One World International Scholarship: Bhreagh Farquharson

The Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society, in partnership with the Victoria Foundation, hosts a suite of international scholarships designed to support students from BC in studying abroad.

The One World International Scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $3,500, are available for students at BC public post secondary institutions who are studying or working abroad.

Bhreagh Farquharson is a student at Thomson Rivers University. This year the university gave out a total of 14 awards totaling $14,750. Bhreagh received the award to study at the University of Lancashire, England during the second year of her BBA. We received this letter of thanks:

Dear the Irving K. Barber B.C. Scholarship Society and the Victoria Foundation,

Thank you very much for selecting me as the recipient of a One World International Scholarship for overseas study in 2011! I am having a wonderful experience in Britain studying the second year of my Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. Throughout my studies and my travels I have been learning about many different cultures and outlooks on life. I have made friends from almost every corner of the globe and have visited more countries than I can count on one hand! Thank you again for your generous financial support. You have helped to make my dreams a reality!

Sincerely,

Bhreagh Farquharson

Please visit the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society’s website for more information about the One World International Scholarships.

Victoria Foundation rolls out Community Knowledge Centre

The Community Knowledge Centre is the Victoria Foundation’s exciting new initiative that will extend the Foundation’s commitment of connecting people who care with causes that matter®. It is the companion piece to Victoria’s Vital Signs® and provides an answer to the “now what?” question the report raises.

The Community Knowledge Centre is based on an initiative started by the Toronto Community Foundation in partnership with IBM Canada. Visit the Toronto Foundation’s website to see the impact of their Community Knowledge Centre.

Who will benefit from the Community Knowledge Centre?

Community

Innovators, community leaders, policy makers, education institutions, business community, and various levels of government will be provided with information about the community organisations working in various  areas of need, along with a depth of information on the projects that the organisations they are engaged in.

The platform will be a valuable resource to help media gain access to stories that speak about the issues in our region and the organisations that are transforming people’s lives in our communities.

Donors

Donors will be provided with the knowledge and opportunities they need to become involved in effective solutions to many of the most pressing issues in our communities. They will also see the value of their prior involvement because the community organisations they supported can use the platform to talk about how that support helped them make a change.

The Community Knowledge Centre will provide potential donors and the general public an accessible resource when they wish to find out where their support is most needed.

Non-profit organisations

The Community Knowledge Centre provides a platform for local community organisations to tell their stories. These stories will demonstrate how the ongoing work of the groups has impacted the issues reflected in Vital Signs®. It provides them with a place to talk about how these issues affect our community, and how their work helps to improve day-to-day life for so many people in our communities.

By showing their work via multi-media profiles, community organisations can highlight recent projects they are engage in. The platform will also allow these organisations to highlight their collaborative work with like-minded organisations and/or individuals both locally and in the wider, provincial, national and international communities.

The first phase of the Community Knowledge Centre will feature community organisations who received a discretionary grant in 2011 from the Victoria Foundation. Profiled organisations will not be limited to the Greater Victoria region.

How does the Community Knowledge Centre work?

Victoria’s Vital Signs® consolidates data and research in 11 issue areas. These areas will constitute the backbone of the website; local community organisations featured on the site can tag their profiles with any and all of the Vital Signs® areas they are engaged with.

Users may search the site by issue area, alphabetically by organisation, by geographic region, or by populations served. Each profile will include an overview of the work being done by that organisation, and may contain links back to the group’s main website and CRA listing (Canada Revenue Agency’s listing of registered charities that provides information about their charitable status). Profiles will contain a combination of photographs, video and text, all relating to the organisation’s work currently underway in the community.

Shaw TV is interested in working with community organisations that will be featured on the Community Knowledge Centre. If your organisation has a story idea, please complete the Shaw TV Access Request and submit it to thedaily@shaw.ca. Don’t forget to include that your request is for the Victoria Foundation Community Knowledge Centre. Please be aware that it is not necessary to fulfill a production role – a story pitch alone is adequate. Because of high demand, Shaw will not be able to produce all stories.

When will the Community Knowledge Centre be available?

