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Saying thanks to the Royal City

Westminster House hosts annual community cleanup event on Sept. 10

The women at Westminster House want to show their gratitude to the community that's been so supportive of their recovery from addiction.

Westminster House is holding its third annual Clean Up in New West event on Saturday, Sept. 10. The society and its residents are inviting alumni, friends and community members to join them for an afternoon of cleaning and fun.

"The whole premise of Westminster House is about community," said executive director Sarah Franklen. "Having an event like Clean Up in New West just fits."

Registration for the event takes place at Hyack Square at 11 a.m., and the cleanup runs from noon to 1 p.m. The event includes a complimentary lunch for all Clean Up in New West participants, entertainment and much more.

"This is our third annual event," said Susan Hogarth, development assistant at the Julien House Society that operates Westminster House. "It seems to be doubling every year. We have great commu-nity support for this event."

Last year's event netted an impressive 1,200 pounds of garbage and nearly 500 pounds of recyclable materials.

"Last year, we had 136 participants who registered," Hogarth said. "There was a lot of people in Hyack Square who didn't actually collect garbage. There were about 300 people there in the square."

In addition to cleaning up the community, the event is designed to be a fun day for community members.

"Clean Up New Westminster originally started to promote Westminster House. It was about gratitude," Hogarth said. "We wanted the City of New Westminster and the community to know what they do for our program."

Entertainment, a Vancity spin-the-wheel activity, a popcorn machine and a concession contribute to the event's desired festival atmosphere.

"There is going to be hula-hooping and skipping," Hogarth said. "There is a tremendous amount of activities."

A surprise, which is projected to make people "go gaga", will take place at 1: 30 p.m. That's the same time that the annual pie-eating contest gets underway.

"It's a fun festival," Hogarth said. "We have fun activities for families."

Some downtown merchants are getting into the spirit of the event by hosting sidewalk sales during the Clean Up in New West.

This year's event is seeking to raise some funds toward the Westminster House bedroom project, which needs to raise $9,800 to replace all of the beds, bedroom furniture and bedding for women staying at the residential treatment facility.

"We thought, why don't we see if we can piggyback some fundraising in here without it becoming intrusive," Franklen said. "I don't want it to be come intrusive."

Franklen said the community has always rallied around Westminster House whenever the need has arisen.

"There's been real fellowship in the community," she said. "I have been here for 10 years. I have certainly seen it."

Franklen said the cleanup seems to evolve each year since it was first held, when it was meant to show the society's thanks for community support.

"It turned into this really lovely day that was about the community," she said. "Last year it doubled in size. It was a block party. We had all these neighbors there."

The change to this year's event is the introduction of fundraising for the bedroom project. With thousands of women passing through its doors in the past 28 years, Westminster House wants to ensure that the women have nice rooms because that's their only private space at the house.

"It's got to be welcoming. That what I want for the clients," Franklen said. "It's that place where you lay your head at the end of the day."

The women who take part in the residential treatment program for addictions stay for varying lengths of time, but four to six months is recommended.

"It took them a long time to unravel their lives. It's not a realistic idea to think in six weeks they'll have the tools to sustain a new life," Franklen said. "The reason people use drugs is they haven't developed coping skills. We teach them how to cope. . It's about behaviour modification. When you feel like this, what are you going to do instead of taking drugs?"

Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 19, Westminster House had served 36 clients at its New Westminster residential facility.

"That is in six months," Franklen said. "I can safely say we are in the thousands in 28 years."

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tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com