Archive for September, 2009

Hosted by The Pacific Palisades Hotel, every WOMAN - Vancouver: A Day of Activity will be taking place this Saturday, October 3. The registration and welcome will be occurring on Friday afternoon.

Inspiring through physical activity, every WOMAN: A Day of Activity is a one-day conference offering an opportunity for women to try new activities in a comfortable and supportive environment. The classes are geared to a beginner level so everyone can enjoy.

BeautyNight is pleased to have 6 of our participants be sponsored by everyWOMAN. These lucky ladies will be able to attend workshops such as Kundalini Yoga, Nutrition - Every Day Healthy Eating, and
Nia.

Our volunteers will also be able to receive a discount if they wish to attend the event.

everyWOMAN has proven to inspire women to make healthier life choices.

Are you going to be participating? Let us know!

Let us introduce you to the founder and creator of the non-profit organization Knit Fit; Laura Mah.

She’s a spunky, down to earth and friendly girl who wants to do some good for this world. Laura began this organization in 2003 when she was only 11 at her Elementary School Chief Maquinna. Her inspiration to start up Knit Fit came mostly from her cousin Caroline MacGillivray, and her mom, Liza Mah. Caroline showed Laura the importance of giving back to the community through her own organization, Beauty Night. As Laura saw the expressions on the people’s faces after receiving gifts and services, she felt like it was her turn to make a difference. Liza works in a Dental Clinic in the Downtown Eastside and would always tell Laura how she wished she could do more for her clients. Both Caroline and Liza got Laura thinking about what she could do to give back to her community. Laura talked with her teacher Ms. Lougheed about how she wanted to help the Downtown Eastside, but didn’t know how. Ms. Lougheed suggested that she should use her new skills (knitting), and teach it to others who could help alongside the Downtown Eastside.

The main reason Knit Fit was created was to give back to the Downtown Eastside. The people who live there are so close to us and are too often ignored. Since Knit Fit has been created, a difference has been made in the lives of the people who live in this community. Each winter, Knit Fit helps people be warmer.

When asked what you enjoy most about Knit Fit, Laura responded “The expression on the people’s face when they see the scarves, teaching kids how to knit, and the importance of giving back.”

Beauty Night Programming Sept 28 2009 - Oct 4 2009

We have another week full of great activities.

• Tonight, September 28, we have our regular Beauty Night makeover session at the Lifeskills Centre. We are in need of hairdressers, if you are a hairdresser and have been wanting to come out, tonight is the perfect night!
  We are also having a volunteer orientation session tonight at 5:30 for those who are interested. If you’ve always wanted to know more about Beauty Night, and to see how you can help, we would love for you to come see what we’re about. The orientation will also be at the Life Skills Centre (412 E Cordova).
  Children’s Programming will also be occuring so that the mommies can fully relax while being pampered. Spread the word!
• Tuesday, September 29 - Stroller Disco! This is a super fun way for moms to get fit while bonding with their child.
• Wednesday, September 30 - Closed Board Meeting
• Thursday, October 1 - Womyn’s Gym Training
• Sunday, October 4 - Stocking Cutting Session - we are in need of people to help sew, cut stockings and knit scarves and more. If you’re interested in coming out, please email [email protected]. If you click on this button, it will add the event into your google calendar for you!

We are still in need of fabric and wool for our stockign drive. If you are not able to help in that way, perhaps consider donating some funds to help our programming. Or your valuable time!

We love to hear feedback, what you would like to see featured on the blog, ideas you have for programs…even if you would like to suggest areas we could improve on, we always love to hear from you!

Happy Monday everyone!

That doesn’t mean our programming has stopped though!
We have a busy weekend ahead of us.
First we have Knit Fit Orientation

Also on Sunday is our Xmas Stocking Cutting session number 3.
Sunday: Xmas Stocking Fabric Cutting 2pm, please email for directions [email protected]

We are also in need of fabric, sewers, wool and knitters for our many projects. If you can’t help in that way, consider donating some funds instead. Every bit counts!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

I’m really excited to be part of the Christmas stocking design again this year for Beauty Night.
Last year I did a boot with a heel and thought of going in a new direction. That’s where the idea came for a more feminine looking stocking.

