Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island
345 Wale Rd. V9B6X2 Victoria, BC, Canada

Can you believe next week is December? Next Tuesday, December 1 is #GivingTuesday! Island kids need you and with your help, we are able to fund programs like Bear Essentials program, Vancouver Island home away from home programs, like Jeneece Place in Victoria, and Qwalayu House in Campbell River. These programs assist all Island families navigating health care community resources for their children and youth. Find out how you can make a difference this GivingTuesday here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/givingtuesday-2020/

Island kids need you. Text-to-give by texting ‘Island’ to 20222!

The Foundation is expanding! Have a look at the following open positions and join our team! Community Liaison Coordinator 13-month contract: The Foundation is looking for a Community Liaison Coordinator to support community investment across Vancouver Island and surrounding areas, focusing on building strong relationships with partners and grantees. Family Services Manager Qwalayu House: This position is responsible for the safe and efficient day-to-day operations of Qwala...yu House, including overseeing the grounds, house maintenance, and managing small projects. Qwalayu House will largely support expectant mothers and families from the west coast and northern regions of Vancouver Island and surrounding islands. It will provide them with a place to stay while they or their children receive care at the adjacent North Island Hospital or from nearby Campbell River health care providers. Program Navigation Coordinator: We’re looking for an individual with strong communication and relationship building skills and a passion for helping others. You’ll thrive in this role if you’re someone that takes initiative, has a service focus, and demonstrates sensitivity and good judgment. Financial Officer 6-month contract: We’re looking for a detail-oriented individual with experience in finance and accounting who can organize and prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines. Does one of these positions sound like you? Visit the careers section of our website to learn more, apply, or share this post! https://islandkidsfirst.com/careers

Join us in celebrating #NationalPhilanthropyDay! This National Philanthropy Day text ‘Island’ to 20222 to make a gift contribution to your phone bill to help Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island! Your gift enables Island families with children to access health care supports closer to home.

Thank you to those who attended our Virtual Town Hall last Thursday! We want to extend a thank you to Leah Rourke from Relish Interiors who shared the look and style chosen for Qalayu House. Qalayu House will largely support expectant mothers and families with children from the west coast and northern regions of Vancouver Island and surrounding islands who need a warm and safe place to stay while seeking care. We hope you are excited about the project as much as we are! Stay tuned for more virtual events like this one, leading up to the opening of Qalayu House. Did you miss this Virtual Town Hall? That's all right! We will be posting a recording of the event - stay tuned!

John Thompson remembers, being able to stay at Jeneece Place made me feel a lot closer to Melissa and Tavaya instead of being far apart. It was a relief to be so close. John and his family needed a safe, warm place to stay while his wife and preemie daughter were in hospital in Victoria. Jeneece Place was there when the Thompsons needed it most. For families like the Thompsons travelling from the west and northern regions of Vancouver Island and the surrounding islands, the Foundation’s new home away from home in Campbell River, Qalayu House, will be transformative. Learn how your gift can make an impact on an Island family here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/meet-the-thompsons-the-importa/

#DidYouKnow: National Child Day is celebrated in recognition of Canada’s commitment to upholding the rights of children and two historic events? In 1959 the signing of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child and in 1989, the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island celebrates and recognizes #NationalChildDay as an important milestone in communities across Vancouver Island and surrounding islands.

Did you know Jeneece Place opened in 2012? If you have been a guest at Victoria's home away from home we would love to hear from you. Complete our Jeneece Place Island family survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JPFamilySurvey

Expecting Island mom, Miranda was excited to meet and welcome her child into the world, but she and her partner could never anticipate they would meet their baby so soon. Miranda’s water broke three months early. As Coombs residents, the nearest clinic would not be able to handle the health care support they would need. Read their heartwarming story here: https://bit.ly/island-kid-harper

Check out this new video of the first beam placement on Qwalayu House, Campbell River's home away from home! We are so excited to share this construction update with you. Thank you WestUrban Developments Ltd. for capturing this moment. Are you interested in learning more about Qwalayu House? Join us at our upcoming Virtual Town Hall on November 19! Find all the details here: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZwpd-ysrzwtEtKmhz_3PShVgUanalPZN

Selwyn Wong made his first gift in 2012 when Jeneece Place, Victoria’s home away from home, opened. He is passionate about making sure all children have access to the essential health care they need and wants to carry forward his lifelong value of giving back to his community. Leaving a legacy gift is a heartfelt way to help ensure the health of Island kids for generations to come. Find out what inspires Foundation donor Selwyn to give here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/why-selwyn-wong-is-leaving-a-l/

When Tofino couple Francis and Hanne drove to Nanaimo for a routine appointment, the last thing they were expecting was to meet their baby girl that same day. After being quickly sent to Victoria, their first child, Liv, was born at 35 weeks. Finding a safe and warm place to stay at Jeneece Place, Victoria’s home away from home was a blessing for the Tofino family. Jeneece Place is more than just having a room. It’s the emotional piece of being close to your child. When your... child is in the NICU, I can’t even imagine staying in a hotel and having to drive to the hospital every two to three hours. Jeneece Place, at all levels, is amazing, says Francis. Read their heartwarming story and learn how staying at Jeneece Place, Victoria’s home away from home made a world of difference for this Island family: https://islandkidsfirst.com/meet-liv-and-asta-mai-how-jene/

