Burnaby NOW • Saturday, October 2, 2010 • A13
14 K’Naan cancels
20 Dementia challenges
23 Weekend tips
SECTION COORDINATOR Jennifer Moreau, 604-444-3021 jmoreau@burnabynow.com
Christmas Bureau is on the move
HERE & NOW
Jennifer Moreau
T
Help Jodie’s team
he Burnaby school district is raising money for a cure for cancer – this time, it’s for one of their own staff. Jodie Wilson handles communications and community relations for the school district. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and on Aug. 30 started 16 weeks of chemotherapy, to be followed by surgery and radiation. District staff have put together a team called “Jodie’s Journey” to participate in the Run for a Cure on Oct. 3. In a message sent out through the district, Jodie described her experience. “This summer, I received the shocking diagnosis of breast cancer. There is no family history of breast cancer, and my mammogram last fall was clear,” she wrote. “When my workplace asked what they could do to support me, I asked them to put a team together for the CIBC Run for a Cure. And so the team ‘Jodie’s Journey’ was formed. On Sunday, Oct. 3, I plan to participate in the Run for a Cure with my work colleagues and my daughter Kira. I would be ever so grateful if you would consider a donation to either Kira or myself – to help us create a future free of breast cancer. Thank you in advance for your support.” To read more of her story, visit www.runforthecure. com/goto/jodie. Her goal is to raise $3,500 and she’s already at $3,275. Jodie has worked closely with the NOW over the past four years as the go-to woman for education stories. We are wishing her a speedy recovery. For more, see Jennifer Moreau’s blog, Community Conversations, at www.burn abynow.com.
Green for green
The non-profit group Tree Canada is giving Taylor Park Elementary a grant to make the school ground more green. Taylor Park is getting $3,000 to help pay for planting native trees and shrubs between the Here & Now Page 16
Jason Lang/burnaby now
Santa’s helpers: Stephen D’Souza, executive director of Burnaby Community Connections, stands inside the Christmas Bureau’s new storage space in Metropolis at Metrotown.
Making room for the kids Jennifer Moreau staff reporter
The Burnaby Christmas Bureau has found a place to stash its toys for the holiday season. The bureau, which distributed toys and food certificates to local low-income families, was searching for a place to set up their toy room in time for Christmas when Metropolis at Metrotown stepped forward. The mall is donating a storefront, right next to Toys “R” Us.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” said Stephen D’Souza, executive director of Burnaby Community Connections, the non-profit group that runs the bureau. “We were searching for the right location – somewhere that would be welcoming and accessible for our clients, donors and volunteers, Metropolis at Metrotown is the perfect fit.” The toy room opens Nov. 1, but it’s only a temporary solution for this year. What the organization is really looking for is a permanent space where they can house the toy
room and have an office in the same location – something like a storefront that’s easily accessible from public transit. Metropolis is a longtime supporter of the bureau, mainly by donating proceeds from photos with Santa in the mall at Christmas time. At the toy room, people can donate by leaving toys, and registered families can pick out presents for their kids. For more on the bureau, see www.burn abycommunityconnections.com.
Addicted? Check out this series in the city Sessions include: Pleasure to Problems and Family Dynamics Janaya Fuller-Evans
staff reporter
It is never easy to live with an addiction, or love and support someone who does. But Burnaby Addictions Services hosts a public education series that can help those with substance abuse problems, and their friends and family better understand the issues involved. “For many individuals and families who experience substance abuse difficulties, education and awareness is often the first step to seeking further help,” Steve Giannopoulos, addiction services coordinator, wrote in an e-mail.
The education has been offered for many years, providing Burnaby residents with information around the issues related to the misuse of alcohol and other drugs, he added. Burnaby Addictions Services has provided substance misuse outpatient counseling to youth who are more than 12 years of age and adults (including those 65 or older) for more than 25 years. The education series is open to the public as well as clients, and is free of charge. An addiction services counsellor, Talino Bruno, leads the five two-hour sessions. Pleasure to Problems, on Oct. 6, looks at how substance abuse develops and the consequences associated with each stage of use. Chemicals and the Body, on Oct. 13, deals with the different classifications of
drugs and how each affects the body on a short and long-term basis. The Process of Change, on Oct. 20, looks at understanding the different stages and supporting someone through the process of change. Family Dynamics, on Oct. 27, shows the effect substance misuse has on family members, and family circumstances and cycles that foster addiction. Helping Others, on Nov. 3, helps attendees with communication strategies, boundary setting, and making a plan when dealing with someone’s substance abuse problem. Sessions run on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., at the multi-purpose room for Burnaby Addictions at Burnaby Hospital, 3935 Kincaid St. For more information, call Burnaby Addictions Services at 604-453-1910.