Good Guides get their gold medals

Good Guides get their gold medals
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistan5t editor
Published May 24, 2003

Kudos to Joanne Stregger, area commissioner of the Girl Guides of Canada, Burnaby Royal area, after she was presented with the Gold Medal of Merit at a recent ceremony.
Stregger received the honour thanks to her tireless volunteerism and dedication to the furtherance of Guiding.
At the same event, the Guides presented their Silver Medal of Merit to Parin Bhimani, Sue Digney, Christine Harrison, Teresa Hartman and Evelyn Mosher. The Bronze Medal of Merit was awarded to Janice Froese, Maureen Holowaty and Nicole Jung.
A press release from the Guides' B.C. office extended congratulations to all award recipients for their "outstanding achievement" and thanked them for their dedication to working with the young girls and women of Burnaby.
Those interested in Guiding can sign up for Sparks, Brownie or Guide programs, or as an adult volunteer with the program, by calling 1-800-565-8111.

FLICK TAKES AWARD

One of my favourite short flicks from last year's Vancouver International Film Festival has earned SFU graduate Bart Simpson (yes, that's his real name!) one of five Kick Start 2002 awards.
Kick Start awards go to emerging directors who demonstrate the talent, imagination and craft skills necessary for the job. Simpson's effort was the witty and colourful short flick A Vampire's Guide to Sweden, which had a matinee audience absolutely howling in the aisles of the cozy Pacific Cinematheque theatre during last year's VIFF.
The other winning short films are Jason James' Light.Rapid.Transit, Kevin Fair's The Kiss and two flicks that each earned six Leo Award nominations, Byron Lamarque's Once Upon A Time On The Beach and John Penhall's The Bed.
The five winning flicks will be shown in a special screening tomorrow, May 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Varsity Theatre, 4375 West 10th Ave., Vancouver.

BIG SISTER, BIG HEART

A hearty hurrah goes out to Teresa Marshall, a member of Big Sisters of B.C. Lower Mainland, who was recently honoured with the annual Big Heart Award for her outstanding contributions to the organization.
For almost six years, Marshall has been a Big Sister to Little Sister Genoa, and their relationship truly reflects what the organization stands for - acceptance, caring, respect and fun. Teresa also offers support, role modelling and inspiration for her young charge.
In addition to her volunteer work as a Big Sister, Teresa has also donated countless hours as a fundraiser for the organization.
The award was handed out during the annual general meeting of the Burnaby branch of the organization earlier this month.

THEY'RE SOAKING IN IT

The Burnaby Rotarians recently made a $2,000 donation to a Vancouver Resource Society care home in the city that helps make life a little more comfortable for adults with advanced Multiple Sclerosis.
The hefty donation paid for the purchase and installation of a fancy new therapeutic tub complete with jacuzzi jets at Rotary House, a home that provides 24-hour care and allows infirm adults to live in the community as opposed to an extended care facility.
On hand for the occasion were Rotarians Larry Klier and Jim Renshaw, and VRS representatives Denie Hourie and Tanya Ospino.

THE KING OF GIVING

A one-time Burnaby resident who has one the most revered names in the history of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team is helping to raise money for children suffering from life-threatening digestive disorders.
King Richard Brodeur, who backstopped the local hockey team on their whirlwind 1982 run to the Stanley Cup championship series against the New York Islanders, is a cosponsor of Rockin' for CHILD, a July 12 event taking place at the Westin Bayshore hotel.
The fundraiser is also a tribute to local radio star Red Robinson, and will include a 1950's style cocktail party, dinner and dancing to live bands, plus a silent auction.
Tickets to Rockin' for CHILD are available from Linda Annis at Calexis Advertising, call 604-541-1992 or via e-mail to lannis@calexis.com

TOP COLLEGE TEACHER

Kudos to Burnaby resident Peter Hopkinson, who was honoured with a Teaching Excellence Award from the Association of Community Colleges earlier this year.
Hopkinson, who teaches Grade 11 and 12 physics at the Vancouver Community College high school upgrading program, draws on his past experience as a drama student to turn those sometimes scary lists of numbers into truly interesting learning.
"Physics is so easy to teach badly," says the veteran instructor. "We've all had the teacher who writes equations on the board with one hand and erases them with the other - so people come in with this fear of physics."
To make the numbers a little easier to understand, Hopkinson has been known to dress up as Darth Vader, make use of shaving cream and even fire up a leaf-blower to make his point to the students.