I’m was trying to go a an elegant foot in a panty hose idea but that may have gotten lost when the size was made much bigger than the average ladies leg. hahaha

We’ve had 2 cutting sessions with fabrics donated by local Vancouver residence. We started by transfering the original pattern onto manila and made 6 patterns. It was great having everyone busy at their own section tracing and cutting away. We had a couple of people take turns ironing the material as well. We decided to bundle them in sets of 10 making it easier to keep track of how many and to give them out to sew. I sewed up a few at the end of the day so that we could have samples for the students to see.

The following cutting session we didn’t have as much fabric but somehow managed to get about 80 stocking cut from what we had. There were lots ladies helping which made the day go by much quicker. We’re at around 300 stockings already cut, just waiting to be sewn.

With new fabric donations coming in this week we are all getting together again this weekend to have an other cutting session. Stay tuned for some photos of all of us at work so you can keep track of the whole process!

Last year, Katie Benjamin the founder of our Womyn’s Gym program received $10 000 from Telus to make Womyn’s Gym a reality. Last night Telus Community Giving Board held a celebration welcoming their community partners and donors. Since Katie is at the University of Economics, I went in her stead.

It was an inspiring evening mixing with people from different organizations supported through the Telus Community Giving. I enjoyed hearing the stories about how Telus has made an impact through supporting different organziations and in turn shared our story.

Womyn’s Gym which is one of the programs under the Beauty Night Society umbrella was supported tremendously through Telus Community Giving Board. Katie thanked Telus during her acceptance speech when she became the recipient of the 2009 YWCA Young Woman of Distinction Recipient.

Emceed by Bard on the Beach’s Artistic Director, Christopher Gaze, the evening got off to a roaring start. Gaze pointed out that it was important to support a corporation that gives so much back to our communities. With humour, Telus President and CEO, Darren Entwistle and Chair of Telus Community board, Nini Baird told the their engaged listeners how Telus is increasing the funds that they will be reinvesting in the community. It was inspiring and exciting to hear a corporation that encourages its employees to volunteer and give back increase their efforts. Perhaps Telus has a message for all of us - to keep working toward making a difference in the lives of others by being proactive and to continually raise the bar.

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Knit Fit is a non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Laura Mah. Volunteers donate their time to knit scarves which are distributed to the marginalized women and children on the Downtown Eastside.

Knit Fit plans to knit 100 scarves by this coming winter. Along with the scarves, Beauty Night and Knit Fit will be sewing stockings to stuff with scarves and other items for distribution on Christmas Eve.

During October of last year, Knit Fit had its first ever meeting at Chief Maquinna Elementary School. About twenty students came bustling into the library, all carrying a plastic Ziplock bag of two needles and a ball or two of yarn. After a few minutes, the knitting of scarves was in full force. There were those familiar to knitting, and many of those who were not. Nonetheless, all these kids took it upon themselves to grab a pair of knitting needles and make a scarf that would be used to keep someone warm during the cold winter. These students took the first step in making a positive change for their community. These students were ten years old.

This fall Knit Fit is expanding its horizons. With participants from many different High Schools, Elementary Schools and Universities in the Vancouver area, Knit Fit is working toward full force. Knit Fit welcomes people of all ages, from 8 to as old as 108; any volunteer can participate and make a difference. With Beauty Night and Knit Fit working together, an ambitious goal of 100 scarves and 500 stockings to hand out this winter has been set. However, we can only accomplish this through the help and support of our volunteers. Help is always welcome, from sewing stockings to knitting scarves, and donations are greatly appreciated. There are a variety of opportunities to give back, and we hope that through your help, this winter can be special for everyone in Vancouver.

