POCO GRANTS
Officials from five groups were handed a combined total of $20,000 worth of grants from the PoCo Community Foundation last week, at the philanthropic organization’s fourth annual disbursement night at Leigh Square.
HAIR GONE
A few students at Port Moody’s Mountain Meadows elementary had their locks chopped off last Wednesday in the fourth annual Wigs 4 Kids fundraiser. The school donated hair from 15 people and brought in $4,500 for the cause.
GREYHOUNDS UNITE
The Parkside Brewery was the last stop for greyhounds and whippets — and their masters — in the annual Great Global Greyhound Walk, which took place Sunday around Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.
SHRED IT
Members of the Rotary Club of Port Moody got soaked last Saturday for its shred-a-thon outside PoMo city hall, but still managed to pull off their event that was sponsored in part by The Tri-City News.
TIMMY TIME
Port Coquitlam firefighters helped to bring a bit of star power to raise funds at Tim Horton’s camp day last Wednesday. All proceeds from the day — from coffee sales — went to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation camp (photo courtesy of PoCo Fire Department).
THANKS LEGION
Members of the Port Coquitlam branch of the Royal Canadian Legion were at city council Tuesday to receive a proclamation from Mayor Greg Moore for Legion Week, honouring the organization’s charitable work around town (photo courtesy of the city of Port Coquitlam).
Brian Mackay is the new associate vice president of technology and chief information officer at Douglas College, which has a campus in Coquitlam. Mackay, who started last Monday, spent the past 14 years at Thompson Rivers University as its associate v-p of digital strategies and CIO. “We wanted someone with a track record of success in technology leadership in a complex environment who would be instrumental in developing and executing strategies to elevate the effectiveness of the college and all of its constituents. We believe we have found this with Brian,” said Tracey Szirth, vice president of administrative services and CFO, in a news release. Mackay received his MBA in IT Management from Athabasca University and holds certifications in Project Management Professional, COBIT 5.0 and Information Technology Infrastructure Library. He also served more than 12 years on the BCNET board and was a board member for the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers.
COLLEGE FELLOWS
Coquitlam residents Sandy and Cathy Burpee were named Wednesday as the 2018 honorary fellows of Douglas College, which has a campus in Coquitlam. The homeless and housing advocates received the post-secondary school’s highest distinction, at a graduation ceremony in New Westminster. “Sandy and Cathy Burpee’s tireless advocacy of antipoverty, homelessness and violence prevention initiatives are part of a long-time commitment to our communities that is truly inspiring,” said college president Kathy Denton, in a news release. “Their ability to organize diverse groups to work toward shared goals demonstrates the type of leadership that is needed to tackle some of society’s greatest challenges.” Sandy was chair of the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group for more than a decade while Cathy was chair of the Society for Community Development for eight years. They founded the Tri-City Together Against Violence committee, which Sandy chaired from 1994 to 1998. He was also a member of the community advisory committee for Douglas College’s Centre for Health and Community Partnerships, from 2008 to 2011.
HAPPY SNAPPERS
Heidi Gawehns’ grade 8 class at Pitt River middle in Port Coquitlam snapped up first place in the Invasive Species Council of BC photo contest. Hundreds of entries were received from schools around the province, with pictures showing invasive species in the students’ back yards. The contest was held during Invasive Species Action Month, last month. Students were asked to post their images via social media with the hashtag #BCinvasivecontest. Gawehns’ winning class clicked in $350 for their 161 photos, to be used for a future field trip or equipment. “We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of youth groups and school classes across BC who entered our ‘What’s in your backyard?’ contest for Invasive Species Action Month,” said Gail Wallin, ISCBC executive director, in a news release. “With hundreds of photos posted to social media last month, these youth have shown us that invasive species are prevalent all over our province and we all have to take actions to stop invasive species from spreading in the water, in gardens and agriculture, through firewood, through sports equipment and by keeping unwanted pets out of the wild.”
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