LOTTERY WIN
A Port Coquitlam father-of-four brought home more Christmas cheer this week when he won $1 million.
Vicente Tanquerido, 47, took one of the five guaranteed million dollar jackpot prizes in the Lotto 6/49 Super Draw.
After checking his ticket at Coquitlam Centre mall, he called his wife to tell her the good news: they would be looking for a new home in the new year.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw I was a winner. My wife didn't believe me either," he told the BC Lottery Commission.
Besides the home purchase, Tanquerido plans to contribute part of his winnings to support relief efforts in the Philippines following the recent typhoon as well as put some into savings for his kids.
TREE OF LIFE
Pharmacists and owners/managers of three Shoppers Drug Mart franchises in Burnaby and Coquitlam this month handed over $4,177 to the Royal Columbian Hospital, which serves the Tri-Cities.
Hajera Baqi, Kal Billing and Kirtesh Patel presented the cheque on behalf of pharmacists and owners/managers of five Shoppers locations in Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities.
The money was raised through their Tree of Life campaign from Sept. 14 to Oct. 11, in support of RCH's mental health and substance use program.
TOTEM EVENT
Aboriginal students at James Park elementary raised a totem pole this month at the entrance of the Port Coquitlam school.
Built three years ago at the old school, the students repaired and repainted the pole before transporting it to the current location.
Aboriginal support worker Andrea Hotomanie and aboriginal resource teacher Rob Cowie taught students about protocols for hosting a ceremony and helped with the restoration of the pole.
ELF KYRA
Kyra Gregory, 7, dressed in her Santa elf costume, handed out gifts to people on Vancouver's Hastings Street this month.
The Coquitlam student who goes to Irvine elementary school raised more than $800 and handed out 700 items, including hats, gloves, socks and hand sanitizer to almost 300 people.
She inspired people so much, said her mom Amber, that people started giving her gifts."It's not about what she handed out, it's about the joy she gave everyone," her mom said.
LADDER
Students graduating from Intake 25 Chance to Choose employment program for youth posed with local dignitaries for a photo at a ceremony this month along with members of Intake 23, whose community project LADDER (Letting Art Define Dignity and Empowerment through Recovery) won the National Youth Employment Award.
To find out more about the Port Coquitlam-based program for youth between the ages of 16 and 30, call 604-474-3140.
PHILIPPINE AID
Kiren Chand and her Pitt River middle school students in Port Coquitlam this month delivered a cheque to the Red Cross for $10,531 for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
The students collected the cash by soliciting donations at stores in downtown PoCo and from raising money online.
BIZ FINALISTS
Two Tri-City companies are up for an award for being among the province's best small businesses.
Cloud 9 Float Spa of Coquitlam and Vancouver Tumblebus of Port Coquitlam were named semi-finalists in the best concept category in the Small Business BC Awards contest.
Semi-finalists were selected by B.C. residents through online voting. Nominees had two months to gain as many votes as possible for their business using social media, e-communications and word of mouth.
This year, 417 nominations were received and 37,650 votes collected. The winners will be named in February.
LIBRARY FUN
Nearly 150 people came out to the annual Celebrate the Season at the Port Moody Public Librarythis month.
Kids had a visit with Santa in his big chair and enjoyed the cookies and hot cocoa served up in the galleria, a library spokesperson said.
CHOO CHOO
The CP Rail Holiday Train, which made two stops in the Tri-Cities this month, chugged in a record amount of cash for local food banks across Canada and the U.S.
The company reported $2 million was brought in - as well as 300,000 pounds of food - during the three-week journey to more than 150 communities, including Port Moody and Port Coquitlam.
As part of what was raised during this year's Holiday Train, the Breakfast Club of Canada and Feeding America each received $250,000 from CP in support of their national programs.
The 2013 donation results now push totals since 1999 to close to $9.5 million and 3.3 million pounds of food.
BANNER YEAR
Port Coquitlam's Art Knapp Plantland will be making its biggest donation to date to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation after three successful fundraisers last year.
Owners Wim and Rose Vander Zalm, whose youngest son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of five, will be handing over around $13,000 to the charity - money that was collected at its spring and winter ladies' night and Funland.
