May 7th 2010 has been declared by the City of Vancouver as Hockey for the Homeless Day. This annual fundraiser and hockey tournament where your team can face off against Canucks and NHL alumni all for a cause.
According to the latest Metro Vancouver Homeless Count, almost 2,600 local men, women and children don’t have a place to live.
This is the second Hockey for the Homeless tournament in Vancouver however the campaign has been running across Canada since 1996.
“The mission of the volunteer-driven charity is to end homelessness through fundraising, education and partnerships with outreach groups. So far, Hockey for the Homeless has raised more than $2.5 million in aid of some 15,000 people.”
Last year Vancouver’s event raised $65,000 to help local organizations fight homelessness in our city.
They are looking for teams and individuals to take part this year and play alongside hockey heroes for this cause. The tournament entry fee for players is $300 and they are guaranteed at least 3 games. Participants will get a personalized jersey, lunch, a reception and dinner.
Prizes will be up for grabs as well as silent auction items including Canucks tickets and memorabilia. Past NHL’ers to participate include Dave Babych, Wendel Clark, Vincent Damphouse, Theo Fleury, Nick Kypreos, Kirk McLean, Sergio Momesso, Cliff Ronning, P.J. Stock and more.
You can register online and find out more about Vancouver’s event happening May 7th at UBC through the Hockey for the Homeless website.
Goodbye onion rings, hotdogs and fudgsicles and hello spinach dip. The Parks Board has just approved a development proposal on English Bay that would replace the existing concession stand with a Cactus Club restaurant.
“The main concern that I had back then was a high-end restaurant and we didn’t want a suit and tie kind of restaurant, so affordability was the main concern that we had had,” said Jasper early Monday. But now, as chair of the Park Board, Jasper said he believed the Cactus Club will provide a suitably casual experience for locals.
“This proposal, this Cactus Club, while some might dispute it, fits into that range of affordability – yes, it’s not a McDonalds – but it’s not a Hy’s or a CinCins,” he said, referring to two high-end Vancouver restaurants. [CBC Vancouver]
I did a quick poll on Twitter last night and although the majority was opposed to the change, quite a few welcomed it.
“I’m with concession, but again I was never a customer of theirs. So maybe Cactus will do better,” said @jlate.
“Yes, Cactus. Parks Board needs the money and Cactus will do a great job,” added @KCITY.
Since this was just approved last night, I haven’t seen any proposed menu items or price points as of yet. The Cactus Club slated for English Bay will be tailoring their seaside menu to less expensive and take-out options though. There would be a main floor with inside and outside seating as well as a concession stand-type of outlet.
Cactus Club is a favourite dining establishment for Vancouverites with delicious menu items and special creations from Chef Rob Feenie. The concern for many though is – does this fit on the beach?
Construction will now begin around Labour Day with Cactus Club moving in for the summer of 2011.
[poll id=”48″]
Update August 2011 They are hosting a hiring fair for the English Bay location on August 25, 26, and 27, 2011.
This is the third time I have organized Twestival in Vancouver and each experience has been an adventure and a challenge. Since 2007 I have been using my site to raise awareness and funds for causes, from the annual Blogathon or through events I have hosted, to collecting food donations for these causes.
In 2009 Amanda Rose (@Amanda on Twitter) thought of combining Twitter with a live event that would support a cause. She took it big time – she took it global. Suddenly Twestival Global was born and in February of 2009 about 200 cities around the world were supporting Charity:Water with live events on the same night. Over $250,000 was raised by people coming together through Twitter. Later that year, in September, cities were able to select their own causes and here in Vancouver, the BC Childrens Hospital topped a public poll and because our fundraising cause for Twestival Local.
The Global Twestival team has done amazing things to organize WordPress blogs for every participating city, online ticketing systems, branding, and helping with global sponsors and partnerships.
Although I was pretty much alone in my previous Twestival efforts in Vancouver (and we raised about $4,000 and $3,000 for the cause each time) I am absolutely thrilled to have a fantastic team this time. I put the call out on Twitter and several people have stepped up to help. Even though it’s still stressful to coordinate an event for 250 people, I have fewer headaches and I’ve had so much help.