Knit Fit shows the importance of giving back and provides a chance for everyone to look inside themselves and lend a helping hand. It all starts with just two needles and a ball of yarn. By taking the time to knit a scarf, we send out a message that as a community we can and will work together to make a difference, one scarf at a time.

Starting next week, an exciting new program will be running at Beauty Night! Sophia Hughes and I will be coordinating Kids Club, a drop-in children’s program that will run four nights of the week. This program is for the children of participants in Beauty Night programs and is open to children of all ages!

Our program will allow more women to participate in Beauty Night programming. It will also enable mothers to have a break from the stresses of parenting, and to feel safe leaving their children in supervised care. Both Sophia and I have extensive experience working with children, and are First Aid and CPR certified. We are committed to creating a safe and caring environment for the children, to providing support to their mothers, and to training more people to do the same.

Kids Club will provide positive recreational/social/educational programming for children, and facilitate friendship, socialization and acceptance within this multi-age group. And of course we are going to make awesome projects, eat yummy snacks, and have lots of fun!

We will be offering children’s programming from 6:30pm-8:30pm, Monday-Thursday, starting Monday, September 28th, 2009.

Stay tuned for the October calendar coming out next week, with upcoming themes, crafts and other activities that will be happening at Kids Club!

If you are looking to get involved, we are looking for consistent volunteers for any of these days, and childcare volunteer orientation will occur early in October. All childcare volunteers will need a criminal record check, and we have a preference for volunteers who have experience working with children. Hope to see you there!

-Alexa Bennett Fox

It’s a fresh start for Beauty Night Society this week! Last week we held our AGM. It was an opportunity to thank and honor our previous board members and to welcome our new board.

Our new board members are:

Co- Chair: Gwen Webster
Co-Chair: Sheryl Williamson- Harms
Secretary/Treasurer: Christie Gray

Directors at Large:
Kevin Day
Dave Dickson
Sarah Mah
Fergus McCann
Eileen McDougall
Bill Nevison
Darren Reiter

I am excited to see what the next chapter of Beauty Night Society reveals and am thrilled to be part of it. This week, we continue on our path to helping marginalized women make positive lifestyle changes. Starting the week of the 28th, additional programming will make a huge impact in the lives of many.

On September 28th, Womyn’s Gym, led by Tyla Flexman and Miranda Landry runs for 10 weeks twice a week. Women participating in this program receive one on one personal training through the kinesiologist students that volunteer their time. Under the guidance of Flexman and Landry, the women will focus on goal setting, discover the difference of personal training, and learn healthy nutrition and physical fitness choices.

One of the benefits of this program is that child care is provided for the women who participate. Beauty Night has extended that benefit to women who participate in our other programs. Child care led by Alexa Fox and Sophia Hughes will run four nights per week during Beauty Night Society programming hours.

Our fitness class choices for the group fitness classes have taken that into consideration. In the past six weeks, we have run stroller disco. Originally due to the fact we were not able to have child care on Tuesday nights, we started offering classes that benefitted our participants and their children. Due to the feed back from participants, mother/child fitness classes are here to stay. “I like getting to spend more time with my daughter,” said one of our participants,” It’s a great way for us to spend time together - healthy too.” What started off as an experiment has resulted in a way to encourage mothers and children to bond in a healthy way. Encouraging the women and children to take part in active living is beneficial to all.

Our next volunteer training session will be held on Monday, September 28th, please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]. Volunteer orientation is mandatory before attending a volunteer session.

This week’s volunteer opportunities include:

Makeover Monday: PHS Life Skill’s Centre 412 E Cordova St from 6-9pm. Facilitated by Tiffany Telford.

Skin Care/Makeup volunteers: Ella Bak, Christine Diablo

Nails: Kie, Mami, Denise

Massage: Kerry

Reiki: Amanda

Hair: Garry

We are still looking for more hair dressers.

Tuesday:

Stroller Disco 6:30- 7:30

Womyn’s Gym 7:30-8:30pm

Wednesday:

Blanche MacDonald Downtown Campus: Beauty Night Founder and Acting Executive Director (me) Caroline MacGillivray will be talking about leadership and impacting the community to students enrolled in the hair program.

