Special Event: Summer Dream Literary Arts Festival

Volunteers Wanted:

The 6^th Annual

Summer Dream

Literary Arts Festival

Aug.19-Aug.29, 2009

Presented by Pandora’s Collective

Summer Dream was created to raise public awareness about on-going literary events, programs and resources available in the local writing community.

Now in its sixth year, the festival proudly features over 100 of the West Coast’s best authors, musicians and performers, including Governor General nominee Evelyn Lau, Vancouver’s first Poet Laureate George McWhirter, Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize winner Rita Wong, quirky Commercial Drive anti-heroes Al Mader AKA “The Minimalist Jug band” and the surreal RC Weslowski, plus Seattle spoken word legend Jack McCarthy, to name just a handful.

Summer Dream incorporates literary performances, dancers, local bands, panel discussions, open mics and a children’s area with puppet shows, music, story tellers, face painting and craft tables. There are also information tables showcasing community groups and resources like the Vancouver Public Library and The Federation of BC Writers.

Preparations are now well-underway for the event that local critics have called “Vancouver’s best-kept summer secret!”

Festival organizers Bonnie Nish and Rhonda Milne are anxious to meet people who want to be a part of this engaging, entertaining, family-friendly celebration of literary-based art.

”There’s always lots do,” Nish, the festival’s Executive Director, pointed out in a recent interview. “We need people to lend a hand with everything from spreading the word before the event, to helping out with set-up and tear-down on Saturday’s big outdoor happening.”

Milne, who acts as Volunteer Coordinator for the festivities, was quick to add, that what first convinced her to become involved was the sense of “camaraderie and community” that the festival fostered.

“The first time I got involved with Summer Dream,” Milne said, “I was inspired all the great talent and great people who really go out of their way to make you feel like your part of something very special and important. It’s like a big family!”

For volunteer opportunities you can contact Rhonda Milne at rhondamsel@yahoo.ca 778-928-1147

For media information and full festival details visit http://www.pandorascollective.com/sdrfestival.html or call Steve Duncan at 604-788-8340. srduncan@shaw.ca.

For all other inquiries contact Bonnie Nish at Bonnie Nish at 778-322-4039 blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca

Pandora’s Collective would like to thank the following sponsors for making this event possible: Giest, Vancouver Review, Subterrain, Event, Room With A View, 3 Day Novel Contest, Prism, Capilano Review, One Cool Word, Vancouver Story Tellers, Vancouver Public Library, Quills, Nestor's Market, Graphic design by CWCLCOGY with Wera, Vancouver Parks Board, 2008 Celebrations Grant c/o The City of Vancouver and The Office of Cultural Affairs, CBS Outdoor, Starbucks, VanCity, Christianne's Lyceum, Coast Capital Savings, The Federation of BC Writers, Burnaby Writers Society, Industrial Alliance Pacific Life Insurance Company, BC Poetry, Jaffer Speech and Language Services, Irene Livingston, Don Simpson, Joyce Statton, Randy Jacobs, Bernice Lever, Andrea Winterbottom and Robin Susanto.

Community Profile: Michael McLaughlin, VanCity BoD Candidate

Born in Saint John New Brunswick, Michael McLaughlin moved to Vancouver in the early 70’s and has been a member of Vancity at Branch 11 for almost 30 years.

Currently, he works for BC Hydro in the Engineering, Aboriginal Relations and Generation business unit. He has also worked extensively in the non-profit sector as a theatre producer, director, and consultant.

He has served in leadership roles in various communities. These include postings as Executive Director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, Artistic Producer of TheatreOne in Nanaimo and Artistic Director of Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. In 2006, he undertook a contract in England as Coordinator for the CIAO! Festival (Children’s International Arts Organization). He has implemented strategies for these organizations to widen company mandates, address local needs, and deepen the influence these non-profits exert, all the while creating community confidence and ownership.

As a consultant, Michael worked with a number of arts organizations including the Vancouver Playhouse, Rumble Productions and Presentation House Theatre.

