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UGM to host 70th Annual Christmas Dinner for over 3,000 homeless and struggling people
What: UGM will host its 70th annual scrumptious Christmas dinner for the hungry, hurting and homeless of the Downtown Eastside, New Westminster, and Mission.
When: Saturday, December 11, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Where: Union Gospel Mission, 616 East Cordova Street
OTHER LOCATIONS:
– New Westminster Drop-in: 658 Clarkson Street (doors open at noon)
– Mission Drop-in: 33071 Railway Ave (doors open at 11:00am)
About the Event
Planned in coordination with other service providers, Union Gospel Mission serves its Christmas meal early in the month so as to not conflict with other community meals. UGM will utilize the help of about 300 volunteers to serve over 3,000 people at several locations.
Second Christmas Meal – A Table for 2000
Thanks to the generosity of The Glowbal Restaurant Group, Union Gospel Mission will host a second Christmas meal on Thursday, December 23. Again this year, Glowbal Group chefs and staff will be on hand to serve a Christmas dinner for up to two thousand Downtown Eastside residents. More details about this meal to follow in the coming weeks
AHA MEDIA at Woodward’s Christmas pancake breakfast in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES)
The Woodward’s Atrium was transformed into a beautiful place to have early morning pancakes with friends and family in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES).
AHA MEDIA at Wiring the Social Economy at W2 Storyeum in Vancouver
Wiring the Social Economy is an all day event organized to bring diverse professional groups together to create shared understanding of goals and challenges and to discover possibilities for collaborations.
We’re inviting all community economic development practitioners, social enterprise operators and supporters, community organizations, and members of the social media and technology communities to join us Dec 4th in the heart of Vancouver. Each of these professional groups has organizations, events, and conferences to offer support within their communities. The challenge is the low level of social capital between the groups. The goal of Wiring the Social Economy is to cross-pollinate ideas on challenges, solutions, and best practices between these communities of practice.
Wiring the Social Economy is a project initiated by Steve Williams. Steve works with SAP‘s Corporate Social Responsibility team for Global Technology Donations at the intersection of sustainability, CSR, non-profit and social enterprise, and community economic development. The conference intends to build on themes developed during the recent Vancouver ChangeCamp, namely: How can we help government become more open and responsive to citizens? How can we as citizens organize to get better outcomes ourselves?
We believe that by working together within the principles of community economic development – equity, diversity, collaboration, participation – we collectively have the potential to generate, and accelerate, sustainable community development.
Keynote Speakers:
Carol Madsen
Carol is the Program Manager at Pathways Information Centre in the Four Corners Community Economic and Business Development Building in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, and an instructor at the SFU Centre for Sustainable Community Development. Carol is a passionate speaker and a deep believer in CED principles – she is active on several community boards including the Canadian CED Network, Network of East Vancouver Community Organizations and the Network of Innercity Community Services Society.
Tim Beachy
Tim is the CEO of United Community Services Co-op, a co-operative dedicated to supporting community-based organizations in BC to collaborate where there is public good from their joint action. Tim has over 30 years of experience working with community and non-profit organizations, and believes deeply in co-operative action and preserving the “delicate ecology” of a diverse and thriving community. His hope is that the non-profit sector continues to work in increasingly innovative ways by using technology to enhance face-to-face relationships, and that the non-profit sector recognizes the clout it holds.
Irwin Oostindie
Irwin, the Executive Director of W2, is a Dutch/Canadian artist and administrator doing cultural planning, cultural infrastructure development, and support for a media arts cluster in Vancouver’s inner-city. He is well-versed in social enterprise, having contributed to the building of a coffee house in W2 that trains and employs local residents. Irwin is notable for making great use of technology to connect, encourage, and champion local arts and culture.
AHA MEDIA at Sox in the City 2010 launch at Vancouver City Hall
Tenth year of Sox in the City celebrated today at Vancouver City Hall!
Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), in partnership with PHS Community Services launched the annual Sox in the City campaign today at Vancouver City Hall. The campaign which is celebrating its 10 year, gathers and distributes new or gently used socks to people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Mayor Gregor Robertson, VCH’s Betheny Jeal, PHS Community Services Society’s Liz Evans and London Drugs’ Dave Woogman kicked off the 2010 Sox in the City Campaign.
