City woman pitches in for Covenant House

City woman pitches in for Covenant House
Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 8, 2002

Kathy Kovacs, a Burnaby resident who might be better known as the wife of former Olympic boxer Dale Walter, is doing her part to make the world a better place for at-risk youth.
Kovacs was co-host of the Covenant House Vancouver's Fifth Annual Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Kids on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery this week.
Covenant House offers a crisis intervention centre, residence and transitional housing for homeless and runaway youth aged 16 to 24 years. The group estimates over 16,000 young people in B.C. leave their families every year to search for a 'better life' on the streets.
TAP, TAP, TAP
Congratulations are due - actually, overdue - to the seven- member tap dance troupe Da Boyz, who picked up a second place finish at the World Tap Dance Championships held in Riesa, Germany last month.
The group of seven- to 11-year-old male tap dancers, including Burnaby's own Braden Fong, wound up spending an entire week doing TV appearances and command performances in the bustling central European city.
With more than 3,000 dancers and 40 countries participating, the silver medal finish came as quite a surprise for the group, which trains under choreographer Van Porter at the Vancouver Tap Society digs on East Hastings.
The duet of Ryan Woodward and Amanda Georgeson won gold meals in their pairs competition, while Woodward picked up a silver medal for his solo performance.
Kudos to them all.
KOREAN VET RECEIVES MEDAL
Almost 50 years after the fact, Burnaby resident Sgt. Jack Clynch Campbell was finally honoured for being a part of a Canadian peacekeeping mission that was stationed in Korea from 1952 to '53.
Campbell received his newly minted Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal in a ceremony at the Edmonds senior centre last month.
Making the presentation on behalf of the entire nation was rookie MLA Patty Sahota.
HELP HUNGRY PETS AND FOLKS
The food bank will never be the same. The folks at three north Burnaby pet grooming services are working together to make the Christmas season a little more enjoyable for their less fortunate friends of both the furry and human persuasion.
Big Dog Little Dog Bakery, Dogs in the City and Paws Ahead Doggy Daycare are collecting people food, pet food and other household items for distribution to various non-profit associations this year.
The collections take place Dec. 1 to 20 and the most needed items are the following: Canned soups and stews, canned fish and meat, pasta, sauce, rice, cereal, coffee, tea , hot chocolate, canned beans, fruit and vegetables, baby formula, diapers, feminine hygiene products, dog food, cat food, bedding, treats, brushes, leashes, flea medication and tennis balls.
The project is being coordinated by Pet Lovers Digest, a local magazine for dog and cat owners.
Drop off items at the following locations. Big Dog, Little Dog at 4631 E. Hastings, Dogs in the City at 4609 E. Hastings or Paws Ahead at 4025 E. Second Ave.
YOUNG FOLKS DELIVER FOR RCMP
You're never too young to think about safety.
A pair of very young men from Burnaby were honoured by the local RCMP detachment recently for their hard work and dedication in promoting the Block Watch program.
Tristan and Jarrod Gilding, aged four and six respectively, received their honours from the Burnaby RCMP detachment this month as thanks for helping to deliver the local Block Watch newsletter.
PRODUCER PICKS UP ANOTHER HONOUR
Burnaby resident and independent movie producer Mehdi Ali has picked up another prestigious honour for his hour-long documentary Access Challenge.
The film will be presented with a TASH Image Award for its work to eradicate stereotypes. TASH is a U.S. based organization that works to advocate equity, opportunity and inclusion for people with disabilities, and last year's Image Award winners includes the children's TV show Sesame Street, the Wall Street Journal and ABC News.
The movie documents the efforts of six teams of hikers to take a person with a disability on a three-day expedition into the Cascade Mountains of B.C.'s Manning Park. (One of the disabled hikers is recently reelected Vancouver city councilor Sam Sullivan.)
Earlier this year, the film was honoured with a Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. Access Challenge has already hit the airwaves in B.C., and will be back on TV when the Knowledge Network screens the film in early February.
CATCHY TITLE FOR TED SCHREDD
He's got an interesting title, at least.
Local comedian Ted Schredd is back on the book selling circuit this holiday season with his latest release Gramma Knows the F Word. And before anyone gets the wrong idea - the F word is 'fun.'
His 184-page, self published book is described as a 'self help book with a sense of humour.' His themes including battling the three main flavours of Mind Poo - anger, fear and sadness, plus learning the wonderful arts of silliness and spontaneity.
Schredd, who rose to local celebrity status as the world's first cycling traffic reporter on Z95.3 FM, will be signing his new book at a variety of Burnaby bookshops over the coming weeks.
He'll be at the Metrotown Chapters at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Lougheed Town Centre Coles Books at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13, and at the Brentwood Town Centre Smith Books at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19.