That number, and the database, are impressive, but also can be intimidating to a grassroots initiative needing funds for a local cause, or to a potential donor who wants to be sure their money is well-spent and kept within their own community.

Lorne Harder, Comox Valley Community Foundation president, and Anne Davis from the Comox Valley Transition Society, which this year received $5,000 from the CVCF to renovate the laundry room at Lilli House, their home for women and children who are escaping abusive relationships.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

Luckily for the people of the Comox Valley, one name on the database is the Comox Valley Community Foundation (CVCF). The CVCF is run by locals for locals, giving both donors and recipients a personal, direct connection to the charitable process.

Since it was founded in 1996, the CVCF has given more than $1 million to well over 100 local charitable projects, and to educational institutions through student bursaries. In 2011, it gave away $32,000 to eight projects. The range of the recipients reflects the Comox Valley’s diversity, and the CVCF’s five focus areas: arts and culture, environment, seniors, health and welfare, and education and youth.

The CVCF has supported environmental groups, sports teams, theatres, museums, arts groups, search and rescue, salmon hatcheries, and community forests; it has helped build docks, therapeutic gardens, therapeutic riding facilities, playgrounds, fitness centres, trails, resource centres and a skate park. It addresses issues from homelessness to hunger, to domestic violence, and more.

“It’s nice to be able to support such a tremendous number and diversity of groups,” says Lorne Harder, CVCF president. Harder, an insurance broker, was invited to join the board when his sister, who’d been involved since the Foundation’s inception, stepped off. He says he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“I like to be involved in community and this is my charity of choice. It’s local and very efficient,” says Harder.
This diversity is one of the hallmarks of a community foundation—a special type of grant-making organization that collects and distributes funds within a defined region.

The CVCF is one of 46 community foundations in British Columbia; there are more than 170 in Canada, which together hold more than $2.4 billion in shared assets.

Other than the limited geographical focus, the other defining characteristic of community foundations is their total reliance on an endowment fund. This means that all donations are pooled in a fund that is never spent, but instead invested. The annual earnings are distributed as grants, while the principal stays untouched, and grows continuously as more donations come in.

“The nice thing about this is that people making donations know it is a forever gift—there will always be a community foundation, and their money will always be doing good in the Comox Valley,” says Wendy Lewis, CVCF board member and treasurer. Lewis is a chartered accountant, and like Harder, she stepped up to fill a gap on the Board when her partner, Ben Vanderhorst, stepped down.

When people give money to a community foundation, Lewis explains, they often have the whole community interest at heart and don’t want to direct their support toward one specific issue.

Donors are welcome to target the funds they give to general issues, such as “animal welfare” or “children,” but not to get more specific than that, and most donations go into the general discretionary fund.

“The way this works means you can touch a lot of good things with one donation,” says Lewis.

“Also,” adds Harder, “Because we are broad in focus we can adjust to changing needs in the community.”

The endowment fund ensures the CVCF’s longevity. As the economy waxes and wanes and markets rise and fall, the CVCF will have more or less money to disburse, but their ongoing existence is secured. Donors need to trust that the 17-member board to have an accurate and in-depth understanding of community needs and to respond accordingly, and to steward their money wisely.

“This is not just an oversight board; it’s a very hands-on active board,” says Harder. “Our guidelines specify that we have to have a very diverse board. The first priority is to bring the skill sets needed to run the foundation. Also, we need people who are connected enough to the community, and as broad a representation of the Comox Valley as possible.”

Lewis continues: “So we look for a mix of people from accounting, the school district, hospital and other sectors.”

Because there is so much work involved, the CVCF board attracts people who are truly passionate about the Foundation’s work. For instance, long-term CVCF supporter Richard Graham has contributed both as a volunteer and a donor. Graham is a retired retail jeweler (from Graham’s Jewellers, now run by Graham’s son) who got involved when the CVCF was founded.

“The Foundation was Stan Hagen’s idea and he enlisted people like Richard Swift, Murray Presley and Judith Harder. I was asked to join the board right at the beginning in 1995 and served for five years. I was the Fund Development Chairman for those five years,” Graham recalls.

“We started out with zero money but we had the help and advice of the Vancouver Foundation, which is the biggest community foundation in Canada, and we had just over a million when I left the board.”

“The whole thing was a volunteer effort those first five years,” Graham adds. “We didn’t spend one cent on administration.” Currently, the Foundation hires one part-time staff person, but otherwise is scrupulous about keeping its administrative costs low.

As well as giving copiously of his time, Graham and his wife, Valerie, have donated money regularly over the years. “There are two things I like about giving money to the CVCF,” he says. “The first is that you know the money will keep giving forever. The second is that the interest from the funds goes to charitable and worthy groups in the Comox Valley, rather than off in Vancouver or somewhere else.”

There are many different ways people can contribute to the CVCF, says Graham.

“When I joined we had no money at all. My wife and I made a commitment to give $5,000 before I left the board. We managed that and have been giving ever since. We donate six to eight times a year, mostly through In Memoriam gifts for significant people in our lives who have passed away. It’s so easy to do—you just phone the office and give them your information. It takes just a few minutes. They send a letter to the families of the person who’s passed away, and this has the added benefit of spreading the word about the foundation,” says Graham.

While the donors clearly get a great deal out of their relationship with the CVCF, obviously it is the recipient organizations, and the people they serve, who benefit the most.

“We are very, very, very grateful to the Comox Valley Community Foundation,” says Anne Davis, Program Coordinator at the Comox Valley Transition Society, which this year received $5,000 to renovate the laundry room at Lilli House, their home for women and children who are escaping abusive relationships.

“Try to imagine the state of our laundry room,” Davis says with a laugh, and explains: “We’ve been in operation for 18 years, which means somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 women and children have come through. The laundry room had never been renovated before. It had been poorly laid out to begin with and was in horrible condition. Now it is beautiful, and efficient.

“The CVCF has been great to work with,” she adds. “They are very community-minded and very concerned to be helpful in a practical way.

“And for women who stay at Lilli House, who are in really, really difficult circumstances, this kind of donation sends a powerful message that the community cares about them.”

Davis says the CVCF is much more accessible than most other types of foundations. “These are people we rub shoulders with on a daily basis, who really know our community. With other types of grant applications, we have to spend lots and lots of time explaining and describing where we live—not so with the CVCF.”

The CVCF wants to hear from as wide a variety of charitable organizations as possible. They provide support to grant-seekers by offering an annual granting seminar, which takes potential applicants through the whole application process, making sure they understand what is required and what is and isn’t eligible for funding.

CVCF grants range from $1,000 to $20,000 and can only be given to groups who are a registered charity. The Foundation does not cover regular operating expenses such as staffing, and will not cover 100 per cent of a project’s costs. Beyond that there are few limitations.

In addition to the Transition Society, grant recipients for 2011 included L’Arche Comox Valley, the Cumberland Community Forest Society, the Tsolum River Restoration Society, Comox Valley Project Watershed, the Black Creek Community Association, the Cumberland & District Historical Society, and the Sid Williams Theatre Society Endowment Fund.

In early January, grant recipients and Foundation donors will be guests at a special event called the Grant Tea.

“This annual event is the highlight of our year and what we are all about,” says Kathy Penner, vice chair of the Distribution Committee for CVCF. “We have the pleasure of formally handing cheques to these worthy organizations, and donors learn first-hand about the wide variety of projects that their contributions go toward.”

A total of 10 charities will receive funding for the coming year for a wide range of projects, ranging from equipment for therapeutic riding to archival storage containers for a museum.

The level of competition for funding is variable year by year, says Lewis, depending both on the level of community need and the amount of funds available to give. “Some years we are flush and in others we don’t have enough to fund everyone we’d like to,” she says.

When groups are awarded a grant, they are matched with a board member who helps steward the grant, and who reports back to the other board members.

This is one of the best parts of being a board member, says Lewis. “The biggest reward of all this is seeing things happen. The Comox Valley is my community, and to be able to provide sustained support is a really, really big deal.

“We all tend to live in our own little bubbles, but there are groups that truly are needy and deserving, and when you find them it’s nice to have a foundation with a perpetual income stream to support them.”

There are lots of ways to support the CVCF, says Lewis. “You can just go to the website and hit the “Make a Donation” button. It’s that easy. Or you can make a bequest through your will so that a gift comes out of your estate. You can make a gift of cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, or other assets,” she says.

As a chartered accountant, Lewis is eager to explain that charitable giving can have significant tax benefits. “Under Canadian tax law, for every dollar you give over $200 annually, you get a 43 per cent tax credit. So it costs just 57 cents to donate a dollar. It’s a pretty good bang for your buck. There are also huge tax benefits for gifts of securities, especially those with gains. It’s a real windfall from a tax perspective, for you or your estate.”

While Lewis is of course eager to solicit more donations to CVCF’s endowment fund, she says the foundation is careful not to compete with other local non-profit groups for local funds.

“Our mandate is to support other local charities, not compete with them. We are all contributing to the fabric of a vibrant, healthy Comox Valley. The CVCF doesn’t do our own projects. Instead we get to be really diverse and to give support in small doses, where it can make an immediate, practical difference,” she says.

She and Harder are both deeply appreciative of the work done by the Comox Valley’s many charitable organizations.

“The cool thing about the Comox Valley is that we have a large number of people who are involved in volunteer and charitable work, with an incredibly wide range—whether it’s mountain sports, homelessness, head injuries, children, or so many other issues… it’s so diverse,” says Lewis. “This is a community of giving.” The Comox Valley Community Foundation is clearly an integral part of that.

For more information about the Comox Valley Community Foundation, visit their website at:
www.cvcfoundation.org

Trained Senior Peer Counsellors like Christine (right) are here to help support local seniors like Betty.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

Christmas is a joyous and cherished family and friends time of elation and celebration as folk gather together to share gifts, a fine meal and a sense of bonhomie.

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, for some it is a time of isolation and loneliness in which the glittering profusion of festivities only punctuates the sadness of those who are not part of all the glitz. And in no demographic is this isolation felt more profoundly than with some members of our seniors’ population.

