Helping kids in Uganda at the Oak Bay Night Market

                                                                                                 This blog is not about real estate, or how great Victoria is.  It's about helping our kids become great adults by leading by example for them,  Finding joy in their communities and giving back.  A couple of weeks ago, I got to volunteer at the Oak Bay Night Market, doing something I love, face painting for kids, raising money for something close to my heart, education for impoverished kids in Uganda.  Our tent will be up again for the market on August 21, 2013.  It was a wonderful evening spent with friends from our church, Providence Community Church, and our kids enjoying the beautiful Victoria sunshine while reaching out to the community around us and teaching our little ones the value of giving.  We had a blast.  My son managed to eat his weight in donated, fresh baked goodies that he carefully paid for, one at a time.  Fuelled by a raging sugar high and the noise and bustle around us, he proceeded to paint his entire face and every exposed centimetre of skin at least four separate times, in completely different themes each time, including times devoted to exploring minions, crocodiles, and ending up covered head to toe with gold glitter tiger stripes  .Some how his appearance didn't seem to scare off any of the parents as the little ones lined up to have their faces made even brighter.  One of the most asked for adornments was ice cream cones, a no brainer for such a gorgeous day, the days most challenging request had to be a blueberry, for a little girl who, as it turns out, didn't even like them.  Thankfully, her standards weren't that high and mottling the blue and purple seemed to help make it more fruit like.  Among other things, I learned that nobody likes the silver face paint when there's gold available and that there is no such thing as a kid that says no to added glitter.  We also got to teach our kids and community about the realities of growing up in Uganda.  20 years of guerilla warfare combined with poverty, illness and displacement has resulted in almost 10% of the population being orphans.  That is a staggering 2.5 million children.  Almost half of the country's population is under the age of 14, a full 49%.  An additional 21% are between 15 and 24.  Only 4% of the population make it past the average life expectancy of 54 years old.  Most die of preventable and/or curable diseases.  Malaria causes 20% of all childhood deaths, an especially frightening statistic considering that the most effective weapon against it are treated mosquito nets that are unaffordable for most families at a cost of $5.  I'm no stranger to tough choices and sacrificing things but I can't fathom losing my baby over $5, the cost of a latte.  One of the most effective solutions to end the cycle of poverty is education.  For comparison, the average Ugandan adult has received 3.5 years of education to our comparable average of 11.5 years.  100%  of the donations we took in go directly to meet the needs in Uganda, managed by indigenous Ugandan Dan Muwanguzi.  Through him and Christian model ministries, 46 orphans are currently receiving an academic education.  School fees for 1 year of primary education is $210 Cnd.  We had such a great time bring happy smiles to kids here and on the other side of the world and got to put some real parenting time into raising compassionate, caring human beings.  We will be there again on August 21st, 2013.  I hope you come out and find us and enjoy some of the baked goods and get a joyfully, if less than perfectly rendered, duck, balloon, or glittered tiger stripes painted on and get some more info on how we can help kids and families in Uganda directly.  We'll see you at the next night market or join us every Sunday in the Monterey Center,  1442 Monterey ave, at 10 am.  Providence Community Church

Summer in Victoria is well under way, with all the fun this wonderful area has to offer.  It is easy and tempting to overlook those that live outside our society's norm while we play in the sun.  The summer months bring a whole new set of obstacles facing the poorer families both here and around the world.  My boys and I spent our Sunday combining the summer outdoors with family, friends, food and altruism.  Sunday was a fundraiser for the Victoria Street Soccer Association, held at the main field behind Victoria High School.  It's not a very glamorous charity, mostly supported privately.  Weekly games are held year round for the marginalized of our society to participate in organized sports, get a meal, (provided by Fat Daddy's Bbq), build community ties and self esteem and in general, participate in the society around them in a meaningful way.  It is loosely affiliated with Street Soccer Canada and the Homeless World Cup and follows the same goals for reaching out to the community.  For more information their achievements and personal stories, as well as upcoming events, click this link:  http://www.streetsoccercanada.org/   The fundraiser on Sunday raised money to pay for the rental of the gym in the Fernwood Community Center over the winter so the players and supporters can get out of the cold wet weather while they participate.  It was a great day to enjoy a barbequed burger with my good friend Alicia and all our kids.  She made the time to come out and support the guys after just completing her own fundraiser for VIDEA, The Victoria International Development Education Association.  She, and her family, kids included, completed a Global Solidarity Challenge that had them trying to live without many of our first world perks.  My personal favorite highlight of her week was the wonderful pictures she posted of her kids enduring cold water bucket baths.  Click here for info on her pledge or to donate:  Alicia's paricipant page  It was a great day, with the only injury being sustained by my 4 year old, a bloody nose, caused by the 9 year old, soccer ball to the face.  We enjoyed our burgers in the sun and Fat Daddy's contribution to her cause put her over the $600 mark for the week.  It was a great way to support our community and pass on some of our good fortune to others as well as being a reminder to keep finding ways to reach out to others in our busy, busy lives.  The next time you are running around our amazing city, enjoying all our wonder amenities, it might be a nice idea to put your Costco card to good use and buy a flat of water to hand out to some of our less fortunate to help beat the summer heat.  Drinking water should be a basic human right, but for all too many in the world, it is a luxury.  I hope to see you out at the next fundraiser.  Info on VIDEA:  Victoria International Development Education Association

I just love living in Victoria.  This is truly one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth.  The sky is bluer here, the clouds whiter, the foliage lusher, the grass, literally and figuratively, greener.  There is no other time of year that this oasis is more enjoyable than the long, bright, joyful days of summer.  Our normally outgoing and friendly citizens become beaming neighbours to all who visit our home.  I look around our fair city and I swear that even our asphalt and concrete are more appealing shades of grey and black.  I don't think there has been a moment since I moved here that I've wanted to live some where else.  Don't get me wrong, there are things I miss about living in more cosmopolitan and urban metropolises.  I miss rapid transit and subways.  I most assuredly miss the culture and arts available in bigger cities.  I miss restaurants that don't need to rely on tourists to make it through the year.  I miss an independent music scene that extends beyond garage bands.  And boy, do I ever miss vintage shopping as a full fledged hobby.  Trust me, what we have here is vintage lite, at best.  But whenever the nostalgia threatens to become more than a nagging sensation, it only takes a short trip over to Vancouver to visit friends to remind me of why I came here in the first place.  I love the city I grew up in but everything here is just cleaner, fresher and shinier.  I love the fact that when they were designing our newest mall, instead of fighting human nature, they just made the centre of the court yard essentially a water park.  There are no security guards to chase kids out of the fountain in the heat of summer.  Just a welcoming green space surrounded by benches filled with families happily playing together, sharing summer treats with strangers while their kids become fast friends jumping and running in the water splashing against the Van Gogh inspired mosaic tiled fountain.  Don't get me wrong, I still whole-heartedly oppose pretty much everything Wal Mart stands for, but I'm also convinced that we probably have the nicest looking one in existence.   I love living in Victoria.  It truly is a bit of heaven on Earth.  As I once heard some one say, "God has done an absolutely amazing job on all the little squiggly bits  around here!"