InFocus Magazine

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, shop 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

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, sanitary
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

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, page
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

It’s an amazing cornucopia, impotent
but a bit overwhelming: there are approximately 3, mind
000 grant-making foundations in Canada, ampoule
according to the non-profit agency Imagine Canada, which offers an online database of these organizations.

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.

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

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, diagnosis when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, shop when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

As the storms roll through day after day, purchase the portents are all in place for another wild winter on Vancouver Island. The snow is piling up in the mountains and more snowfall records are likely to be set as La Nina returns again this year. For Cumberland based Island Alpine Guides (IAG) that means they are likely to be busier than ever.

IAG offers extensive courses and guided trips to make exploring the Island “Alps” enjoyable and safe. Year round they offer an array of climbing and hiking packages. In winter, epilepsy
they specialize in avalanche training and back country touring.

Jan Neuspiel, IAG’s managing director, has 25 years guiding experience. Born and raised in Ottawa, the genial 50-year-old says that skiing was a family affair—“almost a religion.” He left Ottawa “very soon after first year university to become a ski bum, which I’m proud to say, I’m still doing today on some level.”

Neuspiel’s first stop was to explore the Rockies, where he soon became involved in back country skiing and mountain climbing. His introduction to guiding was in the river rafting business. “I discovered that I really loved that way of life, that job—the whole business of taking people into beautiful wild places and sharing that with them and looking after them,” Neuspiel says. “All of that stuff really appealed to me so then it morphed pretty quickly into guiding climbing and ultimately skiing as well.”

After stopping long enough to get a diploma in outdoor recreation from North Vancouver’s Capilano College, Neuspiel headed to the Himalayas in north western India on a skiing expedition, which would be the start of 25 years of Himalayan adventures. “That trip kind of fell apart but it got me over there and then I made my way across to Nepal and that is where I got my first job,” Neuspiel says.

“A couple of years later, I made my way back to northern India with my skis and finally realized the dream of skiing in the Himalayas there. I did some of my skiing there with a friend I had made in Nepal, an Australian, who was starting to toy with the idea of starting a helicopter skiing operation in that part of the Himalayas. Long story short, a few years later I did end up hooking up with him and working at that operation. And, before I knew it, I was running the operation and had been there for 11 years!”

Neuspiel laughs, noting how lucky he has been throughout his work life. But hard work no doubt enters into the mix as well. Himachal Helicopter Skiing is based in Manali, India, a city of 30,000 people located at 6,398 feet. “We grew it from a business that, when I joined, ran about three weeks of heli-skiing, to a business that owned three helicopters and was operating 12 weeks a winter, 250 clients in a winter. So yeah, we grew it into quite a business.”

While in Nepal Neuspiel met and married his wife Amanda, originally from England. Amanda works as a medical herbalist and thus when they decided to leave Nepal their destination had to be temperate for her work and mountainous for his. “The main contenders that fit that description are New Zealand and the west coast of BC,” Neuspiel says. “Neither of us is from New Zealand so we thought we’d consider the West Coast. We came to visit a friend in the Comox Valley and liked it. At first we really dropped our bags here but over time we settled in.”

Neuspiel continued to spend about four months out of the year in India, while gradually building his knowledge of Vancouver Island’s mountains and back country. When they adopted their son Vijay five years ago it was time to think about making a more permanent home here. That was when Neuspiel and another Cumberland resident, Cliff Umpleby, started Island Alpine Guides.

In his web blog Neuspiel sums up how IAG is doing: “Here we are entering our fifth year thinking, ‘The timing was about right.’ We’ve grown considerably every year since we started and are looking strong into the future as Vancouver Island’s premiere mountain school and guide service. Looking into the future we certainly intend to keep meeting the needs of our fellow islanders right here in the island Alps.”

IAG’s most popular winter course is the Avalanche Skills Training One (AST 1), followed closely by the Intro to Winter Travel. The AST 1 is offered at both Mount Washington and Mt. Cain. IAG is licensed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre to provide the two-day courses composed of about six hours of classroom and 12 hours of field instruction. In the classroom, participants learn about avalanche terrain, mountain snowpack, the nature and formation of avalanches, assessing avalanche danger, avalanche transceivers, safety measures and self rescue. In the field students learn terrain recognition, route finding, safe travel, stability evaluation, hazard recognition and small party self rescue. IAG also offers a four day long Avalanche Skills Training 2 course.

For the two day long Intro to Winter Travel the staff guide participants through gear selection and preparation while they manage the logistics of transportation, tenting and cooking. Neuspiel describes a typical outing from the arrival at the departure spot: “We would do final checks through gear, pack up our packs, and have a briefing before we head off up the mountain. We would ski our way to a location where we intend to camp for the night. In the process there is a lot of learning that goes on. Our instructors realize that the best way to teach a lot of outdoor pursuits is through using teachable moments to allow people to learn the stuff they’ve come there to learn.

“We get to a spot, set up a camp, and if the timing is right, probably go out for a little cruise around. If it is a trip where people are on skis, go for some ski runs; if it is a snowshoe trip, go for a wander around on snowshoes. If a person is on a split board, we’re going snowboarding, whatever it is. Camping out in the winter is full of lessons of its own and so we would help people through all of that and teach them how to be comfortable and enjoy sleeping out in the snow. The second day would involve doing a whole bunch more ski runs or whatever and ultimately heading out to finish the trip.”

Not sure if back country touring is for you? “Back country skiing is really suitable for anyone who skis and who is interested in being outdoors, particularly in the wilderness,” says Neuspiel. “It is particularly well suited to those who like powder snow. In terms of criteria the person needs to be a strong intermediate level skier and reasonably fit. Other than desire and a sense of adventure, that is about it.”

Once you’ve taken the courses, Island Alpine Guides has a multitude of tours to satisfy all tastes and abilities. There are Mount Washington and Mt. Cain back country tours, weekend ski tours to Mount Myra, Mount Adrian, or Mount Tom Taylor, heli-accessed touring at Alexandra Peak, Mount Adrian, or Mount Matchlee, as well as a seven-day Mount Washington to Comox Glacier traverse to name just a few of the winter options.

Neuspiel laughs when asked about the snow and the quality of local skiing. “Everyone asks that. Surely it is all Island cement, right? The best skiing is anywhere on the right day. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve skied snow as good as anywhere on Vancouver Island. I’ve skied cold smoke powder, over the shoulders, on the back of Mount Washington. It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and that is a big part of what we do as guides. We make sure we get people to the right spot at the right time to get the best snow they possibly can.”

Island Alpine Guides staff is almost all based in the Comox Valley and are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. “They are an interesting group of people who share my passion for the mountains and for being in the mountains with people,” Neuspiel says. “They come with a variety of different experiences—from a mountain guide from France that has joined us here in the last couple of years and brings his own French flavor to things, which is fantastic, to a woman who has a really strong background with Outward Bound as an instructor and so comes with a really strong set of teaching skills, to a hiking guide who has been with us for a little while now who has just got keen with a capital K written all over him with everything that he does.”

Neuspiel also focuses his energy beyond the clients of IAG to assist all back country enthusiasts through two reporting services: the Vancouver Island Mountain Conditions Report and the Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin. The Mountain Conditions Report was initiated by IAG as a way to share information among people travelling in the backcountry.

He describes what information is provided: “What’s the access like on these logging roads now, what condition is that trail in, are the crevasses on that glacier opened up more, did you see avalanche activity, was there a big rock slide somewhere? Whatever it is that helps people planning their trip.” A new blog has been developed for this report to combat previous problems with spam. Information should be sent to [email protected].

The non-profit Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre Society publishes an avalanche bulletin three times a week throughout the winter. The current bulletin advises that the many storms to pass over Vancouver Island in the last week of November have created high snow packs with a lot of instability. Jan is the lead forecaster for the Centre and he wants to encourage everyone to send him any information they have about snow conditions on the Island. Email him at [email protected]. The information will make the Bulletin better and the interaction with the forecasters will also provide people with an opportunity to hone their skills in assessing snow pack.

Vancouver Island may not be the first place that comes to your mind when you think of mountain adventures but Neuspiel is working on changing that. The motto for Island Alpine Guides is “think globally, adventure locally.”

“There’s no shortage of challenges and real mountain topography here,” Neuspiel says. “The other point is the Island mountains have a unique beauty that is all their own. I have to say that over the years it has really grown on me to the point where, in my aged state, if I just wander around in these mountains for the rest of my career I’ll be more than happy.”

Avalanche Safety Tips

Carry avalanche rescue gear—probe, beacon/transceiver, shovel, etc.—at all times when travelling in the winter backcountry.

Avalanches can be associated with sunshine and daily warming. Consider travelling early while everything is frozen, or at night. The Canadian Avalanche Centre website (www.avalanche.ca) lists conditions that may lead to avalanches.

Watch for cracks across the snow surface and listen for the tell-tale “whump” noise associated with a slope collapse.

In avalanche country, always travel in a group and ensure everyone stays within sight of one another. If caught in an avalanche, use a swimming motion to try and stay at the surface. If possible, move to the side of the avalanche. If you’re not at the surface when the slide stops, quickly punch the snow to create an air pocket with one arm and push your other arm toward the surface to help rescuers locate you.

www.islandalpineguides.com
www.islandavalanchebulletin.com
I don’t know what your destiny will be, medical
but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

-Albert Schweitzer

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.”

As the Yuletide season, with all its partying and social gatherings, gains momentum at this time of year, a pet project for ValleyLinks has been their active involvement with Operation Red Nose (ORN).

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
Dirt roads aren’t that surprising in the Comox Valley. The surprise is what’s at the end of them.

Doveside Christmas Tree Farm is one of those surprises—a family-owned and locally operated cut-your-own-Christmas tree business on Todd Road in Dove Creek. You know you’ve arrived when the pasture, pharmacy woods, page
and horse trails that make up Dove Creek give way to rows and rows of Christmas trees.

I arrived at the farm just before sunset a couple of days after the first snow of 2011. The ground was white, the trees green, and two golden retrievers barked my car up the driveway past a large, modern barn to a parking area. The whole scene looked like a station stop for the Polar Express en route to the North Pole. And when I opened my car door, I couldn’t help but think there was a little bit of Christmas wonder in the cold air.

Owner Michael Day would smile to hear anyone say that. He, along with his wife Libby, have spent the last 10 years transforming their 13.5 acre tree farm into a place for families to make Christmas memories. Not only does the farm sell Christmas trees, they also offer wagon rides, carol singing, hot chocolate and bonfires, along with the opportunity to hike around their rural property. These are all the sorts of things Day remembers from growing up, first in the Lower Mainland and later the Alberta Rockies.

“I have a sister whose birthday is in December,” says Day, noting that every year, his family would head out on the weekend closest to that sister’s birthday and cut their own tree. It’s a tradition Day continued with his own family and hopes to share with everyone that comes to Doveside Christmas Tree Farm. “My goal was trying to recreate the experience of going into the Rockies and making it an event, making it a day.”

This isn’t to say, however, that Day grew up wanting to be a Christmas tree farmer. He and his family (which includes two sons, now grown) moved to the Comox Valley in 1993 for other work opportunities. Day is a teacher by training, working at Vanier. His wife Libby is a surgeon.

It was one of Day’s teaching colleagues, Bob Tsable, who started the farm 25 years ago to gain farm status and generate income on the property. The rural location, though, made it a popular spot for Vanier staff parties, providing a spectacular backdrop for teachers like Day and their families to kick back and enjoy themselves. However, by 2001, Tsable was ready to sell the property, and the Days took the opportunity to buy.

“My wife had fallen in love,” says Day with a laugh. “I was just scared, which was probably justified on my part. I knew nothing.” In fact, the incentive to buy was the property and the location—not the tree farm. However, the Days were determined to keep farm status on the property and that meant figuring out how to be tree farmers

“The trees at the time were well established,” says Day. “Bob worked them very hard, but after he retired he found it a bit of a hassle. He let the trees go so they weren’t marketable.”

Luckily for Day, he had another Vanier colleague whose husband happened to be a tree farmer. That farmer was Brian Black, and the two formed a partnership. “He advises and directs; I provide the grunt labor and the marketing,” says Day.

Part of that advice the first year was a massive haircut to bring the trees back to a manageable and marketable condition. “It looked like a bomb had gone off,” remembers Day with a laugh. “We didn’t sell any trees. But by the next year we had enough trees to legitimately make our farm status.

“It’s not strictly a commercial operation,” adds Day. “What we discovered the first year, we recognized that to compete with established operations we had to offer something a little more.” And that’s where Day’s own Christmas memories come in.

“From the first days we offered hayrides and bonfires,” he says. From there, inspiration just seemed to keep striking. Take for example a trip through Grand Forks several years back. On the drive home, they happened to pass a shop with an antique Doukhobor wagon parked out front. Day bought the wagon and had it shipped to the Valley, where he fixed it up to tow behind the tractor. Customers now get to ride through the trees, singing Christmas carols on a piece of history.

Then Black suggested Day reach out to the local schools, offering the farm up for class tours on silviculture. Although not organic, Day and Black have experimented with low-impact and ecologically sensitive farming methods that offer a lot of learning opportunities for students.

First, there’s stump culturing. “Some people tend to stay away from cutting a Christmas tree because they think they’re increasing their carbon footprint,” says Day. “When we cut the tree, we don’t kill it. We grow new trees off the existing root system.” A branch is left on the stump, and that branch eventually becomes a new tree. That means the tree keeps doing things like absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen into the air even as it re-grows.

“We can get four or five trees off a stump before it dies back,” explains Day.

Then there are the sheep. “The grass needs to be kept down to maximize tree growth, otherwise the grass competes for nutrients with the trees,” says Day. That means either extensive mowing with gas powered mowers, or some alternative. The Days recently tried sheep, and liked the results.

“There are a lot of advantages to sheep over say goats—like they don’t eat the branches,” says Day. Instead, they eat the grass and fertilize the trees, making for low-impact maintenance.

Finally, the farm offers a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between ecology and farming. Much of the Day’s property is made up of wooded areas left to grow wild. The property is also bordered by Dove Creek, a salmon-bearing stream that’s undergone significant rehabilitation over the past decade. And like many other salmon-bearing streams in the Valley, the benefits are starting to show in increased salmon returns. “Two years ago you couldn’t step in the creek without stepping on salmon,” says Day. That means visitors to Doveside farms get to learn about how farming practices and the sort of fertilizers you use can impact something like a salmon-bearing stream.

“We wanted to talk about the environmental aspects of Christmas tree farming,” says Day. “We talk about erosion and the effects. We don’t use herbicides, but we try to be thoughtful about what we use.”

The kids love the tours, and their families appreciate a local business giving back to the community. In fact, many of these kids and their families have become some of Doveside’s most loyal customers. There’s Amethyst, who first came to the farm as a six-year-old on a school tour with her mom chaperoning. They’ve come back every Christmas since, and even approached the Days about partnering with YANA to raise funds through donations for the hot chocolate and hot dogs. They raised $300.

Then there are the families that just seem to find the farm by chance. “We had a family that came six years ago,” says Day. “They were from Victoria on a ski trip to Mount Washington and decided to stop at the farm on their way home.” Every year since then, they’ve come back and brought other families with them. “They have multiple families that come for a ski weekend and then cut a tree on their way home.” One year, they even showed up on a bus to accommodate all the people and the trees.

When asked what keeps bringing such a determined group back, Day has a simple answer.

“What drew them back was the opportunity to be together, and that is what the farm is about,” he says. “Sharing the blessings that we’ve been given.”

“It’s labor intensive, and you’re not going to make money,” continues Day. “There’s got be something else you’re doing it for. What makes it worth it for us is the people. Where else can you go out and sing Christmas carols all day?”

Doveside Christmas Tree Farm is open weekends from 10am to dusk.

For more information call 250-703-2047.

Doveside Christmas Tree Farm is located at 6077 Todd Road in Dove Creek. Visitors are advised to dress for the weather, and be prepared for uneven ground —boots are a good choice for everyone. Wagon rides (fleece blankets provided), bonfires and hot chocolate are available during the selling season and there are washrooms on site in the barn. You are also welcome to hike through the property, but know that you’ll likely be accompanied by the Day family’s golden retrievers Amber and Honey. You can get there from Courtenay along Cliffe Avenue, through downtown. Make a right on 1st Street and a left on Anderton. Cross the Condensory Road bridge and through the flashing lights at Piercy. Continue straight through for 5.7 km before turning right onto Todd Rd. Go 250m to Doveside Christmas Tree Farm on the left.
It seems fitting that I would meet with Anita Kalnay on a day when the autumn air is ripe with the aroma of changing seasons. I take a deep breath to savor the scent of ripe apples, site cedar, wet leaves and other fragrances of fall, and then settle down to chat with this woman of many talents. In addition to being a perfume-maker, Kalnay has a university degree in recreation administration. She is also a certified aromatherapist, reflexologist and yoga instructor.