Board Member orientation: For Current Board Members only. Location TBA

Thursday: Womyn’s Gym

Saturday: Knit Fit Training, Location TBA

We are looking for knitters or volunteers who would like to learn how to knit.

Sunday: Xmas Stocking Fabric Cutting 2pm, please email for directions [email protected]

Thank you for everything that you do to make a huge impact on so many lives.

Sincerely,

Caroline MacGillivray

Founder and Acting Executive Director

Beauty Night Society is very pleased to announce the election of its new Board of Directors.
Co-Chair is Sheryl Williamson-Harms. Sheryl has been a Vancouver resident for 15 years now. With a strong belief in building community, Sheryl and her family give many hours of volunteer time. She holds key positions in several community organizations and has participated in many initiatives such as: She is currently a Vancouver Police Board Member, On the West End Citizens’ Action Network (WECAN), Chair (since 2003), Family Services of Greater Vancouver (1134 Burrard Project), Community Advisory Committee Member, Our House Recovery Society, Board Member Four Pillars Coalition. She has previously been on West End Integrated Neighbourhood Network (WEINN), Steering Committee Member and Working Group Lead , Immediate Past Chair Safe Streets Coalition, Member Justice Review Task Force (Street Crime Working Group), Past Participant Sheryl is the Chief Operations Officer and a founding partner of a privately owned business in Vancouver and holds several industry designations. She is a Certified Marketing Executive with a
Diploma in Sales and Marketing from the Sauder School of Business at UBC. Sheryl’s passion is in building potential ~ both that of individuals and organizations. She is married with one child.
Also Co-Chairing is Gwen Webster. Gwen Webster brings her expertise of Marketing and Special Events to Beauty Night Society Board. She has been serving on the board since 2006. She also became an active volunteer in 2009 as she strongly believes in the society and they work they do. Gwen has been a marketing professional in Vancouver for the last 10 years. Her career highlights have been: Launching a new high-end Real Estate Company, launching a high-end magazine, successfully saving a Victorian Pub and establishing her own mining company. She is currently working for a publicly traded Company called EACOM Timber Corporation. There she has worked on an acquisition, complete new set of branding, investor relations, and presentations.
Secretary-Treasurer is Christie Gray. Christie offers over 10 years experience in administrative roles in various industries including: Internet publishing, government, automotive, Geo-technical and HVAC. Christie offers excellent organization skills, quickness and efficiency, experience taking meeting minutes in various committees, and very strong computer skills. Christie also has a strong background in web design and marketing (both traditional and web based), roles she is currently both involved with her Mother’s store, Thyme to Cook based out of Ontario, as well as being a legal assistant at a mining company here in Vancouver. Christie is also a Registered Natural Health Care practitioner. Christie has volunteered in the past with other agencies such as Humane Society, Animal Love, Kids Help Phone, Heart and Stroke Foundation among others.
Bill Nevison: Writer/producer Citytv Creative Services, promotion & commercial production. Previously worked as a writer/producer at Global TV. Won various broadcast awards, including gold medals from Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Promax/BDA, and InternationalCrimeStoppers. Has been on the Beauty Night board of directors for 3 years. His role on the Beauty Night Media Committee includes writing and editing Beauty Night press releases, media packages, and media guidelines. Has been involved with the annual Beauty Night stocking drive and has also documented the event.
Darren Reiter is the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Board of eMedia Networks International Corporation, a sonic branding company listed publicly on the Canadian Venture Exchange (TSX.EMM) Darren has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia (1992), a Masters in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh (1995) and a Certificate in Journalism from Langara College (1997) In partnership with award winning producers and directors including Braemar Court Productions and Bowen Arrow Productions, Darren has produced several short movies including “The River of Jordan” which screened at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2007 and “Amazon Falls,” a feature length drama currently in post production. Darren resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Dave Dickson Born and raised in Vancouver area, joined the Vancouver Police Department in May,1980 and ended up becoming an Advocate for Street workers and youth, spent his entire career working in the Downtown Eastside, over the last 6 years has received a number of awards listed below:
· 2003-Recognition Award from Native Health Society
· 2004-Police Officer of the Year
· 2004-Federal Justice Dept. Award for working with Youth
· 2004-International Safety Award for working to keep High Risk Women safe
· 2005-City of Vancouver”Youth Ally Award”
· 2005-Solicitor General’s Community Policing Award
· 2006-B.C.Civil Liberties Award
· 2006-Queen’s Jubilee Medal for Community Policing
· 2006-Premier’s B.C.Community Achievement Award

