'Tis the Season

     It's holiday time, and there seems to be no better way to celebrate than giving back...  We love this community we live in so we are spreading the joy this holiday season...  On behalf of our clients we've been busy filling donations for a couple of  Christmas Good Samaritan boxes...  In our creative life we've been busy making donations for  the fundraiser for the Gabriola Elementary School, as well as cookies for the famous cookie walk.  In hopes to bring one of our clients a fabulous Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, we purchased raffle tickets for all of our clients actively listed for sales - names, and even if they don't win - there is a silver lining that all the funding goes to the school.  December 1st will mark the convoy of lit up fire trucks that will make there way collecting food & toy donations for PHC and families here on the island and we'll be in the support vehicle collecting the totes - so we hope to see you out there!  Being passionate about gardening, but never having enought time, we've also put together a donation for our friends at the Gabriola Garden Club - as many of the gardens we all get to enjoy.  This community is amazing - thanks Gabriola for all your support throughout the year, and for all you do to make this home!

12 Days of Christmas

A collective of 12 artists got together this year to do a Christmas exchange, as a result they have created a very special 12 days of Christmas Package that will be up for Silent Auction at the Craft Fair at the Commons, December 3. The surprise - the 12 gifts are wrapped, they range in items from ornaments, card collections – but that’s all I’m giving up!

This silent auction item will have 12 gifts for you to open, each made by a local artisan. What a great way to lead up to Christmas, as a Christmas gift, or maybe it will complete all the shopping you had to do – all while raising money for PHC. Artists who have contributed to this Christmas Package include; Karen Aaker, Tina Lynch, Julie Sperber, Diana Bonder, Randi Lynch, Brenda Reid, Mariko McCrae, Christy Wilson, Lindsay Godfrey-Stocking, Jane Reddington, Jennifer Lynch, Tammy Hudgeon.
Hope you have as much fun bidding as we all have in creating & sharing!

Peter and the Wolf on Gabriola

We are so pleased to have Mara Brenner on Gabriola, she's a fantastic dance teacher and great Pilate's instructor. Currently she's lining up all the dancers (I think about 45 of them) for an upcoming performance of Peter and the Wolf.

She's been busy with the costumes, props, set and teaching them all the steps. We are lucky enough that she is willing to put on two performances this Saturday, May 21 at the Pheonix Auditorium at the Haven, one at 1pm and the other at 5pm.

All the kids are so proud to try on their outfits and are anticipating their moment to shine on stage. The performance is 40 minutes long, the perfect length for those with even the shortest attention span. Entrance is by donation to the PHC.

Gabriola Home and Garden Tour

On Sunday June 27th People for a Healthy Community are hosting the 12th Annual Gabriola Home and Garden Tour. This self guided tour of island homes and gardens has been a great success in the past and this year looks to be even better. Ten outstanding homes and gardens are being opened to the public for viewing. The weather has been excellent for gardens and everything is in full bloom. See ideas for decorating, green building and spectacular coastal living.

The tour starts at 10:00 am and goes until 5:00pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on Gabriola at Artworks, Lockwood Garden, Wheelbarrel Nursery and the Wild Rose Garden Centre. Tickets are also available in Nanaimo at Buckerfields at Southgate and Dig This on Metral Drive. Gabriola is one of the Gulf Islands that boasts scenery, views and wildlife. Check ferry schedules at http://www.bcferries.com/ and make a day of it.

Tickets are also available on June 27th at PHC locate on the lower level of the Commons, 675 North Road on Gabriola. Drop by and see our community gardens, displays and information about People for a Healthy Community along with sales of art cards and light snacks.

A blind auction for a beautiful giclee print of “His Garden” by artist Sylvie Milman as well as framed photo by Liz McKnight and a painting by award winning artist Jeff Molloy will be available for viewing at various sights on the tour.

This is a fund raising event to benefit the programs and services offered on Gabriola Island by People for a Healthy Community (PHC). PHC is a non profit organization that provides social services to Gabriolans in need. PHC operates the food bank, soup socials, community gardens, children’s grief programs, housing advocacy, a Christmas bureau, emergency funding and a holiday Spirit Feast.

Gabriola Student Summertime Employement Opportunities

With summer holidays being just around the corner for students, a couple of job opportunities have been recently posted by People for a Healthy Community on Gabriola Island.

Job Opportunity PHC - Research Assistant – for the Gabriola Guardian Project (housing): 30 hrs/week for 14 weeks. Please see http://www.phc-gabriola.org/ for details. Must be a student. Application Deadline: 5 PM - June 11, 2010. Please send resume & cover letter to info@phc-gabriola.org

Job Opportunity PHC: Food Bank & Garden Assistant: 30 hrs/week for 8 weeks. Please see http://www.phc-gabriola.org/ for details. Must be a student. Application Deadline: 5 PM - June 21, 2010. Please send resume & cover letter to info@phc-gabriola.org

People for a Healthy community offers valuable services to the island. PHC works to support the health and well being of our community: children, families and individuals; offering a Food Bank, Soup Socials, Employment Counselling, Housing Support, Citizen Advocate Consulting and Community Gardens. In addition to these two exciting opportunities there is also volunteer positions available for the; Food Bank, Soup Kitchen, Gardening projects, dining room revamping, administrative support, research projects and more. If you have some time and are interested in voluteering contact PHC at: info@phc-gabriola.org .

The Empty Bowl Project Part Two

On May 30th, we took the opportunity to drop into Sunstone pottery, on Gabriola to create our bowls for Hunger in support of People for a Healthy Community's Emergency Food Depot.

On walking into the pottery studio, we felt fortunate to have the talent if many exceptionally tallented local potters who came out to lend their support and guide us in molding, creating & glazing our bowls for hunger. We spent time sculpting, creating & re-creating the bowls - trying to get them just right, only to look at Emma & Jane (4 years old) and realize who had created the master pieces!

The bowls are now finished, thanks to Potter Graham Sheehan and his colleagues, and will be on display at Artworks from 18 June to 24 June, 2009. The bowls are up for silent auction, so you can bid on your favorite bowl (or for those who just want to donate bid on bowls 37 to 40 - they may not be beautiful but they were created with joy!)

All proceeds from this event go to Gabriola's Emergency Food Depot - so it's a great cause, & helps our community locally.

Gabriola Home & Garden Tour

Mark your Calanders, the Gabriola Home & Garden Tour takes place this year on Sunday, June 29, 2008.

Planning is underway for the 10th annual Home & Garden Tour. This this self-guided tour of island homes & beautiful coastal gardens will give you an unforgettable taste of island life including local musicians & artisans at featured sites. Organized by People for a Healthy Community to benefit the Emergency Food Depot, the Christmas Bureau, Violence Prevention and Response Program and other community support programs and services on Gabriola Island.

As the tour draws nearer, I'll be sending out some "teasers" on the sites for this year, so stay tuned.

It's a great way to explore the island, and support local programs!