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Telus Community Giving

Last year, Katie Benjamin the founder of our Womyn’s Gym program received $10 000 from Telus to make Womyn’s Gym a reality.  Last night Telus Community Giving Board held a celebration welcoming their community partners and donors.  Since Katie is at the University of Economics, I went in her stead.

It was an inspiring evening mixing with people from different organizations supported through the Telus Community Giving. I enjoyed hearing the stories about how Telus has made an impact through supporting different organziations and in turn shared our story.

Womyn’s Gym which is one of the programs under the Beauty Night Society umbrella was supported tremendously through Telus Community Giving Board.  Katie thanked Telus during her acceptance speech when she became the recipient of the 2009 YWCA Young Woman of Distinction Recipient.

Caroline MacGillivray with Telus’ Glenn Brooks at the Burn’s Bogg Spirit of the Crane Awards where she became the 2009 recipient for

the Gold Community Spirit Award

Emceed by Bard on the Beach’s Artistic Director, Christopher Gaze, the evening got off to a roaring start.  Gaze pointed out that it was important to support a corporation that gives so much back to our communities.  With humour, Telus President and CEO, Darren Entwistle and Chair of Telus Community board, Nini Baird told the their engaged listeners how Telus is increasing the funds that they will be reinvesting in the community. It was inspiring and exciting to hear a corporation that encourages its employees to volunteer and give back increase their efforts.  Perhaps Telus has a message for all of us – to keep working toward making a difference in the lives of others by being proactive and to continually raise the bar.

The Knitting Season Is Starting Up Again

Knit Fit is a non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Laura Mah. Volunteers donate their time to knit scarves which are distributed to the marginalized women and children on the Downtown Eastside.

Knit Fit plans to knit 100 scarves by this coming winter. Along with the scarves, Beauty Night and Knit Fit will be sewing stockings to stuff with scarves and other items for distribution on Christmas Eve.

One the many scarves created by students

One the many scarves created by students

During October of last year, Knit Fit had its first ever meeting at Chief Maquinna Elementary School. About twenty students came bustling into the library, all carrying a plastic Ziplock bag of two needles and a ball or two of yarn. After a few minutes, the knitting of scarves was in full force. There were those familiar to knitting, and many of those who were not. Nonetheless, all these kids took it upon themselves to grab a pair of knitting needles and make a scarf that would be used to keep someone warm during the cold winter. These students took the first step in making a positive change for their community. These students were ten years old.

This fall Knit Fit is expanding its horizons. With participants from many different High Schools, Elementary Schools and Universities in the Vancouver area, Knit Fit is working toward full force. Knit Fit welcomes people of all ages, from 8 to as old as 108; any volunteer can participate and make a difference. With Beauty Night and Knit Fit working together, an ambitious goal of 100 scarves and 500 stockings to hand out this winter has been set. However, we can only accomplish this through the help and support of our volunteers. Help is always welcome, from sewing stockings to knitting scarves, and donations are greatly appreciated. There are a variety of opportunities to give back, and we hope that through your help, this winter can be special for everyone in Vancouver.

December 2008 scarves were handed out during the Christmas Season

December 2008 scarves were handed out during the Christmas Season

Knit Fit shows the importance of giving back and provides a chance for everyone to look inside themselves and lend a helping hand. It all starts with just two needles and a ball of yarn. By taking the time to knit a scarf, we send out a message that as a community we can and will work together to make a difference, one scarf at a time.

New Program for October!

Starting next week, an exciting new program will be running at Beauty Night! Sophia Hughes and I will be coordinating Kids Club, a drop-in children’s program that will run four nights of the week. This program is for the children of participants in Beauty Night programs and is open to children of all ages!

Our program will allow more women to participate in Beauty Night programming. It will also enable mothers to have a break from the stresses of parenting, and to feel safe leaving their children in supervised care. Both Sophia and I have extensive experience working with children, and are First Aid and CPR certified. We are committed to creating a safe and caring environment for the children, to providing support to their mothers, and to training more people to do the same.

Kids Club will provide positive recreational/social/educational programming for children, and facilitate friendship, socialization and acceptance within this multi-age group. And of course we are going to make awesome projects, eat yummy snacks, and have lots of fun!

We will be offering children’s programming from 6:30pm-8:30pm, Monday-Thursday, starting Monday, September 28th, 2009.

Stay tuned for the October calendar coming out next week, with upcoming themes, crafts and other activities that will be happening at Kids Club!

If you are looking to get involved, we are looking for consistent volunteers for any of these days, and childcare volunteer orientation will occur early in October. All childcare volunteers will need a criminal record check, and we have a preference for volunteers who have experience working with children. Hope to see you there!

-Alexa Bennett Fox

Beauty Night at a Glance

It’s a fresh start for Beauty Night Society this week! Last week we held our AGM. It was an opportunity to thank and honor our previous board members and to welcome our new board.