His community involvement includes serving as co-chair of the Making a Scene Conference for the Professional Theatre Community of BC, as member of the Advisory Committee for the Journalism Program at Malaspina University-College and Vice President of the Board of Directors of Touchstone Theatre.

McLaughin says his cultural and business accomplishments have always been underpinned by the pursuit of community development – of building livable, sustainable communities. Pursuing these goals through service on the Vancity Board would allow him to employ his skills, talents and ethos to the fullest.

Here is his policy statement:

I have always admired the values Vancity promotes and its ability to balance sound financials with social activism. I am standing for the Board of Directors to turn that admiration into constructive action.

I am certainly interested in furthering the credit union’s bedrock priorities: to improve financial performance and market share, enhance social and environmental responsibility endeavours, and further Vancity’s position as a great place to work and increase membership.

Having led a non-profit arts organization whose enterprise venture has been supported by Vancity, I know how enterprise endeavours can support community development goals. I also understand the need to develop long-term financial stability and self-reliance across the sector. As a Board member, I will promote growth in Vancity’s leadership role in social enterprise and in partnerships across all segments of the non-profit sector.

Hand in hand with non-profit development goes the need for services that meet the aspirations of small businesses and entrepreneurs. To that end, I will advocate for business start-up and development policies and services that enhance Vancity’s already substantial influence in the small business community.

In closing, my priorities for Vancity are to:

• Improve financial performance and market shares
• Enhance social and environmental responsibility endeavours
• Further Vancity’s position as a great place to work
• Work for increased Vancity membership
• Promote Vancity’s contribution to non-profit enterprise
• Advocate for small business development
• Support the arts

For more information or to assist in my campaign, please contact me at michaelmclaughlin@shaw.ca.

Thanks for the opportunity to walk the talk.

Community Profile: Gary Bizzo, VanCity BoD Candidate

Gary Bizzo is Manager of the United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society (SUCCESS) Self Employment Program at our Business & Economic Development Centre in Vancouver. He has been involved in community, social enterprise and program development for the 10 years. He gained an extensive knowledge of proposal development, labour market/economy exposure and has a working relationship with of all 3 levels of government.

Prior to working with SUCCESS, he was an entrepreneur (Commercial Photographer and Advertising Agency) for over 30 years. He oversaw and mentored the owners of over 450 businesses. His work with SUCCESS, the internationally respected social service agency, has given him expertise in community development, capacity building, social enterprise development and a rich experience dealing with a variety of cultures.

He continues to be an entrepreneur, running an international marketing company. He is confident delivering presentations, workshops and is the ‘go to’ guy when things need to be done. He is also the President of the BC Entrepreneur Development Association which advocates for over 5000 BC businesses. As the leader of a group of entrepreneurs he has developed invaluable skills in team building, administration, marketing and public relations. He is a member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, The Vancouver Board of Trade, The Burnaby Board of Trade. He sits on the Boards of the BC Urban Entrepreneur Development Association, Burnaby Arts Council and the Canada-China Importer & Exporters Association.
He and his wife, Jo Ann, live in Burnaby.

His priorities include:
- Provide an Open ear to any member’s issue and problem
- Support community initiatives that gives Metro Vancouver its social conscience
- Continue and enhance the support Vancity provides to Small Business
- To support the development & leadership role in successful community social enterprises - Continued support of the ABLED program supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities, and the Self Reliance Loans and Peer Lending programs for micro-entrepreneurs.

He has this to say about his platform:

Now is the time for boldness. With BC’s strong economy, the environment taking center stage, sustainability on the lips of everyone and people seeking transparent corporate and personal responsibility we need strong leadership! These are important times and you can make a difference. Please vote!

Visit his website at www.garybizzo.com

Community Profile: Jennifer Sweeney, Vancity BoD Candidate

As promised, here is another profile on another nominee for Vancity's board of directors.