The Toronto Community Foundation launched a beta version of its CKC online in June, 2010. They will start rolling it out to other Canadian community foundations in 2012, and with input from them the development will continue in partnership with IBM.

Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria

For years, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria has been making physical activity and nutrition for youth a fun part of their daily activities. Through its programs, the Club aims to help young people develop healthy habits and important skills for life. This article originially appeared as the Philanthropy Page feature in the Black Press in May, 2011.

A recent report card published by Active Healthy Kids Canada shows just how little exercise our children are getting. The report is the most comprehensive annual assessment of child and youth physical activity in Canada. It reported that only seven per cent of children are meeting the new Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.

While free time after school – between 3:00 and 6:00 pm – provides an opportunity for activity, kids are geting less than ever – a mere 14 minutes out of a possible 180 minutes of physical activity. At one time, kids were running and playing outdoors, now they’re getting, on average, over 40 hours per week in front of computer and TV.

“Today’s children are on pace to be among the least healthy in Canada’s history,” says Kate Mansell, Director of Development at the Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria. “More than 1.6 million children are overweight or obese – triple the rate of 25 years ago – and the number continues to rise due to increased inactivity and improper diet. While only a generation or two ago children would spend their after school time in active play, today more and more children are spending their leisure time on sedentary activities such as watching television, surfing the internet, and playing video games.”

The Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria was founded in 1960. In fact, the group, previously named the Boys’ Club of Victoria was one of the Victoria Foundation’s very first grantees in 1969.

For 50 years the club has been encouraging children and youth to live healthy lives by providing a safe, supportive place where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life.

Its mandate is simple and effective. The organization offers services to support everyone from young moms to children in before and after-school programs, promotes the development of youth leadership through adventure-based programs, and provides youth justice and other programs for youth at risk.

The Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria offer a number of programs to keep kids healthy and active this summer, including: Wild About Whales Derby on June 18th – a free event in which participants will race yellow whales down the Gorge waterway; Earth Adventures day camps throughout the summer – in 98 acres of forest, ponds, trails and fields; and Urban Adventures Camp in Esquimalt that will offer trips to parks and attractions, events, and visits with special guests from the community.

To learn more, visit Active Healthy Kids Canada and the Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria or phone (250) 384-9133.

9-10 Club Serving Soup to the Hungry

The 9-10 Club offers nutritious and varied meals, the club helps as many as possible to reach a point of no longer needing free soup, and actively promotes a healthy drug, alcohol, and smoke-free environment. This article originially appeared as the Philanthropy Page feature in the Black Press in July, 2011.

Even though they love what they do, the 9-10 Club volunteers would like to put themselves out of business.

One hundred volunteers serve soup to nearly 1,000 people each week – an average of 200 people each morning.

Located in the basement of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in downtown Victoria, the club has been operating for nearly 30 years. Their goal is to eliminate the need to provide food for the hungry. They may succeed or they may not but they’ll certainly try!

The first volunteers arrive at 5 a.m. each weekday morning to cook the soup – all of the Club’s recipes have been provided by the kitchens at the Fairmont Empress. Doors open at 8 a.m. and the first bowls of soup are served at 8:30 a.m. sharp. Some people come to eat, while others come for the warm atmosphere and coffee.

The bowls of soup are bottomless; the volunteers are efficient and friendly, and keep them topped up.

Breakfast service continues until 10 a.m. when leftover soup is offered in takeout containers.

Though it’s scarcely known by the community at large, a visit on any weekday morning makes it clear that the 9-10 Club is well-liked and respected by its guests.

“Our clients have commented that the volunteers create a ‘kind and gentle’ atmosphere, which generates a mutual respect and often affection between the volunteers and clients,” explains Sheila Connelly, the Club’s co-ordinator and Board President. “What makes the 9-10 Club a success is our company of dedicated volunteers. Not only the front-line staff, but also the legion of volunteers who wash dishes, pick up donated food, prepare vegetables, cook soup fresh each morning, and finally, our donors who help us keep the doors open.”

Because of the support and friendship offered at the Club, many of their guests have become successful community members and even volunteers at the Club.

“Some former clients drop in for a cup of coffee before going off to work, to chat about how they’re doing now,” says Connelly.