It’s in dealing with the wants and needs of this element of society that Comox Valley Senior Peer Counselling (CVSPC) comes into the mix and works diligently to bring some deserved Christmas cheer to the lives of such residents of our community.

“The older you get, losses occur,” says Colleen Malek, chair of Senior Peer Counselling. “For many years of our lives we have our supports, but then people move away; our friends age, and some of them pass on.  What do you turn to?   It’s reality.  But, whom do you turn to when these life events happen?  Some people end up at a loss and they isolate.”

CVSPC was founded in 1992 as a non-profit society designed to help Valley seniors in overcoming such challenges in life as bereavement, isolation, illness, multiple losses and depression.

With CVSPC, confidential services are provided by trained, compassionate volunteers who are themselves past the age of 50.  The goal of these volunteers is to develop a relationship of trust with the client in which they provide non-judgmental emotional support in order to promote wellness and reduce social isolation.

CVSPC programs include the Visitors program, which provides weekly social visits to lonely housebound seniors, Group Outings for isolated seniors unable to drive, and  Caregiver Support Groups, which meet each month for support, education and social contact.  One group is specifically designed for Alzheimer’s and Dementia caregivers.

As well they offer respite care, where trained volunteers provide a few hours relief per week to caregivers of seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia and individual counseling, where trained volunteers again provide guidance, support and encouragement to seniors facing challenges in their lives.  This is not professional counseling, nor does it replace it.

As far as gender disparities are concerned at this stage of life, Malek says that women are usually better off than men in terms of relationships in later life, and this often results in men being left in the lurch, in the case of couples, if the wife predeceases the husband.

“Women make the social arrangements for the most part, and they have done so for decades throughout the marriage” she says.  “So if the woman dies first the grieving husbands have never really learned how to reach out.  They (the widowers) too often end up turning inward and isolating.”

A very poignant time in this regard is the Yuletide season.  And in that context the CVSPC attempts to bring some light to what should be a joyous season, but is often a huge challenge for seniors—much as it often is for other groups in society.

As far as Christmas is concerned CVSPC arranges outings and various other programs with a seasonal flavor. They take members out to look at Christmas lights and to hear the children’s choir.  Christmas, Malek says, is a time many people find difficult—not just seniors.  But, in the case of seniors the problems can be exacerbated by age and loneliness.

“We try to offer a number of seasonal things,” she says.  “And, as we’re a non-profit much of what we’re able to do depends on the money available.  But it doesn’t need to be elaborate in order to address the need in somebody.  Sometimes it takes something just as simple as a phone call.  Sometimes the person just needs someone to speak to in order to get them thinking in a different way.”

The problem with Christmas, she says, is that there is a huge emotional buildup leading to the day, and then when the 25th arrives, everything closes down and for those who are isolated, this only punctuates their aloneness.

That said, clients of CVSPC can anticipate a special Christmas dinner, albeit not on Christmas Day, and they are booked to hear the Children’s Choir, as well as other seasonal offerings.

And the volunteers are also remembered at Christmas for their tireless efforts.  For them there will be a special luncheon at Crown Isle held in the Christmas season, and for which Crown Isle pays half the cost in recognition of the work that the volunteers do in the community.

The volunteers in CVSPC (whom Malek cites as “wonderful”) regularly do extra for their clients at Christmastime.  At the same time, they are ever-vigilant in not encouraging dependency on the part of a client.  Indeed, the discouragement of dependency is a basic credo of the organization in all their dealings.

“Individual peer support is offered,” she says.  “This is designed to show means of enhancing quality of life, with the idea being that ‘you’ (the client) can change what you do with what is left for you. Ultimately the client is encouraged to move in the direction of being empowered to take action.  The goal is to encourage independence and to not have the volunteer peer counsellor in effect ‘stuck with’ a client.  We try to encourage the attitude that life is a journey not of losses but of change, and acceptance of new realities allows change to take place.”

Of course there are complications in their dealings with seniors, Malek readily concedes.  “There are some clients on the road to dementia and they won’t get better,” she says.  “I had one client who went that route and I simply carried on as an advocate for her even after she moved into a facility.  She seemed to value the tie because she had nobody else.”

While some clients continue to live fulfilling lives well into their 90s, others deteriorate at an earlier stage.  In those cases they are sometimes victims of their genetics, but Malek also firmly believes that attitude plays a major role and volunteer counsellors work diligently to encourage attitude shifts.

“We work to empower,” she says.  “We want to encourage the client to realize that hey, I can do these things.  I don’t need to depend on somebody else to do them for me.”

Malek believes the function of what they do is invaluable in the community and is becoming increasingly vital as the population of the community ages.  She regards the organization is being an aspect of overall health care.

“I’ll give you an example of a reality for an older person,” she says.  “The older person, due to age, loses a driver’s licence.  He or she is left looking at four walls, with little ability to get out and about.  With no outside stimulus they end up getting depressed. This costs the health care system.  Yet, just one outing a week can make a huge difference to that person’s quality of life.”

So, the role of the peer counselor is to have the client realize that even though a change has taken place—the loss of the ability to drive and being left having to rely either on friends or public transit—life can still go on at a quality level.  Adjustments must be made and the counselor must diligently move the client away from turning inward and isolating.

So, outings are set up.  Outings to see Christmas-themed events like the ones mentioned, or outings for shopping.

Meanwhile, Malek is unstinting in her praises for the dynamic and dedicated nature of the CVSPC board through the years.  It has consistently been the glue that has held it all together.

“Without the board there would simply be no society,” she says.  “But, we need people to assume board positions.  We have voids that must be filled if we are to continue as we have been.  We’re looking forward to a new chair and the board definitely needs new blood.”

In that regard Malek, as current chair, notes that she is planning on stepping down as chair, having served the organization for many years.

“The society is rebuilding from the ground up,” she says.  “It’s an exciting time.  With change comes growth.”

For more information about Senior Peer Counselling, and especially if you are interested in volunteering, please contact them at 250-890-0099, or www.cvspc.wordpress.com

-Albert Schweitzer

ValleyLinks workers Tyler Voigt, Jasmine Badrin, Bev Campbell, John Nicholson, Tricia Scavarda, Adda Vallevand and Gail Pasch at their office.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

As with so many worthy organizations in a community that is known for its caring nature, ValleyLinks, “the home of Volunteer Comox Valley,” knows well it could not continue to exist without those who give unstintingly to what it does.

It has been that way right from the beginning back in 1997. But, as technology has changed, so has ValleyLinks—quite radically since its inception, according to executive director Bev Campbell.

While Campbell hasn’t been at ValleyLinks since its inception (she came on board as a volunteer in 2000), the rest has been history, as they say.

“I thought I’d step in for a few months,” she says. “But then I found myself getting intrigued by what was taking place here and when the position of executive director came up, I made a bid for it. And I love it. It’s so exciting here and there have been so many changes in a positive way that I maintain my enthusiasm.”

She adds that the combination of hard-working and dedicated volunteers, combined with an excellent paid staff, keep the business operating in the direction of its vision.

So, what exactly is ValleyLinks? Its projects are threefold: There is ValleyLinks itself, which is designed to build and strengthen communications through collaboration, communication and information technologies; there is Volunteer Comox Valley, which is dedicated to enhancing volunteerism through the delivery of community information resources, services and programs; and there is Community Access Program (CAP), which is the Islands Community Network, which works with communities to develop and implement information and communication technologies in support of Healthy Communities.

So, at one level the umbrella of ValleyLinks is a bit of technology that serves the community, but at a more important level it is a part of that overall network of human services in the community. Both are of equal importance. Funding comes from Industry Canada, and is renewable every year, so Campbell notes they never know for certain if they’ll be able to keep going.

“All funding is annual,” Campbell says. “It runs from April 1 to March 31 each year. However, with the last federal budget there seemed to be a recognition that access is a vital component of a community or area. People have a right to know.”

She notes that the same program funds our libraries, though funding sources for the CAP programs vary.

It is important that ValleyLinks is up-to-the-minute in terms of technology and she notes how the scenario has changed so much since the beginning. At the same time, she adds, “we still get people coming in who don’t know how to send an email, so we can’t assume this technology is second-nature to everyone. Others want to know how to access Skype and other services and they don’t have the equipment at home. This is where we can be of major assistance.”

Among ValleyLinks’ services is free access to computers and the internet as well as training elements such as blog site creation and blog hosting. Meanwhile there is equipment available to the public, such as overhead projectors, digital projectors and screens. And it is here that ValleyLinks’ youth internship program comes into play.

“Our youth interns are excellent in getting people started,” Campbell says. “This program has been a huge success.

The programs run for three months and are designed to develop skills in information and communication technologies, and then to have the interns put those skills to work in the direction of bettering the community. It also enables young people to build their resumes, to work with people and discover how their talents can make a difference.

The Volunteer Centre was created in 2004 and came about with the realization that the public was seeking a “physical centre,” Campbell says. The result of that was the creation of the computer lab. And it has been such a success that it serves up to 3,000 people a year. Current director of Volunteer Services is Adda Vallevand.

The lab consists of nine computers accessible to the public, as well as a printing service. Most of the services are free to the public. “The services are used by people from all walks of life,” Campbell says. “We have affluent users, and homeless people as well. All are welcome.”

She says that the lab has been much more actively used since ValleyLinks set up in its current location at 532 Fifth Street in Courtenay; close to downtown for those traveling on foot.

Campbell is joined by the other full or part time paid employees of ValleyLinks. They include Tyler Voigt, technology coordinator; Jasmine Badrin, provincial CAP coordinator; Gail Pasch, financial coordinator; and John Nicholson, receptionist.

“Despite all the changes over the years, the ValleyLinks website is still very active,” Campbell says. “The primary focus is on the non-profit sector in the community, and we provide access to relevant information. Our motto: ‘Your Gateway to Community Information’ still guides what we do and who we are.”

Since the current age is very much an electronic one in terms of communication, ValleyLinks does a lot of linking to websites. In similar context, for those seeking to get an organization’s message out, ValleyLinks can teach how to create a presence via a blog. It’s free and it satisfies most of the criteria that can be found with a website.

