We’re proud to announce our new magazine: Inspire. Filled with interesting articles and personal stories, it’s a must-read. Subscribe to our mailing list today to make sure you get your copy!

Read the paper online (page 3) or download the PDF.

Thank you to all our donors and guests for supporting the 16th annual Jeans for Genes Dinner and Auction on March 9th. With the help of Ed Bain from 100.3 The Q and the professional auctioneer services of Scott Meliville, from the Melville Group, vital funds were raised for summer camp scholarships and other programs. We thank all our donors and supporters and ask that you support them by visiting their businesses.

For tickets or more info, please contact Dave Myles (604-612-4688 or Yvonne Green (604-677-0023)

Contact the BCNF for your discount code to register. Learn more about the event here

Last year’s event was spectacular! A heartfelt thank you to all our runners, supporters and volunteers who made our first Scotiabank charity challenge an incredible success – both our goals of the number of participants and funds raised were surpassed! Thanks to the committed fundraising efforts of our team members, over $13,000 was raised! Let’s see if we can break our own record this year!

Join the Run for NF Team as we walk or run in Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon and 5km walk from UBC to Stanley Park. Commit to fundraising a minimum of $200 and we will pay your registration fee. Recruit your family and friends for this fun event in one of the most beautiful cities in Canada!

I would like to wish you a Happy New year and hope 2013 finds you well. It is hard to believe another year is upon us. It is always interesting to reflect on the previous year and then look forward to our hopes and dreams of 2013. The BCNF board has been doing that. We have many new and ongoing projects that, if successful, will help BCNF move forward.

I would like to let our membership, supporters and friends know that we continue to do what we can do to support families touched by NF. Whether its providing information over the phone, sending the youth to camp, or just providing an ear to listen to a family in distress, we are here. These vital services that we offer however, do come at a price.

Due to increasing costs and dwindling donations, including a drop in support from the Gaming Commission, the level of service we are able to provide to the NF community is decreasing. We now only have one half-time staff person to do all the work. Desirée does an amazing job but given the work hours she works for the BCNF we are becoming slower in our response time and are limited in what we can do to assist the community. The financial picture of the Foundation is not as good as it has been. We need your help to keep things moving forward.

It is not all doom and gloom. There is a solution. The solution is YOU and can be reached by you pitching in and helping the BCNF. Do you have a couple hours to help us? You are not seeing things… just two- three hours can make a HUGE difference to our little but important charity!

The Foundation’s many upcoming fund raising projects need people to do a bit of work to reach results that go from from “ok” to “FANTASTIC!” It will not need a lot of time and if you have even just a few hours we could use your help. The board is small and does not have the hours available to do everything. If we could get every family we have contact with to put in just a few hours now and then, these projects and fund raising ideas would be very successful and BCNF would not be in financial need as often as we are.

Tea for Two or More…this Valentine’s Day

Why not host a work place tea party for the BCNF. We have the posters, invitations and special tea to mark the day. Show your colleagues how much you care by making a pot of tea and serving a few cookies. Donations add up quickly with one tea fundraiser last year raising over $3500! Contact Desirée for more information

Clothing Donation Bins

The BCNF, in partnership with Delta Textiles, is embarking on a collection program for old clothing. Do you know a business property owner in the lower mainland area who we might be able to place a bin for collecting used clothing? The clothing will be sorted and recycled and the BCNF receives payment by the pound for the clothing. If you live in the Greater Vancouver area you will be able to donate to these bins once they are in place. Again, contact Desirée for more information.

Jeans for Jeans Auction

We need auction items for our upcoming March 9th event. Popular items include hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates, sports collectables, spa treatments… the list goes on. Do you know a business owner who might be willing to support us? Contact Desirée for more information including a sponsorship package to take to the business owner.

If only a few people reading this take action we will make a little, if many of you take that few hours to take action the auction will be a bigger success. Will the auction make $10,000 or will it make $40,000? It is up to you!

Scotiabank Charity Challenge

Last year’s half marathon and 5km walk/run events raised over $14,000 for the BCNF. This year’s event set for June 23rd requires runners and walkers to raise pledges and complete the event. Set the goal to raise a minimum of $200 and your registration to the event is FREE. If you aren’t eager to do the fitness part we also need volunteers to cheer on our participants and host the information booth on event day.

Donations

If you haven’t yet made a donation to our annual campaign there is still time. You can donate online through our website. Why not take it another step and contact your family friends and co-workers to see if they will support the important work of the BCNF. Donation brochures are available from the office. You can also add the link to our donation site to an email you send to your friends and family.

The BCNF is the only organization west of Manitoba supporting the children and adults living with NF. We need your help to continue to offer our programs and services. Together, we really do make a difference.

Regards,
Tim Golumbia
BCNF President

P.S. If you have ever received help from BCNF consider telling other people about us and let them know how they can support us so we can continue to help others. Every contact helps.

Come join us for a week of fun, friends and shared experiences at the annual Children’s Tumor Foundation’s Summer Camp in Emigration Canyon, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City. The camp, a state-of-the-art facility catering to those with special needs, provides a wide array of recreational facilities on-site, and can accommodate all ages and abilities.

Do you like to be challenged? Try the high ropes course, or wall climbing. Does horseback riding interest you? A newly-built indoor riding ring with a full stable of horses awaits you. And there’s more – including swimming, fishing, and canoeing, just to name a few of the activities you’ll engage in every day. With day trips offsite to places like the Olympic Park in Park City, and fabulous water parks, we promise you a memorable experience!!

Through the generous support of our donors the BCNF is able to once again provide a limited number of camp tuition and travel scholarships. Scholarships will be given on a first come basis and awarded until funds are depleted. Priority will be given to first time campers although returning campers are welcome to apply. Campers will be notified by May 30. To apply for a camp scholarship submit your application before April 15th to assure you do not miss out on this fabulous opportunity.

Full details and scholarship application on the NF Camp page.

In this recorded web presentation you will learn how the brain controls pain, and how you can re-train your brain so that pain no longer rules your life.

Former nurse, health-researcher and health policy analyst, Jennifer Gait spent may years with chronic pain. When she read about neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change itself, she found how to relieve her pain. She then became a Life Coach specializing in chronic pain relief, to help people living with chronic pain create fuller, more joyful lives, unencumbered by persistent pain.

View the complete presentation in our Past Events section.

Learn more about the program by viewing this short video which gives a brief overview of the GIVE program from a recent home buyer:

GIVE Group: How Does it Work? from GIVE Group on Vimeo.

For full details, visit GIVE Group to find a realtor involved in the program. As a founding no-profit partner, the BCNF has the opportunity to generate hassle-free revenue through this unique fundraising opportunity.