To be perfectly honest, I never knew that the art of perfume making, which combines artistic talent and intuition with scientific knowledge, existed outside of laboratories in perhaps Paris or New York. But here I am, sitting on a deck in Courtenay, chatting with a woman who creates award-winning perfumes in a modest laboratory in the corner of her kitchen!

Personally, I am allergic to store-bought perfume, so I asked Kalnay why she makes perfume. Is there a market for fragrances when many public places—such as churches and theatres—are now mandated as ‘Scent Free?’

“I am actually allergic to synthetic perfumes, too!” says Kalnay. “Natural perfumes are different. For the most part, I work with 100 per cent natural plant-based ingredients that are blended with a small amount of organic alcohol or jojoba oil. I guess you could say I am like a vegan perfumer. Most people who can’t wear synthetic perfume are fine with these botanical blends. They smell nice and they can even have a ‘remedy’ effect. Often, they are so subtle that only the person wearing it can detect the scent.”

Kalnay’s natural perfume line is marketed under the name Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle and it is, she says, “Inspired by nature.”

Her unique botanical blends are produced by painstakingly calculating the perfect combination of all-natural (no synthetic) ingredients, counting minuscule drop by drop, inhaling deeply, pausing for thought, and then adding a little more of this or that, until it is perfect. “My nose knows when I get the fragrance ‘just right’,” says Kalnay. “There is a lot of technical skill and accurate note-taking—as well as sniffing—involved in the perfume-making process.”

Inspiration for each individual perfume usually comes from personal life experiences. A stroll through a forest near Cumberland, for example, resulted in the creation of a fragrance called Cumberland: Wild Forest Apple and Spearmint. Mountain biking at breakneck speed through the warm, dry forests of Oregon inspired her to create Hood River. A quote by iconic actress Mae West—“I generally avoid temptation… unless I can’t resist it”—resulted in a coconut-scented massoia, tuberose, and chocolate perfume called VVAVOOM! (It will be officially released with her spring 2012 White Floral collection.)

The raw materials to create these perfumes are very expensive. As a result, the finished product may be pricier than some nationally branded synthetic perfumes. To keep costs in check—and because ‘a little dab will do ya!’—Flying Colors perfumes are packaged in smaller bottle sizes. The cost of a 4.5 ml roll-on is about $60. In addition to her signature blends, she also customizes fragrances for individual clients.

While I am impressed by the imaginative names and descriptions of her product line, as well as the professionalism and creativity of her promotional materials, I still wanted to know how one becomes a professional perfumer.
Kalnay smiles and explains that her grandmother was a professional wine taster in southern France. Fragrance, of course, plays an important role in wine tasting. Maybe there is a genetic connection?

“But the real reason I ended up becoming a perfumer, and acquiring such a unique range of skills, was because my husband, Chris, and I have spent much of the past 20 years living in very isolated places. I had a choice—keep busy or go crazy! I chose the path of educational enrichment!”

She laughs. “It’s quite a story… how much time do you have?”

After graduating from the University of Alberta in 1981, this native of Swift Currant, Saskatchewan, got her first real job teaching outdoor education at a junior high school in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was where she met Chris, also a teacher. They married in 1984.

In 1990, Chris accepted a position at a private school in Kemano, BC. The remote town of only 350 people existed solely for the purpose of housing the families of people who worked for Alcan Hydro and was located two hours south of Kitamat. It could be accessed only by boat or helicopter.

“We thought this would be a good place to live for a couple of years and save some money,” says Kalnay. “In hindsight, I guess we didn’t pay much attention when they told us that supplies were only brought in twice a week and that a trip ‘to town’ and back would be a 24-hour turnaround! When you combine living in the shadows of towering mountains with over 1200-centimetres of annual precipitation, you seldom see the sun. The average length of time most people could stand living there was three years. We stayed for 10.”

While Chris taught school, Anita made every effort to keep busy. She drove a frontend loader in the winter and worked alongside a master gardener in the local greenhouse in the summer. With her background in recreation administration, she served as a volunteer to help plan recreation activities for the community.

“Working with the gardener for two years was a great experience for me,” says Kalnay. “It helped me move beyond being an intellectual to become more grounded. It awakened in me a desire to nurture my creativity, and I began to expand my interests.”

During breaks from the solitude of Kemano, Kalnay attended as many continuing education classes as she could, including an art therapy class in Victoria. While living in Kemano, she took distance-learning courses through the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. She studied reflexology, aromatherapy, metaphysics and more. A friend taught her to quilt and, while she found all the straight lines and precision of quilting “a little anal for me,” she did learn that she loved working with fabric. To elevate her mood during the long, dark days of a Kemano fall and winter, Kalnay crafted with fabric, using bright colors, aromatherapy, and lots of fluorescent lighting to keep her motivated.

In 1993, Kalnay secured a grant from the Terrace Community Futures Program. The grant enabled her to market a line of one-of-a-kind sweatshirts created with fabric she had hand-dyed in her basement. She marketed them under her own label: Flying Colors – Let your imagination fly! Her shirts were sold through local markets and she became known as the ‘Flying Colors Lady.’

Eventually, the people of Kemano learned that Kalnay could perform aromatherapy and reflexology treatments, so she started doing that, as well. When they asked for massages, she took some courses and then added massage to her repertoire of services. She soon learned that, in addition to body treatments, she became a confidant. “These people were stressed and needed a massage or reflexology treatment and someone to listen to them with an open heart. I felt privileged to be able to be there for them.”

In 1999, the residents of Kemano were informed that the town was going to be completely shut down. Of the 80 homes there, 10 were moved, four were left standing, and the remainder were used by BC firefighters for ‘practice’ and they were burned to the ground. The closure of this town was so significant that Canadian Geographic Magazine did a feature story on it.

In 2000, the Kalnays moved to Gabriola Island. They spent the next year building a log home while Chris looked for work. Kalnay started a massage/reflexology/aromatherapy business in a yurt—and by now had added hot stone massage to the mix—still continuing to peruse advanced education, focusing now on aromatherapy.

Kalnay was consumed with learning more about the use of various essential oils as a complement to other alternative health services. She learned that ‘scent’ could be used to relieve stress, enhance mood, improve sleep, boost the immune system and much more. She traveled to Washington and earned a diploma in the holistic science of Spiritual PhytoEssencing, which is based on an interface of aromatherapy, herbal medicine, physiology, homeopathy and other natural healing modalities. She is one of only six people in the world to have received this level of accreditation. She also studied under international aromatic consultant Michael Scholes of LabofFlowers.com and organic chemist Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in California. Somehow, she also found the time (and energy) to become certified as a Kundalina Yoga instructor. This style of yoga is designed to strengthen the neuro-endocrine system, ‘exercise your potential,’ and increase self-awareness through meditation.

In the meantime, Chris’ efforts to secure a teaching post on Gabriola Island had not been successful, so he began looking elsewhere. “He applied for a job in Alert Bay and got it. At the time, we didn’t even know where it was on the map!” recalls Kalnay with a laugh.

The couple sold their island home, packed up and, in 2004, moved north to the rugged coast of British Columbia. This time, they were able to make regular escapes from the solitude of a small town and they traveled to the Comox Valley almost every second weekend to ski and enjoy many of the other recreational activities offered here.

Anita rented a storefront location in Alert Bay and, for the next four years, operated a successful aromatherapy, reflexology and massage business. She also offered yoga classes out of space donated to her by the local Family Resource Centre.
In Alert Bay she got serious about mixing personal essential oils blends for clients. She started another division of her Flying Colors brand and called it Genie in a Bottle. In 2007, one of her spiritual teachers said to Kalnay: “You are only operating from one per cent of your full potential.”

Kalnay tells me this just as I am taking a long sip of herbal tea. This seems so absurd I almost choke on my tea. I was still trying to figure out when this woman had time to sleep. Surely this ‘teacher’ had to be kidding.

“Seriously! That’s what he told me,” Kalnay replies, then pauses. She takes a sip of her tea and then continues: “Anyway, I did some soul searching and decided to take my business to the next level. I signed up to apprentice under Vancouver-based Ayala Moriel Parfums, an Israeli artisan perfumer dedicated to the art of natural perfumery. For the next three years, I traveled to Vancouver once a month to learn from her.”

In 2009, Chris was offered a teaching job on Cortes Island. They bought some property there and, while Chris commuted from Cortes, Anita continued building a life (and her business) in the Comox Valley. Along with her friend and colleague, Sandra Shotton, she also opened an Ayurvedic Spa in Nanaimo at Island Yoga Vista. She spends one week a month in Nanaimo giving ‘intuitive’ massage treatments, which use herbal-infused massage oils from India.

In 2010, during her final year of internship, Kalnay produced a line of artisan perfumes called the Flying Colors Muse Collection. This past summer she was one of several perfumers from five countries who accepted a challenge to create a new blend in a ‘soli-flore”—a single-scent perfume. Another Canadian perfumer, Lyn Ayre, of Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfumes, sponsored the contest. Kalnay’s wild azalea blend she labeled as Kokoro—inspired by a visit to the Mount Shasta region of Northern California—took top honors.

“I am very grateful to Lyn for opening me up to the ‘world’ of perfuming and encouraging me to enter challenges such as hers,” says Kalnay. “The entire fragrance industry is based on responding creatively to ‘briefs’ that poetically describe the needs of the clients. So, perfumers can’t shy away from competitions and the artistic challenges they bestow. As a result of my success in this competition, I have now been invited to participate in a ‘top secret’ international challenge in 2012.”

It has been a long and sweet-smelling journey, but it is time to let this ‘genie’ out of the bottle! Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle now boasts a product line of more than a dozen blends and Kalnay has been busy creating her 2012 spring collection, as well as developing marketing materials, building her website, and promoting her natural perfumes. As a result of her diligent efforts, Flying Colors perfumes are catching the attention of natural perfume aficionados across North America, putting both Kalnay, and the Comox Valley, in the spotlight.

For more information call 250.650.1204 or visit: www.genieinabottle.ca

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, viagra
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, ed 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

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, cheapest
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

It’s an amazing cornucopia, ask
but a bit overwhelming: there are approximately 3, apoplectic
000 grant-making foundations in Canada, hospital
according to the non-profit agency Imagine Canada, which offers an online database of these organizations.

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.

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

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, food
when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

As the storms roll through day after day, the portents are all in place for another wild winter on Vancouver Island. The snow is piling up in the mountains and more snowfall records are likely to be set as La Nina returns again this year. For Cumberland based Island Alpine Guides (IAG) that means they are likely to be busier than ever.

IAG offers extensive courses and guided trips to make exploring the Island “Alps” enjoyable and safe. Year round they offer an array of climbing and hiking packages. In winter, they specialize in avalanche training and back country touring.

Jan Neuspiel, IAG’s managing director, has 25 years guiding experience. Born and raised in Ottawa, the genial 50-year-old says that skiing was a family affair—“almost a religion.” He left Ottawa “very soon after first year university to become a ski bum, which I’m proud to say, I’m still doing today on some level.”

Neuspiel’s first stop was to explore the Rockies, where he soon became involved in back country skiing and mountain climbing. His introduction to guiding was in the river rafting business. “I discovered that I really loved that way of life, that job—the whole business of taking people into beautiful wild places and sharing that with them and looking after them,” Neuspiel says. “All of that stuff really appealed to me so then it morphed pretty quickly into guiding climbing and ultimately skiing as well.”

After stopping long enough to get a diploma in outdoor recreation from North Vancouver’s Capilano College, Neuspiel headed to the Himalayas in north western India on a skiing expedition, which would be the start of 25 years of Himalayan adventures. “That trip kind of fell apart but it got me over there and then I made my way across to Nepal and that is where I got my first job,” Neuspiel says.

“A couple of years later, I made my way back to northern India with my skis and finally realized the dream of skiing in the Himalayas there. I did some of my skiing there with a friend I had made in Nepal, an Australian, who was starting to toy with the idea of starting a helicopter skiing operation in that part of the Himalayas. Long story short, a few years later I did end up hooking up with him and working at that operation. And, before I knew it, I was running the operation and had been there for 11 years!”

Neuspiel laughs, noting how lucky he has been throughout his work life. But hard work no doubt enters into the mix as well. Himachal Helicopter Skiing is based in Manali, India, a city of 30,000 people located at 6,398 feet. “We grew it from a business that, when I joined, ran about three weeks of heli-skiing, to a business that owned three helicopters and was operating 12 weeks a winter, 250 clients in a winter. So yeah, we grew it into quite a business.”

While in Nepal Neuspiel met and married his wife Amanda, originally from England. Amanda works as a medical herbalist and thus when they decided to leave Nepal their destination had to be temperate for her work and mountainous for his. “The main contenders that fit that description are New Zealand and the west coast of BC,” Neuspiel says. “Neither of us is from New Zealand so we thought we’d consider the West Coast. We came to visit a friend in the Comox Valley and liked it. At first we really dropped our bags here but over time we settled in.”

Neuspiel continued to spend about four months out of the year in India, while gradually building his knowledge of Vancouver Island’s mountains and back country. When they adopted their son Vijay five years ago it was time to think about making a more permanent home here. That was when Neuspiel and another Cumberland resident, Cliff Umpleby, started Island Alpine Guides.

In his web blog Neuspiel sums up how IAG is doing: “Here we are entering our fifth year thinking, ‘The timing was about right.’ We’ve grown considerably every year since we started and are looking strong into the future as Vancouver Island’s premiere mountain school and guide service. Looking into the future we certainly intend to keep meeting the needs of our fellow islanders right here in the island Alps.”

IAG’s most popular winter course is the Avalanche Skills Training One (AST 1), followed closely by the Intro to Winter Travel. The AST 1 is offered at both Mount Washington and Mt. Cain. IAG is licensed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre to provide the two-day courses composed of about six hours of classroom and 12 hours of field instruction. In the classroom, participants learn about avalanche terrain, mountain snowpack, the nature and formation of avalanches, assessing avalanche danger, avalanche transceivers, safety measures and self rescue. In the field students learn terrain recognition, route finding, safe travel, stability evaluation, hazard recognition and small party self rescue. IAG also offers a four day long Avalanche Skills Training 2 course.

For the two day long Intro to Winter Travel the staff guide participants through gear selection and preparation while they manage the logistics of transportation, tenting and cooking. Neuspiel describes a typical outing from the arrival at the departure spot: “We would do final checks through gear, pack up our packs, and have a briefing before we head off up the mountain. We would ski our way to a location where we intend to camp for the night. In the process there is a lot of learning that goes on. Our instructors realize that the best way to teach a lot of outdoor pursuits is through using teachable moments to allow people to learn the stuff they’ve come there to learn.

“We get to a spot, set up a camp, and if the timing is right, probably go out for a little cruise around. If it is a trip where people are on skis, go for some ski runs; if it is a snowshoe trip, go for a wander around on snowshoes. If a person is on a split board, we’re going snowboarding, whatever it is. Camping out in the winter is full of lessons of its own and so we would help people through all of that and teach them how to be comfortable and enjoy sleeping out in the snow. The second day would involve doing a whole bunch more ski runs or whatever and ultimately heading out to finish the trip.”

Not sure if back country touring is for you? “Back country skiing is really suitable for anyone who skis and who is interested in being outdoors, particularly in the wilderness,” says Neuspiel. “It is particularly well suited to those who like powder snow. In terms of criteria the person needs to be a strong intermediate level skier and reasonably fit. Other than desire and a sense of adventure, that is about it.”

Once you’ve taken the courses, Island Alpine Guides has a multitude of tours to satisfy all tastes and abilities. There are Mount Washington and Mt. Cain back country tours, weekend ski tours to Mount Myra, Mount Adrian, or Mount Tom Taylor, heli-accessed touring at Alexandra Peak, Mount Adrian, or Mount Matchlee, as well as a seven-day Mount Washington to Comox Glacier traverse to name just a few of the winter options.

Neuspiel laughs when asked about the snow and the quality of local skiing. “Everyone asks that. Surely it is all Island cement, right? The best skiing is anywhere on the right day. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve skied snow as good as anywhere on Vancouver Island. I’ve skied cold smoke powder, over the shoulders, on the back of Mount Washington. It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and that is a big part of what we do as guides. We make sure we get people to the right spot at the right time to get the best snow they possibly can.”