“We have a lot of resources to offer those who don’t have the money to follow more traditional processes,” Campbell says.

She cites as an example a project recently undertaken in the remote and isolated aboriginal community Kingcome Inlet on the Mainland coast following disastrous flooding in September 2010. In its wake the flood left much devastation in the tiny community. “We set up an adult learning centre,” Campbell says. “We provided laptops for the community and they’re housed in the small library and it provides access that they didn’t have in the past.”

Tricia Scavarda and Adda Vallevand gear up to make this holiday season a safe driving one with the help of Operation Red Nose.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

ORN is a Canada-wide designated-driver program that was first launched in Quebec back in 1984. It’s designed to make a free driver service available to those who have been drinking or do not feel fit to drive and it allows members of the public to arrive home safely in their own vehicles. The service is free, but donations are gratefully accepted—donations are turned over to youth programs.

“We receive no outside funding for this,” Campbell says. “We do it through sponsorships and people have been very generous. The Lions’ Clubs have made significant donations, as has the City of Courtenay and the Comox Fire Department, and we’re grateful to them all. Last year we got a considerable sum from an anonymous donor and that kept it going.”

This year ORN has commitments from the City of Courtenay, the Comox Valley Record, the local RCMP Detachment and Sure Copy, as well as many local volunteers.

The objective of ORN is an obvious one, and that is “to keep everybody safe in the Christmas season.”

“If somebody is in an accident it impacts so many people,” Campbell says. “Thanks to our volunteers we can avoid that as much as possible.”

In regards to the volunteers, she adds, there is a desperate need for people to come on board and lend a hand. If you can spare some time, ORN would love to hear from you.

“If you are looking for a fun opportunity to give back to the community and keep our roads safer, either as a volunteer, a local supporter, or if your organization would like to volunteer as a team, please contact us,” Campbell says.

The ORN process demands three volunteers for each car that expedites a vehicle owner to his or her home. There is a driver, a navigator, and an escort who operates the vehicle of either the driver or navigator so that they can be picked up when the delivery is made to the home of the owner.

“And for volunteering there is great food as a bonus,” Campbell says. “Dishes are provided by various Valley restaurants.”

She adds that they would like to assure that everybody who might overindulge has a safe ride home. That is the goal, but she admits that no matter how many teams ORN has, it can’t meet the whole demand, even if that might be the objective.

As a final note for prospective ORN volunteers; no alcohol whatsoever may be consumed by the volunteers on the day of their service.

This year ORN will run every Friday and Saturday night until December 31 (excluding December 23 and 24) from 9pm to 3am in Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland and Royston.

For more information on ValleyLinks and/or Operation Red Nose call 250-804-8063 or visit their website: www.valleylinks.net

“The bottom line is that cw$ is all about networking and community collaboration,” says Michael Linton, left, with Pieter Vorster. “It is a way of empowering local business, individuals, and non-profit associations by providing a hand-up, not a hand-out, and supporting the local economy.”

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

They may be from different parts of the world and have completely diverse business backgrounds, but a common interest in building an economically sustainable community has Comox Valley residents Michael Linton and Pieter Vorster collaborating on a unique local project.  They call it ‘Community Way’ and it is just one of many systems of an ‘open money’ program.

“Open money is simply a means of exchange freely available to all,” explains Linton.  “Any community, any business, any association—indeed anybody—can have their own money system.  The basic premise of open money is that it is not just banks and governments that can create currency—we can do it ourselves and, in many ways, we can do it better, creating money networks that truly serve the community of users.”

While Vorster is fairly new to the project, Linton has been developing community currencies for almost 30 years.  He began his research in 1982, when a recession had rocked our country, interest rates shot sky-high, and people of the Comox Valley (and elsewhere) complained that there was ‘no money’ to be earned, spent or invested.

Linton, an articulate and well-educated man who emigrated from the United Kingdom and holds an engineering degree and an MBA, among other professional designations, was one of few who were not discouraged.  He began working on a system that he believed would generate and keep ‘money’ in the Comox Valley.  This was about the same time the LETSystem, a model that has reportedly since been replicated more than 3,000 times around the world, was conceived.  The ‘LETS’ name is based on the concept of LETS PLAY, which is an open invitation to all to come and go freely, play safe, and make everyone a winner.

After considerable research and development of a LETS model, in 1999, Linton launched a pilot project based on similar principles in the Comox Valley.  Rather than printed bills, it used ‘Smart Card’ technology to keep track of the currency transactions.  The ingenious system caught the attention of social activists and the media nation-wide.  Linton’s community currency project was profiled in Maclean’s Magazine and other national news media.

“Unfortunately, both the technology and the concept of open money were a little ahead of their time,” recalls Linton.  “We were considered cutting edge in a community that wasn’t ready to embrace change.  I am pleased to report, however, that the Community Way open money program, launched in the Comox Valley in 2009, has been highly successful.”

If you are like me, you are still trying to get your head around the concept of community currency and are challenged to ‘think outside the bank.’   You have raised your eyebrows and are wiggling in your seat wanting to ask questions.  “Who prints and distributes the money?  What are the tax implications?  Is it like a discount or a coupon?  Is it legal?”

As a business owner specializing in social media solutions and website development, Vorster is used to having to spell things out to people who don’t get it.  He smiles sympathetically and clarifies in his gentle South African accent that this current protocol of open money systems is called Community Way dollars (cw$).  It is loosely based on the old-fashioned barter system.  Remember, the good old days when a doctor might get paid for a house call with a live chicken and a sack of potatoes?  In today’s society, that would not likely be considered a fair trade.  After all, not everyone wants a chicken and you can’t pay your bills with potatoes!  Also, with the barter system, there are tax implications of not claiming revenue earned.  And bartering can devalue products sold or services offered. Trading in cw$ brings these old-fashion ideals right back into fashion.

Another analogy that may be more familiar to consumers, says Vorster, is to think of Community Way dollars in terms of Canadian Tire dollars or Airmiles®.  These two examples are widely accepted and perfectly legal.  You simply collect credits/points, then spend or redeem them according to parameters established by the participating businesses.  One important distinction between the Community Way program and other points programs, however, is that the cw$ are valued in units equivalent in measure to the national currency.  For example, cw$1 equals exactly CAD$1.  The other important difference is that is not just one store honoring the money, but many.

The existing Comox Valley Community Way program is administered by an open money development group, which operates like a limited liability partnership or LLP.  It is not a non-profit association and does not hold charitable status.  It is just an informal, not-for-profit community service organization.  While Linton, Vorster, and others have put some cold, hard Canadian cash into the system in order to launch the program, most of their investment over the years has been in sweat equity and time.

Community Way dollars are printed in denominations of cw$1, cw$5, cw$10, cw$20, and a series of commemorative cw$100 bills.  Like traditional currency, they are difficult to duplicate.  This money is managed and accounted by the development group and put into circulation when a business signs up for the program and elects to make a donation of cw$ to the local not-for-profit group of their choice.  The business is also asked to pay an optional registration fee, in cw$ of course, to help cover operational costs of the program.  Some transactions also take place online, as Community Way participants have the ability to access and manage their own cw$ account.

It is important to note, says Linton, that businesses make their donation to charities in cw$, not Canadian currency.  Their commitment of cw$ is recorded in a ledger, very much like bank transaction (only there is no interest charged on the balance owing).  If, at some time in the future, the business decides to cancel their participation in the program, they are obligated to honor the money they have issued by directing cw$ they have accepted from customers to bring their balance owing back to zero.

At present, close to 40 local charities are benefiting from cw$ donations.  This includes a few schools and community groups such as the Comox Valley Hospice Society, the Boys and Girls Club, Lush Valley Food Action Society, Dawn to Dawn, Kitty Cat PALs, and others.  Non-profits interested in being on the beneficiary list should contact Community Way for more information.

The non-profit group receiving the cw$ donation may issue a tax receipt to the business and then spend the gifted cw$, no differently than cash, at any one of about 75 participating businesses in the Comox Valley. Current participating businesses include everything from food and lodging to health and wellness, business services, music lessons, sports, entertainment and more.  Each business sets the parameters as to what percentage of a bill may be paid with cw$.  Some businesses accept 100 per cent cw$.  Others, such as restaurants, may accept only 50 per cent.  A gas station may only take part at 10 per cent.

For example, if a product or service costs $50 plus HST (for a total of $56), you may be able to pay $36 in Canadian currency (or on your credit/debit card) and the $20 balance with cw$.  The business is still required to calculate the tax on the total amount of the sale and record the cw$ in their till as another form of payment.  The non-profit may also ‘gift’ cw$ to staff or volunteers as a measure of appreciation, or sell them to supporters as a fundraiser, as a way to generate Canadian currency.

For anyone with a soft spot for charities—but not a lot of time to volunteer or Canadian currency to give— this is an excellence way to market products and services while doing something good for your community. By enabling non-profits and any business participating in the program to pay a portion of your fee with cw$ you are, essentially, reducing their hard costs, without de-valuing your services.  The end result will always be money in a customer‘s pocket that is ready to be spent with a community-based business, which then continues the cycle.  It truly is a win-win-win situation.

“Our launch of the new cw$ program this time around was highly successful due, in part, to the participation of Adil Amlani from SURE Copy and Print Centre in Courtenay,” says Linton.  “Adil was the ‘glue’ that initially held the program together.  He had a good client base and a service that most people can use at some time or another.  Once he joined the program, other businesses followed.  There is now more than cw$140,000 circulating in the Comox Valley.”

The main idea behind the community currency is that the money stays in the Comox Valley.  Vorster can attest to the fact that with Community Way dollars, what goes around does indeed come around.  “I once drew a little cartoon on a cw$ bill and, months later, that same cw$ came back to me,” he says with a laugh.

Vorster adds that he has also used cw$ as an effective means to build his home-based business, Continual Palingenesis.  “I am from South Africa and I met my wife, Caila Halbrook, while working as a magazine editor in Taiwan,” explains Vorster.  “Caila is from Powell River, so we eventually moved to Canada.  We settled in the Comox Valley and, while my wife was able to find work, I was not.  After I had exhausted all options for employment I decided to start my own business. When I went to SURE Copy, to order promotional materials, Adil told me about Community Way.”

