Community Updates - Feb 3, 2012

Presentation March 15th with the Social Planning Council & City of Williams Lake:

Save the date… Glen Schmidt from UNBC is coming to Williams Lake on Mar 15 from 6 – 8 pm to present “The Social Aspects of Rapid Economic Growth”. This presentation describes how inextricable linked economic growth and social development are. Everyone is invited and his presentation is brought to you for free by the Social Planning Council and the City of Williams Lake. More information will be sent out shortly.

Womens Contact Society:

Womens Conference - The Womens Contact Society in partnership with TRU is hosting a Womens Conference at TRU on Saturday Mar 10 from 8 – 4:30 pm. The focus of this particular conference is for women who own homebased businesses and how to run them most effectively. Some topics include dealing with difficult people, personal budgeting, women and leadership, stress managements and marketing strategies. There is also a keynote speaker discussing women and stress. The cost is $50/person (with subsidies available for those with limited incomes) and includes lunch and child minding . If you register by Feb 20th you get an early bird price. Please contact the Womens Contact Society for more information.

International Womens Day - On March 9th the Womens Contact Society is hosting their annual dinner to celebrate. This dinner is taking place at TRU and you can get more information by calling the Womens Contact Society.

“Set for Success” is a new Program which provides professional clothing for women looking to join the workforce. This program is donation based and there are lots of clothing already available. If you know someone who could use this program, please tell them about it.

On Wednesday evenings from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at the Salvation Army there is a Womens only fitness program with Ellen Paynton and is free of charge.

On the last Tuesday of each month there is a monthly womens get -together that is free of charge and child minding is provided.

Emotional Health Day lunch is on Feb 7th from 12 – 1 pm at the Contact Society.

The Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy:

The “reach a reader” campaign - was a successful event that raised over $1500 – thank-you to everyone who participated.

The first Aboriginal Empowerment Gathering was a well attended and successful event. To learn about future gatherings please contact Janette Moller at 250-392-8161 partnerassistedlearning@gmail.com or June Striegler 250-392-8130 jstriegler@shaw.ca

Family Fest 2012 is this Sunday Feb 5th from 10 am – 2 pm at Marie Sharpe School Gym. This community event is put on by Success By 6 and the Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy to celebrate families and supporting lifelong literacy. These events are free and everyone is welcome. There will be games, crafts and puppets, face painting, balloons, storytelling, bookwalk, book swap, door prizes and more. Snacks and drinks provided.

Council of Canadians Next Meeting – Friday Feb 3rd at 10 am (today)

The venue for the Council of Canadian's meeting with David Williams from Friends of Nemiah (a strategizing session regarding Prosperity Mines proposal ) has been changed from the library to the TNG board room at 253 4th Ave. N. Visit http://www.williamslakecouncilofcanadians.ca/CofC/Home.html for more information.

Enterprising Non-Profits Workshop with the United Way

United Way and the City of Kamloops are co-hosting a FREE workshop on Tuesday, March 27th from 9-4:30pm on Enterprising Non-Profits (ENP). Please see the attached poster. You will need to register with ENP – see link on poster. There are only 35 spots so register soon. Please contact Danalee Coates for more information at danalee@unitedwaytnc.ca or call 250-372-9933.

Salvation Army Family Services Update: by Claudine Kadonaga

The Addictions Program at the Salvation Army is starting; two counselors hired for February St and program development under way. The first intensive 60 day rotation is slated to commence April St and will have space for twelve to fifteen clients. For the first year (during the development stage) the Intensive Addictions Day Program will have no client user fees, and will operate Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:00 PM with some evening and weekend supports.

The Outpatient Addictions Day Program is a holistic treatment for drug and alcohol dependency and includes; Psycho-educational programming & group , One-to-one counseling, Spiritual Development, Volunteer Component, Fitness Component, Creative Arts Component, Peer interaction. Clients can be self referred or sent to us through other agencies. An intake appointment will be made and assessment and treatment plan drawn. Client will either be admitted into the Out Patient Day Program or referred to a residential treatment program.

