Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon (“RMH BC”) has announced the return of Step Up for Families, an annual campaign that raises funds to support BC and Yukon families seeking lifesaving medical treatment for their children.
Held in April, the springtime initiative invites the community to assemble their families, friends and colleagues to run, walk, roll or cycle at least 73 kilometres throughout the month. All donations collected will support the 2,000 families per year who stay at RMH BC’s 73-bedroom House and Family Room at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Ronald McDonald House Step Up for Families 2022
Since 1983, RMH BC has provided comfort and housing to countless families who travel to Vancouver seeking life-saving treatment for their children – treatment that could take days, weeks or months to complete. The organization offers these families a home-away-from-home in a state-of-the-art, 73- bedroom House situated just steps from the BC Children’s Hospital. More than a place to sleep, the House welcomes families into a supportive ecosystem with amenities such as art and music therapy, comfortable accommodations and healthy meals.
This April, communities are invited to support these families during the third annual fitness-oriented Step Up for Families fundraiser.
At RMH BC, it costs $150 per night to house a family – so, by reaching the minimum $150 “Gift a Night” fundraising goal, participants can help provide a night of comfort to a family facing a stressful situation far from their home. This year, RMH BC has set a fundraising goal to provide 1,000 nights of comfort to families relying on the House and Family Room.
How to participate in Step Up for Families:
Recruit your team by sharing the Step Up for Families toolkit with your family, friends or co-workers (or tackle the challenge solo)
Visit the website to register and set up your fundraising page. Share the link with your team so they can join.
Connect your account to Strava, or manually track your distances throughout April.
Encourage your community to donate and help you raise a minimum of $150 to support a family for one night in the RMH BC House.
“Movement has a huge impact on mental health and how we are able to cope with stress,” says Jenna Morrison, Recreation Therapist at RMH BC. “From improved sleep and mood to decreased stress and anxiety, movement can bring us back to the present, so we are better able to focus on moving forward. For many of our families, movement is a tool that helps them to cope and stay grounded through the ups and downs.”
Last year’s Step Up for Families was a huge success, engaging 317 participants from over 55 communities in BC and Yukon. Collectively, they took 60 million steps and tackled 48,000 kilometres – and, in doing so, raised $151,000 for RMH BC, gifting over 1,200 nights of comfort.
Live Nation Canada and Wideglide Entertainment have announced the 2022 lineup for Laketown Shakedown festival, taking place at Laketown Ranch in the Cowichan Valley on June 30, July 1, July 2.
Laketown Shakedown Lineup 2022
The highly anticipated festival will kick-off with headlining performances by Canadian fan-favourites Arkells and LIGHTS on Thursday, legendary hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan (who were scheduled for the cancelled 2020 event) and southern California pop/rock band Sugar Ray on Friday, with high-energy rockers The Glorious Sons and rapper, songwriter, and record producer Big Boi closing out the festival on Saturday.
Supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia, Laketown Shakedown 2022 has been designed to appeal to all generations of music fans with a lineup of artists spanning from hip hop and dance to rock, electronic, alternative and beyond.
Camping, Weekend Passes, and Single Day Tickets will go on sale at 10:00am on Friday, March 25, 2022.
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Arkells LIGHTS Felix Cartal Haviah Mighty Longwalkshortdock Def3 Vince Vaccaro Daysormay Mauvey BRAINiac w/ Ruze Records GI Blunt Nokturnal Funk DJ Boitano (Host DJ Mainstage)
Friday, July 1, 2022
Wu-Tang Clan Sugar Ray Goldfish Dear Rouge K+Lab R.O. Shapiro Diamond Cafe Kimmortal Murge Case Of The Mondays DJ All Good Bankes Brothers La Chuparosa DJ Anger The Odd Neighborhood Faultline DJ Boitano (Host DJ Mainstage)
Saturday, July 2, 2022
The Glorious Sons Big Boi Halluci Nation JJ Wilde Daniel Wesley Astrocolor Dunks Missy D Old Soul Rebel Illvis Freshly Neil Jam3s Mt. Doyle Khanvict Vox Rea Nostic & Nicki Michaela Slinger Hard.times w/ Lady Phyl DJ Boitano (Host DJ Mainstage)
Laketown Ranch is a world-class facility, featuring the largest permanent outdoor stage in Canada on a 172-acre site only minutes from Cowichan Lake.
Laketown Shakedown will host three days of live music across three stages in a truly spectacular setting, plus a festival village with food and other vendors, multiple full-service bars, a dynamic VIP area, flush toilets, and showers. Find more info on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
All aboard the Stanley Park Easter Train! The miniature railway is opening up for just a few days this season to celebrate Easter and the first long weekend of spring. Enjoy an egg-citing ride through the forest and look for cotton-tailed inhabitants. After the train ride, kids can meet the Easter Bunny and visit the Bunny Burrow Maze.
