Archive for August, 2009

From the WISH Drop-In Centre Society
For Immediate Release
August 12, 2009

Vancouver Agreement and Ministry of Public Safety/Solicitor General
Join in Three-Year Funding Agreement for Mobile Access Project (MAP)

Vancouver, BC – The Mobile Access Project (MAP) van will be on the streets of Vancouver again after the successful negotiation of a funding agreement between the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and the Vancouver Agreement partners (an urban development initiative including the government of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver).

MAP, an overnight van now in its sixth year of providing safety and services for women survival sex workers living and working on the streets of Vancouver, has been off the road since June 13, 2009 due to lack of funding. The partners to the Vancouver Agreement and the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General confirmed their commitment today to a year-to-year contract for MAP, approved for the next three years.

“Allies of MAP have rallied to urge funding for this service, which offers women respite in the overnight hours when they are most vulnerable out on Vancouver streets,” says Kate Gibson, Executive Director of the WISH Drop-In Centre Society. “We are thrilled to have these levels of government come together to support this essential service.”

“Funding provided by the Government of BC and the Vancouver Agreement partners tells women working on the streets of Vancouver that they matter,” adds Jeanne Legare, Chair of the WISH Board of Directors. “It tells them that we must stand up to the violence they face and that we must do everything in our power to stop it and to protect the health and safety of all women in our communities.”

MAP began in 2004 as a partnership between the WISH Drop-In Centre Society, the Prostitution Alternatives Counselling and Education (PACE) Society and the Vancouver Agreement Women’s Strategy Task Team, responding to a call by current and former sex workers for mobile health and safety services for women working on the streets of Vancouver.

Since 2004, MAP has provided an outreach van from 10:30 pm to 5:30 am, seven nights a week, with a route that takes it as far east as Boundary Road, south to Marine Drive and on through the Broadway, Fraser and Kingsway corridors, Vancouver East industrial areas, the Downtown Eastside and Davie Street. Staffed by a driver, a support worker and a peer-support worker, the van provides resources, health supplies, crisis intervention and important links to shelter, emergency services, support and reporting of ‘bad dates’ or predators.

MAP is scheduled to be back on the road by early September, a welcome presence sorely missed since June. “The van literally saves lives and reduces the environment of violence and high-risk behaviours on the streets at night,” says Gibson. “The loss of Lisa Arlene Francis, whose body was found in the Fraser River July 23, 2009, has been a tragic reminder of the continuing dangers of the survival sex trade. The return of the MAP van is an important step in providing realistic alternatives to some of the most vulnerable women in our society.”

-30-

Media Contact: Kate Gibson, Executive Director, WISH Drop-In Centre Society
(t) 604-669-9474
(e) [email protected]

From: Christine Turner - ABA Nail Competition Director

To: All Fellow Nail Professionals

I may have written to you in the recent past expressing your need to make your voice heard regarding our Canadian nail competitions. The Allied Beauty Association cancelled all 8 nail competitions across Canada in mid 2008, citing a lack of interest and low registration numbers as the reason. At that time, they conveyed the message that if there was in increase in interest expressed to them that they would consider reinstating them again in 2010.

It has come to light that the ABA board is strongly considering leaving the competitions out of the ABA shows indefinitely as they have not had enough responses to warrant their return and the expense they represent. If you have not already written a letter to the ABA expressing an opinion on this, you must not wait any longer. Even if you do not think that you will compete in the near future, please consider the travesty of losing the option to do so for all Canadian nail professionals. The ABA has numerous hair and makeup competitions but only one nail competition at each show. There has not even been enough interest to expand our competitions to include nail art which many of you would like to enter in - but the ABA’s way of thinking is that if you won’t even compete in the one they offer, they will not offer more. Considering that many nail techs don’t feel that the beauty industry takes our professional seriously, this is just proof to them that we don’t take our own careers serious enough to compete or showcase our skills.

On the flip side of that - if nail professionals do make a point of attending the ABA shows, entering the competitions (or even at least coming to watch to show that there is some interest!), and there is good attendance at the free nail seminar that I offer, then the ABA would consider bringing in more guest speakers and offer more educational classes on nails that would make the show that much more beneficial for you to attend. The more nail techs attending the show, the more nail manufacturers will come to exhibit their products. The step forward has to come from us first though. It is very cost effective for us to attend the show but extremely costly for exhibitors to risk the expense of coming if they don’t see enough interest or sales. Make your voice heard on the show floor - if you want to see more nail products or educational classes or competitions, you have to say something because the word at the ABA board meetings is that nail techs are lazy. They think we don’t care about education, don’t take our careers seriously, and can’t even be bothered to attend the show let alone compete.

I’m going to make this letter situation much easier for you by attaching a form letter that you can simply attach your name to but feel free to use the letter as a basis to expand on your opinions or write one yourself. And to make things even easier, you can just forward the completed document to me and I will forward it on to the ABA director in your appropriate province.

