Buying a Christmas tree can help provide housing for homeless foster youth, mothers and babies. Aunt Leah’s Christmas Tree Lots are now open for its 25th anniversary season in 6 locations around Metro Vancouver. These lots are a major annual fundraiser for Aunt Leah’s Place, with 100% of profits from the sale of the trees going to provide housing for moms and babies and youth aging out of foster care.

About Aunt Leah’s

It is estimated that half of BC foster youth will experience homelessness. Aunt Leah’s unique approach involves providing family-like support that includes housing, financial help, life skills and emotional care. This model has been shown stop the cycle of homelessness and, in the case of young moms, can prevent their children from going back into the foster care system.

Aunt Leah’s started selling Christmas trees in the 1990s when government funding was cut. It has turned into a viable social enterprise and our Christmas tree sales have grown every year. For a lot of families an Aunt Leah’s’ Christmas tree is a cherished part of their Christmas tradition.

Aunt Leah’s Christmas Tree Lots

Aunt Leah’s Christmas Tree Lots will be open from November 21st, 2019 to December 23rd, 2019 (or until supplies last). Take your pick of Douglas Fir, Jack Pine, Grand Fir, Nordmann Fir, Noble Fir, or Alberta Spruce.

• North Vancouver: Lonsdale Quay (East Plaza) 123 Carrie Cates Court
• Vancouver – Kerrisdale/Marpole: St. Stephen’s United Church at 54th and Granville St
• Vancouver – River District: River District Neighborhood 3555 Sawmill Crescent
• Coquitlam: Eagle Ridge United Church 2813 Glen Drive
• Burnaby: All Saints Anglican Church at Royal Oak and Rumble
• Luppolo Brewery – East Vancouver: 1123 Venables St, Vancouver

You can also pre-order trees online and book delivery to any city in Metro Vancouver. They also have stands, wreaths, and other festive greenery for sale. Follow Aunt Leah’s on Twitter and Facebook for news and updates.

Wreath Giveaway

Thanks to Aunt Leah’s I have a wreath to give away to a lucky Miss604 reader. Beautifully handcrafted by a local artisan, this wreath is made of a mix of bows and pines carefully selected to create a high quality wreath that will fill your home with a very pleasant Christmas scent and will last all season long. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00am on Monday, December 9, 2019. The winner will be able to pick up their wreath at the Aunt Leah’s lot that is most convenient for them.

UPDATE The winner is Karen!

There’s always a kind gesture behind a gift but imagine if the gift you give this holiday season could spread even more kindness your community? I have curated a of Gifts that Give Back in Greater Vancouver:

Gifts That Give Back in Greater Vancouver

Gift: 2020 Hope in Shadows Calendar (suggested $20 donation)
Purchase From: Your local Megaphone vendor (find them on the app)
Cause: Hope in Shadows is a photography project that shares the stories of homeless and low-income people through their own lens, and in its 17-year history, it has put more than one million dollars directly into the pockets of people experiencing poverty in BC. Hope in Shadows is a project of Megaphone magazine, a non-profit that offers meaningful work to people experiencing poverty and homelessness.

Gift: Crafted artisanal chocolate ($2 to $35)
Purchase From: East Van Roasters (319 Carrall St, Vancouver)
Cause: East Van Roasters is a fully registered charity and social enterprise operated by the PHS Community Services Society, so shoppers can feel good knowing their purchases are providing meaningful employment to women living in the Downtown Eastside who are facing challenges and barriers in their lives.

Gift: Blue Ruby x Cause We Care Bracelets ($20, 50, $125)
Purchase From: Blue Ruby stores, Hill’s of Kerrisdale, Hills Dry Goods Kitsilano, Hill’s Dry Goods South Granville. 
Cause: 100% of the proceeds from these beautiful bracelets go towards Cause We Care Foundation’s programs and initiatives in support of single mothers and their children in need in the Greater Vancouver area. Since the program’s inception in 2013, Blue Ruby has successfully donated over half a million dollars to Cause We Care’s initiatives.

Gift: Campania Tomato Sauce ($8)
Purchase From: Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
Cause: In support of Mealshare, which was created in 2013 to help fight youth hunger. They’re a restaurant based program that operates on a simple ‘Buy one, Give one’ model to feed youth. Mealshare works with solution based, youth-focused charities in each community provide simple, healthy meals to the kids who need them.

Gift: Holiday socks ($5 to $10)
Purchase From: Bootlegger online or in person
Cause: $1 from every purchase of the holiday slipper socks will be invested back into your community thanks to their new partnership with United Way.

Gift: Scarves 4 Water ($39 to $110)
Purchase From: Obakki online or Gastown (#400-341 Water St, Vancouver)
Cause: The Obakki Foundation directly impacts the women of the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda, with 100% of the proceeds going towards building a better future for the community. In addition to individual donations, they generate revenue through the sale of a thoughtfully curated collection of apparel and homewares. The Scarves 4 Water program assigns one scarf colour per community and, when Obakki sells 500 of them, they drill a well that brings clean water to thousands of people.

Gift: Tickets to Science of Cocktails ($165 to $289)
Purchase From: Science World (online or in person)
Cause: All proceeds from Science of Cocktails support the Class Field Trip Bursary Program, allowing over 9,000 kids from underserved schools to visit the geodesic dome in the next school year by covering their entry and school bus fee. 

Gift: “Be More Pacific” sweatshirts ($34.95 with $1 going to Take a Hike)
Purchase From: Outdoor Vancouver
Cause: Take a Hike Foundation engages youth in intensive and continuous clinical counselling, adventure, and community, Public School Districts engage youth in high quality education, and together they empower vulnerable youth to change the trajectory of their lives.

