I walked through the wrought iron gate off Matthews Avenue in Shaughnessy and the sweet smell of late summer blossoms filled the air. Immaculate gardens and ambient water features circle around an accessible playground, and the west entrance to a very important home.
Glen Brae Manor was built in 1910 by Scottish lumber baron William Lamont Tait, and over the last century this 16,000 sq ft mansion has housed many individuals and organizations. In 1991, it was willed it the City of Vancouver by then-owner Elisabeth Wlosinski on the condition that it be used for a purpose which would benefit the community. In 1995 it became Canuck Place, North America’s first free-standing children’s hospice.
I have been a sponsor of the annual Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala since 2013 but this was my first visit to the house. I met with Digital Communications Coordinator Elizabeth Moffat who gave me a tour and introduced me to some of the friendly staff.
On the lowest level there are some offices, housekeeping services, a playroom and the Volcano Room. The Volcano Room is soundproof, padded, and filled with colourful foam blocks and rubber balls. It’s a safe environment for letting off steam, in a place where many emotions run high.
Down the hall is a music therapy room, stocked with a variety of instruments and adaptive equipment. Creative music sessions encourage expression, and memories are made when voices and tunes are recorded for keepsakes.
Back on the first level there are meeting rooms, a library, and a full service kitchen, with a very popular cookie jar. Here families at Canuck Place can enjoy homemade meals.
We walked by an administrative office and there was a wall filled with volunteers‘ name tags. There were hundreds. Hundreds of people who dedicate their time to help Canuck Place families enjoy the precious time they all have together.
“Every day is an opportunity for us to make that the Best Day Ever for that child. We get to watch kids in their natural environment. We get to see them alive and playing, or going to school. At a hospital I only see a child or a teen when they’re unwell. I only get that small slice of their life, and at Canuck Place I get to see all of their lives played out in a different way.” – Dr. Hal Siden
Upstairs at the house we met up with Laura Fielding, a Recreational Therapist who has worked at Canuck Place for 17 years. She named all of the programs she’s working on for young kids and youth, talked about memory making projects, and told me that every single day she’s excited to come to work because it’s an honour and a privilege to serve Canuck Place families.
We continued through the classroom, the Snoezelen Room which is a controlled multisensory environment, and up to a few of the family suites on the top floor.
The second floor has nine patient beds, and to respect privacy my tour did not go through that part of the house. I did get to see the lovely family suites upstairs, with room for small to large families to all stay together, comfortably.
Between therapy programs, memory making, art, education, and play, there is so much to love and cherish about Canuck Place.
There’s also clinical care, respite care, counselling, end of life care, bereavement support, so that Canuck Place can carry families throughout the entire span of a child’s life; from the point of diagnosis and progression of illness, to death and beyond.
There are so many ways that Canuck Place helps families create and save memories. Whether it’s out on a field trip to the aquarium, painting in the art room, a stroll in the garden, snuggling up with a book in the library, or simply enjoying a meal around a dining table.
Canuck Place delivers care to over 600 newborns, teens and families across the province and through two locations: Vancouver and Abbotsford. Dedicated, professional staff and over 325 volunteers provide a vital lifeline for children and families in their greatest time of need. Canuck Place relies on the generosity of individuals, corporations, and various organizations to raise operating funds, with a portion funded by the Province of BC.
Vancouver is getting a new café inspired by delicious morsels of chocolate that get baked into ooey gooey cookies and treats. At the Nestlé Toll House Café you’ll be able to build your own ice cream sandwich or pick up cupcakes, enjoy a smoothie, macaroons, brownies, and of course some of their signature chocolate chip cookies.
Nestlé Toll House Café in Vancouver
Where: #101 980 Howe St (at Nelson) in Vancouver When: Grand Opening Wednesday, October 4, 2017 6:00pm to 8:00pm
The Grand Opening event will have delicious treats and drinks followed by an exclusive cookie and cake decorating lesson. Once open, pop by anytime for a snack, even if you’re craving something savoury as they’ll be service up paninis, wraps, crepes and flatbreads too.
Grand Opening Event
I have 4 pairs of tickets to give away to the Grand Opening of Nestlé Toll House Café in Vancouver, happening October 4th. Here’s how you can enter to win:
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Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win your way into the Grand Opening of @nestlecafe in Vancouver http://ow.ly/vgx030fvsZ9″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw 4 winners at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, October 3, 2017.
Update The winners are livingvancouverloca, Kat C, Bobby T, Gloria!
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by 7-Eleven® Canada Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
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To celebrate National Coffee Day on September 29th, 7-Eleven® Canada will host its first ever Bring Your Own Mug Day. Coffee lovers are invited to bring their favourite mug and fill it for FREE at any 7-Eleven Coffee Bar across Canada.
7-Eleven Bring Your Own Mug Day
Where: All 7-Eleven stores across Canada When: Friday, September 29, 2017 7:00am to 7:00pm
Bring your trusty travel mug, carafe, coffee pot or cup and fill it with your favourite warm drink. Customize it with syrups, topping and condiments are always no extra charge.
Enjoy a mug full of Canadian-roasted, 100% premium Arabica Coffee (7-Eleven’s exclusive blend won the Silver Medal at the 2016 Golden Bean Awards), the seasonal favourite of Pumpkin Spice Latte or Hot Chocolate.
Size does matter in this case, as your mug must be less than 26cm in diameter, clean and water tight. To ensure that all java enthusiasts get to enjoy Bring Your Own Mug Day, there is a limit of one mug per person.
NEW! With the 7Rewards points program, every 7th cup is still free and customers can earn points towards free drinks and snacks.
Created and produced by Project: Humanity, Freedom Singer is a new documentary theatre piece co-created by Khari Wendell McClelland and Project: Humanity’s Andrew Kushnir with CBC journalist Jodie Martinson. It was inspired by the journey of singer-songwriter McClelland in retracing his great-grandmother’s steps to escaping slavery in the United States.
Photo credit: Dahlia Katz
Urban Ink Presents Freedom Singer
Freedom Singer premiered on stage in Toronto in February 2017 and is now on a cross-country tour, with a stop in Vancouver this fall at the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre.
Where: Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre (#203 162 W 1st Ave, Vancouver) When: October 7-18, 2017 Tickets:Available online now or call 604-629-VTIX (8849)
In 2015, Juno Award nominee McClelland retraced the steps of his great-great-great-grandmother Kizzy, and using contemporary styles like hip hop, funk and soul, he personalized the songs that likely accompanied her and thousands of others as they escaped US slavery. In sharing this music, Khari is brought face to face with his own “unrecorded” heritage, and the realities and myths of one of our quintessential historic narratives: the Underground Railroad.
The Detroit-born, Vancouver-based singer/songwriter talked to historians, museum curators, and descendants of slaves. His journey was recorded for a CBC documentary.
October 8th is a Pay What You Can performance (admission at the door), October 10th has ASL Interpretation and a Talkback, and October 17th is also a Talkback performance.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night of Freedom Singer on October 7th, here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to see #FreedomSinger @urbaninkvan @Prjct_Humanity http://ow.ly/mW0r30ftPA1″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, October 2, 2017. Follow Urban Ink on Twitter and Facebook for more information about this production.
Upstairs at the house we met up with Laura Fielding, a Recreational Therapist who has worked at Canuck Place for 17 years. She named all of the programs she’s working on for young kids and youth, talked about memory making projects, and told me that every single day she’s excited to come to work because it’s an honour and a privilege to serve Canuck Place families. 