Island Alpine Guides staff is almost all based in the Comox Valley and are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. “They are an interesting group of people who share my passion for the mountains and for being in the mountains with people,” Neuspiel says. “They come with a variety of different experiences—from a mountain guide from France that has joined us here in the last couple of years and brings his own French flavor to things, which is fantastic, to a woman who has a really strong background with Outward Bound as an instructor and so comes with a really strong set of teaching skills, to a hiking guide who has been with us for a little while now who has just got keen with a capital K written all over him with everything that he does.”

Neuspiel also focuses his energy beyond the clients of IAG to assist all back country enthusiasts through two reporting services: the Vancouver Island Mountain Conditions Report and the Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin. The Mountain Conditions Report was initiated by IAG as a way to share information among people travelling in the backcountry.

He describes what information is provided: “What’s the access like on these logging roads now, what condition is that trail in, are the crevasses on that glacier opened up more, did you see avalanche activity, was there a big rock slide somewhere? Whatever it is that helps people planning their trip.” A new blog has been developed for this report to combat previous problems with spam. Information should be sent to [email protected].

The non-profit Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre Society publishes an avalanche bulletin three times a week throughout the winter. The current bulletin advises that the many storms to pass over Vancouver Island in the last week of November have created high snow packs with a lot of instability. Jan is the lead forecaster for the Centre and he wants to encourage everyone to send him any information they have about snow conditions on the Island. Email him at [email protected]. The information will make the Bulletin better and the interaction with the forecasters will also provide people with an opportunity to hone their skills in assessing snow pack.

Vancouver Island may not be the first place that comes to your mind when you think of mountain adventures but Neuspiel is working on changing that. The motto for Island Alpine Guides is “think globally, adventure locally.”

“There’s no shortage of challenges and real mountain topography here,” Neuspiel says. “The other point is the Island mountains have a unique beauty that is all their own. I have to say that over the years it has really grown on me to the point where, in my aged state, if I just wander around in these mountains for the rest of my career I’ll be more than happy.”

Avalanche Safety Tips

Carry avalanche rescue gear—probe, beacon/transceiver, shovel, etc.—at all times when travelling in the winter backcountry.

Avalanches can be associated with sunshine and daily warming. Consider travelling early while everything is frozen, or at night. The Canadian Avalanche Centre website (www.avalanche.ca) lists conditions that may lead to avalanches.

Watch for cracks across the snow surface and listen for the tell-tale “whump” noise associated with a slope collapse.

In avalanche country, always travel in a group and ensure everyone stays within sight of one another. If caught in an avalanche, use a swimming motion to try and stay at the surface. If possible, move to the side of the avalanche. If you’re not at the surface when the slide stops, quickly punch the snow to create an air pocket with one arm and push your other arm toward the surface to help rescuers locate you.

www.islandalpineguides.com
www.islandavalanchebulletin.com
It’s an amazing cornucopia, dosage
but a bit overwhelming: there are approximately 3, viagra approved
000 grant-making foundations in Canada, prescription
according to the non-profit agency Imagine Canada, which offers an online database of these organizations.

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.

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

As the storms roll through day after day, adiposity
the portents are all in place for another wild winter on Vancouver Island. The snow is piling up in the mountains and more snowfall records are likely to be set as La Nina returns again this year. For Cumberland based Island Alpine Guides (IAG) that means they are likely to be busier than ever.

IAG offers extensive courses and guided trips to make exploring the Island “Alps” enjoyable and safe. Year round they offer an array of climbing and hiking packages. In winter, psychiatrist
they specialize in avalanche training and back country touring.

Jan Neuspiel, IAG’s managing director, has 25 years guiding experience. Born and raised in Ottawa, the genial 50-year-old says that skiing was a family affair—“almost a religion.” He left Ottawa “very soon after first year university to become a ski bum, which I’m proud to say, I’m still doing today on some level.”

Neuspiel’s first stop was to explore the Rockies, where he soon became involved in back country skiing and mountain climbing. His introduction to guiding was in the river rafting business. “I discovered that I really loved that way of life, that job—the whole business of taking people into beautiful wild places and sharing that with them and looking after them,” Neuspiel says. “All of that stuff really appealed to me so then it morphed pretty quickly into guiding climbing and ultimately skiing as well.”

After stopping long enough to get a diploma in outdoor recreation from North Vancouver’s Capilano College, Neuspiel headed to the Himalayas in north western India on a skiing expedition, which would be the start of 25 years of Himalayan adventures. “That trip kind of fell apart but it got me over there and then I made my way across to Nepal and that is where I got my first job,” Neuspiel says.

“A couple of years later, I made my way back to northern India with my skis and finally realized the dream of skiing in the Himalayas there. I did some of my skiing there with a friend I had made in Nepal, an Australian, who was starting to toy with the idea of starting a helicopter skiing operation in that part of the Himalayas. Long story short, a few years later I did end up hooking up with him and working at that operation. And, before I knew it, I was running the operation and had been there for 11 years!”

Neuspiel laughs, noting how lucky he has been throughout his work life. But hard work no doubt enters into the mix as well. Himachal Helicopter Skiing is based in Manali, India, a city of 30,000 people located at 6,398 feet. “We grew it from a business that, when I joined, ran about three weeks of heli-skiing, to a business that owned three helicopters and was operating 12 weeks a winter, 250 clients in a winter. So yeah, we grew it into quite a business.”

While in Nepal Neuspiel met and married his wife Amanda, originally from England. Amanda works as a medical herbalist and thus when they decided to leave Nepal their destination had to be temperate for her work and mountainous for his. “The main contenders that fit that description are New Zealand and the west coast of BC,” Neuspiel says. “Neither of us is from New Zealand so we thought we’d consider the West Coast. We came to visit a friend in the Comox Valley and liked it. At first we really dropped our bags here but over time we settled in.”

Neuspiel continued to spend about four months out of the year in India, while gradually building his knowledge of Vancouver Island’s mountains and back country. When they adopted their son Vijay five years ago it was time to think about making a more permanent home here. That was when Neuspiel and another Cumberland resident, Cliff Umpleby, started Island Alpine Guides.

In his web blog Neuspiel sums up how IAG is doing: “Here we are entering our fifth year thinking, ‘The timing was about right.’ We’ve grown considerably every year since we started and are looking strong into the future as Vancouver Island’s premiere mountain school and guide service. Looking into the future we certainly intend to keep meeting the needs of our fellow islanders right here in the island Alps.”

IAG’s most popular winter course is the Avalanche Skills Training One (AST 1), followed closely by the Intro to Winter Travel. The AST 1 is offered at both Mount Washington and Mt. Cain. IAG is licensed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre to provide the two-day courses composed of about six hours of classroom and 12 hours of field instruction. In the classroom, participants learn about avalanche terrain, mountain snowpack, the nature and formation of avalanches, assessing avalanche danger, avalanche transceivers, safety measures and self rescue. In the field students learn terrain recognition, route finding, safe travel, stability evaluation, hazard recognition and small party self rescue. IAG also offers a four day long Avalanche Skills Training 2 course.

For the two day long Intro to Winter Travel the staff guide participants through gear selection and preparation while they manage the logistics of transportation, tenting and cooking. Neuspiel describes a typical outing from the arrival at the departure spot: “We would do final checks through gear, pack up our packs, and have a briefing before we head off up the mountain. We would ski our way to a location where we intend to camp for the night. In the process there is a lot of learning that goes on. Our instructors realize that the best way to teach a lot of outdoor pursuits is through using teachable moments to allow people to learn the stuff they’ve come there to learn.

“We get to a spot, set up a camp, and if the timing is right, probably go out for a little cruise around. If it is a trip where people are on skis, go for some ski runs; if it is a snowshoe trip, go for a wander around on snowshoes. If a person is on a split board, we’re going snowboarding, whatever it is. Camping out in the winter is full of lessons of its own and so we would help people through all of that and teach them how to be comfortable and enjoy sleeping out in the snow. The second day would involve doing a whole bunch more ski runs or whatever and ultimately heading out to finish the trip.”

Not sure if back country touring is for you? “Back country skiing is really suitable for anyone who skis and who is interested in being outdoors, particularly in the wilderness,” says Neuspiel. “It is particularly well suited to those who like powder snow. In terms of criteria the person needs to be a strong intermediate level skier and reasonably fit. Other than desire and a sense of adventure, that is about it.”

Once you’ve taken the courses, Island Alpine Guides has a multitude of tours to satisfy all tastes and abilities. There are Mount Washington and Mt. Cain back country tours, weekend ski tours to Mount Myra, Mount Adrian, or Mount Tom Taylor, heli-accessed touring at Alexandra Peak, Mount Adrian, or Mount Matchlee, as well as a seven-day Mount Washington to Comox Glacier traverse to name just a few of the winter options.

Neuspiel laughs when asked about the snow and the quality of local skiing. “Everyone asks that. Surely it is all Island cement, right? The best skiing is anywhere on the right day. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve skied snow as good as anywhere on Vancouver Island. I’ve skied cold smoke powder, over the shoulders, on the back of Mount Washington. It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and that is a big part of what we do as guides. We make sure we get people to the right spot at the right time to get the best snow they possibly can.”

Island Alpine Guides staff is almost all based in the Comox Valley and are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. “They are an interesting group of people who share my passion for the mountains and for being in the mountains with people,” Neuspiel says. “They come with a variety of different experiences—from a mountain guide from France that has joined us here in the last couple of years and brings his own French flavor to things, which is fantastic, to a woman who has a really strong background with Outward Bound as an instructor and so comes with a really strong set of teaching skills, to a hiking guide who has been with us for a little while now who has just got keen with a capital K written all over him with everything that he does.”

Neuspiel also focuses his energy beyond the clients of IAG to assist all back country enthusiasts through two reporting services: the Vancouver Island Mountain Conditions Report and the Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin. The Mountain Conditions Report was initiated by IAG as a way to share information among people travelling in the backcountry.

He describes what information is provided: “What’s the access like on these logging roads now, what condition is that trail in, are the crevasses on that glacier opened up more, did you see avalanche activity, was there a big rock slide somewhere? Whatever it is that helps people planning their trip.” A new blog has been developed for this report to combat previous problems with spam. Information should be sent to [email protected].

The non-profit Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre Society publishes an avalanche bulletin three times a week throughout the winter. The current bulletin advises that the many storms to pass over Vancouver Island in the last week of November have created high snow packs with a lot of instability. Jan is the lead forecaster for the Centre and he wants to encourage everyone to send him any information they have about snow conditions on the Island. Email him at [email protected]. The information will make the Bulletin better and the interaction with the forecasters will also provide people with an opportunity to hone their skills in assessing snow pack.

Vancouver Island may not be the first place that comes to your mind when you think of mountain adventures but Neuspiel is working on changing that. The motto for Island Alpine Guides is “think globally, adventure locally.”

“There’s no shortage of challenges and real mountain topography here,” Neuspiel says. “The other point is the Island mountains have a unique beauty that is all their own. I have to say that over the years it has really grown on me to the point where, in my aged state, if I just wander around in these mountains for the rest of my career I’ll be more than happy.”

Avalanche Safety Tips

Carry avalanche rescue gear—probe, beacon/transceiver, shovel, etc.—at all times when travelling in the winter backcountry.

Avalanches can be associated with sunshine and daily warming. Consider travelling early while everything is frozen, or at night. The Canadian Avalanche Centre website (www.avalanche.ca) lists conditions that may lead to avalanches.

Watch for cracks across the snow surface and listen for the tell-tale “whump” noise associated with a slope collapse.

In avalanche country, always travel in a group and ensure everyone stays within sight of one another. If caught in an avalanche, use a swimming motion to try and stay at the surface. If possible, move to the side of the avalanche. If you’re not at the surface when the slide stops, quickly punch the snow to create an air pocket with one arm and push your other arm toward the surface to help rescuers locate you.

www.islandalpineguides.com
www.islandavalanchebulletin.com
I don’t know what your destiny will be, health system
but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

-Albert Schweitzer

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.”

As the Yuletide season, with all its partying and social gatherings, gains momentum at this time of year, a pet project for ValleyLinks has been their active involvement with Operation Red Nose (ORN).

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
Dirt roads aren’t that surprising in the Comox Valley. The surprise is what’s at the end of them.

Doveside Christmas Tree Farm is one of those surprises—a family-owned and locally operated cut-your-own-Christmas tree business on Todd Road in Dove Creek. You know you’ve arrived when the pasture, orthopedist
woods, and horse trails that make up Dove Creek give way to rows and rows of Christmas trees.

I arrived at the farm just before sunset a couple of days after the first snow of 2011. The ground was white, the trees green, and two golden retrievers barked my car up the driveway past a large, modern barn to a parking area. The whole scene looked like a station stop for the Polar Express en route to the North Pole. And when I opened my car door, I couldn’t help but think there was a little bit of Christmas wonder in the cold air.

Owner Michael Day would smile to hear anyone say that. He, along with his wife Libby, have spent the last 10 years transforming their 13.5 acre tree farm into a place for families to make Christmas memories. Not only does the farm sell Christmas trees, they also offer wagon rides, carol singing, hot chocolate and bonfires, along with the opportunity to hike around their rural property. These are all the sorts of things Day remembers from growing up, first in the Lower Mainland and later the Alberta Rockies.

“I have a sister whose birthday is in December,” says Day, noting that every year, his family would head out on the weekend closest to that sister’s birthday and cut their own tree. It’s a tradition Day continued with his own family and hopes to share with everyone that comes to Doveside Christmas Tree Farm. “My goal was trying to recreate the experience of going into the Rockies and making it an event, making it a day.”

This isn’t to say, however, that Day grew up wanting to be a Christmas tree farmer. He and his family (which includes two sons, now grown) moved to the Comox Valley in 1993 for other work opportunities. Day is a teacher by training, working at Vanier. His wife Libby is a surgeon.

It was one of Day’s teaching colleagues, Bob Tsable, who started the farm 25 years ago to gain farm status and generate income on the property. The rural location, though, made it a popular spot for Vanier staff parties, providing a spectacular backdrop for teachers like Day and their families to kick back and enjoy themselves. However, by 2001, Tsable was ready to sell the property, and the Days took the opportunity to buy.

“My wife had fallen in love,” says Day with a laugh. “I was just scared, which was probably justified on my part. I knew nothing.” In fact, the incentive to buy was the property and the location—not the tree farm. However, the Days were determined to keep farm status on the property and that meant figuring out how to be tree farmers

“The trees at the time were well established,” says Day. “Bob worked them very hard, but after he retired he found it a bit of a hassle. He let the trees go so they weren’t marketable.”

Luckily for Day, he had another Vanier colleague whose husband happened to be a tree farmer. That farmer was Brian Black, and the two formed a partnership. “He advises and directs; I provide the grunt labor and the marketing,” says Day.

Part of that advice the first year was a massive haircut to bring the trees back to a manageable and marketable condition. “It looked like a bomb had gone off,” remembers Day with a laugh. “We didn’t sell any trees. But by the next year we had enough trees to legitimately make our farm status.

“It’s not strictly a commercial operation,” adds Day. “What we discovered the first year, we recognized that to compete with established operations we had to offer something a little more.” And that’s where Day’s own Christmas memories come in.

“From the first days we offered hayrides and bonfires,” he says. From there, inspiration just seemed to keep striking. Take for example a trip through Grand Forks several years back. On the drive home, they happened to pass a shop with an antique Doukhobor wagon parked out front. Day bought the wagon and had it shipped to the Valley, where he fixed it up to tow behind the tractor. Customers now get to ride through the trees, singing Christmas carols on a piece of history.

Then Black suggested Day reach out to the local schools, offering the farm up for class tours on silviculture. Although not organic, Day and Black have experimented with low-impact and ecologically sensitive farming methods that offer a lot of learning opportunities for students.

First, there’s stump culturing. “Some people tend to stay away from cutting a Christmas tree because they think they’re increasing their carbon footprint,” says Day. “When we cut the tree, we don’t kill it. We grow new trees off the existing root system.” A branch is left on the stump, and that branch eventually becomes a new tree. That means the tree keeps doing things like absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen into the air even as it re-grows.

“We can get four or five trees off a stump before it dies back,” explains Day.

Then there are the sheep. “The grass needs to be kept down to maximize tree growth, otherwise the grass competes for nutrients with the trees,” says Day. That means either extensive mowing with gas powered mowers, or some alternative. The Days recently tried sheep, and liked the results.