I knew Marc Smith from Amuse Consulting was a good event planner but we wouldn’t be having Twestival Vancouver at the CBC broadcast centre without him, nor would we have logistics in place, a food sponsor, and all the small but very important details that go into getting an event off the ground.
Melissa, Azita, Kim, and Sonia all contacted me through Twitter and we met one morning a few weeks ago to get this event underway. We were late to the game, due to a bit of a big event happening in Vancouver in February, but these ladies jumped right on their tasks. Gathering sponsorships, finding prizes, booking entertainment and being a great support system. Kirsten joined us a bit later but she’s already put together some great content about the cause to share at the event and secured the HootSuite Owl for an appearance. We also have a team of on-site volunteers that will help with registration, raffle tickets, silent auction and more.
Twestival Vancouver 2010
When: March 25th, 2010 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: CBC Vancouver – the new Audience Lounge (700 Hamilton at Georgia)
What: A fundraising party to support Concern Worldwide
Who: Everyone in Vancouver that uses Twitter
Flight Centre has also sponsored Twestivals in Canada, offering up a $200 travel voucher to all host cities.
Swag Bags
All attendees will get goodies handed out at the event. The HootSuite Owl will have some to hand out and we’ll also have bags from London Drugs that contain Twestival buttons, made by Six Cent Press, and passes to the UBC Botanical Gardens.
Tickets
Your $20 admission ticket goes directly to Concern Worldwide. With this admission we will supply you with a wine ticket, a swag bag, entertainment, wine, food, and hopefully a really great time. Tickets are currently on sale and we must sell these in advance so our venue has a list of participants ahead of time.
The Twestival Global team was also pleased to announce a sponsorship from Entrepreneurs Foundation & Austin Ventures Challenge Grant. For every dollar raised, this foundation will match it 100% up to $100,000. That means your $20 ticket = $40 for Concern Worldwide, thanks to them.
This isn’t an event purely for those in technology or social media – it’s for anyone and everyone who uses Twitter. It’s to show what a powerful communication tool it can be and that it can have a positive impact on the world and our communities. We hope you’ll join us by either purchasing a ticket, placing a donation, coming to hang out with us, or simply posting a link on Twitter. Thank you for your support.
World Theatre Day is March 27th, 2010 and the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance is preparing special deal and performances to take part this global campaign.
Although we missed a panel yesterday hosted by stage and screen actor Jackson Davies (The Producers, The Foursome, The Beachcombers) there are still quite a few chances to check out some theatre in Vancouver leading up to WTD on Saturday.
Events and Deals
Art by Actors paintings will be on display at The Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre until April 17th.
There will also be several flash mob performances around Vancouver from March 21st until March 27th. You can view a full World Theatre Day lineup for Vancouver online.
The World Theatre Day Wrap Party will be held March 28th at the WISE Hall. The program includes reading the International WTD message (written by Dame Judi Dench), encore performances and videos of our flash mob events, and video conferencing with other WTD parties world-wide. Admission will be by donation.
It may look like a daffodil pin but it’s actually a badge of courage. The Canadian Cancer Society is distributing daffodil pins as well as live flowers in 2010 in association with the inaugural Daffodil Day.
The entire month of April in BC and Vancouver is Daffodil Month but on the 9th people are encouraged to wear daffodil pins to show their support. Pins can be purchased by donation at the following locations across the province:
Events across BC and the Yukon can be found listed online. You can follow @DaffodilDayCCS on Twitter or Facebook for news and updates leading up to April 9th, 2010.
This is the second Hockey for the Homeless tournament in Vancouver however the campaign has been running across Canada since 1996.
Although we missed a panel yesterday hosted by stage and screen actor Jackson Davies (The Producers, The Foursome, The Beachcombers) there are still quite a few chances to check out some theatre in Vancouver leading up to WTD on Saturday.