gingerbread house look like? Architects with Iredale Group Architecture recently built creative gingerbread houses to brighten the holidays for children staying at two B.C. transition homes.

Gingerbread houses, as well as bags of toys, were delivered by the firm’s employees to North Vancouver’s Sage Transition House and Victoria’s Cridge Transition House for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

The Cridge has been providing a safe place for women for over 20 years. For more information, go to cridge.org/cthw.

Yummy cookies help families in need

A coffee shop is hoping to sell 10,000 gingerbread cookie packages by the end of the year to put roofs over the heads of needy families.

Good Earth Coffeehouse has been selling fresh-made cookies to raise funds every holiday season. The soft, chewy cookies have been a hit at all 43 store locations in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The coffee shop donates $1 from every sale to a local Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes for needy families.

In Victoria, the proceeds will go toward a current home build at 4000 Cedar Hill Cross Rd. (at MacKenzie Avenue). Four families will move into their new homes next summer.

“We started baking gingerbread cookies 15 years ago,” said Nan Eskenazi, Good Earth co-founder. “But sales have exploded in the last four years, probably because they are really delicious and they connect our customers to a charity that does good things right in the community. They are popular as gifts for friends, teachers and coworkers.”

Each $6.75 cookie package contains a family of three delicious gingerbread persons. They are available at store branches at the Royal Jubilee Hospital and Uptown Shopping Centre. For more information, go to goodearthcafes.com.

Register now for Christmas Spirit dinner

The 24th annual Christmas Spirit Community Dinner on Christmas Day is fast approaching and people wishing to attend need to register in advance.

People who are alone, new to town, low on funds or simply want to experience a magical, family-oriented Christmas Day are invited. Attendees get free hot turkey, an array of homemade desserts, goodies and beverages. More than 700 guests are expected to attend.

Parents with children are asked to leave a phone number and the name and age of each child attending.

Donations to defray the cost of the dinner are gratefully accepted, with tax receipts provided.

There are two sittings, noon and 3 p.m. Alternately, people can drop in for an outdoor barbecue between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., or while supplies last. The event takes place at the Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church, 1800 Quadra St. For more information, visit christmasspiritdinner.ca or call 250-472-1040.

CHEK event helps Sally Ann, less fortunate

CHEK will be holding its annual Christmas Charity Drive Thru on Thursday.

This is the 21st year the television station has staged the event, which accepts donations of non-perishable food items, re-useable clothing, household goods, baby items or money. All donations will be distributed by the Salvation Army to help families and people in need in the community.

The event runs 5 to 7 p.m. People are invited to drive through the Accent Inn roundabout, 3233 Maple St. (near Blanshard Street and Cloverdale Avenue) with donations. For more information, go to cheknews.ca.

Bead bracelets help Ugandan women

When you buy bead bracelets from the BeadforLife annual Bead Sale, you will be directly helping women in Uganda work their way out of extreme poverty.

Proceeds from the event, which runs Friday and Saturday foster entrepreneurial businesses, fund health projects and pay for girls’ education in the African country.

Purchasing $210 worth of the product covers training for one woman in the non-profit society’s Street Business School, helping her expand her existing small business. Spending $375 covers one woman enrolled in the Beading Program, receiving numeracy training, entrepreneurial training and business coaching to start her own small business. Hosting an event with $630 in sales can pay for an oxen and plow for one family, which can equal a sevenfold increase in their income from farming.

The Victoria Children’s Choir will be performing at 2:30 p.m. at Friday’s event and high tea (with live music by pianist Tony Klazek) will be served between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Saturday’s event.

The event runs 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Parkwood Place, 3051 Shelbourne St. and 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Kensington, 3965 Shelbourne St. Both events are sponsored by the Victoria General Hospital Auxiliary. For more information, go to vgha.ca or beadforlife.org.