Nanaimo Early Years is holding a free virtual Healthy Start Fair on November 19 from 4 pm to 5 pm for activities, games, family resources, giveaways, and more! For more information, please visit http://nanaimoearlyyears.org/

Thank you to everyone who helped make #SmileCookieWeek a sweet success! Thanks to your support we raised $33,064 for Island kids - that's a lot of cookies! We would also like to extend a special thank you to the Tim Hortons store owners across Greater Victoria who generously donated their time and resources to help Island families when they need it most. We are so grateful for your support!

Take your creativity to the next level by hosting a fundraiser on our new online fundraising platform! We have launched an online #fundraising platform where you can fundraise and support the health care needs of children and families across Vancouver Island and surrounding islands. Learn how you can make an impact by creating your own fundraising page here: https://bit.ly/create-your-own-fundraiser

Join an online discussion facilitated by FamilySmart on Thursday, October 22 at 6:30 to connect and learn with other Island families for the topic: Parenting when our kids can't go to school. Find the registration link here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/regist/6638834026469655822

Today we would like to introduce you to another one of our new board members, Dr. Megan McFadden. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Dr. McFadden decided to escape the cold winters with her husband and is now happy to call Vancouver Island home. She is a practicing orthodontist on the West Shore and learned about Children’s Heath Foundation through her work with Island families. She is honoured to become involved in the Foundation because she recognizes the wide-reaching impacts support for children can provide. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Dr. McFadden decided to escape the cold winters with her husband and is now happy to call Vancouver Island home. She is a practicing orthodontist on the West Shore and learned about Children’s Health Foundation through her work with Island families.

We want to take a moment to celebrate #ThankYouThursday! Today we want to extend a thank you to the #SmileCookieChampions of Greater Victoria and each Tim Hortons location who participated in Smile Cookie Week 2020. We are so grateful for this gift of $33,064 that will allow the Foundation to bring support to Island families who stay at Victoria’s home away from home, Jeneece Place. Thank you for your generous support during the 2020 Tim Hortons #SmileCookieWeek!

Kelsey credits her experience at Queen Alexandra and her volunteer involvement with the Queen Alexandra Foundation (now Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island!) setting her up for success as a professional working full-time in the child, family, and community health sector. Kelsey’s complex needs did not hold her back from pursuing her goals and Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health (QA) supported Kelsey in finding her independence. Read Kelsey’s inspiring story here:https://islandkidsfirst.com/meet-kelsey-looking-back-on-a-/

Have you and your family been guests of Jeneece Place, Victoria's home away from home? We would be grateful for your feedback so that we can better serve Island families that come through the doors of Jeneece Place every day. Share your experience about your stay by taking our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JPFamilySurvey

To create a better future, we must remember the past. Today our team is wearing orange to honour residential school survivors and to remember those who never made it home. #everychildmatters #orangeshirtday

Today we would like to give a warm welcome to Paul Murray! Paul brings over 30 years of executive leadership and governance experience to the Foundation board, through his work with a variety of local government and non-profit organizations. Currently, Paul is the Principal Consultant at the #Brentwood Advisory Group, a small consultancy providing governance, strategy, recruitment, financial, and climate resiliency advice.

Did you miss our virtual #AnnualGeneralMeeting last week? That’s okay! We have the recording of our virtual AGM ready to roll. Grab a snack and check out the full recording here: https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/chfvi/chfvi-sept22-20.mp4

It's #FeelGoodFriday! We would like to share these recent photos of the construction progress of our Campbell River Home away from home expansion, Qalayu House. Framing of the home is coming together, thanks to WestUrban Developments Ltd. Learn more about our home away from home expansion in Campbell River here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/campbellriverhome/

In light of Mental Illness Awareness Week taking place from October 5-12, we would like to share Zoe’s story. At Children’s Health Foundation, we believe that in order to provide youth with access to mental health care services, we need to fund programs where children and youth can be reached early, allowing them to address issues before they make a bigger impact on their relationships, school, work, or other aspects of their lives. Together, we can continue to stand behind youth in our community by supporting mental health innovations that help them access the care they need. By making a gift to our Innovation in Mental Health Fund today, your support will help provide mental health services for Island youth and their families . https://islandkidsfirst.com/mentalhealth/

Did you know that the Foundation welcomed four new board members during our Annual General Meeting last week? Throughout the week we will be introducing each one of them to you. Today, we would like to welcome Colleen Evans. Colleen brings North Island knowledge and professional career experience that spans across sectors in fund development, business, and marketing. Her communications expertise includes the creation of award-winning marketing and advertising campaigns and s...erving as editor-in-chief of numerous publications. She has developed, implemented, and managed multi-million-dollar capital and fundraising campaigns as well as international stakeholder stewardship and relations programs as a CFRE. In 2007 she was hired to lead the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce until her retirement in 2019. In 2014 Colleen was elected to the Campbell River City Council and re-elected in 2018, serving her second term as a City Councilor. Please help us extend a warm welcome to Colleen!

