Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Wishing all of my constituents of Richmond East a Merry & Safe Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Can you help Moses Chan

Earlier this month I attended a Richmond Chinese Lions Club event. At the event I met an individual, Moses Chan who has suffered greatly from a serious bacterial infection in his blood; losing both his arms and legs. He has recently undergone surgery with respect to his legs, however, life is not the same for this same he still cannot perform the regular daily activities that we all enjoy. He is raising money to get a prosthesis that will look like his hands so that he can perform and live life like before. These new prosthesis will aid him being able to work and raise his six year old son. To date, Moses has raised $50,000 with a goal to reach $100,000 in order to cover the costs of the prosthesis and surgery. If you could, please help Moses and his family by making a small donation. Donations can be made to: www.moseschantrust.com

 

Business Outreach

Richmond East is the home to many growing and already established corporate and small businesses.  In the earlier part of December I had the priviledge of attending the Richmond Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards;  where a number of businesses nominated are from Richmond East.  One of the businesses I recently toured was Star Solutions, a pioneer in All-IP based wireless infrastructure technologies. “For over 14 years, Star Solutions has been a global leader in network infrastructure products with a core mission to enable wireless operators to reach their customers using Internet Protocol technology.” Star Solutions employs close to 100 employees at it’s Richmond office.  They specialize in providing cellular connectivity in rural/hard to reach locations and developing easier and more efficient connectivity during state emergencies. For more information on their developments please check out their website here: http://www.starsolutions.com/. Attached is a photograph of Star Solutions CEO, Jack Mar and I infront of one of the network hubs at his Richmond facility.

Adoption Awareness Month

The month of November marks the British Columbia Adoption awareness month.  Adoption Awareness Month is a government initiative to make the option as well as the benefits of adoption better known to both possible adopters as well as the rest of British Columbia.  As of now, over one thousand children and adolescents are currently looking for a permanent family.  These youth come from different backgrounds, and all are deserving of a loving family that will support them through their early lives, and ensure a positive future.  Adoption is a major focus of the Ministry of Children and Family development.  The ministry ensures that these youth obtain the best possible outcome, such as having youth grow up in an environment that is similar to their cultural heritage.  In addition, the ministry provides support to adoptive parents.  Through the Post-Adoption Assistance Program, the Ministry is committed to providing both adopted youth and their parents with financial assistance to ensure their well-being.  For more information, please check out the MCFD’s website on adoption here: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/adoption/. Hopefully Adoption Awareness month will provide information to potential adoptive parents who will support a child through the stages where family is crucial.

Royal Canadian Scottish Regiment 100th Anniversary

Today and Tomorrow will mark the celebrations of the Royal Canadian Scottish Regiment 100th anniversary celebrations.  Pro-Scottish citizens advocated for the formation of the regiment, which was founded on August 13th, 1913.  In the First World War the men of this regiment served in many historically significant battles, such as Ypres in April of 1915.  In the Second World War, the Canadian Scottish would yet again see action.  The men would serve on the D-Day assault, and would play a major role in the liberation of the Netherlands.  Today, it still remains as a reserves battalion, celebrating an important part of Canadian Military History and a proud symbol of Scottish heritage.  So if you are out in Victoria, be sure to attend the celebrations to recognize this special anniversary.

We Day and the Teck Initiative

Hello everyone! Next week on October 18^th, 2012 is Free the Children’s annual We Day event in Vancouver.  Free the Children is a Canadian charity that ensures the wellbeing and rights of children worldwide, as well as getting youth involved in combating humanitarian violations and injustice. We Day is a continuation of this belief, as Free the Children host events across Canada for the purpose of educating young youth in humanitarian issues, and promoting the message of getting involved. One of the messages this year is Zinc deficiency in children, which affects many worldwide.  In conjunction with We  Day, Teck is promoting their twitter campaign “One Tweet One Life”.  On the dates of the We Day events, Teck will donate 50 cents per retweet of the  @ZincSavesLives We Day message towards Zinc treatment.  The treatment costs 50 cents to administer, so every retweet received will save a child from the effects of Zinc deficiency.  So next Thursday, be sure to retweet the message “One Tweet One Life", and help rid the problem of Zinc deficiency.

Happy Thanksgiving and National Family Week

Hello everyone! As I am writing, I hope that everyone is looking forward to this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, spent with those dearest to us.

This week is National Family Week; it’s a week dedicated to celebrating the importance of our families, and how important our families are within our lives.  Under the administration of the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs, National Family Week has for twenty years celebrated the importance of families within Canada.

The spirit of National Family Week is perfect for this upcoming Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for, especially for our loved ones and families.  On that note, I again wish that everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!