Walk 3

     As you are probably aware by now the Walk & Roll for Harmony 2025 was a massive success! Our team "Hearts for Harmony" more than met their goal of $5,000.00 by raising over $6,100.00 in support of Harmony: inclusive, supportive and affordable housing for all. So many friends and family members gave generously to our team members and we are all very grateful! A few of them also turned up for the run which was so encouraging. To top it off UNITI & Harmony more than made their goal of $100,000.00 by raising over $115,000.00!

     The walk was a festive affair with VIPs, dignitaries, sponsors and even Korky the Klown and associates in attendance. Doug Tennant, Executive Director of Semiahmoo House Society and host of the event welcomed us all. The icing on the cake was that the weather cooperated and we had perfect conditions for the day. Different teams had decked themselves out with signs and colourful accessories. There were friends everywhere we looked! Our daughter walked as many laps as she could in the time allotted, which was far too little as far as she was concerned. It seems she could have walked and walked....

     It was a beautiful experience--- a real testament to the impact of Semiahmoo House Society and UNITI in our community. As one participant's sign so wonderfully put it, "Every step brings us closer to home". What could be simpler or more eloquent than that? Because essentially that's why we were all there: to provide a place that any member of our society could call home, right here in our own community. 

Walk 2

     Our twenty-six year old daughter and her friends have been raising funds and awareness for their ultimate goal: to live independently, to live in Harmony. This is no small feat. Money is tight for many of us especially now and there are so many worthy causes reaching out for our attention and our funds. I like to think about what a miracle a place like Harmony will be: affordable, inclusive and supportive housing for a person who, in the past, might never have been able to live on her own.      
     The model that UNITI has found successful is reflected in their first community immediately adjacent to Semiahmoo House which is called Chorus. There developmentally disabled people live in harmony with others: retired folks, new Canadians and students; folks who need below market housing in our community. There they find common goals, mutual support, safety, security and friendship.

     It goes with out saying that our eldest daughter would be so excited to be one of the lucky folks to live in Harmony. She could live alone or with a room-mate, safe in the knowledge that support would be there for her, should she need it, anytime, and at a monthly rental cost that she could afford. It truly would be a dream come true! However the demand is high, the list is long and there is no telling what tomorrow may bring. In the meantime, she will walk with her friends and advocate for this place called Harmony because she has to. That's what friends do....

If you want to help, please donate here:

 https://giving.uniti4all.com/-/NJTBXBSQ

Harmony 2

       Ever since our daughter was old enough to put it into words and action, she has been doing one thing: saving her money. First she was saving for a purple Mini Cooper and then when epilepsy made driving impossible, she kept working hard and is now saving for a home, saving for her future. Our daughter has an intellectual disability which means that she would need to live in a very special place; a place that was affordable, accessible and supportive. A place like Harmony. 
     Unless you have a relative with a disability you probably do not realize how lucky we are to live in Surrey. Here we are fortunate enough to have UNITI. According to the website: "UNITI is the partnership of the three affiliated societies that have provided important community services for decades. Semiahmoo House Society provides quality services and supports to people with disabilities and their families in Surrey and White Rock. Peninsula Estates Housing Society provides affordable and inclusive housing that reflects the diversity of our community. The Semiahmoo Foundation ensures that UNITI has the recognition, relationships and resources to support an inclusive community." This combination of these three vital organizations in our community makes us unique. 

     Since she is now an adult, our daughter realizes that she will not always live with us, her parents. We are already older than most of her peers' parents so time is important. Every day is an opportunity for our daughter to add to her skill set and knowledge base in order to become more independent. Disabled folks like her have the right to live independently in a community that lifts them up and supports them. And as their literature explains, Harmony is a 91 rental home, 6-storey inclusive building which will be affordable and inclusive housing for the life of the building. It will house families, seniors, people with disabilities and others. 

     Please support Harmony's latest fundraiser and UNITI. Our daughter is counting on it!

Sex

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Pride

      Hayley and I had the pleasure of representing The Church of the Holy Trinity at the White Rock Family Pride Day last Saturday. We were glad to see our new tent set up, brightly decorated with the colourful sun catchers our Children’s Chapel had recently made. We had Holy Trinity bags, lanyards, cards and bookmarks to hand out as well as sun catchers and the children’s hand-painted rocks that were so popular at our Christmas Market. So many people were thrilled with our offerings. It was a very happy, upbeat day festooned with balloons, bubbles, music and singing. We encouraged everyone who passed by our table to take “a bag for your swag” as fellow volunteer Cindy so smartly put it and most folks did. Many people stopped and chatted and some thanked us for being there, specifically as a church organization, one of the only two there. 
     Hayley and Stella made the rounds of the other tables and were impressed with the generosity and community spirit on display. I was so delighted by the outpouring of volunteer support from our own parishioners who represented our church and epitomized the love of Jesus Christ by showing love for all our neighbours regardless of “race, age, culture, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, previous religious affiliation, or socioeconomic status”. Everyone was truly welcome and I was so proud to be part of this experience. It was a day for children and families and one my family was happy to share.

Jamboree

     I now know that the only thing better than attending a Challenger Baseball Jamboree is helping to host one. Challenger baseball players have varying degrees of ability and disability but they all share an intense love of the game. Many of the Challenger teams from all over B.C. attended this fun-filled day of sports, smiles and snacks in our own South Surrey. It started out cool, even a little wet but as it progressed it became warmer and brighter and even more enjoyable. We had so many volunteers, mostly parents of players who did their very best to make it a memorable day for us all. From the initial event and diamond set-up to the greeters at the information booth, the first aid volunteers, the awards table and the super organized food tent, it all ran like a well oiled machine. And of course our leadership was incredible with Coaches Kim and Steve doing their utmost to arrange, organize and encourage all the volunteers, players, coaches and their families. This had been an endeavour several months in the making and the preparation that was done showed in how successfully it all unfolded. 

     We also had huge support from the Jays Care Foundation, Rogers, 7-Eleven and Domino's Pizza who kept us all supported, funded, hydrated and fed throughout the course of the day. Everyone from these various organizations was unfailingly friendly, polite and helpful. And we had Korki the Clown present as well as an amazing wandering trio of musicians and a caricature artist. It was an incredible day! And it showed in the smiles on the faces of all the athletes, who for a whole day, could play with their teammates, witness the pride on their parents’, family's and caregiver's faces, make some new friends and revel in the safety of a wonderful community who was there for one reason and one reason only: to play ball!

Remembering

     As many people who have experienced loss through death will tell you, it is a profound comfort to have an opportunity to remember your loved one. Whether it is in telling their story or visiting their gravesite, there is joy in the remembering. Another way to memorialize them is to give flowers for the church altar or to pay tribute through the aumbry candle. It has given me an enormous amount of comfort to be able to remember our niece and nephew at various times throughout the year by giving flowers or lighting the aumbry candle to the Glory of God in memory of them. Whether it is their birthday or another important date, it feels wonderful to give my appreciation for my loved one a tangible, beautiful form of expression. There is a large calendar where you may choose the appropriate date for either donating flowers or the lighting of the aumbry candle. This is acknowledged in our weekly church bulletin which we receive at both services on Sundays. Our amazing Altar Guild purchases new seasonal flowers every week and arranges them for the church altar. Please take advantage of this lovely way to remember which also beautifies our church. Thank you!