Like most people, Vorster’s first reaction was, “What’s in it for me?

“Because I believe in social activism and I needed to build my business, I registered with the program and started to give to my community,” explains Vorster.  “As soon as I started to give, I started to get back. Within two years I had succeeded in creating a viable small business in a community where I formerly could not secure a job!  What was in it for me was the satisfaction of knowing that when I did something good for my community, I was rewarded.”

Before they fully understand the program, charities invited to become part of the Community Way program also often echo the ‘What’s in it for me’ mantra.  Some are just a bit apprehensive; others have turned down the opportunity to be involved.  Considering that most non-profit groups are managed by a volunteer board of directors who are accountable to their membership and to the government, their concerns are understandable.  Change is hard to accent, sometimes even harder to implement.  Once they accept their first donation and the cw$ start circulating, participating charities soon realize the benefits and reap the rewards.

Project Watershed is a prime example.  This enterprising non-profit society works in partnership with local stewardship organizations, industry and all levels of government, to promote community stewardship of local rivers and streams, fish spawning areas, and wetlands.  Project Watershed was one of the first non-profits to benefit from a cw$ donation and have made good use of the ‘money.’  Over the past two years they have received more than 16,000 in cw$ donations from Comox Valley businesses.  The organization openly acknowledges this fact on its website:  “We are thankful to local businesses for supporting our cause and helping to restore and protect the unique and diverse habitats of the Comox Valley.  We use cw$ in our everyday operations and, of the cw$16,000 that was donated to date, we have exchanged or spent approximately cw$14,000.”

The Comox Valley Community Way program can now be deemed a success and other communities in British Columbia are showing an interest in developing their own system of community currency.  A replication of the program for Powell River is in its infancy; another in the Kootenay Region has been launched, and several communities in Vancouver are considering implementing the program, too.

“The bottom line is that cw$ is all about networking and community collaboration,” concludes Linton.  “It is a way of empowering local business, individuals, and non-profit associations by providing a hand-up, not a hand-out, and supporting the local economy.”

For information on the Comox Valley Community Way program visit www.communityway.ca or call Pieter Vorster at 250.792.2874.

For information on open money systems in general, visit www.openmoney.org.

For most of the people the Care-A-Van tends to, “their first contact with the medical system is the emergency room, and that’s the most costly way to deal with them,” says Tom Grant. “They end up in acute care beds, which cost about $2,200 a night. We are saving the healthcare system hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.”

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

It’s a blustery Friday in September and the weekly lunchtime soup kitchen at St. George’s United Church in downtown Courtenay is just getting started.  The church is busy—people coming, people going, and people hanging out, alone or in clusters, on the steps and the grassy lawn.

These are the community’s down and out.  The challenges they face are complex, as are the challenges they present to our society, which often can’t figure out what to do with such people.  A warm meal, served up by friendly volunteers in a warm place, helps.

The scene is just like any soup kitchen in any small BC city.  But at noon something quite unique happens—a sleek motor home, impeccably painted in earth tones with two stylish wavy stripes, pulls up outside the church and opens its doors.  A couple of minutes later one of the women standing on the lawn walks over to the van, pokes her head in, and asks, “Can you help me?”

The answer is definitely yes.

This is the Care-a-Van, a mobile medical clinic that travels around Courtenay, literally taking healthcare to the streets.  It is the only one of its kind west of Calgary.

Each week it has regular shifts at St. George’s, the Maple Pool Campground, the Washington Inn, and the shacks on Headquarters Road.

In its customized, precisely-ordered interior, the Care-a-Van contains all the equipment a regular doctor’s office would have.  It’s staffed by a volunteer driver and two volunteer medical professionals, usually one doctor and one nurse.

These staff provide not just medical care (including dental and eye care) but also warm clothes, referrals to helping agencies, links to housing, and a sympathetic ear.  As Care-a-Van volunteers, they understand the complex realities of their clients’ lives.  While changing a dressing or administering medication, they may be dispensing information or advice that gets that client set up with housing, a disability pension, education, or employment, setting them on a path to a more stable, independent life.

The Care-a-Van costs only about $25,000 a year to run, and it saves the healthcare system hundreds of thousands of dollars by providing frontline care to the vulnerable, thus keeping them out of the emergency ward, which is where they otherwise tend to end up.

The Care-a-Van is the most visible manifestation of Dawn to Dawn, a Comox Valley non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness in the Comox Valley.  Less visible, but equally important to this goal, is Dawn to Dawn’s residential program.  This provides homes for 17 people, all formerly homeless, along with independence planning support and programs to increase life skills, health and employability.

Doctor Simon Colgan and the mobile Care-A-Van tend to patients who often fall through the cracks in the healthcare system.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

Dawn to Dawn owes its success to quite a number of dedicated people.  One of the foremost of these is board member Tom Grant.  This former business owner and current Comox Councilor was one of the driving forces behind the organization’s start-up.

“In 2006, I served as the president of Comox Rotary Club,” Grant recalls.  “Every year we’d raise tens of thousands of dollars and we’d give it away based on requests that came in.  I wanted to be more proactive for my year.  So we struck a committee to find out what the most pressing need was.  Those committee members went out and did their research and came back and said it was drug addiction and homelessness.

“So, in our naivety, we set aside $15,000 and said let’s do something about homelessness.  Along the way, I got given the name of [Comox Valley nurse] Helen Boyd and was told that she knew a lot about homelessness,” says Grant.  Once Boyd and Grant connected, things really got moving.

“We got together for a cup of coffee on a hot Friday in April,” Grant says with a smile.  By the end of that first meeting, they’d decided on their first step—to hold a public meeting about homelessness.

“We really didn’t know what to expect.  We had no preconceived notion about whether we’d have five or 20 people.  In fact, 70 people came—it was incredible.  The result was a decision to start a non-profit organization dedicated to solving homelessness.”

The name Dawn to Dawn came from a homeless person who joined the board, and it expresses the intention of providing protection 24 hours a day.

Now with a name, a general mandate, and a team of leaders, Dawn to Dawn had to figure out just what to do.  There followed about a year of what Grant modestly calls “stumbling along,” but which in all likelihood was a time of intense learning, as D2D’s board looked for an answer to the vexing question, “How do you stop homelessness?”

Today, Grant has a quick and short response to that question: “The answer is Kindergarten-simple—you house people.”

D2D has done just that.  “We found out that the Ministry of Housing and Social Development would give people $375 a month for housing.  We thought, ‘why don’t we rent some two-bedroom apartments and sublet each bedroom to a homeless person?’”

They soon found sympathetic landlords, who value having D2D as a reliable, long-term tenant they can rely on.  Within months, D2D had seven two-bedroom apartments.  D2D paid the rent and utilities, furnished the apartments (all through donations), found the tenants, helped them move in, and helped them find medical care, employment counseling, life skills training and other types of support.

The apartments have housed 50 people since the first one opened in July 2008.  One part-time coordinator, currently funded by the Vancouver Foundation, works with volunteers and keeps the program functioning effectively.

Ideally, this housing marks a turning point for people, providing a springboard which helps them leave homelessness definitively behind.

“We like to graduate people out of the program,” says Grant.  “For instance, this one guy—once we got him into stable housing, he started writing resumes.  It’s pretty hard to look for a job when you don’t have an address or phone, hard to manage an interview when you don’t have a place to shower, change, or store your stuff.  So after about two weeks this guy got a job.  That was 2008 and he still has that job.  Once he was ready, he told us he wanted to get his own apartment.  Our last bit of help was to give him some furniture and help him move.”

For many clients, the situation is made more challenging by mental health and addiction issues.  In these cases, the stability provided by the housing, coupled with the support D2D offers, helps them get these issues under control, whether that means getting back on their meds, recovering their physical health, attending counseling, or learning about detox programs.

In many cases, homelessness is as much a health issue as it is a housing issue, says Grant.  It was that realization that led to the launch of D2D’s Care-A-Van.

“Helen had the idea of converting an old van.  We wondered how much this would cost.  The first guy we talked to was Barry Willis at Sunwest RV.  If you’ve ever met Helen—well….” he says with a chuckle, remembering her effect on Willis.  “She’s very passionate, and she explained her vision to Barry.  Well, she and Barry hit it off and he said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’”

As it turned out, he could do a lot, explains Grant.

“Three months later, he phoned us up and said he had a motorhome that meets our requirements.  Not only that, his crew volunteered their time on weekends and evenings, and remodeled it according to our specifications—well, according to Helen’s,” says Grant, smiling.

The Care-a-Van hit the streets in spring 2009 and very soon had a steady flow of clients.

The Van’s clients tend to be the people who fall through the cracks in our healthcare system, notes Grant.  “Many of these are what are called medical orphans—they don’t have a family doctor.  Many doctor’s practices are full and the last thing they want to take on is a big problem,” he says.  “And most homeless people are unlikely to go to a clinic or doctor’s office because it’s just not part of their world.  They often feel shame, especially if they are drug addicts, and don’t want to expose themselves to judgment or interference from authorities.

“Many of our clients are people who have no connection to the system at all, and don’t want to.  A lot of them have mental health problems and are scared of everything and everyone.

“As a result, for most of these people the first contact with the medical system is typically the emergency room, and that’s the most costly way to deal with them,” adds Grant.  “They end up in acute care beds, which cost about $2,200 a night.  We are saving the healthcare system hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.”

Furthermore, the Van provides a complexity of care that most doctors in clinics couldn’t begin to match.  Not only does the staff provide information and referrals, they develop relationships with their clients and potential clients.  Sometimes these relationships are the most valuable part of what happens in the Van.

Grant illustrates this point with the story of a homeless man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

“He wouldn’t talk to anyone.  He wouldn’t come near us.  Helen started leaving him boiled eggs.  She started to gain his trust.  Eventually she convinced him to come into the Care-a-Van and she took his blood pressure, which was way too high.  And his diet was terrible.  She got a mental health and addiction worker to come out of his office and meet the guy.  Then she took the guy into their office and introduced him around.  He started to feel comfortable.

