Second sandbagging bee
A second sandbagging work bee will be held at the coverall in Cache Creek Park on Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first work bee, on April 14, was a huge success, but demand for sandbags is still high from those residents who live near Cache Creek or the Bonaparte River.
Volunteers are invited to come by and help out, and enjoy music while they work and a hot dog barbecue afterward. Residents who require sandbags can pick up bags during the event.
Second Spanish course added
Due to high demand, a second set of Conversational Spanish classes has been added at the Ashcroft HUB. Participants will learn and practice speaking Spanish over eight courses that take place every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required, and additional Spanish immersion conversation sessions are available.
For more information contact the HUB at (250) 453-9177 or email ashcrofthub@gmail.com.
Dance recital
A reminder that the Krush Dance Company is holding its spring recital on Saturday, April 28 at the Ashcroft HUB. There will be two performances: the first at 1 p.m., the second at 6 p.m. (doors open an hour in advance of each show). The cost is just $3 per person, so come down to the HUB for a fabulous display of dance from dozens of talented locals.
Off-leash dog park meeting
Members of the Ashcroft Off-leash Dog Park Select Committee will be holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 at the Ashcroft Community Hall. Residents are invited to attend and hear more about the committee’s discussions and proposals, ask questions, and make suggestions.
TRU course
Thompson Rivers University is offering an Occupational First Aid Level 1 course on Monday, May 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ashcroft HUB. The cost of the course is $160 per person. For more information, contact Margaret Hohner at (250) 256-4296 or email mhohner@tru.ca. To register online, go to http://bit.ly/2AbNUuf.
Battle of the Atlantic anniversary
347 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Avenger invites all Veterans, and members of the general public, to join the Royal Canadian Navy in marking the anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. The ceremony will take place at the Ashcroft Cenotaph on Sunday, May 13 starting at 10:30 a.m.
Battle of the Atlantic ceremonies will be taking place all across Canada on May 13, to commemorate the sacrifices made by those thousands of Canadians who fought so valiantly in the North Atlantic during World War II.
Walhaschindig hats and shirts
Show your support for Walhachin by purchasing a “Walhaschindig” baseball cap or T-shirt in advance of this year’s event on June 16. All proceeds from the sales go to supporting the Walhachin Soldiers Memorial Hall and museum.
Baseball caps ($25 each) are available in black or khaki. Men’s T-shirts ($25) are available in black, white, and navy blue, while women’s T-shirts (also $25) are available in black, white, and powder blue. All items will be available for pick-up at the third annual Walhaschindig, an all-day, family-friendly event featuring entertainment, activities, food vendors, and more.
For more information, or to receive an order form with full details, contact Assu Nydam at (250) 318-6100, or email assu@nydam.net.
Help for rural businesses
Rural small businesses that have been impacted by the 2017 wildfires in British Columbia can access help in the recovery process from their local Community Futures office.
Five Community Futures offices in the areas affected by the wildfires are providing targeted support to help small businesses rebuild as part of the Wildfire Business Transition Project.
Assistance provided includes:
• Outreach and advisory services
• Business coaching, training and/or peer mentoring
• Employee training and recruitment
• Business continuity planning and risk assessment
• Marketing opportunities
• Access to financing
The 2017 wildfire season was the worst in BC’s history and had devastating economic impacts that continue to be felt today. An estimated 15,000 businesses were affected by the wildfires.
In addition to the immediate impacts of property damage and loss of business due to evacuation orders, smoke, and highway closures, businesses are now grappling with the longer-term effects of the fires on business continuity. Businesses across all sectors have had to deal with the loss of employees, customers, and cash flow, among other things, and many are still struggling to recover.
Community Futures can help. If you and your business were impacted, call the nearest Community Futures office. In this region, the office to contact is Community Futures Sun Country on Railway Avenue in Ashcroft at 250-453-9165 or toll-free at 1-800-567-9911).
New funding for care aide training
Fourteen more students in the Kamloops area will be able to get the education and skills to pursue a fulfilling and in-demand career as care aides, with the expansion of the program at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT).
“We all want to make sure people are getting the quality care they need and deserve,” says Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. “Training more health-care assistants in [the] Kamloops [region] means more people will have access to high-quality care, and students will get the opportunity to build a life for themselves, while positively impacting so many others in the community.”
The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology will receive $146,000 from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training to add seats to its health-care assistant program, beginning September 2018. This funding helps students get the skills they need to embark on their career path, and also improves access to health-care services by increasing the number of skilled workers in the province who can deliver health care to everyone who needs it.
“At NVIT, we are very persistent in our mission to improve the quality of life of Indigenous community members,” says Dr. John Chenoweth, dean of NVIT community education. “The support from the Province towards the health-care assistant program delivery will help move another cohort of students towards that mission. Community-based delivery models are very successful with this program and the response from the health sector is tremendous.”
In the Okanagan, there will be an expected 2,360 job openings by 2027 for health-care assistants and related professions. Due to the increase in British Columbia’s aging population, the health-care and social assistance sectors will have some of the largest number of career opportunities, with 142,500 job openings within the next decade.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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