A 2012 Mercedes Benz Roadster is for sale at Discovery Honda for $29,995, with all proceeds going to the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation.
The car has been donated by a local resident who asked not to be identified for the fundraiser for the CDHF, a registered charity that raises funds to purchase equipment and support patient and resident care and comfort at the Cowichan District Hospital and Cairnsmore Place.
Greg Van Es, general manager of Discovery Honda, said that over the past few years, the dealership has hosted car raffles to help the foundation raise money, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, the fundraiser was tweaked to just being a straight sale of the vehicle, with the money going to the foundation.
“Peter Baljet (the majority owner of the dealership) has been involved in the community for the past 30 years and knows people on the board at the CDHF,” Es said.
“A few years ago, the board members asked Peter if he could put the car it was raffling into the showroom and we helped sell tickets. We’ve been involved ever since.”
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Although the community can’t celebrate the Christmas Kick Off the way it usually does this year, the Downtown Duncan BIA has planned some safe, distanced ways for people to get in the spirit and find the joy of the season.
So far, the DDBIA is moving forward with its Window Decorating and Tree Walk Contest for local businesses, who are invited to deck out their store windows in the theme of “Downtown Christmas” and include a small tree to brighten the streets and to encourage shoppers to walk around downtown and check out stores.
The association will also be hosting Festive Fridays in which it asks merchants to stay open from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday after Nov. 27 until Dec. 25 for extended shopping hours, as other regional communities are doing.
The DDBIA will also host a Mascot Contest, and a press release indicates that that DDBIA is almost finished delivering the mascots into the downtown area.
“As we are not able to do a draw at our usual Christmas Kick Off, we’ve modified the competitions as follows: Collect 14 names of Mascots (two each from the following – Canada Avenue, Kenneth Street, Station Street, Craig Street, Jubilee Street, Duncan Street, and 1st through 4th streets) and email these names to ddbia@downtownduncan.ca,” the release said.
“Also post a photo of yourself with one mascot and tag @downtownduncan and the store with the mascot you’re posing with for the chance to win $50 Duncan Dollars.”
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Vancouver Island University and North Island College are launching a new regional work-integrated learning hub.
The new hub, which aims to create new, mutually beneficial opportunities for students and employers north of the Malahat, includes a partnership with Mitacs and RBC Foundation to focus on rural employer needs.
Through this partnership between VIU and NIC, the one-stop shop online hub, called Vancouver Island Work-Integrated Learning, has been created to provide a regional approach to boosting employer engagement and enhancing work-integrated learning opportunities for students.
The two institutions are working together to reach out to employers on Vancouver Island north of the Malahat and create new opportunities.
Roughly 90 per cent of mid and north-Island businesses have 20 or fewer employees, which means employers don’t have a lot of extra time or resources to take on and mentor students.
“VIU and NIC offer different programs and working together means we can ensure a good match between our students and potential employers, so that the needs of both can be better met,” said Brittany Parker, interim director of VIU’s Centre for Experiential Learning.
“We are focused on developing closer connections with employers and our local chambers of commerce, providing supportive assistance and resources, and making it easier for employers to access a talented student pool to meet their needs.”
Visit www.viwil.ca for more information, or contact info@viwil.ca to speak to an employment engagement facilitator.
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In related business news, Camosun College students and recent graduates are invited to meet with employers, explore future career possibilities and learn about co-op work experience opportunities at the first-ever, multi-institutional virtual career fair later this month.
The Beyond 2020: Vancouver Island Career & Connections Fair is taking place virtually on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Camosun is collaborating with North Island College, Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University to bring the career fair to students remotely this year.
“Clearly the pandemic is having a significant impact on students and we know that students are far more anxious about their job prospects this year as compared to last year,” says Claudia Sperling, director of applied learning at Camosun.
“[The year of] 2020 has been a year of profound change and we recognize the importance of increased connection and collaboration with other post-secondary institutions and local industry partners. Hosting and delivering a virtual multi-institutional career fair only makes sense.”
More than 100 employers from a range of industry sectors and 1,500 students and alumni from around Vancouver Island are expected to participate in the event, which includes discussions on the future of post-pandemic careers, co-op work experience and internship opportunities, and future job options.
Students can register for the virtual career fair and start setting up their profiles at https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/camosun/e/NBBDy.
For more information, contact islandcareerfair@gmail.com.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
