We all love Stanley Park: The Seawall, the trails, the history, Bright Nights and Halloween Ghost Trains, and of course the nature that’s right on Downtown Vancouver’s doorstep. For just $20 a year you can become a member of the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”) and contribute to the conservation of our city’s crown jewel.
6. Last year, through member support, SPES was able to engage over 5,135 elementary students in nature programs; conduct 78 wildlife habitat surveys; and remove over 361 cubic meters (220 wheelbarrows) of invasive species from the park. Your membership contributes to these programs!
5. Your membership comes with a card, good for a complimentary Discovery Walk in the Park, and you’ll receive discounts on Discovery Walks, programs, and special events throughout the year.
4. Members get free preview nights for Halloween Ghost Train, Bright Nights Christmas Train, and Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park.
3. Card-carrying SPES members can also enjoy 20% off food at the Prospect Point Cafe and Stanley’s Bar and Grill.
2. Individual members get 20% off to the Vancouver Aquarium for individual membership, and a SPES Family Membership holders get 20% admission for 6 family members (2 adults and 4 children under 19).
1. You’ll be supporting an independent non-profit charity that, every year, connects thousands of people with nature through school and public programs while their conservation team engages community volunteers in habitat restoration and wildlife monitoring. SPES advises the Vancouver Park Board and provides baseline information on conservation issues within the Park, including ecosystem integrity, Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Species at Risk.
Individual Membership is $20 for the year, Family Membership is $40, and youth/seniors/volunteer membership is $15. Follow the Stanley Park Ecology Society on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Miss604 has been a proud blogging partner of SPES since 2013
The Spartan Race is returning to Vancouver this summer as a sprint, with thousands of participants conquering a muddy 5km trail with outrageous obstacles designed to test resilience, strength, stamina, and ability to laugh in the face of adversity.
Challenge Your Valentine in the Spartan Race
The race, happening on Saturday, June 4, 2016, is for all fitness levels. Run, jump, and climb your way to a personal victory of tackling a challenging course in a beautiful setting on Mount Seymour.
Race against the best in the Elite Heat, try the new Competitive Heat, or try for your personal best in the Open Heat (for weekend warriors, novice athletes and first-timers). There is also a Junior Race for ages 5-10 and Youth Races for ages 11 to 13.
Valentine’s Day Discount Code
Sweat Together, Stay Together! Whether you’re married, in a relationship or celebrating with your pals, Valentine’s Day is a great time to spread the love around! That’s why the Spartan Race team has put together a great deal to bring loved ones across Western Canada together to take on their epic mud filled obstacle course.
Register 2 people for the price of $100 in the upcoming Vancouver Spartan Race 5km & Sprint on June 4th. Use code VALENTINESDAY this week for a savings of $40.
Challenge Your Valentine in the Spartan Race
You can also enter to win 2 Open Individual or Open Team entries into the June 4th Vancouver Spartan Race Sprint. Here’s how:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at 12:00pm on Monday, February 15, 2016. Follow Spartan Race Canada on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Update The winner is Kristy!
Variety BC presents the 50th Show of Hearts Telethon this weekend, broadcasting from the telethon theatre at the Hard Rock and live from a brand new concert setup downtown at The Centre. A lot has changed over the last 50 years, since the first telethon in 1966 at the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse, but the goal remains the same.
Funds raised at the telethon help Variety step in where health care ends and provide direct help to children in BC with special needs. Variety believes children with special needs are champions, and with support, can achieve remarkable victories every day.
Watch
You will be able to watch the 50th Show of Hearts Telethon on Global BC on Saturday, February 13th & Sunday, February 14th, 2016. There will also be live streaming the event online, which starts at 6:55pm on Saturday until 1:00am. The show will start again on Sunday at 9:10am until 5:30pm.
Engage
I am proud to sponsor the Social Lounge, live at the Hard Rock Theatre and at The Centre in Vancouver. My team on site will share photos and updates from the show and let you know how you can contribute throughout the weekend. Follow the tag #SOH50 and tweets from Scott Graham, John Biehler, John Bollwitt, Marc Smith, Ariane Colenbrander, Leeann Froese, and Christina Pocock.
Here are some updates you can copy/paste:
Attend
Tickets are now available by donation for two live concert shows at The Centre (777 Homer St) in Downtown Vancouver, where live musical performances will take place Saturday, February 13th & Sunday, February 14th. Erin Cebula from ET Canada will be hosting and acts include 54-40, Charlie Storwick, Aaron Pritchett, Five Alarm Funk, Vancouver TheatreSports League, Jim Byrnes, Barney Bentall, Shari Ulrich, Colleen Rennison and Chilliwack.
Donate
You can always donate online to Variety and this weekend you can text “KIDS” to 45678 to make a one-time donation of $20.
Share
Finally, help up spread the word about the 50th Show of Hearts Telethon this year. Follow Variety on Twitter and on Facebook, share and like their posts, post your own updates on Twitter using tag #SOH50 and let everyone know they can tune into Global for all of the inspirational stories and entertainment this weekend.
Miss604 is the proud sponsor of the Social Lounge
at Variety’s 50th Show of Hearts Telethon
Variety’s funding support is directed towards covering the costs of life-saving medication, equipment and emergency travel and accommodation expenses for families whose children are receiving treatment at out-of-community hospitals, life-changing support in the form of mobility equipment, specialized therapies and communication devices that give children the chance to learn, grow and thrive and life-enriching experiences, such as the opportunity to attend special schools, summer camps and other therapeutic programs. Variety supports families and also organizations that provide the tools and training to help children achieve their full potential.
We spend early summer afternoons on a blanket, books in hand, looking up at the green woven canopy with the sweet fragrance of roses tickling our noses. Beach sunsets follow, with a thousand orange and pink hues sinking into the sea at the horizon. In the fall, we slip on our gumboots to splash through puddles and trek through the muddy mulch trails lined with glistening green moss.
