The Royal City Pride Society is lending a helping hand to some of the city's less fortunate folks.
Dave Brown of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society said the Royal City Pride Society recently held a fundraiser at Wild Rice at River Market.
"It was a fundraiser for Lookout. They gave me a cheque for $1,741.50," he said. "The money is going to go into our community kitchen programs. We are going to spread it out at our three different sites."
In New Westminster, Lookout provides housing and other services at the Cliff Block, the Russell Housing Centre and Rhoda Kaellis Residence.
Through the community kitchen programs, tenants at the different buildings get together and create meals.
Ian Gould, sponsorship director with the Royal City Pride Society, notes that 100 per cent of the evening's fundraising activities and 50 per cent of the proceeds of ticket proceeds were donated to Lookout. Eighty-five guests attended the fundraiser.
Royal City Pride Society is gearing up for Pride Week 2012, which gets underway with a comedy show at the Columbia Theatre on Thursday, Aug. 16 and a dance at Heritage Grill on Friday, Aug. 17. The popular Hills n' Heels fundraiser that takes place on Saturday, Aug. 18 sees participants walking from Columbia Street to city hall, where the Pride Week proclamation is read.
Gould notes that 50 per cent of the proceeds of the Aug. 18 Hills and Heels event, will be donated to Lookout.
The Pride Festival takes place in Tipperary Park at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18.
HISTORY HONOURED
The Royal Westminster Regiment is marking a milestone with a book that commemorates its rich history.
The regiment, which is the oldest active military unit in British Columbia, is commemorating its 150th anniversary with a book. The book will be available to the public in 2013.
"We are pleased to contribute to the pictorial record of Canadian military history," said Col. Karen Baker-MacGrotty, honorary colonel of the regiment. "With a fighting Westie spirit and incredible record of duty, tradition and service commemorating before Confederation, the book will be of interest to readers of all ages and backgrounds. As the Royal Westminster Regiment celebrates 150 years of valiant military service of building and protecting our community, our country and on overseas missions, this book is produced as a tribute to all our brave men and women who have served our country with distinction."
The book is a legacy project of The Westies C150 committee, which was spearheaded by Baker-MacGrotty. The volunteer book team has assembled a collection of photographs, facts, memorabilia and records, many of which are being published for the first time.
The hardcover book, which will be printed in full colour, is being published by Vivalogue Canada and can be ordered online at www. vivalogue.ca until Sept. 7. Although sales officially begin on Jan. 1, 2013, the preordered books will be available in time for Christmas gift giving.
According to a press release, the New Westminster Volunteer Rifles (the predecessor to the Royal Westminster Regiment) were granted authority by Gov. James Douglas on Nov. 20, 1853.
"The Royal Westminster Regiment has a long history of community involvement. When the Great Fire swept through New Westminster in 1898, and again when record flooding afflicted the Fraser Valley in 1948, the regiment supported the community through times of crisis," said a press release. "More recently, the regiment helped fight the Okanagan wild fires of 2003, and provided support to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."
The Westies' primary reserve light infantry battalions have served in the Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. It has also taken part in United Nations and NATO missions in Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Golan Heights, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.
Members of the Royal Westminster Regiment are currently serving overseas in Sudan and Afghanistan.
A standard edition of the book can be preordered for $80. Major book sponsors who contribute more than $500 will receive two limited edition, numbered volumes (each in a custom slipcase) and book supporters who contribute $150 will receive one numbered edition. Books will be presented at a special launch event in November.
CAMP KICKOFF
New Westminster firefighters were thrilled to be able to host the kickoff events for the 2012 Burn Camp.
The B.C. Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund runs the burn camp, which sends young burn survivors to a weeklong camp on Gambier Island where they enjoy group activities, like swimming, hiking, kayaking, a skit night, and arts and crafts, and also one-on-one support from counsellors and other burn survivors.
More than 70 burninjured children boarded buses at Queen's Park on July 15 - but not before enjoying some fun in the Royal City that included a pancake breakfast, a bouncy castle, a dunk tank and face painting.