“Once that happened, they got him back on his meds and helped him get a disability pension, and now he’s housed.  Recently, he asked Helen for a crock-pot and he’s making his own meals.  His nutrition is better; his blood pressure is down.”

It’s these kinds of stories that keep Grant, and other D2D volunteers, motivated to be part of a project that sometimes rubs their noses in human misery.

The biggest challenge facing Dawn to Dawn is finding a stable source of funding.  Grant points out that other similar organizations, such as Our Place in Victoria, receive government funding.  He is frustrated to see the City of Courtenay moving forward with plans to build an emergency homeless shelter, because based on his experience this is not the best use of public funds.

“Emergency shelters don’t solve the problem.  All over North America, they are being closed down in favor of providing more long-term housing.  The idea of building an emergency homeless shelter with a million dollars a year in operating costs—that’s lunacy.  If you gave a million dollars to Dawn to Dawn, there’d be no more homelessness in the Comox Valley.”

He shakes his head ruefully and then changes the subject.  Dawn to Dawn achieves plenty even with its limited budget, and that is what he most wants to talk about.

“Let me tell you about our latest scheme: we put out a press release about a month ago saying we are looking for used RVs.  We’ll give people a tax receipt for their donation.  Rotary has offered to clean them up for us, and then we can give them out.  We’ve got five so far,” he says.

Another new project is a homeless soccer league, which started up in July, and plans are underway for a winter bowling league.  These provide an opportunity to get moving, socialize, build self esteem, and focus on something beyond survival.  It’s also an outreach opportunity for D2D: someone might come to soccer and learn about the Care-a-Van, then they might be placed in housing, and from there, they just might find their way to independence— thus helping Dawn to Dawn fulfill its goal of eradicating homelessness in the Comox Valley.

For more information visit: www.dawntodawn.org.

Newcomer’s Club members get together for an early morning winter walk. “For me I think it has made the difference between me really liking this place and not,” says member Bev White, who movd here three years ago. “I know it is easy to meet people, but it is so much easier to meet people this way.”

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

The Comox Valley Newcomer’s Club is a social group for women who have moved to the Comox Valley within the past two years.  “We help to make women who are new to the Valley feel comfortable, meet friends and learn as much about the Valley as they can,” says ex-Ottawa native and current Newcomer’s Club president, Julie Tuepah.

The club currently has 156 members, which makes it the second largest in Canada.  The Calgary club is the largest and also the oldest as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.   Club composition varies from city to city.  The Comox Valley club is a women’s only organization, but male partners and spouses are able to attend about a third of the club’s many activities.

There are activities to suit everyone listed on the Comox Valley Newcomer’s Club’s website, including music, garden and five different bridge groups.  “There’s a range of activities for everybody,” says Tuepah.  “If you’re active and you want to walk, or hike or ski there are those activities.  There’s bridge, if you want reading groups, you want knitting, you want stitching groups, if you want to go to a show—whatever somebody is interested in doing, then they can set up an activity.  People sign up for it, the convenor is responsible for seeing that the activity runs, setting a time, a date and a place, and you go from there.  So really there’s nothing stopping you from doing what you want to do and you’ve got a group of people that you can do it with.”

The club executive organizes the monthly meetings at the Florence Filberg Centre where people can join the club, promote an activity and hear a presentation about the Comox Valley from a guest speaker.  The January speaker was Ian Kennedy who gave an overview of his book, The Life and Times of Joseph McPhee.

Tuepah’s post on their website about Kennedy’s presentation demonstrates how the Newcomer’s has helped her to know her way around:  ”I couldn’t help but think of my first few months in the Valley when I only had a few places as landmarks, and now after almost three years, I could recognize almost all of the places mentioned by Ian.  Participating in the Friday walks, Pub Nights, Appy Nights, Coffee Parties, Luncheons, and other activities, helped me find my way around the towns very quickly and in great company!”

Judy Francis, currently past president of the National Newcomer’s Council, described the thinking that goes into choosing the speakers.   “Because of the nature of the ladies that are joining, they’re very outgoing and they want to know about the community.  So what we try to do is get people who can talk about different things, like different environmental issues and what’s happening in the Valley.  For example, we’ve had speakers talk about bald eagles and we’ve had the harbour master from Comox come in.  To me that is the focus of the speakers—to educate people about what is happening around them in their new environment.”

When Francis moved here from Calgary four and a half years ago she heard about the Newcomer’s Club but was not predisposed to join.   “When I came here someone said I should join Newcomer’s and I had this vision of Newcomer’s being a bunch of old women who didn’t do anything and I fought against it.  Then one person said, ‘No Judy, you are completely wrong—it is the opposite, give it a try.’  Well, obviously, I did.”  She jumped right in and has held many positions including president of the Comox Valley Club, liaison to National Council, and last year, national president.

The National Council assists the 60 clubs and approximately 6,000 members across Canada.  The Comox Valley is gaining population and thus the club is growing and vibrant.   As national president, Francis worked with many clubs that were shrinking due to economic factors and out-migration.

Given her initial reluctance and now her broad perspective, I asked Judy what she tells people to entice them to try out Newcomer’s.  “I ask them to give it a try.  It’s not for everybody.  But generally once they come on one of the Friday morning walks, which I encourage, and come for coffee afterwards, they’re pretty much smitten.  Because the women are wonderful, and there’s somebody here that they’re going to relate to probably and then they’ll start meeting more people and it just grows.

“You’ll go from knowing nobody to knowing more people than you’ve known in your whole life in about three or four months.  It’s absolutely phenomenal!  I play a lot of tennis here with local ladies who have lived here all their lives and they’re very envious of how many people we know, but, that’s the way it is.”

You can only belong to the Newcomer’s Club for three years.  After that you can continue through an alumni association or some people keep their activity groups in place and just carry on.  The club’s publicity coordinator Judi Murakami, formerly from Victoria, is in her third year.  “I didn’t know about Newcomer’s until I read about it in the paper here,” says Murakami of how she became involved with the club.  “So I came to a meeting and I thought, ‘Oh there’ll be about seven women in the room.’  I walked in and there was 100 women!  I’d never seen such a big group in Courtenay.  I was quite amazed at all the diverse activities and it was a great way to meet people and see the Valley.”

One of the things Murakami enjoys the most is the constant influx of new members.  “In Newcomer’s we have a lot of new people coming in and of course people will move on so there is a constant flow of people.  And it’s quite neat when you go to a meeting you have all these new people at the front.  And, every meeting there are new people standing up there.”

The Alumni walking group has joined us for coffee because their Friday morning walking group had coincidentally been out on the same route.   Prior to writing this article I believed that the Newcomer’s Club was just for retired people who could go for walks and coffee mid day, mid week.  That is not the case—to serve the younger new residents there is the Betwixt & Betweeners group.  It is open to newcomers who are age 55 and under and their spouses and partners, with activities planned for evenings and weekends.

Jo-Anne Vandermeulen, formerly from Yorkton, is the club’s website and newsletter editor.  She described her experience with Betwixt & Betweeners.  “Every month is different.  Last month I believe it was bowling, this month it’s games night, the other month it was dinner at one of the local restaurants.  It’s good because you can mix with your own age group.”

Everyone seems to have the same enthusiasm for the Newcomer’s Club as the following survey of one table of women revealed.  I asked them to tell me their favorite activity.  “I enjoy doing something almost every day because of Newcomer’s,” says Val Brown.  “Exploring the Valley and learning what’s what and what’s where.  I do walking and stitching and the lunches, and, the women’s time out.  We have lots of fun, meet lots of people.  It is the best!”

Sue Martin can’t choose her favourite activity.  “I’m involved in different activities and I can’t say that I do have a favorite.  I like to walk and I’m in a book club and a gardening group.  I’m in food groups, so, I enjoy them all.”

Adds Betty Lou Rattray:  “I have two favorite activities—one of them is belonging to our garden club and the second one is our biking club.  We go out once a week, cycling in the area, in residential areas and parks and paths, exploring.”

Given the weather this morning Shirley Palahicky offers an understandable answer for a true newbie when she says:  “I’m too new to have an opinion about all the activities but I enjoy the walks, particularly when it is sunny.”

Other members are quick to point out the benefits of being in a club like Newcomer’s.  “Coming to the Valley and just being able to meet people who are going through exactly the same things you are—you know, who knows an electrician, somebody who can fix your pipes, a good landscape gardener and all the things people are going through when they first come to a new area.  And have friends to do it with and get advice, it is just amazing,” says Sue Newman.  “I do pub and grub, home décor, and walking and coffee and lunch and appy night.  There are still lots of things that I’d like to do.  You dive in and get to know lots of people when you do it, so it’s wonderful.”

The club is not just inwardly focused on the needs of its members.  The Newcomer’s Club actively participates in the community, donating to the Coast Realty Christmas hamper program and through an annual targeted fundraising project.  This year the club is raising funds for the Comox Valley Transition Society.  For the last three years they have received the Spirit Award from the Vancouver Island Heart & Stroke Foundation for the club’s efforts in the Big Bike Ride fundraiser.

Club vice-president Bev White credits Newcomer’s for her involvement in other community fundraising projects.  White, along with many other members, is helping with the upcoming musical Have a Heart, which runs at the Florence Filberg Centre from February 11-13.  The production will raise funds for the Central & Northern Vancouver Island United Way, St. Joseph’s General Hospital Foundation and the Comox United Church.  The musical is being directed by Gloria Herauf, an accomplished theatre director from Saskatchewan, who is a member of the Comox Valley Newcomer’s Alumni.

Bev White had lived in North Vancouver most of her life before moving to the Valley three years ago.  “For me I think it has made the difference between me really liking this place and not, because I know it is easy to meet people, but, it is so much easier to meet people this way.”

The club, White adds, has helped both her and her partner make the transition to a new community.  “I was told that it is women only because it is typically women who go out and get involved when people move to a new community.  But then you bring your partner or husband along and pretty soon they’re off and running.”

