Jennie was referred to Covenant House at the age of 19. “[It] was the first place I’ve ever lived that I was safe and nobody could hurt me here. It’s the first place that I’ve ever felt that kind of sense of belonging, it’s the first place I’ve ever had a home.” Covenant House Vancouver is sharing Jennie’s story this month as it announces its annual donating matching campaign.
“She had been living on and off the streets since she was 10, and had attended over 20 elementary schools by grade eight. When Jennie turned 19, she left the foster care system and had no place to go.”
Jennie stabilized in the Crisis Program and worked incredibly hard. Having such an interrupted education, she had difficulty reading, so one of Covenant House’s volunteers helped her learn. Jennie then moved to the transitional living program, Rights of Passage (“ROP”) where she found her voice.
Learning to self-advocate and assert herself were life-skills Jennie desperately needed and ROP was the perfect place for her to learn.
“I was scared; everybody had kinda turned away and I just figured they’d turn away too. I didn’t really expect help because I didn’t think anybody would be there or care, and I found the exact opposite, I found that they didn’t just open up their doors to me, but they opened up their hearts.”
It’s painful to even imagine the kind of childhood that Jennie had, let alone experience it – she was sexually abused, neglected and she never heard the words “I love you”. Coming to Covenant House marked the beginning of a whole new life for Jennie and she is grateful to donors, for your support of young people like herself.
I have come to know, appreciate, and support the work of Covenant House, through fundraising events and participating in their annual Sleep Out in November. A quote that I jotted down at one of these events has stayed with me: “Many of the kids have lived with violence or the threat of violence for much of their young lives. Feeling safe is a right we all have but one these kids have not enjoyed.”
No child should be homeless. You can help by making a donation online today, before June 30th, and it will automatically be doubled at no extra charge to you. Follow Covenant House on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Be a tourist in your own town and discover what Surrey has to offer during Surrey Doors Open! From City Centre to Bear Creek, Newton to Cloverdale, sites and attractions will be open to the public with free admission for the day on Saturday, June 27th.
In one day you can visit the Bear Creek Park Train, do a Historic Cloverdale Walking Tour, attend the Whalley’s Corner Festival, visit the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, and explore the BC Vintage Truck Museum. Guided tours, presentations, children’s activities, and entertainment will be offered a a variety of venues. Take the free hop-on hop-off trolley to experience as much as you can.
Surrey Doors Open
The 4th Annual Surrey Doors Open event will provide a unique opportunity for participants to experience Surrey’s rich culture, history, art and architecture for free. Over 40 locations will feature an exciting mix of historic sites, modern architecture, places of worship, public art, green spaces and unique food sites. Activities will include behind-the-scenes guided tours (many of which are not normally open to the public), presentations, children’s’ activities, entertainment, food and much more. Free trolley and shuttle services will make exploring a variety of Doors Open sites easy and fun.
Doors Open offers an opportunity for participants to develop a sense of inclusion and encourages community involvement. This sense of community is particularly important in a rapidly growing and diverse city such as Surrey. Last year saw attendance doubling to over 14,000 participants and with your generous support, we are looking forward to expanding participation.
The inspiration for Surrey’s Doors Open stems from origins in France where the first Doors Open event (La Journee Portes Ouvertes) took place in 1984. The idea soon spread to neighbouring countries and has since expanded around the globe.
Toronto was the first North American city to follow the European lead and launched a high profile event showcasing constructed heritage, architecture and design as a millennium project in 2000. The City of Richmond has hosted the event over the last 4 years, and has grown their community involvement to over 50 open sites throughout Richmond. [History of Doors Open]
The 33rd annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards will be handed out on Monday, June 22nd in Vancouver and this year’s nominees were recently announced.
From the organizers: “To say it was a busy theatre season is putting it mildly. There were an abundant number of dynamic productions that displayed the dedication, creativity and excellence of artists. All of these works enhance the vibrancy of our city, enriching its residents and visitors alike.”
Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Nominations 2015
As usual, the awards are divided into three categories: Large Theatre, Small Theatre, and Theatre for Young Audiences along with other special awards that comprise the Jessies.