“The Sox in the City campaign is an important addition to the other initiatives underway in Vancouver to help people who are homeless,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The City is now opening temporary winter shelter and the people at those shelters and on the street will benefit greatly from new socks and other cold weather necessities”
Warm dry feet are a must for the many homeless people in Vancouver who walk as many as 20 miles every day in ill-fitting shoes and no socks. Even a small blister can trigger serious blood and bone infections that can lead to long hospital stays. These ailments can be prevented with a pair of clean dry socks.
“Something as simple as pair of clean, dry socks can ward off a wide range of health problems, especially for people with diabetes or those battling serious infections” said Bethany Jeal, Clinical Coordinator, VCH. “Socks are not an accessory items for many residents of the Downtown Eastside – they are a necessity. Without them, people can develop sores, lesions and other wounds that are tough to heal and, in some cases, can result in death”
The socks collected this year will be distributed by the PHS LifeSkills Centre, a member-run community and support centre located in the heart of the Downtown Eastside, which will use the socks in its foot health program.
“The gift of a clean new pair of socks on a wet winter day goes a long way,” said PHS LifeSkills Project Director Coco Culbertson. “It’s not just a critical health intervention, it’s also an opportunity to engage these folks in a hot meal, a foot soak, and friendly conversation which, in turn, could lead them to additional support, such as housing.”
Typically a clean, new pair of socks will last a homeless person just three days. In order to address this critical need, the 2010 campaign goal is to collect 20,000 socks for distribution.
This year’s Sox in the City campaign has the full support of London Drugs.
“London Drugs is thrilled to be participating in the Sox in the City Campaign, ” said Wynne Powell, president and CEO of London Drugs. “To help kick-start the campaign, London Drugs is donating 1,000 pairs of socks and we are also offering a 5-pack ladies socks for $1 at all of our Vancouver London Drugs stores.”
Vancouver City Hall and the Vancouver Police Department are also supporting the campaign by hosting SoxBoxes.
To donate socks, please drop off new or gently used (ideally white cotton adult sports-type socks) in the big red SoxBoxes at the following locations:
All Vancouver London Drugs stores:
- Georgia & Granville: 710 Granville Street
- Broadway & Cambie: 525 West Broadway
- East Hastings: 2585 East Hastings
- Kerrisdale: 2091 West 42nd Ave
- Robson: 1187 Robson Street
- Kingsway: 3328 Kingsway
- Davie Street: 1650 Davie Street
- Victoria Square: 5639 Victoria Drive
- Broadway & Vine: 2230 West Broadway
- Woodwards: 351 Abbott Street
Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12 Avenue
Grandview-Woodland Policing Centre 1977 Commercial Drive
For more information on Sox in the City, and to find out how you or your organization can donate socks, please visit http://www.vch.ca and click on the Sox in the City icon.
Sox in the City runs until January 31, 2011
Below is Mirae, Shawn, Tony and Rocky D of LifeSkills Centre who would appreciate some clean, dry socks from Sox in the City
AHA MEDIA and Rocky D of Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES) donates toys to Pan Pacific Vancouver Christmas Wish Breakfast 2010
AHA MEDIA and Rocky D of Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES) donates toys to Pan Pacific Vancouver Christmas Wish Breakfast 2010.
Ready to go at 4:30AM early morning November 30, 2010, AHA MEDIA and Rocky D took a bus and a skytrain to Pan Pacific and shared in the Christmas joy in giving to kids with proceeds going to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau
Below are photos and videos of our day!
In this video, Rocky D of Vancouver DTES donates 4 big bags of toys to CHRISTMAS WISH BREAKFAST 2010
In this video, Rocky D from Vancouver DTES gives Hope in Shadows Calendar to Steve Darling of Global TV BC
Below is Rocky D with a couple who have been coming to donate toys to Christmas Wish for over 20 years!
Below is Santa with Rocky D at Pan Pacific Vancouver Christmas Wish Breakfast 2010
Below is a photo and video of Rocky D on why he donates toys to the Pan Pacific Vancouver Christmas Wish Breakfast 2010
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