Kelsey Highsted knows first-hand about cerebral palsy challenges, but her complex needs have not held her back from pursuing her goals. As a professional working full-time in the child, family, and community health sector, a para-equestrian who was a gold and silver medalist at the 2018 BC Summer Games, and an avid cyclist. Read more to learn how Kelsey is making her mark and showing the world how people with cerebral palsy are experts at adapting. Read her full story here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/meet-kelsey-looking-back-on-a-/ #worldcpday #CPMakeYourMark

All this rain taking the shine off your car? Lowes Home Improvement in #Langford is hosting a car wash from 11-3 pm in the Garden Centre! Donations made during the car wash will go to children and youth #mentalhealth initiatives at Foundry Victoria!

It's #ThankyouThursday and we have a lot to be thankful for! We wanted to share a few recent photos taken by Island mom, Ricci Miller at the #QwalayuHouse construction site. We are so excited to see things coming together, and to showcase the wonderful work being done by WestUrban Developments Ltd. Learn more about our home away from home expansion here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/campbellriverhome/

Our last introduction this week is Joanne Schroeder, who collaborated with the Foundation in her previous roles prior to joining the Board. Joanne recently retired from her role as Executive Director at the Comox Valley Child Development Association and is focusing on emerging with her colleagues at the Human Early Learning Partnership (UBC), an approach to building compassionate systems leadership in the child-serving systems in British Columbia. She has also served as the Deputy Director at HELP, and as the Provincial Advisor to Children First, a community development project that worked in 45 BC communities and was the National Lead Fellow for the Canadian Council for Early Child Development.

Last evening, the Foundation hosted its very first virtual Annual General Meeting - we hope you were able to tune-in via Webcast! During the meeting, Bryan Thomson was elected new board chair for the Foundation. Bryan has been involved with the Foundation for the past five years, serving as vice chair for the past two years, and chair of the Finance, Audit, Investment, and Risk Committee for two years prior to that. He will be taking the helm from Sandra Hudson, who has been... instrumental in pushing the Foundation further over the past two years during her term as board chair. We also welcomed four new directors to the board: Colleen Evans, Dr. Megan McFadden, Paul Murray, and Joanne Schroeder. Colleen Evans brings North Island knowledge and professional career experience across sectors in fund development, business, and marketing. Megan is a practicing orthodontist in Westshore and works with families in the community. Paul Murray is a Corporate Director for Brentwood Advisory Group; he brings extensive executive leadership and governance experience from his work with a variety of local government and non-profit organizations. Joanne Schroeder is familiar with the Foundation, as she collaborated on many projects in her role as Executive Director at Comox Valley Child Development Association. Read the full news story here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/childrens-health-foundation-of/

Did you miss our virtual Annual General Meeting last week? That’s okay! We have the recording of our virtual AGM ready to roll. Grab a snack and check out the full recording here: https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/chfvi/chfvi-sept22-20.mp4

On behalf of our entire team and board at the Foundation, we would like to thank everyone in Greater Victoria who participated in Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Week! A special thank you to all the store owners and staff who generously donated their resources and time to help Island families when they need it most. We are so grateful for your unwavering support as champions for the health of every Island family. Thank you to the countless community members, business owners, and or...ganizations who stepped up to help us raise awareness and spread the word. And thank you to everyone who purchased a #SmileCookie last week. Your support will certainly bring a smile to many Island families! All proceeds raised from the sale of Smile Cookies will help the Foundation bring health care supports closer to home and help change the lives of children and youth living with physical and mental health challenges. Thank you for joining us as #SmileCookieChampions! How many Smile Cookies do you think were sold in #yyj last week? Stay tuned to find out!

Congratulations Ocean Networks Canada on receiving the Non-profit of the year Award!

Today is the last day of #SmileCookieWeek! Make sure you grab your Smile Cookies Island families need your support this year now more than ever before. All proceeds from each Smile Cookie go to health care supports for Island kids. Find a Tim Hortons location near you! https://bit.ly/SmileCookieChampions

Since Monday, Greater Victoria has purchased 24,848 Tim Hortons Smile Cookies! Last year, Tim Hortons locations across Greater Victoria raised $34,455 for the Foundation during Smile Cookie Week to support Island children and youth living physical and mental health challenges. Can we beat this? You have two more days to get your Smile Cookie fix! Find all the locations here, https://bit.ly/SmileCookieChampions, and be sure to share your photos on social media and tag or mention us, @(islandkidsfirst)!

Did you know that 100% of the proceeds raised from the sale of Tim Hortons #SmileCookies will allow the Foundation to bring health care supports closer to home for Island kids like Emma? Grab a Smile Cookie at participating Greater Victoria Tim Hortons locations today! Make sure you are sharing your Smile Cookie Selfie and tagging us! Read Emma's heartwarming story here: https://islandkidsfirst.com/how-bear-essentials-supports-t/... Find the map of Tim Hortons locations across Greater Victoria here: https://bit.ly/SmileCookieChampions