It’s the first-ever Win a BMW raffle in BC, and there’s only just over a week left to get tickets! You can enter to win a luxurious BMW 228i Gran Coupe — including your first year of automobile insurance courtesy of All West Insurance — from Brian Jessel BMW and Chabad Lubavitch BC.

Win a BMW Raffle for a Cause

Tickets: Available online now! 3-Ticket Pack $135; 5-Ticket Pack $180 (single tickets sold out). Final deadline 4:00pm, Sunday, January 31, 2021. The draw takes place at 6:00pm the same day.

By purchasing a Win a BMW ticket, you directly enable Chabad Lubavitch to enrich and positively impact countless families across BC who have and are being negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Proceeds from ticket sales will be dedicated to outreach, education, food, and helping the those in need. So far in 2020, Chabad Lubavitch has distributed over 2,000 food packages to vulnerable BC residents during COVID-19 and are planning their next winter camp for children in need of social support.

View full rules of play online and get your tickets before January 31 to enter to win!

Ensemble Theatre Company presents Us: A Black Peoples Month Festival, January 28 to February 25, 2021, as part of their commitment to anti-racism. Curated by Black artists Adrian Neblett and Mariam Barry, the free, all access festival features theatre, films, podcasts and staged readings from the diaspora.

Us: A Black Peoples Month Festival

When: January 28 to February 25, 2021, new releases on Thursdays
Where: Online via Ensemble Theatre
Tickets: Free to access through individual show pages, no tickets needed. Donations are optional.

“The theme of the festival is Belonging – a soft reminder that all black voices belong to the black community (queer voices, African voices, Afro-Caribbean voices, immigrant voices, refugee voices, female voices, biracial voices, etc.), and that Black folks belong in this world despite white supremacy’s aim to erase us.”

Program

3 Part Disharmony – a filmed play
Written by L. Trey Wilson, Directed by Omari Newton
Starting January 28th: Three disparate views on what is potentially the worst day in a black male’s life: a police encounter. In this socially relevant piece by playwright L. Trey Wilson, three black men wrestle with the question of how to survive.

BLKS – podcast
Written by Aziza Barnes
Starting February 4th: Black female friendships take centre stage in this coming of age play by Aziza Barnes. From queer love and entanglements to the pressures of adulting, BLKS is a laugh out loud comedy, and a toast to the sistas who hold you down. 

The Poet & The Patrician: Baldwin vs Buckley – podcast
Starting February 11th: The Poet & The Patrician: Baldwin vs Buckley is an audio recreation of the historic debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. Listen to Baldwin (Adrian Neblett) and Buckley (Tariq Leslie) go head to head in this charged debate from February 18th 1965, in Cambridge, England, which is clearly still relevant today, 65 years after the event.

Legacy – short film
Written by Mariam Barry
Starting February 18th: Legacy is an international independent film created by Mariam Barry. Based on real events, Legacy explores the migrant crisis through the lens of modern African youth. Set between Norway and The Gambia, an African boy takes the backway route to Europe. As he journeys North, the consequences of his choices are felt across the ocean.  Legacy was filmed in collaboration with Iris Studios, a video production team founded by youth artists in The Gambia. In this cross-continental project Mariam pays homage to her African heritage as a biracial artist of Gambian and Norwegian descent.

Film Festival: A Drive-In Experience
Starting February 25th: Featuring local and international work, Us Film Festival is a celebration of Black talent from around the world.

The illustrations for the festival were created by Annabelle Irakiza.

It just wouldn’t be February in BC without the legendary Variety Show of Hearts Telethon! Tune into the 55th annual program on Global BC and enjoy hours of entertainment and inspiration, while Variety raises funds for BC kids with special needs.

Variety Show of Hearts Telethon

Due to the increased need for help, Variety – the Children’s Charity and Global BC will be presenting this year’s Show of Hearts in an all-new format with the goal of raising even more money for BC’s kids with special needs.

• When: Saturday, February 20, 2021 from 1:00pm to 5:30pm
  • Special presentations Thursday, February 18th & Friday February, 19th during Global Morning, Noon, and evening News Hours
• Where: Global BC (on television and online)

Throughout the three days, viewers will see their donor dollars hard at work when they’ll be introduced to children who have been helped by Variety including 5-year-old Emiliano who received a standing frame and leg braces to not only help support his lower extremities and promote spinal alignment but to also prevent future deformities from occurring.

Returning to the stage will be hosts Chris Gailus, Sophie Lui, Kristi Gordon, Neetu Garcha, Paul Haysom and Kaitlyn Herbst as well as 980 CKNW’s Jody Vance. Mo Amir, host of the popular podcast, This is VANCOLOUR will alos be joining the telethon. You’ll also hear from Show of Hearts favourites Howard Blank, Alvin Law and Marco Pasqua along with Variety Youth Ambassadors Esabella Strickland, Mihai Covaser and Janelle Milne. 

