On October 30th, the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Gift of Time Gala, presented by Nicola Wealth, returns for an inspiring evening and engaging gala in support of children and families across BC and the Yukon. Here are a few ways you can support this event, and Canuck Place.
The 2021 Gift of Time will feature both an exclusive in-person experience and an engaging virtual broadcast.
Registration for the Virtual Event is by donation and all gifts over $10 will be eligible for a tax receipt.
Auction
Get a head start on bidding with the Gift of Time auction when you register. There are vacation packages, private dinners, show tickets, exclusive experiences, artwork and so much more – over 900 items – all for a great cause.
Hear from a Canuck Place Family
Sharon Bulger will share her Canuck Place story during the evening program. I am always so moved when I hear family stories – their strength and love is incredible.
Live Entertainment
Attendees can enjoy a performance from Goh Ballet (live and online) and Langley Ukulele Orchestra (live). The orchestra is celebrating 40 years of music this year!
Hospitality Partners
Have you checked out the amazing month-long promotions being run by Gift of Time Hospitality Partners? They have each developed a special menu item in support of Gift of Time with a portion of sales being donated back to Canuck Place until October 31st. It might be too late to get it for the gala but it isn’t too late to still show your support:
Once again Legends Haul is offering a delicious cheese or veggie charcuterie board in support of Canuck Place.
Gift of Time 2019
Your support of Gift of Time will give short lives the gift of great days.
If you are unable to attend, you can definitely still support the cause with a donation.
Gift of Time Gala
Over the past 16 years, the Gift of Time Gala has raised over $14.5 million to support care at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Your support will provide critical care to over 800 children living with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. When children and their families come to Canuck Place, the end of the story is already known. But the journey to get there has yet to be written.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the Gift of Time since 2013
It’s a bright spot on those dark and dreary winter nights in Downtown Vancouver. The Lights of Hope display at St. Paul’s Hospital will shine nightly throughout the holiday season, with hundreds of donors recognized for their support with shining stars and more than 100,000 sparkling lights illuminating Burrard Street.
St. Paul’s Lights of Hope. Photo Submitted.
Lights of Hope at St. Paul’s Hospital
When: Starting November 18, 2021, open all season long Where: 178 – 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver
New for 2021 is a Selfie Station at the display – it’s the perfect spot for this year’s holiday photo with friends and family. Tag @helpstpauls to show your support. Limited edition Hope at Home star lanterns are once again available to purchase and hang in your window at home, symbolizing well wishes and support for patients and residents. Be sure to check the website before you visit for the latest information on how to enjoy the lights safely in accordance with Provincial Health Office guidelines.
Donors to St. Paul’s Foundation have an impact on every patient, resident, visitor, and department, and support the work of St. Paul’s Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, St. Vincent’s: Brock Fahrni, St. Vincent’s: Honoria Conway-Heather, St. Vincent’s: Langara, and Youville Residence.
Your donations help make it possible to save lives, to provide warm clothing to patients in need, to fund research initiatives that change the way we diagnose and treat disease. Gifts to Lights of Hope enables St. Paul’s Foundation to meet the greatest needs of patients and residents. Give hope for today and tomorrow by making a donation online.
The VanDusen Festival of Lights and Stanley Park Bright Nights Train are set to sparkle this holiday season starting November 26, 2021.
VanDusen Festival of Lights
The 37th annual Festival of Lights event dazzles with more than one million lights decorating 15 acres of VanDusen Botanical Garden, and features themed areas, unique light features, and holiday music. While for the past 24 years, Bright Nights has delighted passengers on its holiday-themed train ride timed to music, lights and decorations.
Both cherished holiday events shifted to online virtual tours last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, but with new safety measures in place, guests can once again experience these magical winter wonderlands in person.
“We are delighted to welcome visitors back to two of Vancouver’s premier and longest-running holiday events. We really appreciate all the work that staff put into bringing them to life, and it’s truly the perfect way to ring in the holiday season.” said Vancouver Park Board Chair Camil Dumont.