Our  new board members are:

Co- Chair: Gwen Webster
Co-Chair: Sheryl Williamson- Harms
Secretary/Treasurer: Christie Gray

Directors at Large:
Kevin Day
Dave Dickson
Sarah Mah
Fergus McCann
Eileen McDougall
Bill Nevison
Darren Reiter

I am excited to see what the next chapter of Beauty Night Society reveals and am thrilled to be part of it.  This week, we continue on our path to helping marginalized women make positive lifestyle changes.  Starting the week of the 28th, additional programming will make a huge impact in the lives of many.

On September 28th, Womyn’s Gym, led by Tyla Flexman and Miranda Landry runs for 10 weeks twice a week.  Women participating in this program receive one on one personal training through the kinesiologist students that volunteer their time. Under the guidance of Flexman and Landry, the women will focus on goal setting, discover the difference of personal training, and learn healthy nutrition and physical fitness choices.

One of the benefits of this program is that child care is provided for the women who participate.  Beauty Night has extended that benefit to women who participate in our other programs.  Child care led by Alexa Fox and Sophia Hughes will run four nights per week during Beauty Night Society programming hours.

Our fitness class choices for the group fitness classes have taken that into consideration.  In the past six weeks, we have run stroller disco. Originally due to the fact we were not able to have child care on Tuesday nights, we started offering classes that benefitted our participants and their children.  Due to the feed back from participants, mother/child fitness classes are here to stay.  “I like getting to spend more time with my daughter,” said one of our participants,” It’s a great way for us to spend time together – healthy too.” What started off as an experiment has resulted in a way to encourage mothers and children to bond in a healthy way. Encouraging the women and children to take part in active living is beneficial to all.

Our next volunteer training session will be held on Monday, September 28th, please send your resume and cover letter to info@beautynight.org. Volunteer orientation is mandatory before attending a volunteer session.

This week’s volunteer opportunities include:

Makeover Monday: PHS Life Skill’s Centre 412 E Cordova St from 6-9pm. Facilitated by Tiffany Telford.

Skin Care/Makeup volunteers: Ella Bak, Christine Diablo

Nails: Kie, Mami, Denise

Massage: Kerry

Reiki: Amanda

Hair: Garry

We are still looking for more hair dressers.

Tuesday:

Stroller Disco 6:30- 7:30

Womyn’s Gym 7:30-8:30pm

Wednesday:

Blanche MacDonald Downtown Campus: Beauty Night Founder and Acting Executive Director (me) Caroline MacGillivray will be talking about leadership and impacting the community to students enrolled in the hair program.

Board Member orientation: For Current Board Members only. Location TBA

Thursday: Womyn’s Gym

Saturday: Knit Fit Training, Location TBA

We are looking for knitters or volunteers who would like to learn how to knit.

Sunday: Xmas Stocking Fabric Cutting 2pm, please email for directions info@beautynight.org

Thank you for everything that you do to make a huge impact on so many lives.

Sincerely,

Caroline MacGillivray

Founder and Acting Executive Director

Drum Roll Please…..

Beauty Night Society is very pleased to announce the election of its new Board of Directors.
Co-Chair is Sheryl Williamson.  Sheryl has been a Vancouver resident for 15 years now. With a strong belief in building community, Sheryl and her family give many hours of volunteer time. She holds key positions in several community organizations and has participated in many initiatives such as:  She is currently a Vancouver Police Board Member, On the West End Citizens’ Action Network (WECAN), Chair (since 2003), Family Services of Greater Vancouver (1134 Burrard Project), Community Advisory Committee Member, Our House Recovery Society, Board Member Four Pillars Coalition. She has previously been on West End Integrated Neighbourhood Network (WEINN), Steering Committee Member and Working Group Lead , Immediate Past Chair Safe Streets Coalition, Member Justice Review Task Force (Street Crime Working Group), Past Participant  Sheryl is the Chief Operations Officer and a founding partner of a privately owned business in Vancouver and holds several industry designations. She is a Certified Marketing Executive with a
Diploma in Sales and Marketing from the Sauder School of Business at UBC. Sheryl’s passion is in building potential ~ both that of individuals and organizations. She is married with one child.
Also Co-Chairing is Gwen Webster. Gwen Webster brings her expertise of Marketing and Special Events to Beauty Night Society Board. She has been serving on the board since 2006. She also became an active volunteer in 2009 as she strongly believes in the society and they work they do. Gwen has been a marketing professional in Vancouver for the last 10 years. Her career highlights have been: Launching a new high-end Real Estate Company, launching a high-end magazine, successfully saving a Victorian Pub and establishing her own mining company. She is currently working for a publicly traded Company called EACOM Timber Corporation. There she has worked on an acquisition, complete new set of branding, investor relations, and presentations.
Secretary-Treasurer is Christie Gray. Christie offers over 10 years experience in administrative roles in various industries including: Internet publishing, government, automotive, Geo-technical and HVAC. Christie offers excellent organization skills, quickness and efficiency, experience taking meeting minutes in various committees, and very strong computer skills. Christie also has a strong background in web design and marketing (both traditional and web based), roles she is currently both involved with her Mother’s store, Thyme to Cook based out of Ontario, as well as being a legal assistant at a mining company here in Vancouver.  Christie is also a Registered Natural Health Care practitioner. Christie has volunteered in the past with other agencies such as Humane Society, Animal Love, Kids Help Phone, Heart and Stroke Foundation among others.
Bill Nevison: Writer/producer Citytv Creative Services, promotion & commercial production. Previously worked as a writer/producer at Global TV. Won various broadcast awards, including gold medals from Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Promax/BDA, and InternationalCrimeStoppers. Has been on the Beauty Night board of directors for 3 years. His role on the Beauty Night Media Committee includes writing and editing Beauty Night press releases, media packages, and media guidelines. Has been involved with the annual Beauty Night stocking drive and has also documented the event.
Darren Reiter is the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Board of eMedia Networks International Corporation, a sonic branding company listed publicly on the Canadian Venture Exchange (TSX.EMM) Darren has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia (1992), a Masters in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh (1995) and a Certificate in Journalism from Langara College (1997) In partnership with award winning producers and directors including Braemar Court Productions and Bowen Arrow Productions, Darren has produced several short movies including “The River of Jordan” which screened at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2007 and “Amazon Falls,” a feature length drama currently in post production. Darren resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Dave Dickson Born and raised in Vancouver area, joined the Vancouver Police Department in May,1980 and ended up becoming an Advocate for Street workers and youth, spent his entire career working in the Downtown Eastside, over the last 6 years has received a number of awards listed below:
· 2003-Recognition Award from Native Health Society
· 2004-Police Officer of the Year
· 2004-Federal Justice Dept. Award for working with Youth
· 2004-International Safety Award for working to keep High Risk Women safe
· 2005-City of Vancouver”Youth Ally Award”
· 2005-Solicitor General’s Community Policing Award
· 2006-B.C.Civil Liberties Award
· 2006-Queen’s Jubilee Medal for Community Policing
· 2006-Premier’s B.C.Community Achievement Award