Despite the gloomy weather and their wet clothes, the room is alive with the group’s laughter, warmth, and friendliness.  Judy Francis explained why she thinks the club is so vibrant:  “I would say over 70 per cent of the people who come here come for a lifestyle change, like hiking, biking, walking, all sorts of things.  So the person who is moving to the Comox Valley is young at heart—maybe not young at age—and looking for friends, looking for activities.  So there’s just a vibrancy about it and people kind of feed off each other.”

The Comox Valley Newcomer’s Club meets the first Monday of each month at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay.  Meetings start at 7 pm, show up early to socialize or join the club.  For more information phone Pat at 250-331-0743 or visit www.cvnewcomers.blogspot.com

Volunteers Fay and Ken Jones get ready for the start of the Sharing the Christmas Spirit Hamper Program at Coast Realty, with coordinator Rob Phillips (in booth). More than 650 hampers will be distributed this year.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

The students at George P. Vanier Secondary School in Courtenay lug extra-heavy backpacks to school for several weeks each December. Principal Charlie Schellinck watches them with a mixture of pride and nostalgia as they make their way to their classrooms and drop food donations into the Sharing the Christmas Spirit collection boxes.

It is not just Vanier students that are carrying extra food to school this time of year. Almost every classroom in every school throughout Districts 71 and 93, and the Christian School, are involved with the program. Of the 650 hampers distributed every Christmas, close to 300 come from local schools. Individuals, churches, businesses, service clubs and community groups sponsor the rest. The Salvation Army has a similar hamper program and distributes an additional 750-plus hampers to families in our community.

For Schellinck, Sharing the Christmas Spirit brings back bittersweet memories of Christmases past. Today, most people identify the program with the Coast Realty Group but it was Schellinck’s mother, Tucky, who was the inspiration for this particular program. Tucky started distributing food and clothing to people in the Comox Valley in 1962. By the 1970s, with the help of many volunteers and the Catholic Women’s League, the program had expanded to include several hundred Christmas hampers. In 1987, for example, records show that 772 hampers were distributed to a total of 2,765 Comox Valley residents and more than $40,000 in cash donations was received. All of this was orchestrated from the basement of the Schellinck’s family home.

“Our basement,” explains Schellinck, “was always stuffed with food, gifts and clothing for people in need. My father, Hank, was the principal at Vanier at the time and both mom and dad were very involved with the Catholic Church. We learned from an early age to consider the needs of others first. I will never forget the time when I was a boy and we were sitting down as a family to enjoy a nice home cooked meal. There was an unexpected knock at the door and Mom opened it to find a young man on our doorstep asking for food to feed his hungry family. She gathered the food right off our table, packaged it up and gave it to him. I don’t remember what we ate that night… but I think his family enjoyed roast beef.”

Schellinck’s sister, Marian Duke, agrees. “The really neat thing about our mom was that she was always giving,” adds Duke. “Our mother truly put the giving spirit of Christmas into perspective for us. We were so proud when she was recognized for her lifelong commitment of caring and was honored with the Order of Canada in 1988. Not one to want to be in the limelight, she accepted the award on behalf of all of the volunteers in the Comox Valley.”

In 1988, Hank Schellinck retired and he and Tucky moved from their home on McPhee Avenue to a beach house. The idea was that Mrs. Schellinck would also retire and stop collecting for the food hampers. She recruited husband and wife realtor team, Brent and Donna Cunliffe, to take over the program—keeping an ever-watchful eye on their progress. Later, the Cunliffe’s became part of the Coast Realty Group and the effort was re-named the Sharing the Christmas Spirit Hamper Program. It is now a registered not-for-profit society.

In 1998, Rob Phillips moved from Vancouver to the Comox Valley and joined Coast Realty. He was assigned to be coordinator for School District 71’s hamper collection program. When the Cunliffe’s retired in 2009, Phillips was voted by acclamation to oversee the entire program.

Phillips explains that Sharing the Christmas Spirit is now a massive community effort that has long outgrown a basement. Every year the call goes out to the community for the donation of at least 3,500-square feet of warehouse space to store and sort donations. “It is always a challenge to find space,” says Phillips, “but someone always comes through.”

Once space is secured, Budget Rent-a-Car donates the use of a moving truck and hampers are collected from the schools. Over a period of 18 days straight an army of volunteers, coordinated by Ken and Fay Jones, put in long hours to ensure that every hamper has all of the necessary items. The Liquor Control Licensing Branch donates hundreds of stuffed toys; Dairyland provides several hundred litres of milk, and Courtenay Country Market, the local media and a number of other local businesses contribute time, funds, products or discounts on merchandise.

On delivery day—this year it is December 22—a posse of more than 100 volunteer drivers arrive to pick up and deliver two big rubber totes filled with food, gifts and community spirit to each of the selected individuals and families registered with the program. The hampers are delivered to homes from Fanny Bay to Black Creek, as well as Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland. In the past, a few hampers have even been delivered to Denman and Hornby Islands. The total value of this effort is now in excess of $100,000.

The Coast Realty hamper program is only one of several goodwill initiatives in the Comox Valley. To avoid duplicating services and ensure as many people as possible benefit from the various programs, Coast Realty works in cooperation with the Salvation Army and others to compare and streamline lists of potential recipients.

Dian Smit, owner of North Island Nerds on Site, says that words alone can not express how emotionally overwhelming it is to be on the receiving end of a Christmas hamper.

Smit’s two sons are now grown up and she is successfully operating a home-based business that provides mobile computer support to businesses and individuals, but there was a time in her life where it was hard to be optimistic about what the future might hold. Christmas, for her, was just an ominous date on the family calendar, a reminder of how difficult it was going to be to be able to afford food, let alone gifts, for her children. For six consecutive years, receiving a Christmas hamper a few days before Christmas gave her hope.

“It was a couple of years after my divorce,” recalls Smit. “I was a single mom on social assistance with two pre-school age boys. I began looking for a job when the boys started school. I had graduated from high school and earned a computer sciences diploma from Camosun College in Victoria, so finding a job should have been easy. However, during the eight years I was busy raising my boys, the computer industry had made a dramatic shift from mainframes to personal computers. My skills and knowledge were outdated.”

For the next three-and-a-half years, Smit attended North Island College and worked between semesters to earn money. For the first couple of years, Smit signed up for the hamper program on her own. Later, when she felt she was managing okay, she did not. Someone in the community, however, recognized her struggle and put her name on the list as a gesture of kindness and support.

“The hampers provided me with enough food for about three weeks,” explains Smit. “In addition to lifting my sprits, it gave my food budget a break and enabled me to buy warm clothes for the boys and to have some extra money to pay the hydro bill. Most people don’t realize it but things like shampoo and toilet paper that we normally take for granted are a most welcome addition to the hampers. Every donation to a food bank or hamper program is appreciated. Two packages of spaghetti and a bag of oatmeal go a long way to feed a family. Getting the staples—like flour and sugar—was very much appreciated. Getting something extraordinary—like chocolate chips so we could make Christmas cookies—was a welcome surprise.

“And the gifts… the gifts were always amazing!” Smit recalls, her voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t know how they ever picked them out but they were always perfect. Every year, the day the hampers arrived, I cried happy tears of gratitude and relief.”

It has been more than 10 years since Smit has received a hamper but she says that she will never forget how much it meant to her family. She shared her story with InFocus because she feels it is important to clarify that people who receive community support like this are not burdens to society. They are just regular people who are down on their luck and need some help. A hamper is a ‘hand up’ not a ‘hand out’.

Smit’s heart-felt gratitude has now fostered into a spirit of giving back. On November 23, 2010, she partnered with Kathy Birkett Virtual Assistant and Beth Campbell Duke Personal Branding to host a social media class at Serious Coffee in Courtenay. Admission was by donation of non-perishable food items to the ‘Fill the Beetle, Feed the People’ food bank program supported by Nerds on Site in communities around the world. Smit was all smiles when she drove her red polka-dot Volkswagen beetle to the food bank to deliver a trunk full of food the next morning.

Sharing the giving spirit of Christmas in the Comox Valley is not always done through non-profit groups and community associations. Many people make an effort to brighten the lives of others in small but impactful ways.

“I practice random acts of kindness throughout the year,” says Darlene Goodrick, “but I do remember one year, I had made up some mugs filled with chocolates and candy. I gave one to a homeless woman outside the bank and she was so happy to get something.  It felt good to be able to bring joy to someone. I later found out that her name was Ruby and that she had been in the hospital for an extended period of time and, when she got out, all her belongings had been sold for rent owed. She had no home and no possessions.  That was such a sad story and I was glad that I had been able to bring a tiny bit of joy to her life on that wintery day.”

Carolyn Price-Touhey of Two Eagles Lodge in Union Bay says she and her husband Steve now share the spirit of Christmas by adopting an open door policy on Christmas day.

“We moved here several years ago from the state of Maryland,” explains Price-Touhey. With so many of our Island friends being away from family, we invite them to join us for Christmas—either dinner, a drink, dessert—just an open door on a holiday that is not usually an open house day.  That way, all of us transplants can become one big family. The tradition started in 2006, after our neighbors invited us to share Easter and other holidays with them. When they moved from the area, we opened the invitation up to others.  Lots of people come… some of them we know well and others we hardly know at all. It is always a blast.”

Karen Provost of ReMax recalls another story that exemplifies the Christmas spirit.

“One year, a colleague and I were asked to make Christmas special for a local Comox resident who was bedridden and dying of cancer,” recalls Provost. “So, while she was sleeping, we crept onto her deck and decorated it with cedar boughs, ornaments, lights, baubles and angels. There was one wreath that was a little heavy and we needed a nail to hang it on. We looked around and found one single shiny new nail and were both surprised. Just when we needed it, there it was!   As daylight turned to dusk, we plugged in the lights and the family opened the curtains for our friend as she awoke. We had tears and hugs all around and it was an extremely touching moment. Years later, I still pass that home and fondly remember how it felt to be a part of making one family’s last Christmas with their loved one so memorable.”

Adds Lauren MacLauclan, from the Law of Attraction Training Room: “By intentionally and genuinely giving to others, or by expressing thankfulness and appreciation in any way, shape or form, you will be getting back what you are giving out.

