Maddie Sugden, a two year-old Burma doodle, is currently the top dog at the Vancouver Island Dogs Calendar Contest. There is still time to get your pooch into the 2025 calendar.
The calendar is a fundraiser for Operation Freedom Paws ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, a charity that takes rescue or shelter dogs and matches them with people who suffer from various psychological, medical and physical disabilities on Vancouver Island. The charity is unique in that they teach their clients to train their own service dogs so that they can become certified Service Dog Teams under the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Guide Dog and Service Dog Act.
Operation Freedom Paws ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ currently has 31 dog-handler teams in training and more on the waitlist. It costs about $17,000 to train and certify a service dog team.
The contest is run by Pauliina Saarinen Photography, who will take professional pictures of the 12 successful Dog of the Month contestants for the calendar.
In the past three years, the Vancouver Island Dogs Calendar Contest has raised about $81,000 for the charity, with the contest becoming its most important fundraiser of the year.
To enter the contest, submit a photo of your dog with a $10 donation and start collecting votes for your entrant, with each vote costing $1 ($5 minimum). Participants are invited to share the link with family and friends to maximize votes for their favoured contestant. Calendar-dog winners will be determined by the number of votes they receive.
People can also celebrate their dog’s (cat or other pet) birthday, adoption day — or in memoriam — by reserving a date in the calendar grid for $10. The dates will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Deadline for submissions is April 30. For more information, or to enter the contest, go to .
Dorothy wins classic-boat award
Dorothy, believed to be the oldest sailboat built in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ still sailing, has won a Restoration of the Year award from U.K.-based Classic Boat Magazine, the yachting world’s most prestigious publication.
The classic 30-foot gaff-rigged sloop is part of the Maritime Museum of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s collection.
Built in Victoria in 1897, the boat is back in local waters following an extensive refit that saw her restored to great historical accuracy. She was the sole Canadian boat in the Restoration of the Year/Restored sailing vessel under 40-feet category, beating entrants from around the world
Winners of the magazine’s Classic Boat Awards were revealed on Wednesday at Royal Thames Yacht Club in London.
Designed by Linton Hope, Dorothy was sailed and raced vigorously for 47 years. She was donated to the museum in 1995.
Her restoration was overseen by shipwright and artist Tony Grove and boatwright and Dorothy historian Robert Lawson. The pair lead volunteers at the Ladysmith Maritime Society.
“The Dorothy story is truly remarkable. A very large percentage of the vessel is original. The Maritime Museum of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ collection includes extensive documentation, photos and objects from her past, including the original invoice from J.J. Robinson, photos from the turn of the century [not the last century … the previous century] and trophies she won in regattas at Cowichan Bay and Victoria,” said Heather Feeney, Maritime Museum of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ collections and exhibits manager.
This summer, Dorothy will be sailing among festivals, youth sailing programs and more in the lead-up to the annual Classic Boat Festival in Victoria’s Inner Harbour during the Labour Day long weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.
For more information, go to awards.classicboat.co.uk/restoration-of-the-year-under-40ft or mmbc.bc.ca/collections/vessels/dorothy.
Visual-art bursaries for Victoria students
The public is invited to attend Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society’s annual Inspiration fundraiser awards night, when they will give out eight new $1,000 bursaries to local post-secondary visual art students, at Norway House, April 10.
“Given the ever-increasing cost of living in Victoria and the scarcity [and price] of studio spaces, Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society continues to be a boon to struggling emerging artists,” said John Threlfall, a board member of the society.
The keynote speaker will be local art historian and heritage preservationist Martin Segger.
The bursaries will be awarded to promising visual arts students from the University of Victoria, Camosun College, Pacific Design Academy and Vancouver Island School of Art.
Over the past 14 years, the society has disbursed nearly $60,000 in cash bursaries to 61 local post-secondary art students.
Admission is by donation (suggested $100 per person). All donations honour legacy artists and support the next wave of artists. The event runs 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Ave.
For more information, go to .
Clipper donates for Earth Day
FRS Clipper is celebrating Earth Day by donating a portion of the profits from sales in the month of April to two Pacific Northwest conservation organizations.
The company, which operates ferries between Seattle and Victoria as well as offering day trips and whale watching expeditions, will donate funds to ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½-based Pacific Wild and Washington-based Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group.
The mission of the Canadian organization is to influence policy, public opinion and legislative change to support healthy and protected ecosystems. The U.S. group drives community-powered salmon habitat restoration.
Earth Day is April 22.
For more information, go to clippervacations.com/earthmonth2024.
Alzheimer society needs volunteers
The Alzheimer Society of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ is looking for volunteers to facilitate its virtual Rainbow caregiver support group.
The society supports people affected by dementia by hosting eight specialized caregiver support groups, including one that caters to 2SLGBTQIA+ caregivers.
The online group meets for 90 minutes once a month, on Wednesday evenings.
“Supporting a person living with dementia can be incredibly demanding. These demands can make it difficult to stay in touch with family or friends and can lead to isolation,” said Laura Feldman, manager, community services for the Alzheimer Society of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s Vancouver Coastal region. “Our Rainbow caregiver support group provides a safe space for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to exchange information, find support and create friendships with others whose lives are being affected by dementia.”
Support groups are a safe and open space for people living with dementia. The Alzheimer Society of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ offers training and ongoing support to ensure that volunteers are equipped with the knowledge and resources necessary.
A monthly time commitment of three to six hours is required, for a minimum of one year. Ideal candidates will have excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, a willingness to learn and a strong understanding of boundaries.
For more information, go to alzbc.org/volunteer-virtual.
