Gorgeous day for dragon boat sprints. Part of our team joined with another from our club that needed extras. We didn’t have any on the water practice time, but we won one of our three races…not bad for the first race day of the season. Here’s a picture taken by one of our team members. The sun is shining, the sky and water are blue, and everyone was smiling. A great day, especially considering that we were fundraising for MS. Don’t know what the total was, but every bit helps.
Dragon boating for MS
26 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Worthy Causes Tags: dragon boat race, fundraising
Dragon Boat Super Sprints…come watch
23 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Helping Hands, Worthy Causes Tags: dragon boat, MS fundraiser, sprints, Victoria
If you are in Victoria this weekend and you love dragon boat racing, come cheer us on at the Gorge Super Sprints. We are the VCKC United Dragon Boat Team. It’s a fundraiser for the MS Society, so don’t forget your wallets!
Kiva and micro loans
20 Mar 2012 Leave a comment
in Worthy Causes Tags: KIVA and micro loans
Sometimes I get tired of being inundated for donations. I know you must feel the same way. The problem is, I don’t really have a lot of spare cash to donate, and I suspect that you don’t either. But, what about a loan? In fact, what about a micro loan? You may not have heard of micro loans, but they are a way that you and I can make a difference.
Kiva is an organization that believes in people. One of my daughters turned me onto them, and a writer friend reminded me how important micro loans are to so many. According to their website, Kiva is “a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.” Yep, you read that right. $25 dollars. Not only that, but once the $25 you loan gets repaid, you can reloan it.
It’s amazing how far your small loan can go to help hard-working people help themselves.
Pay it Forward – Global Book Reading Flash Mob
20 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Events, News, Worthy Causes Tags: Books, Global reading flash mob
On March 28, 2012 at 4pm in your timezone, pay it forward. Join the Pay it Forward – Global Book Reading Flash Mob 2012. It doesn’t matter where you are on the planet, share a book that made a difference in your life.
Join us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/events/209813335773322/to find out your nearest location.
Have you ever read a book that inspired you?
Read a book that brought tears to your eyes?
Read a book that got you to take action
Read a book that turned your life inside out?
Have you ever given someone a gift?
Someone you don’t know?
For no reason but to inspire them?
And just to PAY IT FORWARD?
Well. Here’s your chance.
2012 IS THE YEAR OF TURNING THE WORLD INSIDE OUT AND PAYING IT FORWARD !!!
Join us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/events/209813335773322/
Writing Contest
02 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Help for writers, Worthy Causes Tags: Jocelyn Shipley, The Old School House Arts Centre, writing contest
Heads up to all you wanna be kid’s book writers.
Here’s an Island writing contest aimed at producing a book of illustrated stories for 9-12 year olds while benefiting The Old School House Arts Centre (T.O.S.H.) in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia.
Stories should be unpublished and in the 1500 word range. The entrance fee is $10 with the best story taking home a $200 prize. The top ten stories will be published and illustrated by artists-in-residence of T.O.S.H. The profits from the sale of the book will go to support the non-profit arts centre.
Thanks to my colleague Jocelyn Shipley for passing this on. Do be sure to check out her site and her work.
Laptops for Liberians
01 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in For Educators, For Parents, Help for writers, Worthy Causes Tags: CODE, Kathy Stinson, laptops, Liberia, literacy
There are lots of great projects that need funding, but one that I really support is CODE Canada’s work to encourage and assist the publication of books in third world countries. Imagine a child living in a third world country trying to make sense of books about kids living in New York, or Iowa, or Whitehorse. Now imagine that you have to learn another language to even read them! That’s what it’s like for a child living in Kenya or Tanzania or Ethiopia or Liberia. Now imagine being able to read a book by a writer from your own country, a book in your own language, a book about your world. This is what CODE is trying to achieve…and it can, with your help.
I know, I know. If you’re anything like me, your donation dollars are already stretched to the max. But wait. There is another way to help. And it doesn’t involve your pocketbook, or even much of your time!
If you have an old laptop in the closet collecting dust, please consider donating it to assist a Liberian writer. Yep, it’s that easy.
Contact Kathy Stinson. She will be working with CODE to get your old laptops into the hands of writers and illustrators who need them most.
So, if have an old laptop in the closet collecting dust, here’s your chance to give it to someone who will put it to good use.
Don’t delay. Contact Kathy today.
Tell American Television Networks That They’re Wrong
24 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in For Educators, For Kids, For Parents, for teens, Worthy Causes Tags: caldecott award winners, major television networks, newbery award winners, outreach efforts
Shame on American television networks who don’t believe that the winners of the most prestigious children’s book awards in the U.S. are newsworthy. This is the second year that the major networks have declined to carry segments with the Caldecott or Newbery Award winners despite ALA’s media staff’s outreach efforts. No wonder reading is on the decline. Kids are being told in all sorts of subtle and not so subtle ways that books, even award-winning books, don’t have value.
Now if every one of you who does value kid’s books and reading were to write to the major television networks to tell them otherwise, there is no telling what might happen…