By building on the rapport they have with their guests, the Club continues in its 29-year tradition. They offer nutritious and varied meals, support and friendship, help as many as possible to reach a point of no longer needing free soup, and actively promote a healthy drug, alcohol, and smoke-free environment.

The 9-10 Club relies solely on donations from the community – of food, supplies, and time. St. Andrew’s provides the space, light, heat and water needed to keep the space open. The club works with local businesses and a number of individual donors who provide bread, sweets, and other foods for distribution.

St. Michael’s University School and Camosun College provide take-out containers for the soup, and many more donations are given by the Club’s many volunteers.

The 9-10 Club is one of the many local organizations that has applied for a Community Grant from the Victoria Foundation, highlighting the numerous philanthropic opportunities in our community.

1000×5 a winning formula for literacy

The 1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project, which aims to ensure every child in the Saanich Peninsula has at least 1,000 books read to them by the time they are five years old and entering kindergarten. This article originially appeared as the Philanthropy Page feature in the Black Press in January, 2012.

Retired school principal Daphne Macnaughton is an advocate of reading but it was simple arithmetic that inspired a literacy project for young children and families on the Saanich Peninsula.

“One night after too much coffee, I started doing calculations and I realized that if every young child had only 300 books read to them each year, that the number would amount to 1,500 books by the end of age five.”

From this notion came the idea for 1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project, which aims to ensure every child in the Saanich Peninsula has at least 1,000 books read to them by the time they are five years old and entering kindergarten. It’s based on the ideal of reading to young children daily, with the figure rounded down to account for the realities of family life.

“Over many years in public education, I observed that some children came to school ready to learn after having been read to regularly, while some children started school without ever having had even one book read to them,” said Macnaughton, who is now the 1000 x 5 project leader.

The 1000 x 5 project aims to address the balance of that inequity. The project started at Saanichton Elementary, where Macnaughton was principal. It is now sponsored by Peninsula Connections for Early Childhood (PCEC), the Peninsula Early Years community network. Every week, volunteers meet at the Saanichton Individual Learning Centre to sort, label and bag books that are then delivered to family-serving agencies in the Saanich Peninsula and to the Peninsula Co-op, which built a special shelf to support the project.

Photo: A driver from the Sidney Lions club collects books to be distributed through the Sidney Food Bank

While Macnaughton and the PCEC 1000 x 5 volunteers have little direct contact with the recipients of the gift bags of books, they do hear how excited children are to receive them.

“A food bank manager said if they have run out of books, clients have asked ‘What? No books?’” Macnaughton said. “And a family counsellor who goes into homes says the first thing the children do is reach for the bag of books that they know are gifts for them.”

Books for 1000 x 5 come from a variety of sources. Every school in Saanich District 63 accepts donations and some hold special book collection drives. Books are also accepted at the Peninsula Co-op Food Centre. Funds to buy new books and supplementary used books are contributed by individuals and service clubs, while The Victoria Foundation recently gave a $14,000 grant for project expenses and coordination.

Victoria Foundation CEO Sandra Richardson says 1000 x 5 touches on three vital indicator areas tracked in the foundation’s annual Vital Signs community report card: learning, belonging, and getting started.

“This project helps children develop a solid foundation for successful learning and it also promotes a healthy start for young children and a strong sense of belonging in their community – and in their families,” said Richardson. “Imagine the feeling a young child has when they realize people in their community care enough to give them a package of books that’s wrapped up like a gift!”

Retired district principal Eileen Eby has started the Victoria 1000 x 5 Book Recycling Project in School District 61 and Macnaughton hopes others will follow suit in their communities because she believes that reading regularly to young children not only contributes to their early success in school, but is critical to emotional well-being as well.

“It facilitates bonds between children and the adults in their home,” she said. “When an adult and a child are reading together, it’s as if a bubble comes over them – together, they are entranced. The 20-minute break from their worries and the stresses of everyday life is a gift to the parent as well as the child.”

Visit Peninsula Connection’s for Early Childhood’s website for more information about the 1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project, or 
email Daphne Macnaughton. For information about the Victoria 1000 x 5, email Eileen Eby.