“That is the essence and spirit of true giving. It is a circle. It blesses both the giver and the receiver. It is evidence of ‘whatever comes around goes around’.”

“Research—and common sense—tells us that children need the continuity and security of having ‘roots’ and family traditions,” says Lee Bjarnason of the Comox Valley Child Development Association. In 2006 there were more than10,000 grandparents raising 6,600 grandchildren in BC.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

When Sandra and Frank Spencer* said their wedding vows they knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. It was 1978 and the starry-eyed newlyweds had visions of owning a home and raising a family. They fantasized about growing old together, having grandchildren to spoil and the time—and financial resources—to be able to head south for a few weeks in the winter.

For the first 20 years of their marriage everything fell into place according to plan. They bought a home and adopted three beautiful children. Frank had a good job that held promise of a great retirement. All of that changed in the late 1980s when their daughter, the eldest of the three children, started running with a bad crowd and exhibiting behavioral issues beyond their control. By the age of 16, she had run away from home, was addicted to drugs and then became pregnant.

Emotion sweeps across Sandra Spencer’s face as she explains how it felt to get that phone call from the Ministry of Children and Family Development about 15 years ago. Considering that they had lost touch with their daughter for a few months, and were not even aware that she was pregnant, the phone call came as a complete shock.

The caseworker explained the urgency of the situation. When it becomes necessary to remove a child from a living situation where they may be in danger of abuse or neglect they don’t mince words and waste time. Family members can’t sit down to review their budget, figure out sleeping arrangements and then decide if they can take charge of the minor. The immediate protection of the child is a priority.

The Spencers were given two choices: One: Come to the mainland to immediately take custody of their infant grandchild, or two: Allow their first grandchild to enter the foster care system and possibly disappear from their lives forever.

Despite the fact that they had two children under the age of 12 still at home, the Spencers knew in their hearts that they really had no choice but to accept this responsibility. They drove to the mainland and welcomed the newest addition to their family. Sadly, in addition to drug addictions, their daughter had been diagnosed with mental illness. Her addictions and illness rendered her incapable of making good decisions. She would give birth to two more children over the next seven years. Eventually all three children would come to live with Grandma and Grandpa Spencer full-time.

Now in their early 60s, the Spencers find themselves living a scenario that never would have imagined. There is no hope that Frank can retire any time soon. While they are still helping their youngest son through college, they also have three grandchildren under the age of 15 living with them. So, instead of gearing up for retirement, they are shuttling kids to various sports practices and birthday parties. They are getting up at night to comfort and console sick children. To add to the challenge, the children have all been diagnosed with various health problems, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and other mental and physical illnesses directly related to their mother’s addictions. It is a routine that leaves them both exhausted at the end of every day. And sadly, over time, it has also left them out of touch with other people their own age.

From the outside looking in, the Spencer’s life may seem extraordinary but it is their reality. What is really alarming is that they are not alone. Grandparents raising grandchildren without support of the parents are part of a social phenomenon that has been described as an ‘underground network of childcare’. Sometimes it is the separation, divorce or death of the parents that result in grandma getting custody of the grandkids. It may be because a single parent is recovering from illness, is off at school or required to work away from home for long periods of time. Sadly, more often than not, it is a result of mental illness and/or substance abuse and addictions that result in child neglect. This is a societal problem that is affecting people from across Canada, from all socio-economic groups, all races and religions.

Statistics Canada reports that in 2006 there were more than 65,000 grandparents raising some 40,000 grandchildren in Canada. Two-thirds of them are single women. In British Columbia alone there were close to 10,000 grandparents raising 6,600 grandkids. Bear in mind that statistics do not include multi-generational families—where one or two grandparents live in the same home as the parents. These are homes where the parent(s) are absent and it is the grandparents who are tucking the kids into bed every night and attending parent/teacher conferences. Nor does it include situations where the grandkids are not legally registered with their grandparents as the legal guardians.

It is interesting to note that if a grandparent, aunt, uncle or other extended family member secures legal custody of a child in this situation they receive very little financial support from the government. Foster families receive much more funding.

About three years ago the impact of this new parenting paradigm shift started to become increasingly apparent to community support workers at the Comox Valley Child Development Association (CVCDA) and the Transition Society. Often, a home visit from a support worker or an appointment at the CVCDA office would be a grandparent’s only regular social contact.

“The grandparents we were working with reported feelings of shame and judgment amongst their friends and neighbors… and they expressed feelings of both mental and physical fatigue,” explains Lee Bjornson, an Infant Development Consultant at the CVCDA. “Very often, unexpectedly accommodating a full-time grandchild— or two—required a major lifestyle change and, in almost every case, was a financial challenge. It is enough to live on a pension without the added expenses of raising a child.”

“Many grandparents also said that they were forced to put off their retirement plans and that they faced social isolation,” adds Heather Ney, executive director of the Transition Society. “Combine that with feeling ‘out of sync’ with current parenting practices and issues, coping with their own health problems plus the health and developmental problems of the grandchild—problems that often stem from the parents’ addictions. We knew that many of these grandparents were sinking into depression and self-doubt and that something had to be done to help them.”

To respond to this growing need, in 2006 the two organizations partnered to create the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group. Meetings are held every Monday morning from 10:30-11:30 at the Child Development Association, 237 Third Street, Courtenay. There is no fee to attend, free childcare can be arranged if needed, and a referral is not required. About 15 to 20 people attend the meetings facilitated by Lee Bjarnason from the CVCDA and Diana Paige from the Transition Society.

For Sandra Spencer and the other grandparents who attend the support group meetings, this has become a welcome addition to their weekly routines. Having somewhere and someone to share both their unique frustrations and triumphs with has been a blessing.

Some weeks, she explains, the room is filled with laughter as they share funny stories. Other weeks it is filled with empathetic tears when they relay stories of sadness, frustration and disappointment. Someone usually brings cookies or snacks—occasionally a full lunch—to share with others. Sometimes they bring in guest speakers to address a specific topic but, most often, they just take time to talk and to listen in a non-judgmental and supportive environment where everyone feels respected and appreciated.

Sandra explains that one of the biggest emotional struggles shared by members of the support group is that their role as grandparent is dramatically different than ‘normal’. In their unique situations, they have taken on the role of the disciplinarian. The parents— if they are in the picture at all—often flit in and out of the children’s lives. Everyone, she says, talks about how difficult it is to watch how excited the children get when a parent shows up, only to be disappointed when he or she then forgets to call on a birthday or isn’t heard from again for weeks. Usually, it is this kind of excitement—without the subsequent disappointment—that is reserved for Oma and Opa.

Another tough challenge is the on-going fear of what will happen to the children if something happens to them. “This is something we all worry about,” says Spencer. “In our case, my husband and I are still in relatively good health. In the event that we were unable to care for the kids, our eldest son said he would look after them. While we are grateful for his commitment, we hope that we never have to take him up on the offer. Not all grandparents raising grandchildren have someone to rely on. Then, of course, there is always hope that one day your adult child will be in a position to take back the responsibility of raising their own child.”

Spencer lowers her eyes and takes a pause for thought. “It is heart-breaking,” she says quietly. “This is not what I ever imagined being a grandparent would be like.”

Bjornson adds that coping with the challenges of raising grandchildren is often especially difficult for men. They are often not able to attend the Monday morning meetings or doctor/therapist appointments due to work commitments. It would be ideal, she says, if an evening support group could be set up to provide people who are still working full-time with a place to go for support. The barrier, of course, is lack of funding. While the Transition Society is grateful for the current funding provided by the BC Association for Charitable Gaming, they would love to find another source of funding that would allow them to have an evening support group.

Despite the day-to-day challenges, Spencer says that there are many benefits of having grandparents raising grandchildren– beyond the obvious of keeping them out of an overburdened foster care system and the disruption of being placed in multiple care situations. On the up side is the companionship and unconditional love that a child provides to the senior, as well as the satisfaction in knowing that your grandchildren are living safe and happy lives.

“Research—and common sense—tells us that children need the continuity and security of having ‘roots’ and family traditions,” says Bjarnason. “They need to hear stories about and see pictures of their parent(s) and they need to feel safe, loved and cared for. Although they may feel rejected by their parent(s), they do not feel rejected by the entire family and that is really, really important.

“A recent study in the US found that children placed in the care of extended family members [as opposed to the foster system] have as good an outcome in health and behavior as children raised by both biological parents. Studies of aboriginal families found less suicide amongst children taken into care by family members. Grandparents raising grandchildren are giving an incredible gift to both their adult child and the grandchildren and they should not have to feel like they are alone.”

“If I had to, I would do this all over again,” says Spencer. “My grandchildren mean the world to me. I know they love Frank and me very much and that they are grateful that we are providing them with a home.”

For more information on the Comox Valley Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group contact: Lee Bjarnason:

250-338-4288 or lee@cvcda.ca

Diana Paige: 250-897-0511 or cvtc-ed@shaw.ca

Similar support groups have been established across Vancouver Island. There are chapters in Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo and Port Alberni. A new group is being started in Parksville. For more information on these groups call toll free: 1-877-345-9777 or check www.parentsupportbc.ca

*Note: Names and some details of the family featured in this story have been changed to protect their privacy.

Sharing the Christmas Spirit Hamper Hotline

If you would like to make a donation, need a hamper or know someone who needs a hamper please call 250.338.1334. Donations accepted until December 14; hampers distributed December 22.

Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Program

Delivers more than 700 food hampers to local residents. For more information call 250.338.8151.

cvsalarmy.ca or salvationarmy.ca

Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Program

250.338.5133

Collects money to help the homeless and working poor for a number of year-round programs. Kettles situated in various locations around the Comox Valley until Christmas.

salvationarmy.ca

Santa’s Workshop Society

250.897.1994

Accepts gently used toys, new toys and bikes that are refurbished and distributed to children. Visit the workshop at 301 Puntledge Road Courtenay from 9-3, Monday to Friday until Christmas.

First Insurance Secret Santa

250.703.0858

Choose a child’s name off one of the Christmas trees in various locations and donate a gift.