“There are a lot of advantages to sheep over say goats—like they don’t eat the branches,” says Day. Instead, they eat the grass and fertilize the trees, making for low-impact maintenance.

Finally, the farm offers a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between ecology and farming. Much of the Day’s property is made up of wooded areas left to grow wild. The property is also bordered by Dove Creek, a salmon-bearing stream that’s undergone significant rehabilitation over the past decade. And like many other salmon-bearing streams in the Valley, the benefits are starting to show in increased salmon returns. “Two years ago you couldn’t step in the creek without stepping on salmon,” says Day. That means visitors to Doveside farms get to learn about how farming practices and the sort of fertilizers you use can impact something like a salmon-bearing stream.

“We wanted to talk about the environmental aspects of Christmas tree farming,” says Day. “We talk about erosion and the effects. We don’t use herbicides, but we try to be thoughtful about what we use.”

The kids love the tours, and their families appreciate a local business giving back to the community. In fact, many of these kids and their families have become some of Doveside’s most loyal customers. There’s Amethyst, who first came to the farm as a six-year-old on a school tour with her mom chaperoning. They’ve come back every Christmas since, and even approached the Days about partnering with YANA to raise funds through donations for the hot chocolate and hot dogs. They raised $300.

Then there are the families that just seem to find the farm by chance. “We had a family that came six years ago,” says Day. “They were from Victoria on a ski trip to Mount Washington and decided to stop at the farm on their way home.” Every year since then, they’ve come back and brought other families with them. “They have multiple families that come for a ski weekend and then cut a tree on their way home.” One year, they even showed up on a bus to accommodate all the people and the trees.

When asked what keeps bringing such a determined group back, Day has a simple answer.

“What drew them back was the opportunity to be together, and that is what the farm is about,” he says. “Sharing the blessings that we’ve been given.”

“It’s labor intensive, and you’re not going to make money,” continues Day. “There’s got be something else you’re doing it for. What makes it worth it for us is the people. Where else can you go out and sing Christmas carols all day?”

Doveside Christmas Tree Farm is open weekends from 10am to dusk.

For more information call 250-703-2047.

Doveside Christmas Tree Farm is located at 6077 Todd Road in Dove Creek. Visitors are advised to dress for the weather, and be prepared for uneven ground —boots are a good choice for everyone. Wagon rides (fleece blankets provided), bonfires and hot chocolate are available during the selling season and there are washrooms on site in the barn. You are also welcome to hike through the property, but know that you’ll likely be accompanied by the Day family’s golden retrievers Amber and Honey. You can get there from Courtenay along Cliffe Avenue, through downtown. Make a right on 1st Street and a left on Anderton. Cross the Condensory Road bridge and through the flashing lights at Piercy. Continue straight through for 5.7 km before turning right onto Todd Rd. Go 250m to Doveside Christmas Tree Farm on the left.
It seems fitting that I would meet with Anita Kalnay on a day when the autumn air is ripe with the aroma of changing seasons. I take a deep breath to savor the scent of ripe apples, sale
cedar, wet leaves and other fragrances of fall, and then settle down to chat with this woman of many talents. In addition to being a perfume-maker, Kalnay has a university degree in recreation administration. She is also a certified aromatherapist, reflexologist and yoga instructor.

To be perfectly honest, I never knew that the art of perfume making, which combines artistic talent and intuition with scientific knowledge, existed outside of laboratories in perhaps Paris or New York. But here I am, sitting on a deck in Courtenay, chatting with a woman who creates award-winning perfumes in a modest laboratory in the corner of her kitchen!

Personally, I am allergic to store-bought perfume, so I asked Kalnay why she makes perfume. Is there a market for fragrances when many public places—such as churches and theatres—are now mandated as ‘Scent Free?’

“I am actually allergic to synthetic perfumes, too!” says Kalnay. “Natural perfumes are different. For the most part, I work with 100 per cent natural plant-based ingredients that are blended with a small amount of organic alcohol or jojoba oil. I guess you could say I am like a vegan perfumer. Most people who can’t wear synthetic perfume are fine with these botanical blends. They smell nice and they can even have a ‘remedy’ effect. Often, they are so subtle that only the person wearing it can detect the scent.”

Kalnay’s natural perfume line is marketed under the name Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle and it is, she says, “Inspired by nature.”

Her unique botanical blends are produced by painstakingly calculating the perfect combination of all-natural (no synthetic) ingredients, counting minuscule drop by drop, inhaling deeply, pausing for thought, and then adding a little more of this or that, until it is perfect. “My nose knows when I get the fragrance ‘just right’,” says Kalnay. “There is a lot of technical skill and accurate note-taking—as well as sniffing—involved in the perfume-making process.”

Inspiration for each individual perfume usually comes from personal life experiences. A stroll through a forest near Cumberland, for example, resulted in the creation of a fragrance called Cumberland: Wild Forest Apple and Spearmint. Mountain biking at breakneck speed through the warm, dry forests of Oregon inspired her to create Hood River. A quote by iconic actress Mae West—“I generally avoid temptation… unless I can’t resist it”—resulted in a coconut-scented massoia, tuberose, and chocolate perfume called VVAVOOM! (It will be officially released with her spring 2012 White Floral collection.)

The raw materials to create these perfumes are very expensive. As a result, the finished product may be pricier than some nationally branded synthetic perfumes. To keep costs in check—and because ‘a little dab will do ya!’—Flying Colors perfumes are packaged in smaller bottle sizes. The cost of a 4.5 ml roll-on is about $60. In addition to her signature blends, she also customizes fragrances for individual clients.

While I am impressed by the imaginative names and descriptions of her product line, as well as the professionalism and creativity of her promotional materials, I still wanted to know how one becomes a professional perfumer.
Kalnay smiles and explains that her grandmother was a professional wine taster in southern France. Fragrance, of course, plays an important role in wine tasting. Maybe there is a genetic connection?

“But the real reason I ended up becoming a perfumer, and acquiring such a unique range of skills, was because my husband, Chris, and I have spent much of the past 20 years living in very isolated places. I had a choice—keep busy or go crazy! I chose the path of educational enrichment!”

She laughs. “It’s quite a story… how much time do you have?”

After graduating from the University of Alberta in 1981, this native of Swift Currant, Saskatchewan, got her first real job teaching outdoor education at a junior high school in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was where she met Chris, also a teacher. They married in 1984.

In 1990, Chris accepted a position at a private school in Kemano, BC. The remote town of only 350 people existed solely for the purpose of housing the families of people who worked for Alcan Hydro and was located two hours south of Kitamat. It could be accessed only by boat or helicopter.

“We thought this would be a good place to live for a couple of years and save some money,” says Kalnay. “In hindsight, I guess we didn’t pay much attention when they told us that supplies were only brought in twice a week and that a trip ‘to town’ and back would be a 24-hour turnaround! When you combine living in the shadows of towering mountains with over 1200-centimetres of annual precipitation, you seldom see the sun. The average length of time most people could stand living there was three years. We stayed for 10.”

While Chris taught school, Anita made every effort to keep busy. She drove a frontend loader in the winter and worked alongside a master gardener in the local greenhouse in the summer. With her background in recreation administration, she served as a volunteer to help plan recreation activities for the community.

“Working with the gardener for two years was a great experience for me,” says Kalnay. “It helped me move beyond being an intellectual to become more grounded. It awakened in me a desire to nurture my creativity, and I began to expand my interests.”

During breaks from the solitude of Kemano, Kalnay attended as many continuing education classes as she could, including an art therapy class in Victoria. While living in Kemano, she took distance-learning courses through the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. She studied reflexology, aromatherapy, metaphysics and more. A friend taught her to quilt and, while she found all the straight lines and precision of quilting “a little anal for me,” she did learn that she loved working with fabric. To elevate her mood during the long, dark days of a Kemano fall and winter, Kalnay crafted with fabric, using bright colors, aromatherapy, and lots of fluorescent lighting to keep her motivated.

In 1993, Kalnay secured a grant from the Terrace Community Futures Program. The grant enabled her to market a line of one-of-a-kind sweatshirts created with fabric she had hand-dyed in her basement. She marketed them under her own label: Flying Colors – Let your imagination fly! Her shirts were sold through local markets and she became known as the ‘Flying Colors Lady.’

Eventually, the people of Kemano learned that Kalnay could perform aromatherapy and reflexology treatments, so she started doing that, as well. When they asked for massages, she took some courses and then added massage to her repertoire of services. She soon learned that, in addition to body treatments, she became a confidant. “These people were stressed and needed a massage or reflexology treatment and someone to listen to them with an open heart. I felt privileged to be able to be there for them.”

In 1999, the residents of Kemano were informed that the town was going to be completely shut down. Of the 80 homes there, 10 were moved, four were left standing, and the remainder were used by BC firefighters for ‘practice’ and they were burned to the ground. The closure of this town was so significant that Canadian Geographic Magazine did a feature story on it.

In 2000, the Kalnays moved to Gabriola Island. They spent the next year building a log home while Chris looked for work. Kalnay started a massage/reflexology/aromatherapy business in a yurt—and by now had added hot stone massage to the mix—still continuing to peruse advanced education, focusing now on aromatherapy.

Kalnay was consumed with learning more about the use of various essential oils as a complement to other alternative health services. She learned that ‘scent’ could be used to relieve stress, enhance mood, improve sleep, boost the immune system and much more. She traveled to Washington and earned a diploma in the holistic science of Spiritual PhytoEssencing, which is based on an interface of aromatherapy, herbal medicine, physiology, homeopathy and other natural healing modalities. She is one of only six people in the world to have received this level of accreditation. She also studied under international aromatic consultant Michael Scholes of LabofFlowers.com and organic chemist Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in California. Somehow, she also found the time (and energy) to become certified as a Kundalina Yoga instructor. This style of yoga is designed to strengthen the neuro-endocrine system, ‘exercise your potential,’ and increase self-awareness through meditation.

In the meantime, Chris’ efforts to secure a teaching post on Gabriola Island had not been successful, so he began looking elsewhere. “He applied for a job in Alert Bay and got it. At the time, we didn’t even know where it was on the map!” recalls Kalnay with a laugh.

The couple sold their island home, packed up and, in 2004, moved north to the rugged coast of British Columbia. This time, they were able to make regular escapes from the solitude of a small town and they traveled to the Comox Valley almost every second weekend to ski and enjoy many of the other recreational activities offered here.

Anita rented a storefront location in Alert Bay and, for the next four years, operated a successful aromatherapy, reflexology and massage business. She also offered yoga classes out of space donated to her by the local Family Resource Centre.
In Alert Bay she got serious about mixing personal essential oils blends for clients. She started another division of her Flying Colors brand and called it Genie in a Bottle. In 2007, one of her spiritual teachers said to Kalnay: “You are only operating from one per cent of your full potential.”

Kalnay tells me this just as I am taking a long sip of herbal tea. This seems so absurd I almost choke on my tea. I was still trying to figure out when this woman had time to sleep. Surely this ‘teacher’ had to be kidding.

“Seriously! That’s what he told me,” Kalnay replies, then pauses. She takes a sip of her tea and then continues: “Anyway, I did some soul searching and decided to take my business to the next level. I signed up to apprentice under Vancouver-based Ayala Moriel Parfums, an Israeli artisan perfumer dedicated to the art of natural perfumery. For the next three years, I traveled to Vancouver once a month to learn from her.”

In 2009, Chris was offered a teaching job on Cortes Island. They bought some property there and, while Chris commuted from Cortes, Anita continued building a life (and her business) in the Comox Valley. Along with her friend and colleague, Sandra Shotton, she also opened an Ayurvedic Spa in Nanaimo at Island Yoga Vista. She spends one week a month in Nanaimo giving ‘intuitive’ massage treatments, which use herbal-infused massage oils from India.

In 2010, during her final year of internship, Kalnay produced a line of artisan perfumes called the Flying Colors Muse Collection. This past summer she was one of several perfumers from five countries who accepted a challenge to create a new blend in a ‘soli-flore”—a single-scent perfume. Another Canadian perfumer, Lyn Ayre, of Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfumes, sponsored the contest. Kalnay’s wild azalea blend she labeled as Kokoro—inspired by a visit to the Mount Shasta region of Northern California—took top honors.

“I am very grateful to Lyn for opening me up to the ‘world’ of perfuming and encouraging me to enter challenges such as hers,” says Kalnay. “The entire fragrance industry is based on responding creatively to ‘briefs’ that poetically describe the needs of the clients. So, perfumers can’t shy away from competitions and the artistic challenges they bestow. As a result of my success in this competition, I have now been invited to participate in a ‘top secret’ international challenge in 2012.”

It has been a long and sweet-smelling journey, but it is time to let this ‘genie’ out of the bottle! Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle now boasts a product line of more than a dozen blends and Kalnay has been busy creating her 2012 spring collection, as well as developing marketing materials, building her website, and promoting her natural perfumes. As a result of her diligent efforts, Flying Colors perfumes are catching the attention of natural perfume aficionados across North America, putting both Kalnay, and the Comox Valley, in the spotlight.

For more information call 250.650.1204 or visit: www.genieinabottle.ca

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, hygiene
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, viagra sale
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

It’s an amazing cornucopia, tadalafil
but a bit overwhelming: there are approximately 3, herbal
000 grant-making foundations in Canada, cardiology
according to the non-profit agency Imagine Canada, which offers an online database of these organizations.

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.

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

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

As the storms roll through day after day, store
the portents are all in place for another wild winter on Vancouver Island. The snow is piling up in the mountains and more snowfall records are likely to be set as La Nina returns again this year. For Cumberland based Island Alpine Guides (IAG) that means they are likely to be busier than ever.

IAG offers extensive courses and guided trips to make exploring the Island “Alps” enjoyable and safe. Year round they offer an array of climbing and hiking packages. In winter, website like this
they specialize in avalanche training and back country touring.

Jan Neuspiel, IAG’s managing director, has 25 years guiding experience. Born and raised in Ottawa, the genial 50-year-old says that skiing was a family affair—“almost a religion.” He left Ottawa “very soon after first year university to become a ski bum, which I’m proud to say, I’m still doing today on some level.”

Neuspiel’s first stop was to explore the Rockies, where he soon became involved in back country skiing and mountain climbing. His introduction to guiding was in the river rafting business. “I discovered that I really loved that way of life, that job—the whole business of taking people into beautiful wild places and sharing that with them and looking after them,” Neuspiel says. “All of that stuff really appealed to me so then it morphed pretty quickly into guiding climbing and ultimately skiing as well.”

After stopping long enough to get a diploma in outdoor recreation from North Vancouver’s Capilano College, Neuspiel headed to the Himalayas in north western India on a skiing expedition, which would be the start of 25 years of Himalayan adventures. “That trip kind of fell apart but it got me over there and then I made my way across to Nepal and that is where I got my first job,” Neuspiel says.

“A couple of years later, I made my way back to northern India with my skis and finally realized the dream of skiing in the Himalayas there. I did some of my skiing there with a friend I had made in Nepal, an Australian, who was starting to toy with the idea of starting a helicopter skiing operation in that part of the Himalayas. Long story short, a few years later I did end up hooking up with him and working at that operation. And, before I knew it, I was running the operation and had been there for 11 years!”

Neuspiel laughs, noting how lucky he has been throughout his work life. But hard work no doubt enters into the mix as well. Himachal Helicopter Skiing is based in Manali, India, a city of 30,000 people located at 6,398 feet. “We grew it from a business that, when I joined, ran about three weeks of heli-skiing, to a business that owned three helicopters and was operating 12 weeks a winter, 250 clients in a winter. So yeah, we grew it into quite a business.”

While in Nepal Neuspiel met and married his wife Amanda, originally from England. Amanda works as a medical herbalist and thus when they decided to leave Nepal their destination had to be temperate for her work and mountainous for his. “The main contenders that fit that description are New Zealand and the west coast of BC,” Neuspiel says. “Neither of us is from New Zealand so we thought we’d consider the West Coast. We came to visit a friend in the Comox Valley and liked it. At first we really dropped our bags here but over time we settled in.”

Neuspiel continued to spend about four months out of the year in India, while gradually building his knowledge of Vancouver Island’s mountains and back country. When they adopted their son Vijay five years ago it was time to think about making a more permanent home here. That was when Neuspiel and another Cumberland resident, Cliff Umpleby, started Island Alpine Guides.