Festival of Lights tickets go on sale November 1, 2021. Tickets will only be sold online, and will specify an entry time. All guests 12 years and older will need to provide proof of full vaccination to enter. Masks are mandatory indoors at all times except for children under the age of 5, and recommended outdoors in the garden.
In order to reduce touch point features and limit gathering within the garden, some activities from previous years, such as the carousel and photos with Santa, will not be offered; however, there will be new features for guests to experience including an illuminated rose garden display, a Santa letter-writing activity for kids, and plenty of food options.
Stanley Park Bright Nights Train
Online tickets for the event are now available for purchase. Due to capacity restrictions, passengers must board the train in their specified time slot. Although proof of vaccination is not required at this time, masks are recommended. The train has been fitted with plexiglass dividers between the benches.
To limit contact, the farmyard and Santa’s North Pole area will be closed. Food and beverage trucks will be on site offering touchless payment methods.
VanDusen Festival of Lights is partnering with Make-A-Wish Foundation for the 20th year. Sales from the glow star necklaces, as well as donations made in the garden’s candle grotto, have raised more than $523,000 for Make-A-Wish since 2001.
The Bright Nights Train is the single largest fundraising event for the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, which provides life saving, life supporting, and life enriching services to burn survivors from across the province. The Park Board has donated more than $1.5 million to the Burn Fund since the event partnership began in 1998.
Find more holiday fun under the Miss604Holidays section of this site.
Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”) educational programming doesn’t end when summer does, in fact they have an awesome lineup of Critter Club events in November. SPES educators are offering an interactive online club for children who are passionate about animals, want to learn more about them, and want to help protect them.
SPES day camper investigates sap sucker holes. Photo by Don Enright.
Critter Club Events for Kids
November 3-24, 2021 on Wednesdays every week from 10:30am to 12:30pm over Zoom
Critter Club will explore wildlife in Stanley Park and around us through art, activities, short presentations, Q&A, and more. The club is open to children who attended the first series or new participants. Each week has a theme, and you can register for one or all:
Clubbers will be offered an optional exciting activity to do on their own over the next week. Activities will be based around sustainable living and learning how to protect our precious wildlife. Participants can bond with each other while sharing their individual activities during the break-out session the following week.
Youth outside the suggested age range (younger participants should be accompanied by an adult to help with tech support) but programming will be designed for 9–13 year olds.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. Fees for this program are based on a sliding scale, to keep them accessible to more people – you choose what you pay. As a non-profit that subsidizes their programs for increased accessibility, your contributions make a huge difference in being able to offer our services for the years to come.
Participants can join for the full four weeks (VIP Club Pass includes all sessions), or individual days. Or, book your own after school or other day of the week Critter Club: inquire at school(at)stanleyparkecology(dot)ca.
Critter Club offers young minds a place to grow their curiosity, meet other like-minded children, and have fun. For more information follow the Stanley Park Ecology Society on Facebook and Instagram.
Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt is on the SPES Board of Directors.
The 21st Annual Chutzpah! Festival returns with concerts, comedy, new dance works, film, theatre, and storytelling, paired with stimulating conversations and opportunities to interact with creative artists. Audiences will have the opportunity to attend in-person performances, with safety protocols in place, or to enjoy digital streams from the comfort of their own homes. With an emphasis on artists from across Canada, the Festival will also present work from Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
21st Annual Chutzpah! Festival
When: November 4 to 24, 2021
Where: Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre, Wosk Auditorium, Sidney & Gertrude Zack Gallery at the JCC, and online
Tickets: Available now. Single tickets start at $18 (plus fees)
The Chutzpah! Festival opens on November 4th with an interactive concert by City Opera Vancouver at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre.
What better way to welcome audiences back to the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre than with the pinnacle of Jewish comedy – a special screening of the Marx Bros. classic A Night at the Opera. To kick off the festivities, City Opera Vancouver will sing the operatic music parodied in the film, with fun and surprises in store. The 30s cinema experience will include festive treats, glamour, and a costume contest. City Opera Vancouver singers Michelle Koebke (soprano) and Martin Renner Wallace (tenor) will be joined tonight by pianist Roger Parton.