Dave left the Vancouver Police Department in August 2008 and is currently working with another organization as an outreach worker still in the Downtown Eastside so he may continue his work with the Street Youth and Women.
Eileen McDougallCurrently the Manager of Human Resources for 2 television stations, Citytv Vancouver and Omni BC. She hasworked at the Citytv Vancouver location for 16+ years. During that time, the station has undergone 4 changes of ownership. Each new owner brought with them their own brand ofmanagement, structure and organization which provided Eileen with the opportunity to acquire awealth of transferable skills and experience – i.e. policy management, recruitment, training,employee relations, etc. Prior to working with Citytv Vancouver, she worked as the Classified Advertising Manager for The Vancouver Courier newspaper and the Business In Vancouver newspaper and as a claims adjuster for ICBC. Eileen is the mother of 2 adult children, the grandmother of 2 granddaughters and former foster parent of 3 children.
Fergus McCann: Currently Manager-Media & Community Relations for BC Housing. Prior to joining BC Housing, Fergus worked for 5 years at CTV BC and nearly 20 years at CKVU (Channel 13 - now Citytv) on programs as diverse as The Vancouver Show, the Laurier La Pierre talk show and in the newsroom on the assignment desk. His early years in broadcasting included working in radio in Salmon Arm and Kelowna. Born and raised in South Vancouver, Fergus and family have been living in Burnaby since 1984. His community service has included time on boards such as the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, the Family Support Institute and most recently, the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion. He was recognized as a City of Burnaby Local Hero in 2005.
Kevin Day is a social entrepreneur with experience running both private and public companies. In 1998, Kevin founded Riskebiz Internet Services Inc., a company which helps entrepreneurs in the developing world establish and grow local businesses by connecting them with microfinance services through the mobile web. In 2002 Kevin helped establish Feed Me Sports Inc., a company which published sports related content for mobile phones. Under Kevin’s leadership, Feed Me Sports acquired Mobilized Entertainment in 2008, a public company that trades on the over the counter market in the United States. Mr. Day has experience raising money for startups and he is also an experienced computer programmer developing many of his company’s mobile applications. Kevin was a Director of the British Columbia Captive Insurance Association for 10 years and is currently a Committee Member of the Canadian Captive Insurance Association. Kevin obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1994. After university and prior to starting his first business, Kevin worked for several years in the insurance industry as a property and casualty insurance broker. Kevin is an avid runner and enjoys movies, documentaries, and reading biographies of business icons.
Sarah Mah is a fifth year UBC student graduating next year with a bachelors degree in genetics with honours. She was introduced to Beauty Night when she accompanied my mother to some of the events. With her mother’s background in dentistry, she was working on educating Beauty Night clients about proper dental hygiene, while handing out toothbrush/toothpaste donations. She became very interested in Ms. Caroline McGillivray’s cause, and began to understand the value of both physical and social health for these women. It was not until after she had completed my accelerated high school education, and most of my undergraduate degree that she found more time to devote to the program.She started out with doing nails, which emphasized to her the huge social impact that such a simple service could provide. She then looked towards how she could improve the lives of women in other situations as well, and simultaneously took a volunteer job working for childcare at the Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter.

Beauty Night is entering an exciting period of growth which will be guided by the amazing board that has been elected.