This year’s entertainment line-up will feature Special Guest sixteen-time GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter and Canadian icon, David Foster who last appeared on Variety’s Telethon in 1992. Joining David will be American Idol alum, Pia Toscano. And making their Show of Hearts debut will be legendary Canadian rockers, Loverboy.

Show Your Heart Contest

Miss604 is returning as the sponsor of the Show of Hearts Social Lounge, except instead of lounging inside the theatre where telethon is happening, we’re going fully digital to connect viewers and supporters!

To help spread the word about the Show of Hearts, I’m hosting a photo contest open to all of BC, with $200 in prizes.

How to enter:

• Post a photo* of a heart (make a heart with your hands, draw a heart in the sand at the beach, make a heart with leaves in your yard, etc.) on social media – Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
• Tag: @Miss604 @VarietyBC and #ShowOfHearts to be entered.

We want to spread the word about the #ShowOfHearts telethon February 20th as well as ways to donate – texting KIDS to 45678 is the easiest way to make an instant $20 donation – or you can visit Variety.bc.ca. Bonus points for anyone who can also get this messaging into their social media post.

Prizes & Winners:

• Contest closes Friday, February 19, 2021 at 12:00pm
• Winners will be selected by a jury from the Miss604 social media team and announced on February 20, 2021 at 12:00pm.
• One winner will receive a $100 prepaid gift card, and two winners will receive a $50 gift card.

Last year’s Show of Hearts raised $5,515,238 to benefit children with special needs throughout the province. Donations can be made by calling 310-KIDS, going online, or by texting “KIDS” to 45678 to make an automatic $20 contribution.

Miss604 is the proud Social Lounge Sponsor of the Show of Hearts

_{*Original photos only. The publisher must be the owner of the image. Your photo may be shared on social media by Miss604 and Variety BC but will not be used in any promotional material. It’s all yours! Open to residents of BC only.}

While the RBC JCC Sports Dinner is going virtual this year, it’s bringing the same extraordinary talent, prizes, and entertainment online for the same great cause! This year’s keynote is none other than Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

RBC JCC Sports Dinner 2021

Where: Online
When: March 3, 2021
Tickets: Available for $36, one ticket per household. Your ticket will give you an entry to win an autographed framed photo of Magic Johnson, along with access to the silent auction.

You can help local families, children, and seniors maintain ongoing access to the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive by participating in one of Vancouver’s largest annual fundraiser events.

Every year close to 1000 of Vancouver’s top executives, sports enthusiasts, media personalities and local professional athletes come together for an exciting evening to celebrate sports and raise funds for the exceptional programs, scholarships and services for families in need at the JCC. 

On March 3, the 2021 RBC JCC Sports Dinner will be going virtual! Hosted by the voice of the Canucks at Rogers Arena, Al Murdock, the online livestream will include raffle and 50/50 draws, live and silent auctions (conducted by Howard Blank) of sports memorabilia and curated experiences. 

The evening culminates in a keynote address, sponsored by ZLC Financial,  — an exclusive interview with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, conducted by James Cybulski of Sportsnet 650’s Starting Line Up. 

There is a new, free, exhibition at the Pendulum Gallery in Downtown Vancouver. “The Eraser” is a photography exhibition by Vancouver Artist, Kriss Munsya which speaks to the trials and tribulations of race, gender, and identity, as well as Kriss’ personal experiences with discrimination and trauma as a Black man.

The Eraser by Kriss Munsya

• Where: Pendulum Gallery (885 W Georgia, HSBC Building)
• When: On now until February 26, 2021
  • Mon – Wed 9:00am to 6:00pm until 9:00pm Thurs/Fri
  • Saturday: 9:00am to 5:00pm; closed Sunday and stat holidays

34-year-old Kriss Munsya is a graphic designer, photographer, and award-winning film maker. Kriss, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was raised in Brussels and is now living in Vancouver.

“The Eraser juxtaposes experiences of the past with desires of the future. It is a story of change and transformation that centres a Black man revisiting experiences that have been normalized in critical reflection of internalized supremacy. Things that at the time he thought were normal now have new meaning and he wants to share the lessons within.” – Kriss Munsya

The Pendulum Gallery is free and accessible to the public and its open-concept layout seamlessly lends itself to social distancing guidelines and acts as the perfect backdrop to the art. The artwork can also be viewed online by visiting the artist’s website where he will be posting throughout the duration of the exhibition.

This exhibition is sponsored by HCMA and the Downtown Vancouver BIA.