When winter arrives, we hold hands through the warmth of mittens, brushing past frost-covered branches to reach a lookout point, spotting the snow-capped Lions in the distance. Come spring, cherry blossoms coat our shoes in pink confetti as the park blooms from brown to green for another season.
It is our favourite date destination in the city and here are what I think are the 5 Most Romantic Places in Stanley Park:
Rose Garden
Over 3,000 plants fill the beautifully landscaped Stanley Park Rose Garden. In the spring, it comes alive from above as well when the cherry blossoms pop. Between the roses, blossoms, and the 100 years-old tribute to William Shakespeare (a monument and tree) in the north end of the garden, it’s a lovely picnic area, backdrop for dreamy photos, and spot to read a sonnet or two.
Lovers Walk
Most of Stanley Park’s trails are named for Park Board commissioners and city officials, but Lovers Walk, as far as I know and in my mind, is simply a romantic stroll. It’s also where you can find these two trees that appear to be embracing:
Prospect Point
Wedding photos, engagement photo, grad photos, family photos, Prospect Point has been a setting for them all. This lookout is fun to get to (on foot, through the trails) and easy to reach by car. The traffic on Lions Gate Bridge rumbles by as boats pass underneath and the sun lights up the north shore. Pick up an ice cream cone or stop in for a pint and stay a while (note the restaurant is currently closed until summer).
Third Beach
Palm trees, a setting sun, and waves lapping at the sand set the scene for an evening at Third Beach. Watch the day settle into the horizon and hold your sweetheart close as the night’s first stars appear.
The Teahouse
Nestled atop Ferguson Point, between the ocean and the forest, The Teahouse has a gorgeous patio in the summer, a tea room, a drawing room, and the glass-topped conservatory where garden lights twinkle like stars as you enjoy an intimate dinner.
To learn more, check out the Stanley Park Ecology Society’s “Romantic Stanley Park: Its Amorous, Curious and Shady Sides” walk on Valentine’s Day. Tickets are available now for $10 (non-members) and $5 (SPES members).
Today is Safer Internet Day, an initiative focused on reducing cyberbullying and promoting responsible Internet use.
Safer Internet Day
When I was growing up, bullying involved punching, shoving, teasing, spreading bad rumours, keeping certain people out of a group, and getting certain people to “gang-up” on others. Now, with so many more ways to communicate online and through mobile devices, there’s a whole other way to spread negativity through cyberbullying.
25% of kids in Canada between 12-15 have witnessed cyberbullying and 51% of all teens have had negative experience with social networking.
The scary part is, for me, that a lot of it stems from trust. You trust someone by sending them a private message and then it becomes public. According to cyberbullying statistics*, “the most commonly experienced form of cyberbullying is when someone takes a private email, IM, or text message and forwards it to someone else or posts the communication publicly.”
Safer Internet Day is celebrated worldwide each February to promote responsible digital citizenship among children and youth, as well as safer use of online platforms, technology and mobile phone. Participants are encouraged to raise awareness about the importance of online safety by tweeting and posting using the hashtags #SID2016 and #Up2Us. Throughout February, you can also take part in the Pink Shirt Promises campaign.
Shaw Pink Shirt Promises
For over 20 years, Shaw has partnered with leading Canadian organizations that provide award-winning programs and resources on anti-bullying, online safety, and digital literacy.
Starting today, Shaw is asking Canadians to work toward ending bullying by spreading positive messages in the stand against bullying by making a #PinkyPromise or a #PinkShirtPromise to specific friends on their social media channels leading up to and during Pink Shirt Day on February 24, 2016.
The campaign kicks off today, February 9th in conjunction with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Safer Internet Day, and continues until Pink Shirt Day on February 24th. Here’s how you can participate:
- Take a photo of your pinky and/or a photo of you and a friend making a pinky promise.
- Post your #PinkyPromise as the caption of your photo along with the hashtag #PinkShirtPromise.
- Nominate three friends to do the same on your social media network.
You can also make your #PinkShirtPromise by posting the following on social media:
- I #PinkyPromise to help stop bullying in its tracks. #PinkShirtPromise
- I #PinkyPromise to share love, not hate. #PinkShirtPromise
- I #PinkyPromise to never be a bully. #PinkShirtPromise
- I #PinkyPromise to wear a pink shirt on February 24th. #PinkShirtPromise
- I #PinkyPromise to make friends, not enemies. #PinkShirtPromise
- I #PinkyPromise to be good to myself. #PinkShirtPromise
- I #PinkyPromise to stick up for others. #PinkShirtPromise
For every promise and pinky promise made, participates in the campaign will be entered for a chance to win an ET Canada Experience, which includes flights for two to Toronto and two nights hotel accommodation, and a $1,500 dollar shopping spree at a participating shopping centre.
“Bullying is one of the most common concerns we hear about at Kids Help Phone, and the effect that is had on young people—both emotionally and physically—is significant, regardless of whether they are being bullied or doing the bullying. We’re proud to stand in partnership with Shaw Communications to make a #PinkShirtPromise, and create safer and friendlier communities for all kids in Canada.” Sharon Wood, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kids Help Phone
About Pink Shirt Promises
Through the Shaw Kids Investment Program (SKIP), #PinkShirtPromise brings together the expertise, knowledge, and resources of community partners from across the country. Key SKIP partners include Youthlink Calgary, Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Kids Help Phone, MediaSmarts, Companies Committed to Kids, and Rock Solid Foundation.
For more information, follow Shaw on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and using the tags #PinkyPromise #PinkShirtPromise.
* Source: Microsoft’s Truthyworthy Computing division
