Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way

Have you bought your turtle for the Volkswagon Turtle River Race yet?

The Volkswagon of Kamloops Turtle Race takes place on September 19th 2010.  Proceeds from the event go the Boys and Girls Club Power Start Program.  The race starts at the Yacht Club and finishes at Riverside Park.  There are some amazing prizes up for grabs so don’t miss out!

The Power Start Program supports families by providing a safe ride to school, opportunities for inclusion with peers, unique creative activities that prepare the body and mind to learn, grooming and a nutritious breakfast and recess snack.  Children in the Power Start Program are picked up from their homes starting at 7:30 am by the Boys and Girls club staff and brought to their schools to begin their school readiness routine.

The Boys and Girls Club of Kamloops is committed to supporting children’s ability to pursue their education.  Support for this program means that children are better prepared for and involved in class activities and show improved school attendance.  Power Start aims to alleviate barriers for children to succeed and provide the support they need to do so.

For more information on the event and to find out where you can
purchase your turtle click HERE or visit http://vwturtlerace.com/

The Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake is hosting a street party on Friday, August 13th, 2010.  Have a blast while supporting your community!

Click HERE for more details.

Through social recreation, educational programs, and outreach services the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake helps young people learn the skills they need to grow into happy, healthy, productive adults.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Head on down to Victoria Street to check out the annual Hot Nite In The City as this popular Kamloops event returns tonight and all-day tomorrow. The Poker Run begins today from 3-8:30pm and ends with a stop at the Lansdowne Village A&W. Come down tonight from 5-9:00pm to check out the cars, enjoy an A&W meal and participate in fun family activities.
Tomorrow is the highly anticipated Show’n'Shine running from 10-5:00pm down on Victoria Street with plenty of entertainment. Capping off the day is the awarding of trophies and then be sure to check out Music in the Park beginning at 7:00pm.
Have a great weekend!

A Junior Tennis Tournament was held last week in Ashcroft funded by the United Way Ashcroft Community Impact Council. $1,200 was given to the Ashcroft & District Tennis Association after Association member Maria Russell Martin applied for funding. The grant provided the students of Ashcroft Elementary School with lessons from instructor George Lea and tennis equipment.

Last week, Grade 5,6, and 7 students were ready to compete after practicing their best moves during lessons in March. With snacks, prizes, and tennis rackets in hand this winning group loved their day on the courts. Congratulations to everyone involved in a great event!

On Friday an energetic group of painters from Fresh Inc. took over the Canadian Mental Health Association to paint a new mural for their entrance on their first Day of Caring. The volunteers from Fresh had the chance to learn about the work that CMHA does in the community from their Executive Director Doug Sage before they started to paint. With rainbow colours and a beautiful landscape in mind, this new mural will brighten up the entry and put a smile on everyone who enters the doors. Thanks to Fresh Inc. for a beautiful mural and CMHA for hosting such a great Day of Caring.

The Canadian Mental Health Association is a national non-profit organization made up of provincial bodies and local branches. CMHA-Kamloops is dedicated to raising awareness and promoting the mental health of all people within our community. They achieve this through the services they offer directly through the Clubhouse programs, advocacy, volunteer opportunities and public education.

Participating in a Day of Caring promotes a deeper understanding of community issues and provides an excellent team building opportunity for employees. The projects allow workplaces to demonstrate social responsibility and to make a visual impact in the communities where stakeholders live and work. The United Way matches local volunteers to a non-profit organization.

Each year, thousands of companies across Canada contribute to United Way.  The results of the 2009 nation wide workplace campaigns have been totalled revealing the organizations that contributed $1,000,000 or more to United Way’s across Canada. 

We extend our sincerest thanks for the generosity of these organizations, their employees, and their affiliated Unions. 

Click HERE  to view the Thank You ad and list of million dollar contributors in today’s edition of the National Post.

Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way would like to thank TD Bank and its employees for generously donating $10,822 because they believe in their community!

Photo: May 17th, Mary Anne Ethier from TD Bank presents a cheque
to Melodie Grabner from United Way.

As it is Mining week in BC Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way would like to recognize the mines that contribute significantly to their communities through United Way.

Highland Valley Copper/USW Local 7619 raised $565,000 during their 2009 United Way Workplace Campaign.  On Tuesday they were honored at our annual Spirit Awards as they won the Workplace Team of the Year Award.  The United Steel Workers are always busy in the community giving back.

Gibraltar Mine/USW Local 425 ran their second United Way Workplace Campaign and raised $68,500.  This was a 43% increase over their first campaign!

Mount Polley Mine/CAW ran their first United Way Campaign in 2009 and raised $13,000 making Mount Polley our #1 new employee campaign!.  Their enthusiasm was contagious and we are looking forward to their 2010 campaign.

On May 5, youth from across Kamloops and Clearwater participated in the 2nd annual city-wide Youth Day of Caring. Students from 7 different high schools volunteered their time and effort for 6 local agencies. Energy levels were high and the youth flew through the projects they were working on. Everyone had a great time and all projects reached a successful completion. To celebrate, the students met up in Spirit Square for a BBQ and live entertainment. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped the event run smoothly! Stay tuned for a description of each youth project and pictures posted tomorrow.

Youth from Dufferin Elementary School, SIFE TRU, and the TRU Youth Advisory Group all joined together to serve dinner on Sunday, May 2, to Kamloops’ most vulnerable as part of the PIT Stop program. These energetic volunteers cooked up a storm in the kitchen serving a dinner of spaghetti, salad, and many desserts to 100 individuals. This was the first event in a series of celebrations to occur for BC Youth Week from May 1-7. Thank you to all the youth who contributed their time to this initiative! 

Volunteers from Dufferin Elementary

SIFE TRU in the kitchen