WOMEN'S HEALTH
Charlene Giovannetti-King, executive director of the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation, accepted $22,792 from Shoppers Drug Mart and its Tri-City stores. The money came in as part of the Growing Women’s health campaign.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
The Ballard siblings produced their annual Christmas variety show in December, with proceeds for the Union Gospel Mission and First United Church. The Tri-City family also works at Coquitlam’s Lindbjerg Academy of the Performing Arts.
ROYAL CASH
Port Coquitlam’s Royal Purple Lodge branch spread more than $14,000 to non-profit groups last month. Mayor Brad West attended the donation night that saw funds go to the PoCo May Day committee, Tri-City Transitions and Maura Fitzgerald (pictured with RP’s Sally Hurst) from Children of the Street Society.
ACCESS MANAGER
The Access Youth Outreach Services Society has a new program director. Mark Lindsay joined the Coquitlam-based non-profit group last month after six years as a branch manager in the finance industry. He founded the Alley Outreach Project in Vancouver, educating youth about the risk of addiction. “This first hand knowledge of the barriers and challenges faced by today’s at risk youth led me into frontline work as a youth empowerment worker and ultimately to my new home at Access,” Lindsay said in a news release. Lindsay replaces Hannah Metcalfe at the organization.
REAL ESTATE $ FOR COS
The Coquitlam-based Children of the Street Society recently took in $10,900 from Avison Young’s commercial real estate office in Vancouver. The money came in from the employees and the company topped it up with a $4,000 corporate gift during the staff’s charity fundraising drive in December. Since the office started their campaign four years ago, the Austin Avenue society has gained nearly $30,000 from Avison Young for its school workshops around B.C. that are aimed to stop the sexual exploitation of teens and human trafficking. The society is led by former SD43 trustee Diane Sowden.
INMATE CHARITY
Ten inmates in custody at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam spent November and December organizing linens to help the homeless at local shelters stay warm. NFPC correctional officer Starr Harvey and instructor Gavin Sawle partnered with local suppliers to collect 3,200 kg of used blankets, sheets and towels to donate to charities; those materials would have ended up in landfills but instead were used to make about 2,500 bed rolls. The inmates also learned to work as a team and develop skills in light warehousing, stock-checking, shipping and receiving, according to a ministry news release.