Stanley Park Train – John Bollwitt Photo
Stanley Park Easter Train 2022
When: Apri 15-18, 2022 from 10:00am to 4:00pm
Where: The Easter Train is located on Pipeline Road in Stanley Park, via the West Georgia Street park entrance.
Tickets will only be sold online. No refunds or exchanges offered. Ticket holders must be prepared to board the train at the time specified on their tickets due to restrictions on capacity. To avoid long wait times, please arrive no earlier than 30 minutes in advance of your scheduled train ride. Latecomers may not be accommodated due to capacity restrictions.
Visit the Cob House for organic popcorn served up by Stanley Park Ecology Society volunteers, grab a warm beverage from Insomniac’s Coffee, enjoy a rolled and baked to order pastry from The Praguery, and snack on The Tornado Truck‘sMac & Cheese Bites, Potato Tornadoes and Masala Chai.
While you’re in the park, don’t miss the beautiful cherry blossoms which should all be in full bloom that weekend.
Take public transit, ride your bike, or walk to the Easter Train. Pay parking is available in parking lots and streets in Stanley Park. Follow the Stanley Park Railway on Facebook for more info.
Thanks to popular films (and the Internet in general) you’ve probably heard of the Pacific Crest Trail, the West Coast Trail, perhaps the popular Juan de Fuca Trail, but did you know about the Sunshine Coast Trail? Located along the upper Sunshine Coast, this is Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hiking trail and also the only one that’s free.
The 180-kilometre back country hiking experience stretches from Sarah Point in Desolation Sound, across Powell River, and all the way down to Saltery Bay. There are currently 14 huts along the trail that are “first-come, first-sleep”.
The Sunshine Coast Trail (“SCT”) is located within the qathet Regional District (qRD) which includes Lund and the City of Powell River in the traditional territory of the Tla’amin, shíshálh, Klahoose and K’ómoks First Nations.
In 1992 a small group of people founded the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (“PAWS”) and started building hiking trails that linked the remaining stands of old growth forests in the region’s front country. The result today is the Sunshine Coast Trail. PAWS is a registered non-profit charitable society that you can support through donations, volunteering, the SCT Passport program, or participating in their events.
If you’re not up for the full 180km or even a smaller multi-day section, you can definitely hike parts of the trail in one full day or even an afternoon. I walked about 4km of it last week with Christine Hollmann of Terracentric Coastal Adventures. She and her team offer everything from zodiac and kayak tours, to guided hikes and custom experiences. Here are some of her day hike suggestions:
Coast Mental Health Foundation will be bringing the 24th Courage To Come Back Awards, presented by Wheaton Precious Metals, straight to British Columbians’ living rooms in TV show format on Saturday, May 14, 2022. The one-hour commercial-free television show will air on Global BC and stream via CityNewsonline starting at 4:30pm.
Hosted by Olympian, former Vancouver Canuck goaltender, and Mental Health advocate Corey Hirsch, the Courage To Come Back TV Show will celebrate the inspiring journeys of five recipients, each of whom have overcome extraordinary adversity to come back, and who give back to their community.
There are five categories: Mental Health, Addiction, Youth, Medical and Physical Rehabilitation.
The event, which usually takes place in a ballroom, is the main opportunity for the community to raise funds for Coast Mental Health. Over the last 24 years, the Awards have celebrated 139 recipients and have raised over $20 million to support people living with mental illness.
The show will also highlight stories from the front lines at Coast Mental Health, as they raise critical funds for people living with mental illness here in BC.
“Never have these stories of resilience and strength been more relevant than now. As the Chair of Coast Mental Health’s Courage To Come Back Awards for 16 years now, I am proud to know these stories of human triumph over adversity will reach so many at a time when hope is so important.
Coast Mental Health has been providing innovative community-based mental health care to those who need it most for 50 years.
It is an established leader in its field, known for high quality, innovative programs and research. As a critical link between hospital services and our communities, Coast Mental Health provides housing, support, and employment programs and services for individuals affected by mental illness, making lasting recovery possible.
Each year, thanks to the generosity of donors, Coast Mental Health provides essential services to almost 6,000 clients living with mental illness, so they can find their meaningful place in our communities – a place to live, a place to connect, and a place to work.
Since 1999, over 2,500 British Columbians have been honoured by their friends and family through a nomination, 134 of whom received these prestigious awards. They are our loved ones, our neighbours, and our friends, who have overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges with courage, strength, and a drive to inspire change and hope in the lives of others.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Courage To Come Back Awards
