Poverty Solutions 2010

Poverty Solutions 2010
On March 16th the Abbotsford Green Party of Canada and the Students for Sustainability put on a forum for positive ideas to make steps to eradicate poverty
We had a panel of people from non profit groups in our community. Womens Resource Society of the Fraser Valley Pam Willis, Community Services Sarbjit Gill, Salvation Army Debra Lowell, Atengard Community Project Dan Bryce.

The Women's Resource Society helps with housing and support for women and children through Transition Housing, Women's counseling, Outreach, Babies best chance, Pregnancy outreach, Education, Community Development, Housing, The Warm Zone and Fronya Thrift Boutique Store. One of their projects called the “Warm Zone” is a drop-in center for women in the streets. The Society went to women in the streets and asked them “How does good help look to you?” The Worm Zone has approximately 108 different women dropping in on a monthly bases, and 24 to 45 daily. The center provides a place to get warm, and clean up in a women only environment. They can wash their cloths and talk to Volunteers that will listen without judgment, and advise them or take them were they can get the help they may need. A hot evening meal is prepared twice a week and women have use of the kitchen where snacks can be made. The project is funded by the Federal Government through the status of Women Canada as well as the Province of British Columbia through the gaming Branch.

Community Services has been around since 1969. They have many programs, Welfare, Food Bank, Settlement Programs, Legal Advocates. ESL. Sarbjit works as a legal advocate. They had a case that effected 80 farm workers EI claims. EI studied a few of the people and found they had not worked the hours that they said and they would have to pay back EI with penalties that would be twice what they had been paid. EI took this further and decided all the workers were fraudulent with out checking into each case. 65 of the workers made successful appeals. It cost the government 2 million to collect 400 thousand.

The Salvation Army has many projects. Center of hope, Emergency Shelter, Outreach assistance, advocacy, 14 living suites on site, addiction counseling, thrift store, job training, buggy barn, and the Cascade Culinary Arts School. The Cascade has been a big success in training people with good skills and providing funding subsides. The classes are full. The Salvation Army has been successful at getting people in emergency shelters by providing the “buggy barn” so people can see that their possessions are locked in a secure place.
Atengard Community project is on Essendene Ave, in the heart of the old downtown. The group has renovated the top floor of the Fraser Valley Inn, using the original name “Atengard”. They have 19 units of affordable housing for young people. They have a common kitchen where meals are shared and everyone gets the chance to be a chief. Designing housing as a working community provides a sharing of resources, reduces social isolation and gives people a better sense of acceptance.

These four people represent a small portion of the people in our community that are doing, they are listeners, visionaries, unconditional givers, they see the real world and are following a path that helps the needs of the poor, the homeless, the orphans, the mentally ill, the immigrant's, people on the edge. We can't all be visionaries or run organizations but we can support what they do and trust that they know what they are doing. You can help your neighbors, and support local business, artist, food growers.

So many wonderful ideas were talked about and shared I have a few quotes that I may have embellished.
Pam Willis. “We should be mad, there are no Federal housing programs.”
Debra Lowell. “Everybody is worthy of love.”
Sarbjit Gill. “People say “they” can go to this and that social service for assistance, not thinking “they” are not different from “You”.
Dan Bryce. “Social Isolation creates instability.”
Gandhi. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”

The last homeless count was 200, but 4000 people use the services provided. Those numbers will be going up unless we all do something about it.
Do not accept homelessness!
Do not accept band aid solutions that are given out disguised as the only help possible.
Call your MP and tell him we need housing!
Get to know your neighbors.
Volunteer
Donate GOOD FOOD
Get involved
Be careful about what you think you see, your interpretation may not be accurate.
If you know someone who is in potential need help them before they are in need.
We all have the potential of being in the position of needing help. Most of us in our daily lives don't need to ask for help but when the time comes that we do need to ask, can we? And if you see someone in need can you help them or give them permission to ask for help? A person can have a home and still be homeless if they are isolated from society.

I would like to see a guaranteed livable income
More housing that is designed for social wellness
Neighborhood vegetable gardens
Get back to better health care
A proportional voting system
To name a few.

Thank you to Pam Willis, Debra Lowell, Sarbjit Gill, and Dan Bryce for speaking and all the good works they do.
Thank you to all that care and were able to participate.
Thank you to the Green team Dan Bryce, Karen Durant, Steve Fultz, Regina Dalton Bill Walsh and I must include Alanna Dean and George Duffy who helped in the beginning but have moved to a new adventure.
Thank you to the Students for Sustainability Michelle Sylvest, Melissa Kendzierski.