Jennifer Sweeney is currently developing a consulting and coaching service to work with women aspiring to be in leadership positions. She was born in Vancouver and worked in many different fields, from a typesetting company, to a brokerage firm and a summer camp, before returning to university to pursue a professional career. She graduated from UBC in 1989 with first-class honours, and was offered full funding to continue her studies in speech-language pathology at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. She returned to Vancouver to practise her profession, and spent many years working with stroke survivors and their families. She now lives in Vancouver with her husband, Daniel Ouellet, who has recently joined BC Hydro’s Power Smart Program as a Specialist Engineer. She currently serves as Treasurer for the Vancouver Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. She is also a director of the Canadian Women Voters Congress and co-chair of the 2008 Women’s Campaign School.

She and her husband are are both active in the community and participate in local arts and music festivals.

Read more about her on her website: www.readyforaction.ca

She had this to say about her campaign:

As a longtime member of Vancity, I have been proud to be part of a financial institution that invests in our community. Vancity is a place where people come first, and that philosophy is reflected in Vancity's investments in the social and cultural fabric of our community.

I believe that healthy communities are places where people live, work and play together. Vancity is a leader in engaging the creativity of its members to find solutions to concerns in our communities.

If elected, I will:

• support affordable and accessible housing development
• work to improve services for small business owners
• continue Vancity's legacy of creating inclusive communities
• promote initiatives to reduce social isolation

Please feel free to contact me at jennifer@readyforaction.ca . I look forward to meeting you!

A Note From Wendy Holm - Vancity BoD Candidate

I first met Wendy Holm last Saturday outside Vancity's Mercato branch and caught a fun picture of her in her raincoat which matched Vancity's corporate colours. She is running for the Board of Directors at Vancity.
See the link here.
We've had a bit of an email exchange and she sent me this about herself. I thought you might be interested in what she had to say.
By the way, if there are other candidates out there, I would be happy to post what you had to say, as with Wendy.
Feel free to contact me at srduncan@shaw.ca or call 604-788-8340.

On a personal level, my family lives here and I want to see this city achieve its potential. I think Vancity can contribute to that goal. Vancity's Sacco Report (The Power of the Arts in Vancouver: Creating a Great City, Jan 2007, Professor Luigi Sacco) defines the road map to turn Vancouver into a creative community. Here's what it says in a nutshell: Creativity should be a cross cutting theme in all sectors. It is what makes good cities great. OECD says our kids are #6 in the world in terms of creativity but our cities are close to the bottom. Vancouverites are stuck in a post-industrial model - defining ourselves by possessions (objects). To become a great city, a creative city, a flourishing city, we need to move to defining ourselves by experiences. We have tremendous resources to accomplish this. Not only the innate creativity of our youth, but - in the case of Vancouver - pockets of intense, ghettoized creativity. The Drive is clearly one. The Sacco report proposes a new future for the city: a vibrant and creative one that get's us both culturally and economically fit. It is a major work that needs to be moved forward in a systematic manner. Bob Williams, a collaborator on the Report, rejoined Vancity's Board to make this happen. But he (on behalf of the arts community) is impatient; more study won't cut it, it is time for action. Bob needs support on the board to pick up the pace... And that's where I come in. For more visit www.votewendyholm.com

Live on The Drive

It was a busy day on the Drive yesterday. The sun was shining again and people were too. Here are a few moments captured for your perusal.

Wendy Holm was in front of Vancity talking to members about the credit union's upcoming election for it's board of directors. Find out more about Wendy at www.votewendyholm.com.


Singer Monica Lee was making the postering rounds in support of her show with Pawnshop Diamond happening at Lime next Saturday (see below). With her is the Libra Room's Joee Brassard-Dejardins and Carly Tennant.


When you gotta eat... You gotta eat. Snapped these candid photos outside Tony's Deli yesterday afternoon.



I rounded the day off at the Libra Room last night.
Here are my new friends, Genevieve Garon, and Derek Michaud.