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Retailer steps in to play Santa

London Drugs Toy Tour brightens up lives of families experiencing tough times

When the school bells ring today signalling the start of Christmas holidays, it will be a joyful time for many kids.

Not so for students who are going home to places where there is not enough food to stretch through the holidays, let alone money for extras like a visit from Santa.

This week, London Drugs stepped in to play Santa for some of these kids, loading up a little convoy of vans and trucks to drop off toys for children who otherwise would have little cheer at Christmas.

“That week before Christmas is a tough one,” Margaret Jorgensen, principal at Strathcona elementary in Vancouver, told representatives from London Drugs who arrived at her school with huge bags of toys.

It was a refrain echoed by educators from Surrey to North Vancouver as the convoy stopped by schools that have shared their stories and their students’ needs with The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Adopt-a-School program.

“In the past, teachers have just noticed need in their classes and referred families,” said Carol Davison, principal at Surrey’s Forsyth Road elementary school. “This year we decided to send out a form because we were afraid we were missing people who could use the help and we were just overwhelmed by the stories.

“We’ve got a single mother with seven children; she’s a refugee and she’s unemployed. How is she going to provide Christmas for them?

“There are people who do seasonal work, dads who have been laid off … people who are on disability, grandparents raising grandchildren. We don’t recognize sometimes that they really could use the help, so it’s great that the community is stepping up and being able to provide all this.”

While the Christmas season invariably stirs people to give, this year some of the educators on the London Drugs toy tour noted donations are down.

“It is getting tougher all over,” said Davison.

And the needs are year-round. Some of them are not so obvious – like the children who slip off their shoes to sit down and listen to stories at carpet time and it is only then their teachers realize they have walked to school in freezing temperatures with no socks.

Mary Higgins, merchandise manager at London Drugs, has been dropping off toys for needy children every year for the past 25 years. But this week marked the first time she has come face to face with the children she is helping and heard their stories that go far beyond simply needing a present for Christmas.

“This has been eye-opening for me,” said Higgins. “We have to protect these children.

“These children are the generations of our future.”

One of the stops was at CABE, Coquitlam Alternative Basic Education, where volunteers, including well-known Vancouver blogger Miss 604 – Rebecca Bollwitt – handed out toys for babies of teen moms in the program that is geared to vulnerable students.

“We appreciate everything that we get,” Vanessa Ellingson, mom and sole breadwinner for threeyear-old Pablo and seven-month-old Marley said.”Everything that we get is something that we don’t have to buy.

“It puts more food on our tables.”

The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund has pledged to match dollar-for-dollar donations made to Adopt-a-School, up to $100,000.

SIX WAYS TO DONATE
1. MAIL: Complete the donation form and mail it to: The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Society, Suite 1 – 200 Granville St., Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3N3. We accept Visa, MasterCard or a cheque or money order payable to The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Society.

2. PHONE: To pay by credit card, call 604-605-2426.

3. ONLINE: To donate online using Visa or MasterCard, go to www.vansunkidsfund.ca and click on the donate button.

4. TEXT YOUR DONATION: Text SUNKIDS to 20222 to donate $5. Your donation, which will appear on your cellphone bill, will go to the Children’s Fund Adopt-a-School project.

5. FACEBOOK: For every “Like” on the Children’s Fund Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ vansunkidsfund, Telus is donating $1 to Adopt-a-School. Reader Ken Mellquist has also pledged to match Telus’s contribution. The fund matches every $1, so every “like” sends $4 to help B.C. kids in need.

6. NEW ITEMS: Our Adopt-a-School project not only collects money, it is a conduit so readers can donate goods such as coats, shoes and gloves directly to schools and students who need them most. For information on how to donate, email adoptaschool@vancouversun.com.

‘LIKE’ US ON FACEBOOK AND $4 WILL BE DONATED TO NEEDY B.C. KIDS

We hit 5,000 “likes” on Facebook. com/VanSunKidsFund on Dec. 9, a goal set when Telus offered to donate $1 to Adopt-a-School for every like up to $5,000. The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund board and West Vancouver reader Ken Mellquist each matched Telus’s contribution. When the total hit $20,000, Telus stepped up to offer $1 per like, up to another $5,000. If we hit 10,000 likes by Christmas, the $20,000 raised will jump to $30,000.