Peace and love, just do

Gold In the Clouds

Steve and I had an interesting walk through the park and streets of Abbotsford today. We followed the strangest clouds, it was like an eye in the sky. A white haired women with a walker stopped us and commented that she had never seen anything like it. Our walk started out so quite with so few cars on the road crossing against the light would not have been a problem. We figured everyone was watching the hockey game for Gold. We were just coming out of the park at Age Rec when we started hearing the horns.

The soccer field was a splash of moving color as we left the park and on to Trethwey Street. All the way to South Fraser Way and back home to George Ferguson Way the noise from the cars and people was deafening. Flags and arms hanging out of cars, young and old, with so much excitement I wished I could bottle it. Sports seams to be what moves Canadians. If I could take that bottle of excitement and use it for poverty, climate change, apathy, no genetically engineered food, water, bears, whales my list is long, the world would be a very different place.

I posted a video on YouTube I hope this works It's taken me hours.

Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcmaPv7JOdU

Abby Live-Site February 19th

Last night it was a crowd of dancers, organizers, vender's, entertainers, families and fitness buffs. It was very exciting to watch on the big screen with a group of people as Canada received another gold medal through Jon Montgomery in men's skeleton.

Here's Dan at our Water booth reading about Abbotsford History, the small books were put together as a school project, and they are being sold for $3.00 each.

The Jazz had us swinging in the isles, and we had the best seats. I wasn't happy they had her in the gym with the kids, she still sang her heart out.
The kids had a great time on all the inflatables.

Come on down check out the vender's the big screens and the fun. Hope to see you there!

Water Wishes

Yesterday I made flags with ancient water symbols on them. The Abbotsford Green Party of Canada will be giving them away at our water booth at the Abby Live-Site. The Alchemist symbol for water is a down pointing triangle so I cut the flags in triangles. I made two strings of twelve flags each and I have twelve different water signs.

Our Water booth will be at ARC the 19th from 5pm-9pm, 20th from 12noon -9pm and 21st 12 noon-9pm of February, come on down and put your name in the draw for prizes. For more info about Live-Site check out www.abbylivesite.ca

Abbotsford Live-Site February 13th

It's a rainy Saturday afternoon and I thought I would go down to Live-Site at the Abbotsford Rec Center and see what it's all about. I plan on being down there next week end with a booth all about the future of water. I had my choice of parking spaces and some of the vender's were board. I took snaps of just a few things today. Picked up some chocolates for my Valentine, and had some good conversations with many of the vender's. Be sure to check it out it is free, they have a large bouncy thing for the kids, and a big screen TV with Olympic sports, Food lots of food, chocolates, bread cookies. Some beautiful knitting, paintings, aromatherapy, delicious smelling soaps.

Terry McLaughlin Stone Sculptor and recycled Art

It wouldn't be a live-site with out kids playing with bouncing balls and hoops of all sorts.

The Graphic Guild had a good showing of Artist, they are a great bunch!

For more info check out http://www.abbylivesite.ca/ Go and enjoy and come see me on the 19, 20 and 21 at our water booth.

A little drizzle did not dampen the spirits on Marshell road February 7, 2010 waiting for the

torch to run by.

The bus carrying the Torch barriersWaiting his turn to run.

I wanted to see my friend Alanna Dean run with the Olympic torch. I couldn't find her But I did catch two torch barriers, and watched the people, children to grandma's and grandpa's waiting to see the flame go by. On my way home I saw a young women raising a sign high in the air, She wore a black short sleeve shirt and black pants. She was bright and cheery even in the drizzle and chill. The sign read "Education over Olympics" Will the benefits outweigh the disadvantages? Time will tell.

Ye Olde Dickens Christmas Tea and Caroling

Trethewey House was transformed into a Christmas Carol today. it was bustling with characters like Scrooge, Bob and Mrs Cratchit, Tiny Tim who preferred just Tim, even the ghost of Christmas past. They had caroling outside around the pretend yule log fire, and tea, cider and cookies inside. I regret I didn't know about the Christmas card contest in time to make one myself. They only had five hand made cards for the Old Fashioned Christmas Card Making Contest.

Scroog was so jolly they all thought he had gone mad.

Mill lake was crusted with intricate shapes of ice and fog lay silently in the still air.