|
|
Daffodil Place |
||
|
The story in a more readable format is available below the pictures. The paper clipping, story and pictures are as received from Corrina Baggs of the Advertiser Newspaper.
Frances Thomas picked daffodils at Vanterights Farms for the fundraising event the Newfoundland Club of Victoria held for Daffodil Place. The farm donated the fresh daffodils to the cause.
Wayne Thomas of Grand Falls-Windsor presented a cheque for $1,500 to John Steele, chair of the Capital campaign committee, for Daffodil Place. Newfoundlanders living away support Daffodil Place BY CORRINA BAGGS Advertiser “No matter where you roam, Newfoundlanders always think of home.” That is a phrase that Wayne Thomas of Grand Falls-Windsor proudly uses when describing his friends at the Newfoundland Club in Victoria, BC. The Newfoundland Club of Victoria was founded over 20 years ago by Mary Johnston. It started out with less than 40 members and has sense grown to over 120 members. Mr Thomas is the current president of the club and is very passionate about the work that they do for the community. And now that club on the other side of the country is giving back to the province that its members hail from. Daffodil Place in St. John’s is the recipient of the generosity of the Newfoundland Club. When it is completed, the facility will be a 24-suite residence in St. John’s built by the Canadian Cancer Society where people and their families can stay while receiving cancer treatment in the city. To raise money for Daffodil Place, the club held a fundraising event in March featuring Newfoundland skits. They adorned the venue with freshly picked daffodils and held a raffle on a Newfoundland print by artist Lloyd Pretty, which was donated by club member Tom Martin. The group raised $1,500 at the event and Mr. Thomas proudly presented the cheque to John Steele, chair of the capital campaign committee, during a visit to St. John’s in May. Mr. Thomas got involved with the group after retiring from 35 years of service as director of field operations at Browning Harvey. He and his wife Frances began spending part of each year living in Victoria. “Frances was born and raised in Victoria so it’s nice to be able to divide our time between the two places,” said Mr. Thomas. While in Victoria, they joined the Newfoundland Club as a way to socialize with other Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans who were living in the area. “Being a member of the Newfoundland club is rewarding and like typical Newfoundlanders your friends are their friends and the circle continues,” said Mr. Thomas. “Victoria is a large city, but (its) seldom I go downtown that I don’t meet a fellow member or a friend of a fellow Newfoundlander. We have made our mark in Victoria and are proud of it.” Besides its most recent donation to Daffodil Place, the club has had many accomplishments over the years, including an annual Founders award, presented to a member who has made an outstanding contribution to the community, and an annual scholarship of $5,000 to a child or grandchild of a club member. To learn more about the Newfoundland Club of Victoria, visit its website at www.nfldclubofvictoria.org. |
|
||