Re/Max Ocean Pacific Realty Christmas Dream

250.339.2021 or 334.9900

In support of the Dawn to Dawn Society, collecting clothing and blankets for the homeless and money to provide health and dental care.

Everybody Deserves a Smile

250.792.4440 or 250.618.0054

December 12, Cumberland Cultural Centre, a day of baking, card making, etc., and then going into the community to hand out care packages. Based in Nanaimo but serving the Comox Valley this year. For more info visit: www.edas.ca

Comox Valley SPCA Christmas Wish List

250.339.7722

Donations of money, Science Diet brand canned food or treats, canned food for kittens, dog toys that you can hide cookies in, gift certificates for office supplies. No tennis balls, blankets or towels thank you!

Northgate Four Square Church

250.334.2727

December 18: Free traditional Christmas dinner for the homeless and people in need.

On-going: Donations of warm clothing and footwear appreciated; Weekly Soup & Sandwich lunch every Saturday year-round.

1640 Burgess Road, Courtenay

Comox Valley Food Bank

250.338.0615

1755 B 13th Street, Courtenay

The Food Bank is always in need of donations. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30-1 til the end of December. Support the Food Bank at the Jingle Bell Run – December 5th, 2010, sponsored by the Comox Valley Road Runners. Entry is $5 plus one non-perishable food item. All cash and food go directly to the Comox Valley Food Bank. FMI about the race visit cvrr.ca

Samaritan’s Purse

1.800.303.1269

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection. Pack a shoebox online or make a donation for a child in Haiti. For more info visit samaratanspurse.ca

Resident Bernice Loudfoot takes part in a “Better Balance” class at the Views.

Photo by Boomer Jerritt

The Views at St Joseph’s contains two wings: Eagleview with 75 residents with varied care needs and Oceanview, with 50 residents who generally have higher care needs. Eagleview was opened in 1982 and Oceanview followed 11 years later in 1993.

Jill Nelson, a rehab assistant and one of my tour guides, explains why the name the Views better suits what used to simply be known as the Extended Care Unit: “That was very clinical—when you walk around you see the view of the eagles and the ocean. It feels almost like you’re on a cruise ship. You’re on top of the water here, it is really quite beautiful.”

To orient me to the Views and the care provided there, I met with Brenda Phillips, Director of Resident Lifestyles and Community Programs, Maggie Ziegler, Director of Residential Services, Chaplain Brian Ducedre and Nelson from Therapy Services. We discussed the changing nature of what used to be called extended care. What is the difference I wondered between the two words, extended and complex, when it relates to health care?

“Complex care is fairly new terminology,” says Maggie Ziegler. “It means that the people that live here have a variety of health problems or inability to meet their own needs in their own activities of daily living so they require assistance on different levels. More assistance than what they would need to be able to live in their own home or in the community in an assisted living type of facility. People in complex care require more intensive nursing interventions on an around-the clock-basis.”

Brenda Phillips elaborates on new trends in seniors care needs: “People that are coming to live in complex care facilities; the acuity level is much higher. People are being managed in the communities, by families, by home community care for a longer period of time. So by the time this person does come to live in a complex care facility truly their medical needs are complex and their care requirements are complex and they need that whole 24 hour care.”

Adds Brian Ducedre: “Living in your own home is always the highest want. But, we try to provide that home experience when that choice is no longer there. We can provide the nearest thing to that. And we can assist residents and families as they are grieving and going through this change in their lives.”

Phillips agrees: “It is often a difficult choice for families or the resident to make; that this is the care that they require. And they can come in with a sort of sense of loss of independence, loss of freedom. That’s quickly turned around because there are so many choices and so much going on.”

The staff must work with each person to tailor their care to their needs. “The care is resident focused, based on what that resident’s identified goals are,” says Ziegler. “It’s very much about finding a balance between their physical needs, social concerns, spiritual needs and emotional wellness.”

“We try to encourage them to live the life that they would have had at home,” adds Phillips. “So, maintaining their relationships with family, also getting out in the community. We have a bus that goes out and there are various outings to restaurants and so on. Also continuing hobbies that they used to do, and having that continue here and putting in place the resources and volunteer support and staff to have that continue on. Computer skills are another one that is up and coming. So we now have communication with families through Skype and email. And we’re getting more people who want to do that.”

Sixty-five per cent of the residents at the Views are active and can either walk or mobilize themselves in a wheelchair. “We have healthier seniors now than we did before,” says Nelson. “So they’re now coming to us for whatever reason that they cannot live alone, and they are more active.”

In order to meet those needs the Views offers a long list of programs that include better balance, walking, swimming, chair exercise, tai chi, healing touch, gardening, and Swiss ball therapy. “I think in the whole culture of care there’s greater emphasis on activation and maintaining levels of physical functioning rather than just maybe accepting that that is a natural part of aging to lose your physical abilities. The culture of care is very much changing to staying active and keeping muscle function and keeping core strength and stability and keeping those things for as long as that person can,” Ziegler explains.

All that increased resident activity has created a need for more space for exercise programs. A fundraising campaign is currently underway to raise $200,000 for the PARC at the Views, the Physical Activation and Recreation Centre. The goal is to raise the funds for the renovation by next spring. So far residents, staff and volunteers have raised $70,000 through such innovative activities as the recent Stroll-a-thon, which brought in just over $3,000. The next event will be a Fashion for Fitness show on October 6. The St. Joseph’s General Hospital Foundation is also fundraising for the PARC project through its “Buy-a-Brick” campaign. Donors can honor loved ones or simply have their names placed on a brick in the donor wall. The donor wall is located in the Views and features a beautiful mural created by local artist Kelly Everill.

Resident Bernice Loudfoot underlines the importance of the expanded facilities when she explains what she does on an average day? “There are exercises and I have to do my exercises every day.”

Loudfoot worked in health care for 20 years and knows good care when she sees it. The native of New Brunswick had two bouts of pneumonia last winter and says “they couldn’t have treated me any better. They were grand to me.” While exercise is a main focus for her day, bingo is her favorite activity and reading is her passion. She says she likes to read “anything I can get my hands on” and that is how she likes to keep busy, but “there’s lots to keep you busy here, if you want to be busy you can be busy all day.”

Out in the garden Roy Benson is busy deadheading one of the roses he planted this spring. Benson has lived at the Views for eight months. The roses were a gift from his wife and he was very pleased to be able to plant them in the garden. I asked Benson if he likes living at the Views. “Surprisingly I do,” he says. “I didn’t think I would. They treat you very very nice. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

The third resident I spoke to, Anne Wilde, has been a resident for 12 years. Born in Holland, Wilde moved to Canada in 1948 and has lived in the Valley since 1971. Asked how she likes living at the Views, she says: “I’m quite satisfied. I don’t have to cook, I don’t have to bake, I just sleep and eat. Plus playing cards, going places, doing things. I’m very happy here.” Wilde’s schedule includes swimming, greeting newcomers, and working on the Café Esperanza project.

Café Esperanza has been run every Friday for the last three years to raise money to support training of nurses and doctors in Nicaragua. The residents volunteer to sell baked goods and fair trade coffee in the Views and also take a coffee cart throughout the hospital. “There are two ladies that do the baking, another man goes upstairs to sell, I sell down here, so it’s a foursome, more or less,” says Wilde. “It makes me feel very good because I feel I do something.”

So far the Café has raised nearly $20,000. Ducedre describes the added benefits of the project: “It not only encourages the residents to live full lives here but shows how they can contribute to not only the Comox Valley community, but also across the world. So it really empowers them to use all their gifts, their talents and their abilities.”

Wilde also enjoys visits from volunteers and their dogs. On this particular day she is accompanied by volunteer John Patrick and his dog Ginny. Someone who has always had animal companions, Wilde tells me she has “quite a few four legged friends at the Views.”

John Patrick is a retired civil engineer who has lived in the Comox Valley for 35 years. He has been volunteering at the Views for the last eight years, helping residents go on outings, playing cards and, in the last five years, he has been accompanied by Ginny. “I usually walk the dog three or four times a week and I’ll walk through,” he says. “And if Annie is free to play cards, or some of the others, I’ll do that. On Saturdays I come specifically to play cards with Annie and a couple of the other residents.”

Patrick also donates his time to the Hospital Foundation. As a Foundation Director he enjoys helping to raise funds. He notes the important difference improvements such as the PARC Project can make: “I think it’s great. I know the exercise area that they use there now is a little cramped. With that additional space they could have more equipment and certainly more room and I think probably more residents would participate too.”

Volunteers like Patrick play a big part in making the Views a warm and vibrant place. “We depend hugely on our volunteers and our community is very generous with their time and coming in and helping us out,” says Ducedre.

There are 125 volunteers who help directly with resident activities or behind the scenes in such roles as volunteer recruitment and computer work. Many community groups visit regularly, such as the St. Johns Ambulance pet therapy program, the Kiwanis offer special pancake breakfasts, the Old Time Fiddlers and the Valley Echos provide entertainment, 888 Wing assists with BBQs and the horticultural society helps maintain the gardens.

Fourteen to 18 year olds are included in a youth volunteer program. Many of the youth volunteers have participated in the Grandbuddy program in previous years. The current Grandbuddy program pairs residents with Aspen Elementary Grade 5 and 6 students. This intergenerational program is popular with the residents and obviously has a significant impact on the student participants. “It’s interesting now because we are getting youth volunteers who used to be Grandbuddies,” says Ziegler. “And now we’re getting first year nursing students who used to be Grandbuddies coming back. So it is kind of neat to see how the relationships are continuing.”

There are many ways to conclude this snapshot of what life is like at the Views, but Anne Wilde sums it up best: “I’m really satisfied. It took me about a year to get used to living here and sitting in a wheelchair. But I got used to it.”

When asked if she had to make a lot of adjustments, she replies: “Oh yeah, I think everybody does. When you first come here and you have been in your home and you have done your own things and suddenly you’re stuck. You sit. And that wasn’t very easy to just sit. But I got used to that too.”

When it is pointed out to her that it doesn’t look like she sits still very much she laughs, and replies: “No, I haven’t got time for that!”