Library open house
The Ashcroft Library is having a free Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 17 at the library on Brink Street. From 11 to 11:45 a.m. there will be family story time and craft activities for children aged two to six; no registration is required.
Members of the public are invited to drop in from noon until 2 p.m., to celebrate the season with refreshments and sweet treats. Check out the “Book Tree”—guaranteed to be the only one in town!—and the newly renovated library building.
A reminder that because of the holidays, the library will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both Saturday, December 24 and Saturday, December 31.
Dance recital
Krush Dance Company is having two recitals on Saturday, December 17, at 1 and 6 p.m. at the Ashcroft HUB. Admission is $2 per person.
Christmas concert
Join the Sage Sound Singers and the Desert Bells Handbell Choir at the annual Christmas concert at the Crossroads Pentecostal Church in Cache Creek at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 17. Admission is by donation, and refreshments are available.
The Sage Sound Singers perform in 2015. Photo by Wendy Coomber.
Theft protection
Thieves don’t take a holiday; so this Christmas season, make sure to keep Scrooge out of your car. Always lock the door when leaving your vehicle, and do not leave valuables visible in the interior. This includes your Christmas shopping, especially if you are making multiple stops and leaving your car unattended; store it in the trunk, or in an area that is obscured by tinted windows.
Police also warn homeowners to remove remote control garage door openers from their vehicle overnight, if the vehicle need to be parked outdoors. Chilliwack RCMP say that thieves stole garage door openers from vehicles and used them to commit three break-and-enters into homes in November. It is believed the thieves used the devices to gain access to the garages; in one case the thief or thieves entered the home, obtained the key to the vehicle, and then stole it.
Don't make your car a target for thieves this Christmas shopping season.
Toy joys, not woes
When buying toys and gifts for young children, keep in mind a few tips to ensure everyone stays safe and happy. Make sure the toys are appropriate for the age of the child: toys for older children may contain small parts that make them unsafe for younger ones. Read and follow the warnings and safety messages, and ensure that batteries are properly installed by an adult and are not accessible to children. Make sure that button batteries stay securely in the product, and promptly remove and discard all toy packaging like plastic bags and wrap, foam, staples, ties, and protective film.
BC Community Achievement Awards
Nominations are now being sought for the 2016 BC Community Achievement Awards. Sponsored by the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, the awards celebrate “British Columbians who go above and beyond in their dedication and service to others and who devote time and energy to making their communities more caring, dynamic, beautiful, healthy, and unique. They inspire by their example.”
Local residents Debra Arnott, Barb Shaw, and Ben Roy (Cache Creek), Robin Fennell (Clinton), and Peggy Chute and Dorothy Dodge (Lytton) have all received the award in past years. To find out more, go to http://www.bcachievement.com/community/info.php, e-mail info@bcachievement.com, or call (604) 261-9777.
Canada’s volunteer awards
The call for nominations for Canada’s Volunteer Awards is now open, and will run until February 3, 2017. The award is for volunteers, not-for-profit organizations, and businesses that demonstrate social responsibility.
Raise for remote social workers
Front-line ministry social workers in areas of the province that find it hard to recruit workers will receive an additional lump sum payment of $3,000 (for those with less than two years of experience) to $6,000 per year. The payment is for those who live and work in rural or remote communities with demonstrated recruitment and retention challenges. Among the designated hard-to-recruit communities are Ashcroft, Lillooet, Merritt, Princeton, 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Revelstoke, and Clearwater.
B.C. students are world leaders
British Columbia’s Grade 10 students earned the top spot for reading, the second spot in science, and the sixth spot for math in the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the PISA assesses students from 72 countries and all 10 Canadian provinces. The 2015 results were all improvements over the last time PISA testing was done, in 2012, when B.C. Grade 10 students were second in reading, third in science, and 10th in math.