Dave left the Vancouver Police Department in August 2008 and is currently working with another organization as an outreach worker still in the Downtown Eastside so he may continue his work with the Street Youth and Women.
Eileen McDougall
Currently the Manager of Human Resources for 2 television stations, Citytv Vancouver and Omni BC. She hasworked at the Citytv Vancouver location for 16+ years. During that time, the station has undergone 4 changes of ownership. Each new owner brought with them their own brand ofmanagement, structure and organization which provided Eileen with the opportunity to acquire awealth of transferable skills and experience – i.e. policy management, recruitment, training,employee relations, etc. Prior to working with Citytv Vancouver, she worked as the Classified Advertising Manager for The Vancouver Courier newspaper and the Business In Vancouver newspaper and as a claims adjuster for ICBC. Eileen is the mother of 2 adult children, the grandmother of 2 granddaughters and former foster parent of 3 children.
Fergus McCann
: Currently Manager-Media & Community Relations for BC Housing. Prior to joining BC Housing, Fergus worked for 5 years at CTV BC and nearly 20 years at CKVU (Channel 13 – now Citytv) on programs as diverse as The Vancouver Show, the Laurier La Pierre talk show and in the newsroom on the assignment desk. His early years in broadcasting included working in radio in Salmon Arm and Kelowna. Born and raised in South Vancouver, Fergus and family have been living in Burnaby since 1984. His community service has included time on boards such as the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, the Family Support Institute and most recently, the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion. He was recognized as a City of Burnaby Local Hero in 2005.
Kevin Day is a social entrepreneur with experience running both private and public companies. In 1998, Kevin founded Riskebiz Internet Services Inc., a company which helps entrepreneurs in the developing world establish and grow local businesses by connecting them with microfinance services through the mobile web. In 2002 Kevin helped establish Feed Me Sports Inc., a company which published sports related content for mobile phones. Under Kevin’s leadership, Feed Me Sports acquired Mobilized Entertainment in 2008, a public company that trades on the over the counter market in the United States. Mr. Day has experience raising money for startups and he is also an experienced computer programmer developing many of his company’s mobile applications. Kevin was a Director of the British Columbia Captive Insurance Association for 10 years and is currently a Committee Member of the Canadian Captive Insurance Association. Kevin obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1994. After university and prior to starting his first business, Kevin worked for several years in the insurance industry as a property and casualty insurance broker. Kevin is an avid runner and enjoys movies, documentaries, and reading biographies of business icons.
Sarah Mah is a fifth year UBC student graduating next year with a bachelors degree in genetics with honours. She was introduced to Beauty Night when she accompanied my mother to some of the events. With her mother’s background in dentistry, she was working on educating Beauty Night clients about proper dental hygiene, while handing out toothbrush/toothpaste donations. She became very interested in Ms. Caroline McGillivray’s cause, and began to understand the value of both physical and social health for these women. It was not until after she had completed my accelerated high school education, and most of my undergraduate degree that she found more time to devote to the program.She started out with doing nails, which emphasized to her the huge social impact that such a simple service could provide. She then looked towards how she could improve the lives of women in other situations as well, and simultaneously took a volunteer job working for childcare at the Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter.

Beauty Night is entering an exciting period of growth which will be guided by the amazing board that has been elected.