Variety – the Children’s Charity and Global BC are thrilled to announce that this year’s Variety Show of Hearts Telethon raised more than $5.5 million to benefit children with special needs and their families.
Chris Gailus, George Takei, Sophie Lui, Kristi Gordon at the Show of Hearts
Broadcast from the Molson Canadian Theatre at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, the iconic fundraising event aired live on Global BC and via livestream at Globalnews.ca on Sunday, February 10 from 9:30 am to 5:30pm. The show featured an array of heart-warming stories, magic moments and the surprise unveiling of the 603rd Sunshine Coach to Take a Hike Foundation, a full-time alternate high school program that uses outdoors and adventure to engage vulnerable youth in school, community and mental health supports. Cally Wesson, Variety BC CEO presented the brand new coach to Deb Abma-Sluggett, Director, Development, Take a Hike Foundation.
“Everyone at Variety is overwhelmed by the heart-warming generosity of the cities and communities across BC,” said Wesson. “We have surpassed last year’s total and will be able to help even more kids and their families throughout the entire province. Thank you British Columbia.”
“We are so proud of how British Columbians have once again come together to help the kids in this province,” said Kenton Boston, Vice-President, News & Information, Corus Entertainment. “More than ever, our children need our support, our guidance and our leadership to ensure there’s a strong tomorrow.”
“We are so appreciative of everyone who donated this year,” said Bill Senghera, Telethon Co-Chair and Business Consultant & Risk Manager, White Spot Restaurants. “We would also like to acknowledge our dedicated volunteers & phone panelists as well as our producers, on-air hosts and musical guests. It really was an amazing day.”
In addition to seeing updates on the children and families introduced during Global BC’s Variety Week last fall, viewers were also treated to musical performances by Shawn Hook, Jill Barber, The Heels, Delhi 2 Dublin and Krystle dos Santos. Also making their Show of Hearts debut this year show were spoken word poet, Wali Shah and special guest co-host George Takei.
Those who missed this year’s Show of Hearts can still make a donation online at variety.bc.ca or by texting “KIDS” to 45678 to make an automatic $20 contribution.
A huge thanks to the Miss604 Social Lounge team for spreading the word online all day and bringing in donations. This all-star crew of family, friends, and influencers included my nephew, Ethan Miles, who took the photos featured in this post and John Biehler who 3D printed the #ShowOfHearts pins.
Back Row: Fiona Czeschel, Scott Graham, Rebecca Coleman, Ethan Miles, John Biehler, John Bollwitt; Middle Row: Leeann Froese, Cathy Browne, Lyndsey Locke, Rebecca Bollwitt, Jennifer Miles; Front Row: Hayley, Dylan, and Mary Sheridan
Miss604 is the proud sponsor of the #ShowOfHearts Social Lounge and I am the Secretary of the Board of Directors for Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC. You can donate to my personal #ShowOfHearts campaign online here »
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Miss604 is proud to partner with the City of Coquitlam & VisitCoquitlam.ca for 2019, featuring this sponsored post series Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Family Day doesn’t have to be limited to 24 hours. In Coquitlam, the fun
runs all February – and it’s not just for kids. Think indoor climbing, bowling,
skating, theatrical performances and high-energy hockey games.
Fan Expo Vancouver will return March 1-3 with sci-fi legends like George Takei and Billy Dee Williams, and now a new roster of superstar talent has been announced following a two-week blitz of guest news, including stars from Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead, and the CW Arrowverse.
FAN EXPO Vancouver
FAN EXPO Vancouver is a pop culture convention for fans of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, cosplay, authors and gaming. The 3-day extravaganza is packed with exciting family-friendly activities, programs, attractions and celebrities.
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre (West) When: Friday, March 1, 2019 4:00pm to 9:00pm Saturday, March 2, 2019 10:00am to 7:00pm Sunday, March 3, 2019 10:00am to 5:00pm Tickets:On sale now including child, single day, deluxe, and premium options
Newly added guests include:
Pom Klementieff, known throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the ‘Guardians’ crew, “Mantis”
Two iconic Disney princesses, Paige O’Hara ( “Belle) and Linda Larkin (“Princess Jasmine”)
Khary Payton, known for playing “Ezekiel” on AMC’s The Walking Dead and as the voice of “Cyborg” in the Teen Titans series.