“Like” dollars raised as of Thursday 4 p.m.: $23,632

gshaw@vancouversun.com

London Drugs donates money to thank Police after Stanley Cup Riot

The VPD’s mounted squad took action during the 2011 Stanley Cup riot.

Photograph by: Dan Toulgoet, Vancouver Courier

The Vancouver Police Department will soon add two new horses to its mounted squad and one will be named after… a major retail chain known for its electronic goods?

London Drugs has donated $7,000 to the Vancouver Police Foundation with the understanding the money be distributed to the VPD’s mounted squad.

In honour of the donation, which will also be used to buy a power washer for the squad’s barn at Stanley Park, the VPD decided it will name one of the horses “London.”

But before the public thinks the VPD is embarking on a marketing drive to name its police service animals after corporate donors, Const. Lindsey Houghton, a VPD media relations officer, said that’s not the case.
“There was no expectation of us naming the horse after the company, the president or anything like that,” Houghton told the Courier. “The mounted squad thought the name London was actually a pretty good name for a horse.”

The $7,000 from London Drugs came from a fundraising campaign the retail chain launched after the June 15 Stanley Cup riot to thank police for their efforts that night and support the Vancouver Police Foundation. The campaign involved the sale of “I love Vancouver” T-shirts and donations from the public.

The London Drugs store at Granville and Georgia was ransacked and looted during the riot, causing $650,000 in damage. Employees were forced to hide in a reinforced steel room in the store.
“I will always be grateful that the police were able to save our staff,” said Wynne Powell, the CEO of London Drugs. “They took some time to respond because of the terrible night that they were dealing with. But when they came, they came in force and they got our people out safely.”

Powell said the money was given to the mounted squad after a discussion with the Vancouver Police Foundation on how best to use the money.

“They brought up the horse idea and that was very comfortable with us because the horses were one of the assets that were extremely helpful at protecting people during the riot,” he said.

The VPD recently purchased “London” but Houghton didn’t immediately know the cost. The VPD also purchased London’s brother, who has yet to be given a name. Both horses are undergoing training and expected to be on the job in January.

So what’s Powell think about the VPD naming one of the horses London?

“It’s fantastic,” he said, echoing Houghton’s comments there was no expectation the horse be named after the company. “I’m just delighted they’re doing that. That will be a horse that will remind everybody about their generosity.”

Private donations to the VPD and its foundation are not new.

In the past year, the VPD accepted $30,000 from private citizen Tony Elwood to be used for the department’s diversity and aboriginal policing section.

The Aboriginal Community Center Employment Services Society also donated $20,000 to pay for the wages of three aboriginal people involved in the VPD’s aboriginal cadet program.

The VPD accepted eight tactical vests worth a total of $20,000 from ArmorWorks Canada Limited and the Vancouver Police Foundation raised $72,000 toward the construction of a “Memorial Wall” for fallen officers at the Graveley Street police station

London Drugs invites customers to help homeless families get Inn from the Cold

The Littlest Things Make a Big Difference

This holiday season all eight Calgary London Drugs store locations will be accepting at-till donations to support Inn from the Cold’s Littlest Things campaign. The campaign aims to create a brighter future for homeless families in Calgary communities by providing basic necessities; the littlest things that make a big difference and help create a brighter future.

“We feel proud to unite with our customers to work together to end homelessness,” says Pat Tonner, Manager at London Drugs’ Brentwood location in Calgary. “In partnership with Inn from the Cold we can make a big difference and actively support those struggling in our communities.”

From December 1st to December 31st London Drugs customers can make donations as small as $2 at any checkout. The timing of the campaign coincides with the dramatic increase in the number of families seeking help from Inn from the Cold.

One hundred percent of the donations collected will go towards Inn from the Cold’s programs and supports that help families rebuild their lives.

Celebrating 25 years of support and $400,000 raised from the Hall of Flame Fire Fighter calendars

On November 29, London Drugs and the Vancouver Fire Fighters charitable society were welcomed on a tour and presentation of the VGH Burn Unit in Vancouver.