Gift: Scarf based on nature photography by Chris Collacott
Purchase From: InFocus Canada
Cause: Take a Hike Foundation. “This magnificent mountain scene is located in Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia. It is one of Chris’s favourite places to photograph. Thirty kilometers from the nearest road, it can only be accessed by hiking, skiing or helicopter. For about one week per year, in the fall, the larches turn a bright yellow before the needles fall off.”

The scarves are produced from 100% recycled plastic and diverts 3 bottles from the waste stream. Only 100 scarves have been produced in this print. All scarves are developed and manufactured employing the highest ethical production standards. 10% of the sale price of each of Chris’s scarves is donated to the Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation.

Symbolic Gifts

Gift: Adopt an acre of Stanley Park or a heron’s nest ($50 to $3,000)
Purchase From: Stanley Park Ecology Society
Cause: Adopters join a twenty-five year tradition of collaborative research, innovation and ecological advice with the Stanley Park Ecology Society.  Every adoption helps preserve Stanley Park as a location for recreational, aesthetic and educational activities, now and for future generations.

Shop Local, Support Global

Gift: Holiday cards, shirt, necklace ($25 to $95)
Purchase From: One Girl Can online
Cause: One Girl Can began in 2008, when they started forming collaborative school partnerships in Kenya and Uganda and focus on three pillars: We Build, We Educate andWe Mentor. 10 years later, they’ve provided over 400 scholarships, developed nine school partnerships, and have reached thousands of girls with our mentoring workshops. Their goal is to provide 1000 scholarships by 2025, and then keep going.

Looking for more inspiration throughout the year? Follow the Miss604 Charity Tag »

A text message came through on my sister’s car as we hit the highway. The robotic voice began reading it through the sound system: “h-t-t-p–” She flipped a button on her steering wheel and cut off the rest of the dictation. “She made us a Christmas playlist,” she announced to her passengers that included her BFF and me. We replied with oohs and ahhs at the thoughtful gesture from my niece. The playlist became the soundtrack to our festive Fraser Valley staycation at Rowena’s Inn, and it was perfect.

Festive Fraser Valley Staycation at Rowena’s Inn

I often get asked, “where’s a nice place to stay that’s not too far away but it still feels like you’re away?” and my reply 99.9% of the time is Rowena’s Inn on the River. Secluded on a 160-acre waterfront estate, this Harrison Mills accommodation is a grand, English-style manor that was converted into a boutique bed and breakfast.

Music on Main presents Music for the Winter Solstice, December 11-12 at Heritage Hall.

Music for the Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is a time of contrast: light and dark, cold and warmth, endings and beginnings. As the current decade comes to a close, take a moment away from the hustle and bustle to enjoy the coming of winter, and the fresh start it offers us all. Bask in the candlelit glow of Heritage Hall as we come together with gorgeous music for the solstice.

When: December 11 & 12, 2019, 8:00pm
Where: Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street, Vancouver)
Tickets: General admission seating.  All ages welcome. $42/$15 single tickets (regular/student). Available as part of a Pick-3 or Pick-6 Ticket Pack.Available at online or (604) 879-9888.

Highlights include performances by Caroline Shaw (Roomful of Teeth, Kanye West), Gabriel Kahane (Book of Travelers, The Ambassador), and Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa (Queer Arts Festival). Featuring music by Arvo Pärt, Alfredo Santa Ana, Music on Main’s Composer in Residence Sabrina Schroeder, Caroline Shaw, Rodney Sharman, Gabriel Kahane, and the Wyrd Sisters.

Since 2006, under artistic director David Pay, Music on Main has presented more than 350 concerts and events, featuring over 1,000 musicians, and 100 world premieres, with daring programming for the musically adventurous. Follow Music on Main on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more info.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to Music for the Winter Solstice, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Friday, December 6, 2019. UPDATE The winner is Wendy!

Education and Career Fairs (“ECF”) invites you to their 23rd annual series of events across BC that can kick start your career this fall. The final event in our region is in Vancouver!

Whether you are looking to learn more about an industry, explore your options in career-specific education, or if you’re ready to look for employment, free Education and Career Fairs will be ready to help you take that next step in your career.

Education and Career Fairs Vancouver

When: Friday, December 6, 2019 9:00am to 2:00pm
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre East, Exhibit Hall A
Registration: RSVP for free here »

Vancouver Learning Lounge Programs

9:30am to 9:45am: Career Planning Before Higher Education

10:00am to 10:15am: Funding Your Education

10:30am to 10:45am: Canada’s Official Languages FTW

11:00am to 11:15am: The Amazing Careers in Your Backyard That You’ve Never Heard of

11:30am to 12:00pm: 21st Century Post-Secondary Planning with EducationPlannerBC // Find Your Path Through BC’s Post-Secondary Transfer System with BCTransferGuide

12:15pm to 12:30pm: Passion vs Paycheck

12:45pm to 1:00pm: Engineering: What to Know and How to Get Started

1:15pm to 1:30pm: Career Connections: Careers in Insurance… It’s More Than You Think!

About Education and Career Fairs

Over the past 22 years, ECF has travelled throughout the province with fairs in Lower Mainland, Okanagan, Vancouver Island, and into Alberta. Collaborating with school districts, employment centres, and local WorkBC centre’s each year ECF sees over 10,000 attendees across all fairs. This year, there will also be Education and Career Fairs in Nanaimo (November 28, 2019), Abbotsford (December 2, 2019), and Surrey (December 4, 2019).

Follow Education and Career Fairs on Facebook and Twitter for more information. Miss604 is a proud Media Partner of the Education & Career Fairs.