In his web blog Neuspiel sums up how IAG is doing: “Here we are entering our fifth year thinking, ‘The timing was about right.’ We’ve grown considerably every year since we started and are looking strong into the future as Vancouver Island’s premiere mountain school and guide service. Looking into the future we certainly intend to keep meeting the needs of our fellow islanders right here in the island Alps.”

IAG’s most popular winter course is the Avalanche Skills Training One (AST 1), followed closely by the Intro to Winter Travel. The AST 1 is offered at both Mount Washington and Mt. Cain. IAG is licensed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre to provide the two-day courses composed of about six hours of classroom and 12 hours of field instruction. In the classroom, participants learn about avalanche terrain, mountain snowpack, the nature and formation of avalanches, assessing avalanche danger, avalanche transceivers, safety measures and self rescue. In the field students learn terrain recognition, route finding, safe travel, stability evaluation, hazard recognition and small party self rescue. IAG also offers a four day long Avalanche Skills Training 2 course.

For the two day long Intro to Winter Travel the staff guide participants through gear selection and preparation while they manage the logistics of transportation, tenting and cooking. Neuspiel describes a typical outing from the arrival at the departure spot: “We would do final checks through gear, pack up our packs, and have a briefing before we head off up the mountain. We would ski our way to a location where we intend to camp for the night. In the process there is a lot of learning that goes on. Our instructors realize that the best way to teach a lot of outdoor pursuits is through using teachable moments to allow people to learn the stuff they’ve come there to learn.

“We get to a spot, set up a camp, and if the timing is right, probably go out for a little cruise around. If it is a trip where people are on skis, go for some ski runs; if it is a snowshoe trip, go for a wander around on snowshoes. If a person is on a split board, we’re going snowboarding, whatever it is. Camping out in the winter is full of lessons of its own and so we would help people through all of that and teach them how to be comfortable and enjoy sleeping out in the snow. The second day would involve doing a whole bunch more ski runs or whatever and ultimately heading out to finish the trip.”

Not sure if back country touring is for you? “Back country skiing is really suitable for anyone who skis and who is interested in being outdoors, particularly in the wilderness,” says Neuspiel. “It is particularly well suited to those who like powder snow. In terms of criteria the person needs to be a strong intermediate level skier and reasonably fit. Other than desire and a sense of adventure, that is about it.”

Once you’ve taken the courses, Island Alpine Guides has a multitude of tours to satisfy all tastes and abilities. There are Mount Washington and Mt. Cain back country tours, weekend ski tours to Mount Myra, Mount Adrian, or Mount Tom Taylor, heli-accessed touring at Alexandra Peak, Mount Adrian, or Mount Matchlee, as well as a seven-day Mount Washington to Comox Glacier traverse to name just a few of the winter options.

Neuspiel laughs when asked about the snow and the quality of local skiing. “Everyone asks that. Surely it is all Island cement, right? The best skiing is anywhere on the right day. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve skied snow as good as anywhere on Vancouver Island. I’ve skied cold smoke powder, over the shoulders, on the back of Mount Washington. It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and that is a big part of what we do as guides. We make sure we get people to the right spot at the right time to get the best snow they possibly can.”

Island Alpine Guides staff is almost all based in the Comox Valley and are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. “They are an interesting group of people who share my passion for the mountains and for being in the mountains with people,” Neuspiel says. “They come with a variety of different experiences—from a mountain guide from France that has joined us here in the last couple of years and brings his own French flavor to things, which is fantastic, to a woman who has a really strong background with Outward Bound as an instructor and so comes with a really strong set of teaching skills, to a hiking guide who has been with us for a little while now who has just got keen with a capital K written all over him with everything that he does.”

Neuspiel also focuses his energy beyond the clients of IAG to assist all back country enthusiasts through two reporting services: the Vancouver Island Mountain Conditions Report and the Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin. The Mountain Conditions Report was initiated by IAG as a way to share information among people travelling in the backcountry.

He describes what information is provided: “What’s the access like on these logging roads now, what condition is that trail in, are the crevasses on that glacier opened up more, did you see avalanche activity, was there a big rock slide somewhere? Whatever it is that helps people planning their trip.” A new blog has been developed for this report to combat previous problems with spam. Information should be sent to [email protected].

The non-profit Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre Society publishes an avalanche bulletin three times a week throughout the winter. The current bulletin advises that the many storms to pass over Vancouver Island in the last week of November have created high snow packs with a lot of instability. Jan is the lead forecaster for the Centre and he wants to encourage everyone to send him any information they have about snow conditions on the Island. Email him at [email protected]. The information will make the Bulletin better and the interaction with the forecasters will also provide people with an opportunity to hone their skills in assessing snow pack.

Vancouver Island may not be the first place that comes to your mind when you think of mountain adventures but Neuspiel is working on changing that. The motto for Island Alpine Guides is “think globally, adventure locally.”

“There’s no shortage of challenges and real mountain topography here,” Neuspiel says. “The other point is the Island mountains have a unique beauty that is all their own. I have to say that over the years it has really grown on me to the point where, in my aged state, if I just wander around in these mountains for the rest of my career I’ll be more than happy.”

Avalanche Safety Tips

Carry avalanche rescue gear—probe, beacon/transceiver, shovel, etc.—at all times when travelling in the winter backcountry.

Avalanches can be associated with sunshine and daily warming. Consider travelling early while everything is frozen, or at night. The Canadian Avalanche Centre website (www.avalanche.ca) lists conditions that may lead to avalanches.

Watch for cracks across the snow surface and listen for the tell-tale “whump” noise associated with a slope collapse.

In avalanche country, always travel in a group and ensure everyone stays within sight of one another. If caught in an avalanche, use a swimming motion to try and stay at the surface. If possible, move to the side of the avalanche. If you’re not at the surface when the slide stops, quickly punch the snow to create an air pocket with one arm and push your other arm toward the surface to help rescuers locate you.

www.islandalpineguides.com
www.islandavalanchebulletin.com

As the storms roll through day after day, treat
the portents are all in place for another wild winter on Vancouver Island. The snow is piling up in the mountains and more snowfall records are likely to be set as La Nina returns again this year. For Cumberland based Island Alpine Guides (IAG) that means they are likely to be busier than ever.

IAG offers extensive courses and guided trips to make exploring the Island “Alps” enjoyable and safe. Year round they offer an array of climbing and hiking packages. In winter, they specialize in avalanche training and back country touring.

Jan Neuspiel, IAG’s managing director, has 25 years guiding experience. Born and raised in Ottawa, the genial 50-year-old says that skiing was a family affair—“almost a religion.” He left Ottawa “very soon after first year university to become a ski bum, which I’m proud to say, I’m still doing today on some level.”

Neuspiel’s first stop was to explore the Rockies, where he soon became involved in back country skiing and mountain climbing. His introduction to guiding was in the river rafting business. “I discovered that I really loved that way of life, that job—the whole business of taking people into beautiful wild places and sharing that with them and looking after them,” Neuspiel says. “All of that stuff really appealed to me so then it morphed pretty quickly into guiding climbing and ultimately skiing as well.”

After stopping long enough to get a diploma in outdoor recreation from North Vancouver’s Capilano College, Neuspiel headed to the Himalayas in north western India on a skiing expedition, which would be the start of 25 years of Himalayan adventures. “That trip kind of fell apart but it got me over there and then I made my way across to Nepal and that is where I got my first job,” Neuspiel says.

“A couple of years later, I made my way back to northern India with my skis and finally realized the dream of skiing in the Himalayas there. I did some of my skiing there with a friend I had made in Nepal, an Australian, who was starting to toy with the idea of starting a helicopter skiing operation in that part of the Himalayas. Long story short, a few years later I did end up hooking up with him and working at that operation. And, before I knew it, I was running the operation and had been there for 11 years!”

Neuspiel laughs, noting how lucky he has been throughout his work life. But hard work no doubt enters into the mix as well. Himachal Helicopter Skiing is based in Manali, India, a city of 30,000 people located at 6,398 feet. “We grew it from a business that, when I joined, ran about three weeks of heli-skiing, to a business that owned three helicopters and was operating 12 weeks a winter, 250 clients in a winter. So yeah, we grew it into quite a business.”

While in Nepal Neuspiel met and married his wife Amanda, originally from England. Amanda works as a medical herbalist and thus when they decided to leave Nepal their destination had to be temperate for her work and mountainous for his. “The main contenders that fit that description are New Zealand and the west coast of BC,” Neuspiel says. “Neither of us is from New Zealand so we thought we’d consider the West Coast. We came to visit a friend in the Comox Valley and liked it. At first we really dropped our bags here but over time we settled in.”

Neuspiel continued to spend about four months out of the year in India, while gradually building his knowledge of Vancouver Island’s mountains and back country. When they adopted their son Vijay five years ago it was time to think about making a more permanent home here. That was when Neuspiel and another Cumberland resident, Cliff Umpleby, started Island Alpine Guides.

In his web blog Neuspiel sums up how IAG is doing: “Here we are entering our fifth year thinking, ‘The timing was about right.’ We’ve grown considerably every year since we started and are looking strong into the future as Vancouver Island’s premiere mountain school and guide service. Looking into the future we certainly intend to keep meeting the needs of our fellow islanders right here in the island Alps.”

IAG’s most popular winter course is the Avalanche Skills Training One (AST 1), followed closely by the Intro to Winter Travel. The AST 1 is offered at both Mount Washington and Mt. Cain. IAG is licensed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre to provide the two-day courses composed of about six hours of classroom and 12 hours of field instruction. In the classroom, participants learn about avalanche terrain, mountain snowpack, the nature and formation of avalanches, assessing avalanche danger, avalanche transceivers, safety measures and self rescue. In the field students learn terrain recognition, route finding, safe travel, stability evaluation, hazard recognition and small party self rescue. IAG also offers a four day long Avalanche Skills Training 2 course.

For the two day long Intro to Winter Travel the staff guide participants through gear selection and preparation while they manage the logistics of transportation, tenting and cooking. Neuspiel describes a typical outing from the arrival at the departure spot: “We would do final checks through gear, pack up our packs, and have a briefing before we head off up the mountain. We would ski our way to a location where we intend to camp for the night. In the process there is a lot of learning that goes on. Our instructors realize that the best way to teach a lot of outdoor pursuits is through using teachable moments to allow people to learn the stuff they’ve come there to learn.

“We get to a spot, set up a camp, and if the timing is right, probably go out for a little cruise around. If it is a trip where people are on skis, go for some ski runs; if it is a snowshoe trip, go for a wander around on snowshoes. If a person is on a split board, we’re going snowboarding, whatever it is. Camping out in the winter is full of lessons of its own and so we would help people through all of that and teach them how to be comfortable and enjoy sleeping out in the snow. The second day would involve doing a whole bunch more ski runs or whatever and ultimately heading out to finish the trip.”

Not sure if back country touring is for you? “Back country skiing is really suitable for anyone who skis and who is interested in being outdoors, particularly in the wilderness,” says Neuspiel. “It is particularly well suited to those who like powder snow. In terms of criteria the person needs to be a strong intermediate level skier and reasonably fit. Other than desire and a sense of adventure, that is about it.”

Once you’ve taken the courses, Island Alpine Guides has a multitude of tours to satisfy all tastes and abilities. There are Mount Washington and Mt. Cain back country tours, weekend ski tours to Mount Myra, Mount Adrian, or Mount Tom Taylor, heli-accessed touring at Alexandra Peak, Mount Adrian, or Mount Matchlee, as well as a seven-day Mount Washington to Comox Glacier traverse to name just a few of the winter options.

Neuspiel laughs when asked about the snow and the quality of local skiing. “Everyone asks that. Surely it is all Island cement, right? The best skiing is anywhere on the right day. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve skied snow as good as anywhere on Vancouver Island. I’ve skied cold smoke powder, over the shoulders, on the back of Mount Washington. It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and that is a big part of what we do as guides. We make sure we get people to the right spot at the right time to get the best snow they possibly can.”

Island Alpine Guides staff is almost all based in the Comox Valley and are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. “They are an interesting group of people who share my passion for the mountains and for being in the mountains with people,” Neuspiel says. “They come with a variety of different experiences—from a mountain guide from France that has joined us here in the last couple of years and brings his own French flavor to things, which is fantastic, to a woman who has a really strong background with Outward Bound as an instructor and so comes with a really strong set of teaching skills, to a hiking guide who has been with us for a little while now who has just got keen with a capital K written all over him with everything that he does.”

Neuspiel also focuses his energy beyond the clients of IAG to assist all back country enthusiasts through two reporting services: the Vancouver Island Mountain Conditions Report and the Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin. The Mountain Conditions Report was initiated by IAG as a way to share information among people travelling in the backcountry.

He describes what information is provided: “What’s the access like on these logging roads now, what condition is that trail in, are the crevasses on that glacier opened up more, did you see avalanche activity, was there a big rock slide somewhere? Whatever it is that helps people planning their trip.” A new blog has been developed for this report to combat previous problems with spam. Information should be sent to [email protected].

The non-profit Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre Society publishes an avalanche bulletin three times a week throughout the winter. The current bulletin advises that the many storms to pass over Vancouver Island in the last week of November have created high snow packs with a lot of instability. Jan is the lead forecaster for the Centre and he wants to encourage everyone to send him any information they have about snow conditions on the Island. Email him at [email protected]. The information will make the Bulletin better and the interaction with the forecasters will also provide people with an opportunity to hone their skills in assessing snow pack.

Vancouver Island may not be the first place that comes to your mind when you think of mountain adventures but Neuspiel is working on changing that. The motto for Island Alpine Guides is “think globally, adventure locally.”

“There’s no shortage of challenges and real mountain topography here,” Neuspiel says. “The other point is the Island mountains have a unique beauty that is all their own. I have to say that over the years it has really grown on me to the point where, in my aged state, if I just wander around in these mountains for the rest of my career I’ll be more than happy.”

Avalanche Safety Tips

Carry avalanche rescue gear—probe, beacon/transceiver, shovel, etc.—at all times when travelling in the winter backcountry.

Avalanches can be associated with sunshine and daily warming. Consider travelling early while everything is frozen, or at night. The Canadian Avalanche Centre website (www.avalanche.ca) lists conditions that may lead to avalanches.

Watch for cracks across the snow surface and listen for the tell-tale “whump” noise associated with a slope collapse.

In avalanche country, always travel in a group and ensure everyone stays within sight of one another. If caught in an avalanche, use a swimming motion to try and stay at the surface. If possible, move to the side of the avalanche. If you’re not at the surface when the slide stops, quickly punch the snow to create an air pocket with one arm and push your other arm toward the surface to help rescuers locate you.

www.islandalpineguides.com
www.islandavalanchebulletin.com

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, sale when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, website like this
when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca
It’s an amazing cornucopia, cardiology
but a bit overwhelming: there are approximately 3, sickness
000 grant-making foundations in Canada, according to the non-profit agency Imagine Canada, which offers an online database of these organizations.

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.

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

It’s an amazing cornucopia, condom
but a bit overwhelming: there are approximately 3, clinic
000 grant-making foundations in Canada, according to the non-profit agency Imagine Canada, which offers an online database of these organizations.

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.

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

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, nurse
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

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

Or so we are led to believe.  Unfortunately, pill
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

It seems fitting that I would meet with Anita Kalnay on a day when the autumn air is ripe with the aroma of changing seasons. I take a deep breath to savor the scent of ripe apples, cedar, wet leaves and other fragrances of fall, and then settle down to chat with this woman of many talents. In addition to being a perfume-maker, Kalnay has a university degree in recreation administration. She is also a certified aromatherapist, reflexologist and yoga instructor.

To be perfectly honest, I never knew that the art of perfume making, which combines artistic talent and intuition with scientific knowledge, existed outside of laboratories in perhaps Paris or New York. But here I am, sitting on a deck in Courtenay, chatting with a woman who creates award-winning perfumes in a modest laboratory in the corner of her kitchen!

Personally, I am allergic to store-bought perfume, so I asked Kalnay why she makes perfume. Is there a market for fragrances when many public places—such as churches and theatres—are now mandated as ‘Scent Free?’

“I am actually allergic to synthetic perfumes, too!” says Kalnay. “Natural perfumes are different. For the most part, I work with 100 per cent natural plant-based ingredients that are blended with a small amount of organic alcohol or jojoba oil. I guess you could say I am like a vegan perfumer. Most people who can’t wear synthetic perfume are fine with these botanical blends. They smell nice and they can even have a ‘remedy’ effect. Often, they are so subtle that only the person wearing it can detect the scent.”