Premier’s One World International Scholarship: Christina Jaworski

The Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society, in partnership with the Victoria Foundation, hosts a suite of international scholarships designed to support students from BC in studying abroad. Successful applicants must clearly demonstrate academic merit as well as significant involvement in their community and/or school. Scholarships are available to students pursuing study or work abroad programs that are either:

1. A formal part of a BC credential program and/or carry academic credit recognized at a BC educational institution, or;
2. Offer experiential learning opportunities involving language acquisition and/or cultural training.

Students who apply for will also be considered for high-value Premier’s International Scholarships if they meet additional criteria and indicate interest. Christina Jaworski received the Premier’s Scholarship last year, and chose to attend the University of Stirling in Scotland for a fall semester. While there, she studied Ecology, Aquatic Sciences, and Environment Review Essay and a Geography Review essay. Christina sent us this summary of her time abroad:

During my time in Scotland I found many differences between Canadian and Scottish culture, and as a result, I went through many stages of culture shock and cultural adaption. One of the most significant differences I noticed was the teaching methods at the University of Stirling. In comparison to the University of Victoria, modules at Stirling were much more focused on self-learning. Only one of my four modules had a course text, and none of my modules had assigned readings. As an alternative, the professors would provide a list of readings which students could personally choose to read from, depending on what each felt was necessary.

Additionally, a greater amount of course material was covered in a much shorter time, which meant information was covered very briefly in class and often needed to be clarified by reading different textbooks or by researching online. I felt that this type of teaching method allowed for more flexibility in what I personally chose to study, but was also overwhelming, in that it was often difficult to determine what sections of the module I should be focusing on. Perhaps because such a mass of information is given in class, the students at Stirling take a maximum of three modules, which is considered a full course load. However, after discussing it with the Environmental Sciences advisor at the University of Stirling, we came to the conclusion that taking four modules would allow me to receive the maximum number of credits at UVic. Another major difference between UVic and Stirling is the module organisation. Modules are set up in a way that there are no midterms and only finals. This meant that during the school year, I had more time to put effort into other course work, such as papers and labs, but it also meant I had a very stressful exam period, as much more emphasis was given on the final exam mark.

Photo: Christina in front of Edinburgh castle, 45 minutes away from Stirling University

The classes I took showed me European perspectives on current environmental issues and introduced me to new environmental topics. In addition, the scholarship also assisted me in my travels throughout the UK and Europe. I am now interested in doing a Masters Degree abroad, perhaps in Edinburgh or Dublin. I have begun researching various online options for Masters Degrees related to Geography and Environmental Sciences at different universities, and what the entrance requirements are for those universities.

A very important part of my study abroad experience was meeting people from different parts of the world and learning their various  cultures and different university education experiences. Living in residence at Stirling, I was placed in the west wing, which housed only international students. I was able to meet people from other parts of Canada, the U.S., Australia, Norway, Spain, Hong Kong, England, and of course, Scotland. Even though many of the people I met were from different countries, I found it easy for everyone to get along and spend time with one another. Everyone’s university’s teaching styles and cultures were a little bit different and we were able to discuss these differences amongst one another and learn more about each other as well.

A good friend of mine from Spain spoke so highly of her country I ended up spending my fall break in Barcelona and Madrid. My friends from Norway introduced me to a very conservative culture and an entirely different way of life, whereas my good friend from England gave me knowledge on the UK government’s policies regarding student loans, university tuition, and other such topics. I now have friends from all around the world whom I hope to be able to visit one day.

Please visit the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society’s website to learn more about the One World International Scholarships.

Institute of Corporate Directors: Boardroom Financial Essentials Course

The Institute of Corporate Directors’ (ICD) Boardroom Financial Essentials is a course designed by directors for directors.  It is intended for both aspiring directors who would like to learn about boardroom finance before stepping onto a board, and for directors of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations seeking to become better-versed in the general financial aspects of board work.

The course focuses on linking financial discussions to strategic oversight of their organization. It is not a finance course for non-financial managers, nor an accounting course steeped in ratio analysis.

