Charity
How you can give back to the community at Christmas
KAMLOOPS - The holidays are meant to be a time for celebrating but for many people the holidays are even more of a struggle. There are dozens of charities in the city that aim to help those who are struggling right now and throughout the year but here we offer a look at ones that...
‘Tis the season to donate time and money
KELOWNA – It’s not only retailers counting on the holiday season to push the bottom line into the black. People open up their wallets and schedules for charities in greater numbers at Christmas time. It’s no different in Kelowna. You probably saw the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign volunteers outside local retail shops. The money they...
This volunteer organization has less than one week to meet its goal
KAMLOOPS - Staff at Developing World Connections, an international volunteer organization, is asking for Aeroplan mile donations to help them offset travel costs for their work abroad. “Using donated Aeroplan Miles for our travel needs allows more donor funds to directly reach communities in need and project beneficiaries,” Sarah Johnstone from Developing World Connections says....
Vernon RCMP get in the spirit of giving
VERNON - Between attending car accidents on winter roads, looking for missing people, and investigating criminal cases, Vernon police officers are finding time to give back to the community this holiday season. Vernon RCMP officer Cpl. Yannick Lescarbeau, along with several hockey coaches and managers, organized a charity hockey tournament in support of the Sick...
Christmas dinner comes with a gift bag at Gospel Mission this year
KELOWNA – Christmas is the second busiest time of the year for the Kelowna Gospel Mission and this year more than 50 volunteers were on hand Saturday for their annual Christmas dinner. As was the case in years past, the Mission served around 600 dinners to hundreds of hungry residents between noon and 6 p.m....
Charity comes easy to this Kelowna family
KELOWNA – For the third year in a row a Mission family is showing that charity doesn’t have to be a lot of hard work. For the past two years, the de Haas family have partnered with a local pizza shop to donate more than a dozen pizzas they take to school and offer to...
You can help build a Lake Country food bank with this simple gesture
LAKE COUNTRY – The food bank in Lake Country is asking for the public’s help winning a national competition that could put them one step closer to a much-needed new facility. The Aviva Community Fund is a Canada-wide contest soliciting community votes for ideas put forward by local non-profits and the winner gets a cash...
Get your jingle on; Christmas Kettle campaign underway
KELOWNA – There may not be much snow around to get you into the holiday spirit, but the sound of jingling bells might help as the annual Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign gets underway. Local politicians and celebrities gathered at Kelowna’s Walmart on Friday to take a shift at the kettle outside the department store....
Business Gives Back fundraising luncheon taking a year off
PENTICTON - Organizers of Penticton's Business Gives Back are taking a year off as Gitta Schoenne and the three other members of the board find themselves too busy for the undertaking this year. “I've been in charge of it for 18 years,” Schoenne says, confident of its return in years to come. “We’ve all just...
HELSTON: A small act of kindness will go a long way this Christmas
I’ll admit it; I tend to get my back up when I'm asked for money. My instinct is to terminate the uncomfortable conversation as quickly as possible with a ‘no, not today’ or some other firm, but polite, way of communicating the cause is not getting my hard earned cash. But I’m going to tell...
Hollywood glamour promised for Arts Awards Gala
KAMLOOPS – The short list of nominee’s and the theme have been announced for the Mayor’s Gala for the Arts in January. The Mayor’s Awards for the Arts will be handed out in three categories: Business in the Arts, Emerging Artist and Literary Arts. Business in the Arts 4 Cats Art Studio Academy of Dance...
Blanket drive keeps everyone warm this winter
PENTICTON - If you’re keeping warm under a blanket this winter, consider giving an extra to a person in need by donating to the local, annual blanket drive. This is the fifth year of the Cover with Kindness Blanket Drive, which was started by Greg Litwin, a notary public and director of the Soupateria in...
Gospel Mission looking for help to stuff a bus
KELOWNA – A sign winter is just around corner, the annual Stuff the Bus clothing drive for Kelowna’s less fortunate goes Saturday. “Although the weather is unseasonably warm right now, it still is very cold at night,” the Kelowna Gospel Mission’s Randy Benson says in a media release. “We have already seen an increase of...
HALLOWEEN 2014: Zombie walks and monster bashes
PENTICTON - Zombies, monsters, ghouls and goblins are getting ready to stalk the streets of Penticton this Halloween, but if you haven’t yet decided how to celebrate the spooky holiday on Friday, here are some ideas. The Halloween Howler Charity Drive is being held at the Penticton Lake City Casino at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 each and...
DeHart does it again for the United Way
KELOWNA – The Maxine DeHart Drive-Thru Breakfast for the United Way keeps getting bigger and better. The 17th annual event Thursday morning raised over $53,000 for the Central Okanagan United Way, about $13,000 more than last year’s total. Since it’s inception in 1998, the DeHart Drive-Thru Breakfast has raised over $500,000. This year Lake City...