St. Albert's Louise Barr is heading to Swaziland in May to attend the African Grandmothers' Gathering, a unique international conference to help understand the great challenges of raising orphans affected by AIDS.
The gathering is being supported by the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which supports grassroots organizations providing care and support to women, orphaned children, grandmothers and people living with HIV and AIDS.
Barr is a member of that organization's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. That effort, now at the start of its fifth year, has more than 5,000 members across Canada, only 40 of which were chosen to represent the group at the conference.
"I'm thrilled to be going. It's something that I've always wanted to do," she said. Before she can get there though, she needs to collect enough Aeroplan member points to offset her travel costs. "We'd love to have people support us by donating their Aeroplan points." The whole group requires six million points and over four million have been collected so far.
The Canadian delegation will represent more than 5,000 women from across the country involved in the campaign. They will participate in the event alongside African grandmothers from 40 projects supported by the foundation in 15 countries.
Miles for the Swaziland gathering should be donated through the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign website at www.grandmotherscampaign.org. To learn more about the organization, visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org.
High school bikers geared up for charity
This is the seventh year in a row that the atrium at Bellerose Composite High School has been converted into a stationary bike area for a few hundred students. The 48-hour Bike-a-Thon is a gargantuan effort being held in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.
Before the first turn of the wheels had even taken place today, the registrants had already accumulated $98,000 in pledges, a figure that has principal George Mentz astounded.
"It's unbelievable and we don't know exactly why that's happening. It's unprecedented. You always hope things like this keep growing but we never thought it would grow this fast and this much."
The event has amassed over $300,000 in its history. The Bike-a-Thon runs until Friday at noon. Anyone interested in making a donation can do so at the office. The school is located at 49 Giroux Road. For more information on the event, call 780-460-8490 or visit www.bchs.spschools.org.
CIVC news
The Community Information and Volunteer Centre is still encouraging the public to make an appointment for its Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. This service for St. Albert residents with disabilities, low income, and seniors is provided free of charge through March and April.
At the same time, the call is now open for nominations including Volunteer-Friendly Business, Youth Volunteer, Volunteer of the Year and the Volunteer Citizen of the Decade. Call 780-459-6666 or visit www.stalbertcivc.com for more information.