Kalnay’s natural perfume line is marketed under the name Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle and it is, she says, “Inspired by nature.”

Her unique botanical blends are produced by painstakingly calculating the perfect combination of all-natural (no synthetic) ingredients, counting minuscule drop by drop, inhaling deeply, pausing for thought, and then adding a little more of this or that, until it is perfect. “My nose knows when I get the fragrance ‘just right’,” says Kalnay. “There is a lot of technical skill and accurate note-taking—as well as sniffing—involved in the perfume-making process.”

Inspiration for each individual perfume usually comes from personal life experiences. A stroll through a forest near Cumberland, for example, resulted in the creation of a fragrance called Cumberland: Wild Forest Apple and Spearmint. Mountain biking at breakneck speed through the warm, dry forests of Oregon inspired her to create Hood River. A quote by iconic actress Mae West—“I generally avoid temptation… unless I can’t resist it”—resulted in a coconut-scented massoia, tuberose, and chocolate perfume called VVAVOOM! (It will be officially released with her spring 2012 White Floral collection.)

The raw materials to create these perfumes are very expensive. As a result, the finished product may be pricier than some nationally branded synthetic perfumes. To keep costs in check—and because ‘a little dab will do ya!’—Flying Colors perfumes are packaged in smaller bottle sizes. The cost of a 4.5 ml roll-on is about $60. In addition to her signature blends, she also customizes fragrances for individual clients.

While I am impressed by the imaginative names and descriptions of her product line, as well as the professionalism and creativity of her promotional materials, I still wanted to know how one becomes a professional perfumer.
Kalnay smiles and explains that her grandmother was a professional wine taster in southern France. Fragrance, of course, plays an important role in wine tasting. Maybe there is a genetic connection?

“But the real reason I ended up becoming a perfumer, and acquiring such a unique range of skills, was because my husband, Chris, and I have spent much of the past 20 years living in very isolated places. I had a choice—keep busy or go crazy! I chose the path of educational enrichment!”

She laughs. “It’s quite a story… how much time do you have?”

After graduating from the University of Alberta in 1981, this native of Swift Currant, Saskatchewan, got her first real job teaching outdoor education at a junior high school in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was where she met Chris, also a teacher. They married in 1984.

In 1990, Chris accepted a position at a private school in Kemano, BC. The remote town of only 350 people existed solely for the purpose of housing the families of people who worked for Alcan Hydro and was located two hours south of Kitamat. It could be accessed only by boat or helicopter.

“We thought this would be a good place to live for a couple of years and save some money,” says Kalnay. “In hindsight, I guess we didn’t pay much attention when they told us that supplies were only brought in twice a week and that a trip ‘to town’ and back would be a 24-hour turnaround! When you combine living in the shadows of towering mountains with over 1200-centimetres of annual precipitation, you seldom see the sun. The average length of time most people could stand living there was three years. We stayed for 10.”

While Chris taught school, Anita made every effort to keep busy. She drove a frontend loader in the winter and worked alongside a master gardener in the local greenhouse in the summer. With her background in recreation administration, she served as a volunteer to help plan recreation activities for the community.

“Working with the gardener for two years was a great experience for me,” says Kalnay. “It helped me move beyond being an intellectual to become more grounded. It awakened in me a desire to nurture my creativity, and I began to expand my interests.”

During breaks from the solitude of Kemano, Kalnay attended as many continuing education classes as she could, including an art therapy class in Victoria. While living in Kemano, she took distance-learning courses through the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. She studied reflexology, aromatherapy, metaphysics and more. A friend taught her to quilt and, while she found all the straight lines and precision of quilting “a little anal for me,” she did learn that she loved working with fabric. To elevate her mood during the long, dark days of a Kemano fall and winter, Kalnay crafted with fabric, using bright colors, aromatherapy, and lots of fluorescent lighting to keep her motivated.

In 1993, Kalnay secured a grant from the Terrace Community Futures Program. The grant enabled her to market a line of one-of-a-kind sweatshirts created with fabric she had hand-dyed in her basement. She marketed them under her own label: Flying Colors – Let your imagination fly! Her shirts were sold through local markets and she became known as the ‘Flying Colors Lady.’

Eventually, the people of Kemano learned that Kalnay could perform aromatherapy and reflexology treatments, so she started doing that, as well. When they asked for massages, she took some courses and then added massage to her repertoire of services. She soon learned that, in addition to body treatments, she became a confidant. “These people were stressed and needed a massage or reflexology treatment and someone to listen to them with an open heart. I felt privileged to be able to be there for them.”

In 1999, the residents of Kemano were informed that the town was going to be completely shut down. Of the 80 homes there, 10 were moved, four were left standing, and the remainder were used by BC firefighters for ‘practice’ and they were burned to the ground. The closure of this town was so significant that Canadian Geographic Magazine did a feature story on it.

In 2000, the Kalnays moved to Gabriola Island. They spent the next year building a log home while Chris looked for work. Kalnay started a massage/reflexology/aromatherapy business in a yurt—and by now had added hot stone massage to the mix—still continuing to peruse advanced education, focusing now on aromatherapy.

Kalnay was consumed with learning more about the use of various essential oils as a complement to other alternative health services. She learned that ‘scent’ could be used to relieve stress, enhance mood, improve sleep, boost the immune system and much more. She traveled to Washington and earned a diploma in the holistic science of Spiritual PhytoEssencing, which is based on an interface of aromatherapy, herbal medicine, physiology, homeopathy and other natural healing modalities. She is one of only six people in the world to have received this level of accreditation. She also studied under international aromatic consultant Michael Scholes of LabofFlowers.com and organic chemist Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in California. Somehow, she also found the time (and energy) to become certified as a Kundalina Yoga instructor. This style of yoga is designed to strengthen the neuro-endocrine system, ‘exercise your potential,’ and increase self-awareness through meditation.

In the meantime, Chris’ efforts to secure a teaching post on Gabriola Island had not been successful, so he began looking elsewhere. “He applied for a job in Alert Bay and got it. At the time, we didn’t even know where it was on the map!” recalls Kalnay with a laugh.

The couple sold their island home, packed up and, in 2004, moved north to the rugged coast of British Columbia. This time, they were able to make regular escapes from the solitude of a small town and they traveled to the Comox Valley almost every second weekend to ski and enjoy many of the other recreational activities offered here.

Anita rented a storefront location in Alert Bay and, for the next four years, operated a successful aromatherapy, reflexology and massage business. She also offered yoga classes out of space donated to her by the local Family Resource Centre.
In Alert Bay she got serious about mixing personal essential oils blends for clients. She started another division of her Flying Colors brand and called it Genie in a Bottle. In 2007, one of her spiritual teachers said to Kalnay: “You are only operating from one per cent of your full potential.”

Kalnay tells me this just as I am taking a long sip of herbal tea. This seems so absurd I almost choke on my tea. I was still trying to figure out when this woman had time to sleep. Surely this ‘teacher’ had to be kidding.

“Seriously! That’s what he told me,” Kalnay replies, then pauses. She takes a sip of her tea and then continues: “Anyway, I did some soul searching and decided to take my business to the next level. I signed up to apprentice under Vancouver-based Ayala Moriel Parfums, an Israeli artisan perfumer dedicated to the art of natural perfumery. For the next three years, I traveled to Vancouver once a month to learn from her.”

In 2009, Chris was offered a teaching job on Cortes Island. They bought some property there and, while Chris commuted from Cortes, Anita continued building a life (and her business) in the Comox Valley. Along with her friend and colleague, Sandra Shotton, she also opened an Ayurvedic Spa in Nanaimo at Island Yoga Vista. She spends one week a month in Nanaimo giving ‘intuitive’ massage treatments, which use herbal-infused massage oils from India.

In 2010, during her final year of internship, Kalnay produced a line of artisan perfumes called the Flying Colors Muse Collection. This past summer she was one of several perfumers from five countries who accepted a challenge to create a new blend in a ‘soli-flore”—a single-scent perfume. Another Canadian perfumer, Lyn Ayre, of Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfumes, sponsored the contest. Kalnay’s wild azalea blend she labeled as Kokoro—inspired by a visit to the Mount Shasta region of Northern California—took top honors.

“I am very grateful to Lyn for opening me up to the ‘world’ of perfuming and encouraging me to enter challenges such as hers,” says Kalnay. “The entire fragrance industry is based on responding creatively to ‘briefs’ that poetically describe the needs of the clients. So, perfumers can’t shy away from competitions and the artistic challenges they bestow. As a result of my success in this competition, I have now been invited to participate in a ‘top secret’ international challenge in 2012.”

It has been a long and sweet-smelling journey, but it is time to let this ‘genie’ out of the bottle! Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle now boasts a product line of more than a dozen blends and Kalnay has been busy creating her 2012 spring collection, as well as developing marketing materials, building her website, and promoting her natural perfumes. As a result of her diligent efforts, Flying Colors perfumes are catching the attention of natural perfume aficionados across North America, putting both Kalnay, and the Comox Valley, in the spotlight.

For more information call 250.650.1204 or visit: www.genieinabottle.ca

It seems fitting that I would meet with Anita Kalnay on a day when the autumn air is ripe with the aroma of changing seasons. I take a deep breath to savor the scent of ripe apples, cedar, wet leaves and other fragrances of fall, and then settle down to chat with this woman of many talents. In addition to being a perfume-maker, Kalnay has a university degree in recreation administration. She is also a certified aromatherapist, reflexologist and yoga instructor.

To be perfectly honest, I never knew that the art of perfume making, which combines artistic talent and intuition with scientific knowledge, existed outside of laboratories in perhaps Paris or New York. But here I am, sitting on a deck in Courtenay, chatting with a woman who creates award-winning perfumes in a modest laboratory in the corner of her kitchen!

Personally, I am allergic to store-bought perfume, so I asked Kalnay why she makes perfume. Is there a market for fragrances when many public places—such as churches and theatres—are now mandated as ‘Scent Free?’

“I am actually allergic to synthetic perfumes, too!” says Kalnay. “Natural perfumes are different. For the most part, I work with 100 per cent natural plant-based ingredients that are blended with a small amount of organic alcohol or jojoba oil. I guess you could say I am like a vegan perfumer. Most people who can’t wear synthetic perfume are fine with these botanical blends. They smell nice and they can even have a ‘remedy’ effect. Often, they are so subtle that only the person wearing it can detect the scent.”

Kalnay’s natural perfume line is marketed under the name Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle and it is, she says, “Inspired by nature.”

Her unique botanical blends are produced by painstakingly calculating the perfect combination of all-natural (no synthetic) ingredients, counting minuscule drop by drop, inhaling deeply, pausing for thought, and then adding a little more of this or that, until it is perfect. “My nose knows when I get the fragrance ‘just right’,” says Kalnay. “There is a lot of technical skill and accurate note-taking—as well as sniffing—involved in the perfume-making process.”

Inspiration for each individual perfume usually comes from personal life experiences. A stroll through a forest near Cumberland, for example, resulted in the creation of a fragrance called Cumberland: Wild Forest Apple and Spearmint. Mountain biking at breakneck speed through the warm, dry forests of Oregon inspired her to create Hood River. A quote by iconic actress Mae West—“I generally avoid temptation… unless I can’t resist it”—resulted in a coconut-scented massoia, tuberose, and chocolate perfume called VVAVOOM! (It will be officially released with her spring 2012 White Floral collection.)

The raw materials to create these perfumes are very expensive. As a result, the finished product may be pricier than some nationally branded synthetic perfumes. To keep costs in check—and because ‘a little dab will do ya!’—Flying Colors perfumes are packaged in smaller bottle sizes. The cost of a 4.5 ml roll-on is about $60. In addition to her signature blends, she also customizes fragrances for individual clients.

While I am impressed by the imaginative names and descriptions of her product line, as well as the professionalism and creativity of her promotional materials, I still wanted to know how one becomes a professional perfumer.
Kalnay smiles and explains that her grandmother was a professional wine taster in southern France. Fragrance, of course, plays an important role in wine tasting. Maybe there is a genetic connection?

“But the real reason I ended up becoming a perfumer, and acquiring such a unique range of skills, was because my husband, Chris, and I have spent much of the past 20 years living in very isolated places. I had a choice—keep busy or go crazy! I chose the path of educational enrichment!”

She laughs. “It’s quite a story… how much time do you have?”

After graduating from the University of Alberta in 1981, this native of Swift Currant, Saskatchewan, got her first real job teaching outdoor education at a junior high school in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was where she met Chris, also a teacher. They married in 1984.

In 1990, Chris accepted a position at a private school in Kemano, BC. The remote town of only 350 people existed solely for the purpose of housing the families of people who worked for Alcan Hydro and was located two hours south of Kitamat. It could be accessed only by boat or helicopter.

“We thought this would be a good place to live for a couple of years and save some money,” says Kalnay. “In hindsight, I guess we didn’t pay much attention when they told us that supplies were only brought in twice a week and that a trip ‘to town’ and back would be a 24-hour turnaround! When you combine living in the shadows of towering mountains with over 1200-centimetres of annual precipitation, you seldom see the sun. The average length of time most people could stand living there was three years. We stayed for 10.”

While Chris taught school, Anita made every effort to keep busy. She drove a frontend loader in the winter and worked alongside a master gardener in the local greenhouse in the summer. With her background in recreation administration, she served as a volunteer to help plan recreation activities for the community.

“Working with the gardener for two years was a great experience for me,” says Kalnay. “It helped me move beyond being an intellectual to become more grounded. It awakened in me a desire to nurture my creativity, and I began to expand my interests.”

During breaks from the solitude of Kemano, Kalnay attended as many continuing education classes as she could, including an art therapy class in Victoria. While living in Kemano, she took distance-learning courses through the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. She studied reflexology, aromatherapy, metaphysics and more. A friend taught her to quilt and, while she found all the straight lines and precision of quilting “a little anal for me,” she did learn that she loved working with fabric. To elevate her mood during the long, dark days of a Kemano fall and winter, Kalnay crafted with fabric, using bright colors, aromatherapy, and lots of fluorescent lighting to keep her motivated.

In 1993, Kalnay secured a grant from the Terrace Community Futures Program. The grant enabled her to market a line of one-of-a-kind sweatshirts created with fabric she had hand-dyed in her basement. She marketed them under her own label: Flying Colors – Let your imagination fly! Her shirts were sold through local markets and she became known as the ‘Flying Colors Lady.’

Eventually, the people of Kemano learned that Kalnay could perform aromatherapy and reflexology treatments, so she started doing that, as well. When they asked for massages, she took some courses and then added massage to her repertoire of services. She soon learned that, in addition to body treatments, she became a confidant. “These people were stressed and needed a massage or reflexology treatment and someone to listen to them with an open heart. I felt privileged to be able to be there for them.”

In 1999, the residents of Kemano were informed that the town was going to be completely shut down. Of the 80 homes there, 10 were moved, four were left standing, and the remainder were used by BC firefighters for ‘practice’ and they were burned to the ground. The closure of this town was so significant that Canadian Geographic Magazine did a feature story on it.

In 2000, the Kalnays moved to Gabriola Island. They spent the next year building a log home while Chris looked for work. Kalnay started a massage/reflexology/aromatherapy business in a yurt—and by now had added hot stone massage to the mix—still continuing to peruse advanced education, focusing now on aromatherapy.

Kalnay was consumed with learning more about the use of various essential oils as a complement to other alternative health services. She learned that ‘scent’ could be used to relieve stress, enhance mood, improve sleep, boost the immune system and much more. She traveled to Washington and earned a diploma in the holistic science of Spiritual PhytoEssencing, which is based on an interface of aromatherapy, herbal medicine, physiology, homeopathy and other natural healing modalities. She is one of only six people in the world to have received this level of accreditation. She also studied under international aromatic consultant Michael Scholes of LabofFlowers.com and organic chemist Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in California. Somehow, she also found the time (and energy) to become certified as a Kundalina Yoga instructor. This style of yoga is designed to strengthen the neuro-endocrine system, ‘exercise your potential,’ and increase self-awareness through meditation.

In the meantime, Chris’ efforts to secure a teaching post on Gabriola Island had not been successful, so he began looking elsewhere. “He applied for a job in Alert Bay and got it. At the time, we didn’t even know where it was on the map!” recalls Kalnay with a laugh.

The couple sold their island home, packed up and, in 2004, moved north to the rugged coast of British Columbia. This time, they were able to make regular escapes from the solitude of a small town and they traveled to the Comox Valley almost every second weekend to ski and enjoy many of the other recreational activities offered here.

