Friday, November 22, 2013
Richmond Review · Page B13
Our Community. Our People.
Cindy Howard: Advocate aims to Adrienne Moore: Artist ‘feels improve lives of rabbits very lucky’ to live in Steveston by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter
by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter
ongtime Richmond resident Cindy Howard is co-founder of a rabbit rescue organization Bandaids for Bunnies. But becoming a guardian angel for abandoned bunnies in Richmond was more by accident than design. Taking regular walks in Minoru Park she noticed the many abandoned pet rabbits that live there. But one day she noticed something different: one was injured. She sought medical help. “I became like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole, as I discovered a whole new world of abandoned rabbits, rabbit rescuers, rabbit shelters and rabbit vets,” said Howard, 54. “Rabbits are fascinating creatures, each with his or her own personality, and the more time you spend with them, the more you grow to love them. Unfortunately as small prey animals, rabbits tend to be overlooked as deserving of our attention and support.” A rabbit rescuer and advocate by night, Howard is a school teacher by day, and is also in the final stages of completing a children’s novel about Richmond’s abandoned rabbits. An Ontario native, Howard has called Richmond home for 35 years. She’s drawn to the city’s green spaces and waterfront, with all their wildlife and natural beauty.
L
ommunity events, parks, a bustling community centre and an active arts community are just some of Richmond’s appeals for Adrienne Moore. Moore, 71, is a watercolour painter and mixed-media artist living in Steveston. She’s called Lulu Island home for 43 years. “I feel very lucky to have chosen Steveston as my village of residence because, in spite of all the development going on in Richmond, it is still a great place to live.” She’s well-known for her art and teaching in Richmond and elsewhere—her work has been showcased internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions. She was born and raised in Northern Ireland, where her work at an inner-city school made her realize the inspirational power of art. She immigrated to Canada in 1967, graduating from University of B.C. with a degree in art
C
Longtime Richmond resident Cindy Howard has dedicated her spare time to helping the many rabbits abandoned in city parks.
“The parks and Steveston Village remind me of the rural village setting I grew up in as a child back in Ontario. When living in a densely populated urban community it becomes especially important to stay in touch with nature, and without that connection city children lose out on some important life experiences.” Howard said we need to acknowledge that we share our community with animals. Residents also need to take responsibility for their pets, instead of abandoning them in parks, streets and outside animal shelters. Howard’s goal is to build a large refuge for local abandoned rabbits. She also dreams of opening a rabbit and small animal learning centre for children. Visit bandaidsforbunnies.com to help.
Steveston artist Adrienne Moore is active in Richmond’s arts community.
education. She settled in Richmond and taught in public schools until pursuing her dream of working as a professional artist in retirement. “I think that I always knew that I would be a painter but our school system was not geared to encouraging creativity and there were few job opportunities in graphic art at that time,” she said. “After college it was assumed that teaching art was a safer prospect for a steady job.” Moore’s grandfather was
an accomplished artist, and although he died when her mother was very young, his drawings still adorned the walls of the family farm. Moore would spend hours looking at the work with her sister. Moore, now a full-time painter, works in an “experimental abstract manner” and continues to push her artistic boundaries to their limits. “I am always inspired by nature and I try to get out to plein air paint in the summer or to travel to Mexico or somewhere warm in winter.”
We Setup And Manage Your Online Hiring Campaigns • Stop accepting resumes via email • Stop relying solely on Craigslist • Start using testing to qualify applicants
Call us 1-888-277-3883 Proudly Serving and Supporting the Richmond Community for over 15 Years Prevue HR Systems Inc. 121 - 10551 Shellbridge Way, Richmond 1-888-277-3883 www.prevuehr.com
www.prevuehr.com Hy·brid adj. Re·cruit·ing v. 1. Combining technology and consulting 2. To blend software and hiring expertise 3. Your first step to becoming great at hiring We have combined the versatility of our HR technology with our expertise in the hiring process to offer a managed solution designed to make companies great at hiring. We call this Hybrid Recruiting.