Cast Members from The Flash: Tom Cavanagh (“Dr. Harry Wells”), Carlos Valdes (“Cisco Ramon”), Hartley Sawyer (“Ralph Dibny”), Danielle Nicolet, (“Cecille Horton”) and Robbie Amell (“Ronnie Raymond”)
Cast Members from The CW Arrowverse: Brandon Routh (“Ray Palmer” / “The Atom”, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow), Courtney Ford (“Nora Darhk”, Legends of Tomorrow), Katie Cassidy (“Laurel Lance” / “Black Canary” / “Black Siren”, Arrow), and Mehcad Brooks (“James Olsen” / “Guardian”, Supergirl)
Eight superstar cosplayers were recently announced, including Danica Rockwood and Evilyn13
Legendary creator Arthur ‘Art’ Adams has also been announced. In his career, Arthur has worked on many titles including: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, the Hulk, to name a few. He joins other stellar creator guests like Dan Parent (Archie Comics) and Mike Zeck, known for creating the “Greatest Spider-Man story of all time”.
Other announced guests include The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes and Wallace Shawn, Pamela Anderson, Gotham’s Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz, Supernatural’s Mark Sheppard, and more.
Fans can meet special celebrity guests at Photo Ops and autograph signing sessions (additional fees apply), and hear from them live on stage during spotlight panels (schedule yet to be announced; included with admission).
Win 3-Day Passes
I’m giving away a pair of 3-Day Passes to FAN EXPO Vancouver. Here’s how you can enter to win:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a pair of 3-Day Passes for @FANEXPOVAN http://ow.ly/5E5J30nCpBp” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, February 14, 2019. UPDATE the winner is Mélida Mena-Robinson!
Follow FAN EXPO Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Amid the frosty flurries that finally appeared in February, Vancouver keeps moving and hosting some really fun events across the region.
If you’re looking to stay in, please tune into the 53rd annual Show of Hearts Telethon for Variety BC on Sunday, February 10th from 9:00am to 5:00pm. I’m a proud sponsor and Board Director for this wonderful organization and we have a fantastic lineup of entertainment scheduled for Sunday.
Official Pink Shirt Day t-shirts are now available at all London Drugs locations across Western Canada in youth or adult sizes.
The main campaign focus is Cyberbullying, and the official t-shirts proclaim: ‘Be Kind’ – offering a message to encourage everyone to think before they post on social media.
“This year we are focused on encouraging everyone to ask themselves to Think before posting any online messages,” says Sara Dubois-Phillips, Executive Director of the CKNW Kids’ Fund. “We want people to ask themselves if it is True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary and Kind.”
Pink Shirt Day is February 27, 2019
Net proceeds from the t-shirts are distributed through CKNW Kids’ Fund to support youth anti-bullying programs throughout Western Canada including the Boys & Girls Clubs across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
This year Pink Shirt Day, which is at the centre of a month-long anti-bullying awareness campaign, falls on February 27th. Thousands of Canadians are expected to wear pink to show their support for safe and inclusive schools, workplaces and communities.
As one of the first official Pink Shirt Day sponsors and now after a decade of involvement, London Drugs has helped raise more than 1.4 million dollars for CKNW Kids’ Fund supporting a variety of community organizations. In 2018 alone, over 20,000 official Pink Shirt Day t-shirts were purchased at London Drugs.
In addition to pink shirts, London Drugs will also be selling pink shirt plush bears, Be Kind toques and pink wrist bands to raise awareness and funds to support this integral campaign. This year, London Drugs is joined by Coast Capital Savings as the retail and presenting sponsors of Pink Shirt Day 2019.
About Pink Shirt Day
In 2007, two Nova Scotia students decided to take action after witnessing a younger student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. The students bought 50 pink t-shirts and encouraged schoolmates to wear them and send a powerful message of solidarity to the bully. CKNW Orphan’s Fund was inspired by the story and to date have raised more than $1.8 million for anti-bullying programs in Western Canada with the sales of Pink Shirt Day t-Shirts.
For more information follow Pink Shirt Day on Twitter or Facebook.