Anita rented a storefront location in Alert Bay and, for the next four years, operated a successful aromatherapy, reflexology and massage business. She also offered yoga classes out of space donated to her by the local Family Resource Centre.
In Alert Bay she got serious about mixing personal essential oils blends for clients. She started another division of her Flying Colors brand and called it Genie in a Bottle. In 2007, one of her spiritual teachers said to Kalnay: “You are only operating from one per cent of your full potential.”

Kalnay tells me this just as I am taking a long sip of herbal tea. This seems so absurd I almost choke on my tea. I was still trying to figure out when this woman had time to sleep. Surely this ‘teacher’ had to be kidding.

“Seriously! That’s what he told me,” Kalnay replies, then pauses. She takes a sip of her tea and then continues: “Anyway, I did some soul searching and decided to take my business to the next level. I signed up to apprentice under Vancouver-based Ayala Moriel Parfums, an Israeli artisan perfumer dedicated to the art of natural perfumery. For the next three years, I traveled to Vancouver once a month to learn from her.”

In 2009, Chris was offered a teaching job on Cortes Island. They bought some property there and, while Chris commuted from Cortes, Anita continued building a life (and her business) in the Comox Valley. Along with her friend and colleague, Sandra Shotton, she also opened an Ayurvedic Spa in Nanaimo at Island Yoga Vista. She spends one week a month in Nanaimo giving ‘intuitive’ massage treatments, which use herbal-infused massage oils from India.

In 2010, during her final year of internship, Kalnay produced a line of artisan perfumes called the Flying Colors Muse Collection. This past summer she was one of several perfumers from five countries who accepted a challenge to create a new blend in a ‘soli-flore”—a single-scent perfume. Another Canadian perfumer, Lyn Ayre, of Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfumes, sponsored the contest. Kalnay’s wild azalea blend she labeled as Kokoro—inspired by a visit to the Mount Shasta region of Northern California—took top honors.

“I am very grateful to Lyn for opening me up to the ‘world’ of perfuming and encouraging me to enter challenges such as hers,” says Kalnay. “The entire fragrance industry is based on responding creatively to ‘briefs’ that poetically describe the needs of the clients. So, perfumers can’t shy away from competitions and the artistic challenges they bestow. As a result of my success in this competition, I have now been invited to participate in a ‘top secret’ international challenge in 2012.”

It has been a long and sweet-smelling journey, but it is time to let this ‘genie’ out of the bottle! Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle now boasts a product line of more than a dozen blends and Kalnay has been busy creating her 2012 spring collection, as well as developing marketing materials, building her website, and promoting her natural perfumes. As a result of her diligent efforts, Flying Colors perfumes are catching the attention of natural perfume aficionados across North America, putting both Kalnay, and the Comox Valley, in the spotlight.

For more information call 250.650.1204 or visit: www.genieinabottle.ca

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca

Dyan Spink’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1986, when she moved from Quebec to British Columbia. Along with her household belongings, she brought 11,500 pounds of maple syrup. Her plan was to sell the syrup at Expo but, once Expo ended, she found herself with remaining inventory. She started making and marketing gift baskets so she could unload the rest of the syrup. This home-based enterprise was a huge success. Always on the lookout for the next trend, she then mastered the art of hand-painted leather jewellery-making and developed a product line that was distributed in boutique stores across Canada.

Spink’s enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit and achievements did not go unnoticed. In 1997, she was hired by the Business Development Bank Canada to teach people in the Comox Valley how to be self-employed and write business plans. Always eager to take on a new challenge, she moved up Island from Coombs.

Dyan teamed up with Gary Spink soon after moving here. The couple clicked—partly because the entrepreneurial spirit bug had bitten him, too! Gary had been successfully self-employed for many years as well. After selling his Parksville/Qualicum-based business, he had moved to the Comox Valley to help Tory & Sons Plumbing and Heating grow what was then a new business.

While Gary worked full-time at Tory & Sons, Dyan was kept busy with the teaching contract during the fall and winter months. She loved what she was doing but needed to generate some income during the summer. Not one to sit back and simply smell the coffee, she decided to build a business based on her favorite beverage.

Dyan had previous restaurant industry experience and was a barista, so she bought a mobile coffee cart and christened it ‘Joe Cartos.’ She began selling Joe Cartos specialty coffees at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. The locals quickly learned to love their signature mochas topped with chocolate whipped cream, Chai lattes, espressos and other decadent specialty coffee beverages.

A few months later, the Spinks launched Joe Cartos Coffee Cart Manufacturing. Gary’s technical background and Dyan’s business experience proved to be a winning combination. They introduced Joe Cartos to entrepreneurs across Canada by selling their Food Safe-certified mobile kitchens at industry trade shows.

“We didn’t just sell coffee carts,” explains Dyan, “we made it a complete turnkey operation. I taught people how to operate their new enterprise, giving instruction and support on everything from how to make coffee to keeping financial records.” In 2002, the Spinks were recognized for their efforts with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award (BE) for Small Business of the Year.

While attending trade shows to sell Joe Cartos to others, the Spinks became sold on the idea of artisan custom coffee roasting and began researching this as another possible business venture.

In 2004, their coffee cart business moved in a somewhat unexpected direction. In preparation for Westjet’s then new airline service to the Comox Valley, Dyan responded to a Request for Proposal to operate a new restaurant at the airport. (She was, after all, an expert at writing business plans.) The challenge was to build a menu based on a food service operation that could not have a grill. Of more than 30 submissions, Spink’s innovative plan for ‘Joe Cartos On the Fly’ was selected. A modified Joe Cartos Coffee Cart formed the basis for the food service operation—who knew you could make scrambled eggs using an espresso machine!

The Spinks operated Joe Cartos On the Fly from 2005 through 2007. In addition to building a successful food service operation that focused on local and organic food, they also won more awards. Joe Cartos On the Fly was voted by airport patrons as #1 in Food Service for airports under 500,000 passengers by the Airport Council of Canada. In 2005, they earned another BE Award for Small Business of the Year and were the runner-up for Restaurant of the Year.

While Joe Cartos On the Fly was deemed a success, the Spink’s interest in building a coffee roasting business continued to brew.

“We were in Mexico—and in the process of buying a coffee roaster—on the day we learned that we had won the airport restaurant bid,” says Dyan. “We walked away from the roaster at that time but never let go of the idea. We continued to learn about coffee roasting and, by 2007, knew it was time to take the idea of a roasting company off the back burner, so to speak. We sold the restaurant and bought a vacant lot in Royston. Over a two-year period, we built a home for our family and a Carriage House for our new venture— Royston Roasting Company. The Carriage House zoning in Royston also allowed for us to include a two-bedroom suite above the roastery, where our guests could, quite literally, wake up and smell the coffee!”

During its first season of operation, the two-bedroom vacation suite, called A Great Place to Stay, attracted visitors from all over the world. Guests enjoyed all the comforts of home, a view of the ocean and, of course, fresh Royston Roasting coffee.

I am impressed by the Spink’s success and ask how this growing enterprise has been funded. “This company was ‘funded’ with sweat equity and my credit card,” explains Dyan with a laugh. “That, and the support of friends and family. Gary, my daughter Sareh, son Tannaar, and family friends Natasha Mew and Holly Ha, have all been a tremendous part of our success to date.”
My attention is now drawn to the large steel and hand-tooled copper coffee roaster positioned just a few feet away from Dyan’s office area. To me, the assortment of knobs, dials and gizmos on the front of the machine resemble a big smiley face and remind me of the cartoon characters Thomas the Train or The Little Engine that Could. I can imagine how ‘perky’ it looks when its ‘mouth’ spews toasty brown coffee beans into the big cooling dish positioned below.

The roaster, explains Dyan, is a gas-fired OZTURK, imported from Turkey. When they bought it in 2008, it was the first of its kind to be sold in Canada. (I am not surprised when Dyan tells me that they have been asked by the Turkish Company to be the exclusive Canadian distributor of OZTURK products.)

It is capable of roasting about 15 kilos (33 pounds) of coffee in about 20 minutes. The roasting process combines state-of-the-art high tech instruments with old-fashioned hands-on techniques. Green coffee beans poured into a hopper on the top are then dropped into a rotating drum where the temperature easily reaches 200 degrees Celsius. The roastmaster controls the roast by paying close attention to timing, temperature, smell and color. In this business, mere seconds can make the difference between the perfect espresso or over-roasted.

“Anyone can take a bean and roast it,” adds Dyan, “but to create great coffee using this special equipment is considered to be an art. We are attentive to the roaster throughout the entire process, carefully recording the time and temperature while we wait to hear the distinctive ‘crack’ that tells us the coffee bean has reached a particular stage. The size and moisture content of the individual beans, the type of beans used, and many other criteria all factor into the roasting process. When I know the beans are just right I empty them in the cooling tray where a blade rotates and a fan circulates air around them to ensure they cool quickly and evenly.”

Dyan then guides me over to an assortment of 40-to-75-kilogram burlap sacks that contain fair trade organic raw green coffee beans. Then, she starts opening bulks bins that contain the soon to be packed finished product. Royston Roasting has four signature roasts—Swiss Water Processed DeCaf, Dark French, Medium Colombian and Espresso. For their Christmas Blend, they package a special mix of espresso and medium roast. They also make a ‘half-caf’, a 50/50 mix of medium and decaffeinated beans. She takes a scoop of each variety and points out the special attributes of each one. Color, size and aroma are part of the analysis. I inhale deeply—they all smell exquisite!

Coffee doesn’t grow like a typical bean. It grows on trees and, prior to being handpicked, the ‘fruit’ looks like cherries with the coffee ‘bean’ as the ‘pit.’ Coffee is grown in several equatorial countries and is typically harvested from January through March. The beans used at Royston Roasting Company are purchased from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama and Nicaragua.

“All of our coffee is Fair Trade Organic,” adds Dyan. “At the moment, the concern with Fair Trade coffee is that the farmer is required to pay big dollars to certify that he has received a fair price for his coffee. Then, when those certified Fair Trade coffee beans land in distribution centres in the US, a broker pays the Fair Trade License Fee again to the US government, the cost of which is added to the price. When those fair trade beans arrive in Canada, the Canadian government requires the Fair Trade License Fee over again for the same beans. In the end, the price we pay for green coffee beans is nowhere near what the farmer was paid!”

In an effort to truly give farmers fair prices for their coffee beans, considerable effort is being put into a system to buy Direct Trade. No broker. No Government. As a member of collective buying group called the Roasters’ Guild of North America, Royston Roasting is now working toward buying all their coffee direct from the individual farmers or through the Collective, paying them in advance to secure the harvest. The Spinks have been personally visiting farms where their coffee comes from and this spring Gary will be working and participating with one of the harvests. Now that’s a nice perk of owning a coffee roasting company!

While Dyan Spink takes pride in her abilities to roast fabulous coffee, it is her efforts in packaging and marketing her product that are setting a new standard of excellence.

Royston Roasting Company packages are made with 100 per cent biodegradable rice paper. A zip-lock top eliminates the need for the cumbersome (and wasteful) twist-tie foil strip that is commonly used on other packaged coffee and tea products. As an added bonus, the zip-top keeps the coffee fresher, longer. A modification of the package design ensures that it doesn’t tip over as easily as other coffee bags and the insertion of a special one way valve that prevents air from getting in and staling the coffee, but keeps flavor and aroma fresh by allowing the roasting gases to escape.“The other great thing about Royston Roasting is that we can be anybody’s coffee,” claims Dyan. “We offer personalized labelling for corporations, individuals, Christmas and birthday gifts, and non-profit groups.’

Interest in Royston Roasting coffee has spread by word-of-mouth. In addition to wholesaling coffee to non-profit groups, custom packaging for business promotions, and selling at the Farmers’ Market, Royston Roasting Coffee is sold in a select group of local specialty or convenience stores. See their website for a list of locations.

Again, Dyan Spink’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, she applied for and was invited to a preliminary screening for a potential appearance on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den. She didn’t make the final cut but had a blast meeting the crew! She has also had to make more room on her awards shelf, adding the Business Excellence Award for 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.

If past success is any indication of the future, there is a good chance that Royston Roasting Company will soon be up for another award. “I am excited to announce that this December, we will officially open the Royston Roasting Coffee House,” Dyan says.

“Renovations are almost complete in our new digs in downtown Royston, the former Fat Bonos Ribs restaurant. In addition to exclusively serving Royston Roasting coffee, we will be offering a variety of healthy and local menu items. We anticipate being open for the early morning and lunch crowd only. In the afternoons, the coffee house will close to the public and be used to roast and fill wholesale orders as well as coffee barista and latte art training.”

The Spinks are excited about this latest venture. The new location will enable them to employ several local people, continue to promote Vancouver Island products and tourism, and educate others about something they are obviously very passionate about—a great cup of coffee.

FMI call 250.338.7511 or stop by the coffee house: 3904 Island Highway S, Royston. www.bccoffee.ca
I don’t know what your destiny will be, pregnancy
but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

-Albert Schweitzer

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.”

As the Yuletide season, with all its partying and social gatherings, gains momentum at this time of year, a pet project for ValleyLinks has been their active involvement with Operation Red Nose (ORN).

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
It seems fitting that I would meet with Anita Kalnay on a day when the autumn air is ripe with the aroma of changing seasons. I take a deep breath to savor the scent of ripe apples, herbal
cedar, case wet leaves and other fragrances of fall, and then settle down to chat with this woman of many talents. In addition to being a perfume-maker, Kalnay has a university degree in recreation administration. She is also a certified aromatherapist, reflexologist and yoga instructor.

To be perfectly honest, I never knew that the art of perfume making, which combines artistic talent and intuition with scientific knowledge, existed outside of laboratories in perhaps Paris or New York. But here I am, sitting on a deck in Courtenay, chatting with a woman who creates award-winning perfumes in a modest laboratory in the corner of her kitchen!

Personally, I am allergic to store-bought perfume, so I asked Kalnay why she makes perfume. Is there a market for fragrances when many public places—such as churches and theatres—are now mandated as ‘Scent Free?’

“I am actually allergic to synthetic perfumes, too!” says Kalnay. “Natural perfumes are different. For the most part, I work with 100 per cent natural plant-based ingredients that are blended with a small amount of organic alcohol or jojoba oil. I guess you could say I am like a vegan perfumer. Most people who can’t wear synthetic perfume are fine with these botanical blends. They smell nice and they can even have a ‘remedy’ effect. Often, they are so subtle that only the person wearing it can detect the scent.”

Kalnay’s natural perfume line is marketed under the name Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle and it is, she says, “Inspired by nature.”

Her unique botanical blends are produced by painstakingly calculating the perfect combination of all-natural (no synthetic) ingredients, counting minuscule drop by drop, inhaling deeply, pausing for thought, and then adding a little more of this or that, until it is perfect. “My nose knows when I get the fragrance ‘just right’,” says Kalnay. “There is a lot of technical skill and accurate note-taking—as well as sniffing—involved in the perfume-making process.”

Inspiration for each individual perfume usually comes from personal life experiences. A stroll through a forest near Cumberland, for example, resulted in the creation of a fragrance called Cumberland: Wild Forest Apple and Spearmint. Mountain biking at breakneck speed through the warm, dry forests of Oregon inspired her to create Hood River. A quote by iconic actress Mae West—“I generally avoid temptation… unless I can’t resist it”—resulted in a coconut-scented massoia, tuberose, and chocolate perfume called VVAVOOM! (It will be officially released with her spring 2012 White Floral collection.)

The raw materials to create these perfumes are very expensive. As a result, the finished product may be pricier than some nationally branded synthetic perfumes. To keep costs in check—and because ‘a little dab will do ya!’—Flying Colors perfumes are packaged in smaller bottle sizes. The cost of a 4.5 ml roll-on is about $60. In addition to her signature blends, she also customizes fragrances for individual clients.

While I am impressed by the imaginative names and descriptions of her product line, as well as the professionalism and creativity of her promotional materials, I still wanted to know how one becomes a professional perfumer.
Kalnay smiles and explains that her grandmother was a professional wine taster in southern France. Fragrance, of course, plays an important role in wine tasting. Maybe there is a genetic connection?

“But the real reason I ended up becoming a perfumer, and acquiring such a unique range of skills, was because my husband, Chris, and I have spent much of the past 20 years living in very isolated places. I had a choice—keep busy or go crazy! I chose the path of educational enrichment!”

She laughs. “It’s quite a story… how much time do you have?”

After graduating from the University of Alberta in 1981, this native of Swift Currant, Saskatchewan, got her first real job teaching outdoor education at a junior high school in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was where she met Chris, also a teacher. They married in 1984.