We were asked to visit the Burn Unit in recognition of London Drugs and the fire fighters 25-year support of the physical building of the unit and the ongoing commitment to advancing patient care. During the presentation, Lois Budd, patient services manager (and patient-care advocate extraordinaire) together with Dr. Jim Boyle, medical director (and great humorist) explained how through the 25-year sale of the Hall of Flame calendars at London Drugs, much needed specialized equipment and materials have been able to be purchased.

Rob Felix, London Drugs executive and general manager, general merchandise, was presented with a special plaque thanking London Drugs for the approximately $400,000 that has been raised for the Burn Unit over the past 25 years.

For Rob, the presentation and tour were humbling. Being inside the Burn Unit together with a group of fire fighters and being able to see patients who this group rescues and brings to the Burn Unit unfortunately all-to-often, brought the importance of London Drugs support, full circle.

VGH’s Burn Unit treats the very sick. Patients include victims of devastating vehicle accidents to children scalded with extremely hot water to cooking accidents, structural fires and many more unfortunate burn inflictions. You never want to be here or have someone you love be here. That is clear. But, this facility is so important and so necessary for British Columbians. They have done an amazing job at advancing the care of patients here including 24-hour visitation for families. In a hospital ward with such devastation, they have tried their best to make it as liveable as possible.

This year, through the sale of the Vancouver Fire Fighters Hall of Flame calendars at London Drugs, the Burn Unit was able to purchase a vital new piece of equipment: the Meek Mesher. The Meek Mesher is a special skin grafting machine that just arrived November 28, from Finland.

Seeing the Meek Mesher first-hand and learning about how it will benefit burn victims reminded all of us on the tour just how important it is to continue to support the fire fighters charitable society and the BC Burn Fund. This specialized equipment and care would not be possible without outside support and donations.
One of the patients currently in the Burn Unit lost his home to a fire including all of his money that was stored in his sofa. There are many more stories and patients this hospital and unit sees every hour, every day, and it is heart wrenching.

So thank you to all of the London Drugs customers who support the VGH Burn Unit with your purchase of the Hall of Flame calendars each year. We saw and heard first-hand, how important it is for our continued support.

Ride for Hope Recap—Thank you for a new record!

Through donations before, during and after the actual ride on July 13th, chocolate bar sales at London Drugs locations and other fundraising, London Drugs staff, customers and supporters raised an astonishing $137,376 for Canuck Place. This represents a 63% increase in funds raised in 2010!

To watch a recap of the gruelling day the riders put in, click the image

Canuck Place is partnering on a new children’s hospital in Abbotsford, which will serve the Fraser Valley. It will add more much-needed beds and family rooms for children suffering from life-threatening illness.

Team Alliance, the group of riders participating in the Ride for Hope, is sponsored by Alliance Principle Ingredients.

Even though the ride is over, you can still make a donation to support Canuck Place and the Fraser Valley children’s hospital project.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this year’s ride an incredible success and helped us set a new record!

London Drugs and Five Hole for Food a Good Fit

Credit: Vanessa Ng

Local shopping giant London Drugs has joined with grassroots charity initiative Five Hole for Food (FHFF) in doing something it knows best – redefining communities, through grit and good intentions.

London Drugs, ICBC to hit looters with civil suits

The Province June 21, 2011 – Identifying looters and going after them in civil lawsuits is another way to “take back the heart of Vancouver,” says London Drugs president Wynn Powell.

“This is a sad moment in the history of Vancouver and our store was in the epicentre of the riot along with The Bay but I’m most thankful not to have to call husbands, wives or family about injured staff members,” said Powell.

Retailer steps in to play Santa

London Drugs donates money to thank Police after Stanley Cup Riot

London Drugs invites customers to help homeless families get Inn from the Cold

Celebrating 25 years of support and $400,000 raised from the Hall of Flame Fire Fighter calendars

Ride for Hope Recap—Thank you for a new record!

London Drugs and Five Hole for Food a Good Fit

London Drugs, ICBC to hit looters with civil suits

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Retailer steps in to play Santa

London Drugs donates money to thank Police after Stanley Cup Riot

London Drugs invites customers to help homeless families get Inn from the Cold

Celebrating 25 years of support and $400,000 raised from the Hall of Flame Fire Fighter calendars

Ride for Hope Recap—Thank you for a new record!

London Drugs and Five Hole for Food a Good Fit

London Drugs, ICBC to hit looters with civil suits

Archive

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Newsletter

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