The Fitness Room is open to anyone free of charge Monday to Friday during regular drop-in hours. Fitness instructor Ellen Painting teaches Yoga and Strength classes Tuesday and Thursday 10:30 AM. We are looking for other instructors who would be willing to donate one hour a week to offer group classes in Aerobics, self defense, etc. We will be hiring Ellen to teach a group instructor's course to any volunteers who will then donate time to teach classes.

Renovations of building to meet the BC Building code was completed this weekend.... Funds for the Kitchen renovation have been secured and we hope to have a fully commercial kitchen before the summer.

An entry Level 'Kitchen Prep' course will be offered free of charge to clients. Four spaces available each month and is operated through the Soup Kitchen. The course will run for four weeks and students will be taught food safe, receive instruction and hands-on experience in the use of small and large commercial kitchen appliances, develop dependability and good work ethics. Upon successful completion of the one month training, participants will receive a certificate of completion and a letter of reference that can be utilized when applying for a job in the food industry.

TRUE has been approached regarding a partnership for education operating out of the newly renovated commercial kitchen in the fall. Possibilities are Camp Cook course, Chef's course, or a full Culinary Arts program where students prepare a four course meal and then offer the public the opportunity of an evening of fancy dining.

The Food Bank is well stocked through the generous donations of the public. We also have received three shipments from the Canada Food Bank Association. We have a surplus and currently have a skid of each: Diapers, Formula, Life Style Cookies, and Crackers: Plus boxes of Bran Muffin Mix, Chocolates, and Teddy Grahms. The Food Bank would like to share with any agency that can utilize or distribute these products. Also available are paper towels and bleach for any agency that could use these in their facility. Please call Sabrina at 250-392-2423 to place an order. She will assemble the product and have it ready for pick up when requested. If you are interested, please let us know as soon as possible. The excess product is currently sitting in the kitchen, the area that will soon become the new walk-in Freezer/Fridge. For more information please email claudine_kadonaga@can.salvationarmy.org.

Boys and Girls Club:

It’s time for our Annual General Meeting and Celebration. As always, our AGM’s dispense with the “business” aspects quickly so that we can quickly move along to the celebration of our year. This year, we will be acknowledging our appreciation to the many youth and adult volunteers who are key to the fabric of our organization. The AGM is on Feb 15th at 5:30 pm (light dinner included). Please RSVP (so we make sure we have enough food! ) to: isher@noopa.org or call 250-392-5730.Thank you, and we hope to see you, Monica Johnson

Full day Programming - There is space available for full day programs for non-instructional teaching days this school year. The goal is to provide an extended learning opportunity and exposure to new and fun activities. Please contact the Club for more information.

Healthy Choices Healthy Food – There will soon be opportunities at the Club for youth to learn about food and nutrition and how to cook these foods up. Bryce from New World Café comes and teaches cooking classes!

Mobile Medical Clinic – Progress has been made towards converting the old Noopa bus into an operational mobile medical clinic for the community. More details will be forwarded as this project progresses.

The Latest from BC Statistics:

The latest report on the Inequality Gap from BC Stats is attached for you to read & distribute.

Child Development Centre:

The Child Development Centre provides no-cost infant massage classes and pelvic floor training sessions. Registration is required and please bring 2 bath towels and extra diapers. These classes are taking place on the following Tuesdays Feb 7, 14, 21, and 28th 2012 from 10:30 – 11:30 am at 540 Borland Street (3rd floor). Contact the Public Health office at 250-305-5000 for more info or to register.

The Skills Plus Program at TRU:

This program has received funding to continue their skills building program. There is space available in this program which will focus on basic computer training and has time schedules designed to fit around those will full time employment including the mines. This is a 65 hour program and for more information please contact Betty Turatus at bturatus@tru.ca