In 1990, Chris accepted a position at a private school in Kemano, BC. The remote town of only 350 people existed solely for the purpose of housing the families of people who worked for Alcan Hydro and was located two hours south of Kitamat. It could be accessed only by boat or helicopter.

“We thought this would be a good place to live for a couple of years and save some money,” says Kalnay. “In hindsight, I guess we didn’t pay much attention when they told us that supplies were only brought in twice a week and that a trip ‘to town’ and back would be a 24-hour turnaround! When you combine living in the shadows of towering mountains with over 1200-centimetres of annual precipitation, you seldom see the sun. The average length of time most people could stand living there was three years. We stayed for 10.”

While Chris taught school, Anita made every effort to keep busy. She drove a frontend loader in the winter and worked alongside a master gardener in the local greenhouse in the summer. With her background in recreation administration, she served as a volunteer to help plan recreation activities for the community.

“Working with the gardener for two years was a great experience for me,” says Kalnay. “It helped me move beyond being an intellectual to become more grounded. It awakened in me a desire to nurture my creativity, and I began to expand my interests.”

During breaks from the solitude of Kemano, Kalnay attended as many continuing education classes as she could, including an art therapy class in Victoria. While living in Kemano, she took distance-learning courses through the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. She studied reflexology, aromatherapy, metaphysics and more. A friend taught her to quilt and, while she found all the straight lines and precision of quilting “a little anal for me,” she did learn that she loved working with fabric. To elevate her mood during the long, dark days of a Kemano fall and winter, Kalnay crafted with fabric, using bright colors, aromatherapy, and lots of fluorescent lighting to keep her motivated.

In 1993, Kalnay secured a grant from the Terrace Community Futures Program. The grant enabled her to market a line of one-of-a-kind sweatshirts created with fabric she had hand-dyed in her basement. She marketed them under her own label: Flying Colors – Let your imagination fly! Her shirts were sold through local markets and she became known as the ‘Flying Colors Lady.’

Eventually, the people of Kemano learned that Kalnay could perform aromatherapy and reflexology treatments, so she started doing that, as well. When they asked for massages, she took some courses and then added massage to her repertoire of services. She soon learned that, in addition to body treatments, she became a confidant. “These people were stressed and needed a massage or reflexology treatment and someone to listen to them with an open heart. I felt privileged to be able to be there for them.”

In 1999, the residents of Kemano were informed that the town was going to be completely shut down. Of the 80 homes there, 10 were moved, four were left standing, and the remainder were used by BC firefighters for ‘practice’ and they were burned to the ground. The closure of this town was so significant that Canadian Geographic Magazine did a feature story on it.

In 2000, the Kalnays moved to Gabriola Island. They spent the next year building a log home while Chris looked for work. Kalnay started a massage/reflexology/aromatherapy business in a yurt—and by now had added hot stone massage to the mix—still continuing to peruse advanced education, focusing now on aromatherapy.

Kalnay was consumed with learning more about the use of various essential oils as a complement to other alternative health services. She learned that ‘scent’ could be used to relieve stress, enhance mood, improve sleep, boost the immune system and much more. She traveled to Washington and earned a diploma in the holistic science of Spiritual PhytoEssencing, which is based on an interface of aromatherapy, herbal medicine, physiology, homeopathy and other natural healing modalities. She is one of only six people in the world to have received this level of accreditation. She also studied under international aromatic consultant Michael Scholes of LabofFlowers.com and organic chemist Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in California. Somehow, she also found the time (and energy) to become certified as a Kundalina Yoga instructor. This style of yoga is designed to strengthen the neuro-endocrine system, ‘exercise your potential,’ and increase self-awareness through meditation.

In the meantime, Chris’ efforts to secure a teaching post on Gabriola Island had not been successful, so he began looking elsewhere. “He applied for a job in Alert Bay and got it. At the time, we didn’t even know where it was on the map!” recalls Kalnay with a laugh.

The couple sold their island home, packed up and, in 2004, moved north to the rugged coast of British Columbia. This time, they were able to make regular escapes from the solitude of a small town and they traveled to the Comox Valley almost every second weekend to ski and enjoy many of the other recreational activities offered here.

Anita rented a storefront location in Alert Bay and, for the next four years, operated a successful aromatherapy, reflexology and massage business. She also offered yoga classes out of space donated to her by the local Family Resource Centre.
In Alert Bay she got serious about mixing personal essential oils blends for clients. She started another division of her Flying Colors brand and called it Genie in a Bottle. In 2007, one of her spiritual teachers said to Kalnay: “You are only operating from one per cent of your full potential.”

Kalnay tells me this just as I am taking a long sip of herbal tea. This seems so absurd I almost choke on my tea. I was still trying to figure out when this woman had time to sleep. Surely this ‘teacher’ had to be kidding.

“Seriously! That’s what he told me,” Kalnay replies, then pauses. She takes a sip of her tea and then continues: “Anyway, I did some soul searching and decided to take my business to the next level. I signed up to apprentice under Vancouver-based Ayala Moriel Parfums, an Israeli artisan perfumer dedicated to the art of natural perfumery. For the next three years, I traveled to Vancouver once a month to learn from her.”

In 2009, Chris was offered a teaching job on Cortes Island. They bought some property there and, while Chris commuted from Cortes, Anita continued building a life (and her business) in the Comox Valley. Along with her friend and colleague, Sandra Shotton, she also opened an Ayurvedic Spa in Nanaimo at Island Yoga Vista. She spends one week a month in Nanaimo giving ‘intuitive’ massage treatments, which use herbal-infused massage oils from India.

In 2010, during her final year of internship, Kalnay produced a line of artisan perfumes called the Flying Colors Muse Collection. This past summer she was one of several perfumers from five countries who accepted a challenge to create a new blend in a ‘soli-flore”—a single-scent perfume. Another Canadian perfumer, Lyn Ayre, of Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfumes, sponsored the contest. Kalnay’s wild azalea blend she labeled as Kokoro—inspired by a visit to the Mount Shasta region of Northern California—took top honors.

“I am very grateful to Lyn for opening me up to the ‘world’ of perfuming and encouraging me to enter challenges such as hers,” says Kalnay. “The entire fragrance industry is based on responding creatively to ‘briefs’ that poetically describe the needs of the clients. So, perfumers can’t shy away from competitions and the artistic challenges they bestow. As a result of my success in this competition, I have now been invited to participate in a ‘top secret’ international challenge in 2012.”

It has been a long and sweet-smelling journey, but it is time to let this ‘genie’ out of the bottle! Flying Colors: Genie in a Bottle now boasts a product line of more than a dozen blends and Kalnay has been busy creating her 2012 spring collection, as well as developing marketing materials, building her website, and promoting her natural perfumes. As a result of her diligent efforts, Flying Colors perfumes are catching the attention of natural perfume aficionados across North America, putting both Kalnay, and the Comox Valley, in the spotlight.

For more information call 250.650.1204 or visit: www.genieinabottle.ca

If you are looking for alternative health care options, the Comox Valley has plenty to offer.  Of the many choices available, acupuncture is often one of the first treatments people think of—not just because it starts with ‘A’ and usually appears first on a list, but because thousands of years of documented history are positive proof that it works.

“Acupuncture involves the insertion of tiny needles on specific body points to encourage natural healing, improve mood and energy, reduce or relieve pain, and improve function in all areas of the body,” explains Dr. Michelle Hughes, Comox Valley Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Kathy Penner’s first experience with acupuncture and TCM was not to address issues relating to her own health, but rather to see if it would help her border collie, who was suffering with arthritis.  She had taken the dog to Tree of Life Veterinary Clinic and was thrilled with the results.  “Acupuncture worked so well for my dog, I figured I may as well try it for myself, too!” says Penner.

“Obviously, I couldn’t go to the vet for my own treatment, so I started asking others for recommendations,” says Penner.  “I can’t recall exactly how (or why) I selected Dr. Hughes, but I am glad that I did!”

Penner’s first visit to Dr. Hughes was for a joint injury but she has since returned for many other concerns, including menopausal symptoms and overall health and wellness. The result? She feels healthier, sleeps better, and is now able to manage her menopausal symptoms.

“At first, I was definitely apprehensive and a bit skeptical about the idea of getting a bunch of needles poked into me, but I discovered that it doesn’t hurt,” explains Penner.  “Every once in a while there may be a spot where I feeling a tingling sensation but it lasts only a second or two.  From a layman’s perspective, I like to imagine that this tingling indicates that the needle has hit its target and there is a release of some sort.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only were the needles painless, but that as I lay on the treatment table I soon went into a deep, deep restorative sleep.  When Dr. Hughes gently woke me up about 20 minutes later I felt so relaxed.  It was amazing.”

Gloria Withall has had a similar experience. She was new to the Comox Valley and new to the whole concept of acupuncture and all other alternative therapies when she moved here in 2010.  The retired school teacher was encouraged to see Dr. Hughes for treatment of menopausal symptoms by both her sister and her massage therapist.

“I went in with no preconceived notions about what to expect but I wanted to give it a try because I was reluctant to use synthetic hormone therapy to relieve my symptoms,” recalls Withall.  “I figured that if the Chinese had been using this for thousands of years there has got to be something to it. Even so, I was still very apprehensive, almost anxious. I had no idea what to expect.

“I was so relieved to discover that Dr. Hughes was very comforting and easy to talk to.  She did a very thorough investigation into my overall health, which was very interesting to me.  I thought ‘Wow!  She asked me more questions than any other doctor ever has!’  She even looked at my tongue.  I’m not sure what she was looking for but she saw things that related to my current state of health and was pretty accurate when she asked me further questions after having examined it!”

Withall says her first acupuncture treatment felt wonderful and she was pleasantly surprised that she felt even more relaxed than she does after a therapeutic massage.  She also was sent home with some Chinese herbs that had been custom-blended for her needs and, after a short time, realized that her menopausal symptoms were greatly reduced and that she felt more emotionally balanced.  “Any woman going through this will understand exactly what I mean,” she adds with a laugh.

“Not only am I now more open to holistic healing, I highly recommend it!” concludes Withall. “Certainly, Western medicine has its place but I am very happy that I tried this alternative approach. This ‘whole body’ care is vitally important to me.”

When I personally meet Dr. Hughes I am impressed with her gentle yet confident demeanor and her welcoming smile. She is a picture of health with clear skin, bright eyes and an enviably lean and fit bodyframe.  We sit down to chat in the waiting room of her clinic on Fitzgerald Avenue and I am soon caught up in her story.

Hughes was born in Vancouver and moved to the Comox Valley with her family when she was in Grade 6.  She graduated from Vanier High School in 1983 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology, from the University of British Columbia.  She then moved to Whistler “for a summer” and ended up living there for 17 years, during which time she married Devon Sexton, started her family, and discovered the healing arts of acupuncture and TCM.  She decided it was time to go back to school.

At first, her new career choice raised some eyebrows. “My parents thought I was a bit crazy when I told them what medical field I intended to study,” says Hughes.  “I was drawn to the fact that the principles of TCM focus on treating the whole body and addressing the root cause of our health problems. It has been effectively used for over 3,000 years and, more recently, MRI brain scans have scientifically proven it to be effective. Treatment plans take into consideration each patient’s environment, diet, exercise, emotions, stress and lifestyle. This ‘whole body’ approach truly resonated with me.  Most importantly, I liked the fact that TCM is about preventative health care—you can benefit from it even if you are well.  Today, not only do my parents rave about what I do, they come to me for regular treatments. They are now true believers in TCM.”

In 2000, Hughes graduated as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine from the acclaimed International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Vancouver.  After graduation she interned at the Anhui Acupuncture Hospital in Hefei, China, where she gained valuable experience in acupuncture and herbal medicine from her mentors and the hundreds of patients she treated there.  She went on to secure accreditation as a Registered Acupuncturist and Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine of British Columbia.

“Working in China was a remarkable experience for me,” recalls Hughes.  “I was able to see many of my patients several times a week and watched their amazing recoveries with awe.  I learned so much and am very grateful for this experience.”

Over the course of her academic journey, Hughes also developed a specialty and passion for helping infertile couples conceive children.  She is one of only eight people in all of Canada who are certified as a Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine.  A fellowship requires advanced courses in reproductive health and pregnancy followed by a written exam that Dr. Hughes wrote in Palm Springs, California.  This exam measures competency in Western and TCM reproductive medicine.  In order to remain a member in good standing continuing education credits are required within the reproductive health field.

After her China excursion, Hughes continued her academic journey and trained with some of North America’s foremost women’s health experts in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine. She traveled to Houston, Texas, to train with Dr. Randine Lewis, author of The Infertility Cure; to Vancouver, to train with Bob Flaws, author of Fulfilling the Essence: Traditional and Contemporary Chinese Treatments for Female Infertility; and to New York City, to train with Mike Berkley, founder of the Berkley Centre for Reproductive Wellness and Women’s Health. She also took birth coaching and doula training.

In 2004, Hughes, her husband and two children moved “home” to the Comox Valley and she opened Comox Valley Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Tin Town. By 2008 the clinic had outgrown that location, so she relocated to a home that has been converted to an office on Fitzgerald Avenue.

Dr. Hughes and her associate, registered acupuncturist and TCM practitioner Melanie Csotonyi, work with people of all ages and addresses all health issues.  The typical client is aged 30 to 65 with complaints ranging from chronic pain to stress to infertility. The clinic also offers a number of complementary holistic treatment options such as aromatherapy, reflexology and Jikiden reiki provided by practitioner Yuko Baardsnes in the Senju Wellness Room, plus counseling services with Jenny Bridgeman.

Although Hughes is an advocate of her acupuncture and TCM, she believes in a complementary approach to health care that combines the many benefits of Western medicine with TCM.  She has a large referral base of practitioners in various modalities such as clinical counseling, massage therapy, hypnotherapy, hypnobirthing, chiropractic, and physiotherapy, to complement her TCM and help people to achieve optimum heath.

After I learn all of this, Hughes encourages me to experience an acupuncture treatment and invites me to the clinic for a chance to stick my tongue out at her and say, “Ahhhhhh.”  Having spoken with Penner and Withall—and dealing with the odd ‘hot flash’ myself—I was eager to give it a try.  Coincidentally, the day of my appointment, I am dealing with stress-induced lower back pain that makes it almost impossible to sit at my desk to work.  I am eager to see if acupuncture will relieve my discomfort.

The initial consult takes about 90 minutes and is very thorough.  Dr. Hughes wants to know about everything from bodily functions to sleep patterns, moods, diet, exercise and more.

I ‘tell all’ and then sheepishly admit that sugar is my ‘drug of choice.’  I secretly hope that she can poke a pin in me somewhere to enable me to quit chocolate!

Dr. Hughes asks me to stick out my tongue and explains that it reveals a myriad of concerns through its coating, color, granulation and tooth marks. Redness in the tongue, for example, relates to ‘heat’ in the body and may manifest as high blood pressure.  A pale-colored tongue may be indicative of hypothyroidism or obesity.  Dr. Hughes’ observations of my tongue and body posture, combined with notes from our discussion, help her determine which acupuncture points on my body need to be addressed.

The ‘acupoints’ are part of a network of points that have been mapped on the body.  Most are found on the meridians and channels that are believed to be the pathways by which energy or Qi (pronounced ‘Chee’) flows through the body.  The single-use stainless steel needles are placed according to each individual’s health needs.

My acupuncture treatment is relatively painless and remarkably relaxing.  I go home with instructions to apply heat to my back, drink the Chinese herbs that have been prescribed to me as herbal tea—and to eat less sugar.

The next day, my back pain is remarkably alleviated and it, along with some other health issues, continues to improve with time and Chinese herbal tea.  Hot flashes have become warm glows, I am sleeping better, and I am making good progress in my attempt to reduce my sugar intake and lose weight.  At the grocery store I was able to look at the display of chocolate bars and turn away empty handed!

Others who go to see Dr. Hughes, however, have more difficult health challenges. For those struggling with infertility she has proven to be beacon of hope.  Her success in the area of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine is proven not with MRI scans, but with the successful conception and birth of many children. It is one area of her work that she finds extremely rewarding.

“Watching my patients progress to a life free of pain and helping couples overcome infertility issues is very gratifying,” Dr. Hughes says.

“I consider myself very lucky and cannot think of any other job that I would rather be doing.”

For more information visit www.comoxvalleyaccupuncture.com or call 250-334-3630.  You can also keep up to date with them on Facebook.