Please don’t fail to take a stand on this matter, if not for yourself, then for other nail professionals who do see the many benefits of competing and for our future nail professionals. If you would like more information on the benefits of competing, please be sure to contact me. Competing remains the best way to improve your salon skills and speed and the most inexpensive and exciting way to educate yourself.

I have your contact information either because you have contacted me in the past or you have competed or expressed interest in doing so. If you would like me to remove you from my contact list, please reply with “remove” in the subject line.

Thank you for your time and I hope that you will take the time to complete the attached letter and forward it to me so that we can help to rebuild our nail industry in Canada. Please be sure to attend your local ABA show this upcoming fall or spring whether you support competitions or not. For more on upcoming show dates, go to www.abacanada.com .

Sincerely,

Christine Turner
ABA Nail Competition Director
Award Winning Nail Competitor
Freelance Educator & Writer
Nail Technician of the Year & Salon of the Year
(Nail’s Magazine’s Artists & Visionaries Awards)

(c) 778-242-Diva
(h) 604-556-2556
[email protected]
www.naildiva.ca

Thank you Caroline, for inviting me to volunteer with Beauty Night last night, “because dignity is beautiful”.

Those young men who also volunteered, cutting hair and giving neck massages to the downtrodden - wow what bella generous Spirits.

One young man (24 years old) who has worked on the DTES for 4 years now on the front lines, said that he previously thought like the majority, “the homeless were all assholes”, until he began his service and now his heart and eyes were open wide. … Read more

I woke a few hours ago with tears in my eyes. I’m so ashamed to be living here in affluent Vancouver where the Hearts of so many, Canadian, wo/men and children are on the street.

You are truly a miracle Caroline, w/ your 9 years of selfless service to the world family. I’m honour to serve and be an active participant in Beauty Night.

Good morning!

We are back at PHS Lifeskills Centre 412 E Cordova tonight for the first time in two weeks. While I will be running the volunteer orientation (starts at 5:30pm - 7:30pm tonight), Tiffany will be coordinating the volunteers for the first makeover at Lifeskills this month!

For our volunteers (must have gone through orientation) we will be working with a new skincare line tonight sponsored by Advanced Spa Technologies. We are still looking for volunteers for this evenings Beauty Night makeover program (in Vancouver and Toronto). Hair, makeup, nails, massage, and skin care volunteers are most welcome.

Part of tonight’s volunteer orientation for those who have never been to the Beauty Night space will cover:

Tour of the Space
Overview of Beauty Night Society
Code of conduct
Safety Precautions
Volunteer opportunities
Volunteer Benefits

After the general orientation, some of our hair dresser volunteers will be directed to Tiffany to begin volunteering this evening. Our child care volunteers will stay for more indepth orientation. For our Womyn’s Gym program (Created by Katie Benjamin), we offer child care for the low income women who access the services. By September 2009, we aim to offer childcare four nights per week.

Womyn’s Gym will be starting the September Session on Monday and Wednesday evenings while our group fitness classes run on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Our makeover program will continue on Monday evenings at PHS Lifeskills Centre. Wednesdays will continue to be led by Tiffany Telford, our outreach facilitator. On Wednesdays we provide our makeover program to other organizations that include health services, transition homes, addiction services, drop in centres and other resources for marginalized women and youth.

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:30pm at PHS Lifeskills Centre. If you are interested in serving on our board, please notify us prior to August 19th. Our last board meeting before the AGM will be held on August 19th. If you would like to attend the meeting, please email [email protected].

Other exciting news - Beauty Night Society is one of the recipients from the Lush Charity Pot. The proceeds from the Lush Charity Pot (a fantastic hand and body cream) are donated to charities that Lush choses. Each charity pot has the logo and the mission statement of the charities that they support. Beauty Night is the recipient of $4000 donation from the Charity Pot Funds.

Huge thanks to those who sponsored me for www.blogathon.org. If you check out the www.sexyinvancity.com website, you can see the 48 blogs posted in 24 hours to raise monies for Beauty Night. If you have not made your donation yet or want to make a donation, please visit our website at www.beautynight.org and hit the donate now button.

Or cheques can be made out to:

Beauty Night Society
PO 95029
RPO Kingsgate
Vancouver, BC
V5T 4T8

Sincerely,

Caroline MacGillivray

Founder and President of Beauty Night Society
beauty night… because dignity is beautiful.

Hello Ladies,

I hope you have had a good week. As we head into the weekend, I wanted to remind you that the next Beauty Night event is coming up this Monday, August 10th, and we will need to arrive at 6:00 pm in order to set up. The event will be held between 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and it will likely take until 8:30 pm to pack up! Once again, the event will be held at the Salvation Army Evangeline Residence, located one block east of Keele at 2808 Dundas St. West. The two nearest subway stations are Keele and Dundas West. Let me know if you need transit instructions.

Just to give you a heads up, Major Karen and I were discussing the possibility of holding some future events at the Florence Booth Salvation Army Residence on Queen Street, so we may be able to extend Beauty Night to two Salvation Army Residences! I will give you updates as to when this may happen.

I look forward to seeing you there again, or meeting you next week! And please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns you have.

Thank you,

Sarah Mah