Course participants will have the opportunity to tackle some of the more financially-oriented agenda items that directors encounter and need to work through, including:

• Linking financial plans to strategic plans
• Audit Committee reports and the role of the non-audit-committee director
• Connecting strategy and risk oversight with capital projects and expenditures
• Executive compensation and bonuses
• Unique financial issues for not-for-profit/charitable organizations

The lead instructor for the course will be an experienced director who will facilitate the day’s learning and help contextualize the material through their own boardroom experiences. The instructor will be complemented by a seasoned Director-in-Residence, who will offer commentary and insights throughout the day, providing additional real-world context to the material. The day begins with a welcome breakfast and will conclude with cocktails, dinner and a special guest speaker.

Course Details:

Date: March 8, 2012

Application Deadline: Feb. 16

Location: Victoria Golf Club

Fees:  ICD Members – $795 + applicable taxes

ICD Non-Members - $1095 + applicable taxes

For registration and course details, please visit www.icd.ca/BFE or contact Ryan Burkett at 1.877.593.7741 ext. 228 or rburkett@icd.ca.

New book describes path from sorrow to serenity – sales to support foundation fund

The mother of The Victoria Foundation’s youngest fund-holder has published a book that will help support his fund.

Karen McCoy, a certified trainer and sports nutritionist, has just published One Rep at a Time, a memoir that includes her eight-week BLISS^TM Body Makeover Program. One dollar from the sale of each book will go to the Tristan Graham Children’s Foundation, a fund set up by Karen’s son and managed by The Victoria Foundation.

Tristan Graham, who turned 16 in December, created his foundation in 2008 when he was 13. To date, he and his family and friends have raised close to $15,000 for the Victoria SPCA, much of it from their annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes event held each May in Sidney.

Tristan has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a terminal form of MD that keeps him wheelchair bound. In One Rep at a Time, Karen tells how his diagnosis caused her to fall apart physically and mentally – and how she found the strength to heal and see Tristan’s illness with fresh eyes.

“After struggling in this dark place for nearly 10 years, I emerged with fresh tools and a keen awareness of what real health and wellness means,” said Karen. “It is these lessons I now teach to other women throughout the world.”

And it’s these lessons that Karen describes in her new book. To promote it, she will be participating in the Victoria Wellness Show – Jan. 27 – 29 (including delivering a lecture Jan. 28 at 11:30 a.m.) and at the Vancouver Health and Wellness Show Feb. 17 – 19.

For more information about Karen McCoy, Tristan Graham and One Rep at a Time, check Karen’s website, McCoy Fitness.ca.

To donate to the Tristan Graham Children’s Foundation, go to the Victoria Foundation’s portal on CanadaHelps, click the “donate now” tab and select Tristan’s fund from the dropdown menu in the “fund/designation” box.

Victoria Foundation Sponsors Vital People feature with CHEK TV

The Victoria Foundation is sponsoring a new series with CHEK TV called Vital People. To be aired each week on the 5:00 pm Sunday News, Vital People will share the stories of people and organizations working on the vital issues that contribute to the health of our community.

Each segment  will be up to four minutes long and will profile an organization that is doing work relating to a “vital” issue as outlined in Victoria’s Vital Signs® report. Vital Signs is a community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our communities, identifies significant trends, and supports action on issues that are critical to our quality of life.

“Vital People will spread the messages highlighted in the Vital Signs reports about needs and opportunities to make a difference in our communities,” said Sandra Richardson, CEO of The Victoria Foundation.

Vital People will be featured every Sunday throughout 2012 beginning this Sunday, Jan. 22 with a feature on the “1000 by 5” family literacy project offered through Peninsula Connections for Early Childhood. This project aims to ensure that all children on the Saanich Peninsula will have at least a thousand books read to them by the time they are five years old.

This project touches on three vital indicator areas tracked in the Vital Signs reports: learning, belonging, and getting started.

“It helps children develop a solid foundation for success in school and it also promotes a healthy start for young children and a strong sense of belonging in their community – and in their families,” said Richardson. “Imagine the feeling a young child has when they realize people in their community care enough to give them a package of books that’s wrapped up like a gift! And there’s nothing like spending time cuddled up with a book for children to forge strong connections with the adults in their lives.”

