Thursday, May 15, 2008

Spa adds another act of kindness

Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn
Published Jan. 18, 2004


Random acts of kindness are becoming a way of life for local mom Jody Horn, whose battle against thymic carcinoma was detailed in the Jan. 10 edition of the Burnaby NOW.

Our story detailing how Horn was the surprise recipient of 12 heartfelt but anonymous gifts to commemorate the 12 days of Christmas inspired the folks at the Vida Wellness Spa in the Sheraton Wall Centre to offer their own pick-me-up to the single mom from Burnaby.

"Our manager Kristina Hewlett read the story on the Internet, and we thought we might be able to do something for Jody," said Vida employee Sheri Brown. "We want to give her an afternoon at the spa with all the treatments she can have."

So, next Wednesday, Horn will be whisked away from the fairy garden that brightens her living room to the posh surroundings of the spa, where she will be treated to a full manicure, pedicure and a mini-facial.

This extraordinarily kind gesture comes at a very trying time in Horn's life. After being diagnosed with cancer of the thymus gland about 18 months ago, she has undergone a long and painful program of chemotherapy, surgeries and other treatments in an attempt to keep the tumours off her heart and lungs.

"We like to do little things for people, and Jody's story was just amazing," said Brown.

ROBBIE BURNS DAY IS ON THE WAY

Prepare to pipe in the haggis. The four-time world champion SFU Pipe Band will be playing for their supper when they are the guests of honour at the Robbie Burns Day dinner and silent auction at the Executive Plaza Hotel on Friday, Jan. 23.

This is one of the main fundraisers of the year for what may be the best bagpipe and drum bands in the world over the past decade.

Tickets to the event are a heart $65 and include dinner and performances from a large group of international award winning pipers and drummers.

The band, which wears the traditional Clan Fraser tartan, was formed in 1966, but it took 15 long years before the pipers won their first North American championship. The band then won its first world championship in 1995, and then repeated the achievement in 1996, '99 and 2001.

These days, the band sponsors a world champion-winning junior pipe band, and several of its members, most notably pipe major Terry Lee and lead drummer J. Reid Maxwell are individual world championship holders.

Tickets to the Robbie Burns Day dinner and silent auction are $65 apiece and include dinner plus band performances, and are available from Laurie Kortschak at 604-536-5601 or lauern@shaw.ca.

SEEKING SHORT FILMS

Budding film makers have several opportunities to make a name for themselves and possibly even win a little bit of cash over the coming months.

Amateur filmmakers are invited to submit their five-minute movies to the National Screen Institute - Canada national exposure movie contest.

The contest, which has previously been held only in Winnipeg as a Local Exposure contest, offers a $1,000 grand prize, plus several $100 awards.

Sponsored by Rogers Video, the national exposure contest is free to enter and all that's needed is a good idea and a video camera. Pick up entry forms at any Rogers Video store in Burnaby or at the website www.nsi-canada.ca.

The other opportunity is a call for submissions to the second annual North American's Best Independent Animated Shorts video which is produced and sponsored by Burnaby-based Raider Productions.

NABIAS entries can be clay, classical, computer, and flash animated shorts of no more than 15 minutes in length. Last year's winners were made into a 90-minute feature film which was screened at Pacific Cinematheque and is now available as a DVD or the internet.

For more information on the 2004 NABIAS call for entries, check out the website www.nabias.com.

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