In the Large Theatre category there was a total of 7 theatre companies whose productions were nominated. The Arts Club Theatre Company led the way receiving a total of 19 nominations from six nominated productions with St. Joan receiving 7 of them. Pacific Theatre had another dynamic year earning an impressive total of 11 nominations with The Whipping Man receiving a total 8 of those nods.
Notable this year is Théâtre la Seizième who garnered an impressive number of 16 nominations equally divided between the Large Theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences categories.
The Small Theatre Category was extremely prolific with a total of 21 theatre companies and 23 productions nominated. Pi Theatre’s production of Blasted received 8 nominations followed by ITSAZOO Productions presentation of The Competition is Fierce with a total of 7 nominations. Ruby Slippers also had an impressive year with 8 nominations for their production of After Me (Après Moi).
Also under the Theatre for Young Audiences category, 5 nominations were each received by Carousel Theatre for Young People for James and the Giant Peach, The Little Prince by Monster Theatre and Green Thumb Theatre receiving 4 for Celestial Being and 1 for Showdown. Axis Theatre Company received 2 for their new work of Hamelin – A New Fable.
Additional awards that will be presented at the Jessie ceremony include: The Patron of the Arts Award, the Mary Phillips Prize, the Ray Michal Prize for Emerging Director, the Sam Payne Award for the Most Promising Newcomer, the John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award, the Georgia Straight Critics Choice Innovation Award, and the GVPTA Career Achievement Award.
The 33rd Annual Ceremony will again be held at the Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville St) on Monday, June 22, 2015. Doors open at 5:30pm with the ceremony at 6:30pm. Tickets are $29.50 plus service charges, through Ticketmaster 1-855-985-5000 or online through Ticketmaster. The ceremony is produced and directed by Vancouver TheatreSports who always create a hilarious and entertaining program.
As the official Social Media Sponsor, I will be posting live updates from the awards this year. Follow @JessieAwards on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
A local brewery, some Canadian bands, and summer sunshine is a recipe for a good time courtesy of Red Truck Beer,CFOX and 93.7 JRFM this summer. Live from the parking lot at 295 East 1st Ave in Vancouver, the Red Truck Concert Series will be held on four afternoons starting June 13th.
Red Truck Concert Series
June 13, 2015: Five Alarm Funk – Tonye Aganaba – Kutapira – Vinyl Ritchie
July 11, 2015: The Trews – No Sinner – Rich Hope – Ice Cream Social Djs
August 15, 2015: Head Of The Herd – The Dudes – Good For Grapes – Ice Cream Social Djs
September 12, 2015: Logan Mize – Jaxon Hawks – TBD
The Red Truck Concert Series debuts just after the Red Truck Brewery opens its much-anticipated on-site restaurant, The Truck Stop Diner, on June 3rd. The concerts will take place in the Red Truck Brewery’s outdoor lot and will feature a variety of delicious Red Truck Beer, food trucks, bands, DJ’s and more. There are three levels of pricing for each concert date so be sure to scoop up Early Bird tickets for the best deal.
Doors open at 4:00pm for each event with concerts beginning at 6:00pm. Follow Red Truck Beer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more information.
Win Tickets to the Red Truck Concert Series
I have a pair of tickets to give away to the first concert on June 13th with headliners Five Alarm Funk.
Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tix to the @RedTruckBeer Parking Lot Concert Series from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/NJXlV
Please enjoy responsibly. Must be 19+. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, June 9, 2015.
There’s no long weekend in June but you’ll have plenty of time to unwind with festivals, live music, markets, and so much more happening this month. Miss604 is proud to sponsor three events: Hats Off Day at Burnaby Heights, a giant 10-block street party; Surrey Doors Open, with free admission to some of the city’s best attractions; and the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards aka The Jessies.
This event list is updated several times a week so be sure to check back often and submit your events (for FREE) via the contact form.
“She had been living on and off the streets since she was 10, and had attended over 20 elementary schools by grade eight. When Jennie turned 19, she left the foster care system and had no place to go.” 