Watch the Vital People promo:

75 Years of Giving – Highlights of a Milestone Year

The story of The Victoria Foundation began 75 years ago in a soup kitchen – the Sunshine Inn on Pandora Avenue. The man who ran it, Burges Gadsden, knew this community could be improved by an organization that would provide support to charities across all sectors. So in 1936, during the darkest days of the Depression, Gadsden founded The Victoria Foundation, Canada’s second community foundation (after Winnipeg).

Since then, the foundation has granted more than $100 million to thousands of charitable organizations. It now manages assets of more than $180 million – making it the sixth largest of 180 community foundations in Canada.

Here are some highlights of the Victoria Foundation’s 75^th anniversary year:

January – Foundation launches 75th anniversary website

View the interactive timeline at 75yearsandcounting.ca

Feb. 2 – Grants honour Victoria’s Chinese Canadian community

The foundation gives $75,000 for four projects to protect and support Chinese history, culture and art. Later in the month, another $26,000 is granted to preserve the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association’s historical documents collection.

Feb. 4-13 – Victoria Film Festival: Contemplating Victoria

The Festival honors the foundation’s 75^th with a showing of 10 films from the archives that reflect  life in Victoria.

April 10 – Launch of the Victoria Circle

The Victoria Circle welcomes nearly 100 people who have communicated their intention to make a future gift to the community through their estate plans.

April 10-16 – Victoria Foundation steps up for National Volunteer Week

The Foundation supports Story Theatre’s production of Stepping Up, a play for young people about the benefits of volunteerism.

May 1 – Every Step Counts in 10K

A 75-member foundation team enters the Times Colonist’s 10K road race. Members include participants and volunteers from one of the foundation’s programs, Every Step Counts, a walking and running program for people experiencing health and social challenges.

May 31 – Local students grant $17,500

Over 100 participants from Victoria Foundation’s seven Vital Youth high school programs present grants totaling $17,500 to 16 charitable organizations.

June 11 – Foundation friends celebrate 75th

A 75th gala features keynote speaker Tim Brodhead, CEO of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, and Canadian comedian Rick Mercer.

Sept. 12 – Victoria Symphony premieres orchestral work honoring the foundation

The Victoria Symphony premieres High Tower, by Victoria-based composer Anthony Genge. The work was commissioned by a former Honorary Governor of the foundation, the late Jane Rogers, in honor of the community contributions of the Victoria Foundation and those of her late husband, former Lieutenant Governor Bob Rogers.

Sept. 26 – Vital Youth welcome the Governor General

Members of the foundation’s Vital Youth program greet the Right Hon. David Johnston and his wife on their inaugural visit to Victoria. In honour of the visit, the City of Victoria contributes $5,000 to its Governor General’s Youth Legacy Fund held at the foundation.

Sept. 29 – Study demonstrates high level of arts economic activity

The first economic activity study on arts and culture in Greater Victoria is released. Funded by the foundation, the study shows the sector generated total economic activity of $170 million in 2010.

Oct. 4 – Vital Signs community report card released

The foundation issues its sixth annual Victoria’s Vital Signs report showing that Victoria residents are concerned about the cost of living but love the natural amenities of their community.

Nov. 7 – National Philanthropy Day Awards

Foundation board member Deirdre Roberts is awarded the Generosity of Sprit Award at the National Philanthropy Day awards.

Nov. 11 – World premiere of Mary’s Wedding

Foundation donors supported the composition of the World War I-based opera Mary’s Wedding for Pacific Opera Victoria.

Nov. 15 – 18 – Victorians rise to the 75-Hour Giving Challenge

Fifteen charitable organizations with endowment funds managed by the foundation raise more than $140,000 in 75 hours. The foundation contributed another $75,000 in matching funds.

Nov. 19 – Victoria’s Youth Vital Signs released

The Victoria Youth Vital Signs report is launched at TED-X Victoria. It’s the first time it’s released as a stand-alone report.

Nov. 28 – Foundation awards $800,000 in community grants

This latest round of grants brings the foundation’s annual total to more than $9 million.