New Westminster firefighter Jason Lange can't say enough about members of the New Westminster Lions Club, who agreed to cook a pancake breakfast for about 300 people.
"The New Westminster Lions Club was so accommodating. There were 450 people there. They worked their butts off," he said.
"They put on a wonderful pancake breakfast. They went out to get more food during the event. They were in there having water fights with the kids. They were all smiles."
New Westminster Fire Fighters IAFF Local 256 hosted the kickoff celebration and pancake breakfast at Queen's Park Stadium.
The fun started a day earlier, when they helped out-of-towners settle into their digs at the Inn at the Quay, took them to Westminster Pier Park and treated about 30 kids to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in New Westminster.
"We jumped on the SkyTrain and took them to Planet Laser," added firefighter Glen Bailey. "They played three games of that. The kids had a blast."
Lang, who helped organize the two-day event, said the event gives firefighters a chance to meet some of the kids who they help through the burn fund.
The New Westminster Firefighters' Charitable Society also donated $2,500 to the burn camp, having raised funds for numerous causes through events like tree chippings and shred-athons.
"That is the only outside-of-New Westminster charity event we support," said Bailey, president of the charitable society.
While many New Westminster firefighters had a hand in organizing the event, Bailey said Lange, Dave Floris and Dave Mitchell did a lot of work organizing Sunday's event. Mitchell also volunteered as a counsellor at burn camp.
"It's almost like the Olympics, where you put in a bid to get the event," Lange noted. "It's such a fun day for the kids. It was a good time."
After a morning of fun and food at Queen's Park, more than 70 campers and 50 volunteers boarded buses and headed to camp. Burn Camp, which is funded by the B.C.
Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund, is free for young burn survivors. ca.
NEW WEST LIONS COOK FOR CHARITY
The New Westminster Lions are cookin'.
Members of the local service club are serving up food at a variety of events around town.
The Lions are hosting a Smokie Saturday at IGA MarketPlace at Columbia Square on Saturday, Aug.
11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They'll be selling smokies, hot dogs and pop to raise funds for community activities. A week later, the Lions will be selling hot dogs and beverages, as well as garage sale items, at the Quayside Boardwalk Festival and sale, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the riverfront esplanade.
The events follow up on a July 20 hot dog/ smokie sale the Lions offered at Thrifty Foods in Sapperton, where they worked with Shawn Marsolais to raise funds for Blind Beginnings.
Thrifty Foods donated the location, food, and supplies, and the New Westminster Lions helped cook hot dogs for the fundraiser for
Blind Beginnings, a New Westminster-based charity that provides children and youth who are blind or visually impaired with the necessary opportunities, experiences, services, and family/community support to reach their full potential.
For more information on Blind Beginnings, visit www.blindbeginnings.ca.
LOCAL MP WANTS VETERAN STAMP
New WestminsterCoquitlam MP Fin Donnelly thinks its time to recognize Korean War veterans with a commemorative stamp.
Although Canadian veteran Maj. Campbell "Cam" Lane was recently honoured by South Korea through a set of commemorative stamps, Donnelly notes that Canada Post has turned down the idea for a Korean War commemorative stamp, despite significant support from more than 200 organizations, including the Royal Canadian Legion, Korean Veterans Association of Canada, the War Amps and politicians.
"Our Canadian Korean War veterans deserve recognition," Donnelly said.
"The Korean War was a significant event in world history. South Korea's postage stamp will forever honour these veterans and mark this historic event. Canada should do the same."
Donnelly has been working with Port Moody resident Guy Black who has been asking Canada Post to do the same thing and honour Canadian Korean War veterans with a commemorative stamp.
Black would like Canada Post to issue a Canadian commemorative stamp while there are still Korean War veterans alive.
"A postage stamp is a special national honour and pays tribute to the men and women from the allied contingent who helped restore peace and freedom to the Korean peninsula over 60 years ago," Black said in a press release. "I hope Canada Post will recognize that 27,000 Canadians and their 516 comrades who died for Korea would all agree it was the wrong decision to turn down the commemorative stamp."
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