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Spotlight: Trip, new home for Coquitlam lottery winner

Recent achievements by residents, businesses and groups in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.
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LOTTERY WIN

Coquitlam’s Gladys Ortiz matched all five numbers on the Daily Grand Draw to win $25,000 a year for life. Ortiz, who chose to take a lump-sum cheque, will spend her windfall on a family trip to Israel and a new home. (photo credit: BCLC)

 

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SCHOOL SLEEPOVER

A small but strong group of Gleneagle secondary students spent the night at the Coquitlam high school to build awareness and raise money for Covenant House. The event, which drew city councillors and School District 43 trustees, collected $5,500. (photo via Twitter)

 

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PINK SHIRT COPS

Coquitlam RCMP and staff suited up in pink for Pink Shirt Day 2019. Wednesday, Feb. 27 is the official day this year for the movement that started in Nova Scotia in 2007. (photo via Twitter)

 

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TK LEADER

Talitha Koum, the Coquitlam-based charity that helps women with addictions and their kids, hired Andrea Cordero-Sapien as its new executive director. (photo credit: Terry O'Neill)

 

 

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HUMAN RIGHTS

Joy Silver of Tri-Cities Amnesty International celebrated with Jordan Cripps, Human Rights Internet’s granting committee member, after the branch received $1,250 to host a Quick Flicks contest at local high schools. (photo credit: Hazel Postma)

 

SCHOLARSHIPS

Five Tri-City students took in $5,000 each this month from the Horatio Alger Association of Canada. The organization awarded 170 need-based scholarships to Canadian high school students who have overcome adversity and are seeking a university education. The School District 43 recipients are: Erynn Donahue and Jin Lee (Heritage Woods secondary); YoungJin Kim and Taisha Zivny (Centennial secondary); and Xian Kostyroko (Port Moody secondary). The average recipient maintains a grade of 89%, according to the charity that believes “hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles.”


A MILLION CLICKS

The Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society, which operates in the Tri-Cities, reached a milestone last year. In December, after three years in service to cancer patients around Metro Vancouver, the organization clicked over the one-million mark for kilometres driven — and more than 62,000 hours in donated time by unpaid helpers. Spokesperson George Garrett said his group continues to look for assistance and is in need of drivers who can speak Punjabi or Hindi. Visit volunteercancerdrivers.ca. The society started on Feb. 29, 2016, to replace the previous service cancelled by the Canadian Cancer Society.

 

TOP BC EMPLOYER

The city of Coquitlam is one of the best places in the province to work, according to an employment periodical. It’s the second year in a row the municipality clinched the title from Mediacorp, which listed maternity leave top-up, staff social events and retirement planning assistance as the reasons Coquitlam took a spot on the BC’s Top Employers guide for 2019. BC’s Top Employers is an annual competition run by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers; they also selected the district of North Vancouver and Vancouver for their B.C. list. Currently, Coquitlam has more than 800 full-time staff.