Where to find angels

Upcoming places to find angels in Victoria:

• Sat. Nov. 26, VIDEA Fair Trade Fair, First Metropolitan United Church, Balmoral at Quadra, 10-4, admission by donation
• Thur. Dec. 1, World AIDS Day tables at Camosun College (in front of Fisher Building) and University of Victoria
• Fri.-Sun. Dec. 2-4, Hillside Mall kiosk, between Sears & Purdy's, all mall hours
• Sat. Dec. 3, Dickens Craft Fair, James Bay Community School, 140 Oswego St., 3-9 pm, admission by donation

Festival of Trees

Leadership students at Mt. Douglas High School in Victoria have made 200 angels and decorated a tree at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. This is part of the annual BC Children's Hospital fund-raiser, the Festival of Trees. The students are honouring a classmate who has been treated by the hospital.

The trees are on the main and lower floors at the Empress from now until January 6, open at all hours. You can vote for your favourite with a donation of $2 or more benefiting the hospital.

If anyone is inspired by the tree to buy an angel, Nathan and Laura found a new shop nearby to carry our regular angels. Check out Mazouna Moroccan Bazaar, 715 Douglas St, across from the Convention Centre.

News from Out-of-Town Groups

We are very grateful to the Out-of-Town group members who contribute to AIDS Angels fund-raising.

• The small but mighty group in Parksville/Qualicum recently raised $900 at the KAIROS World Trade Bazaar, and continues to supply some local shops.
• The Halifax group has a branch in Yarmouth which raised $442 at a craft sale. At a national sorority conference the Halifax group made $1013 plus some excellent contacts.
• An angel-maker in Vancouver who supplied a table at Simon Fraser University for a few years couldn't continue, but some other angel-makers in Vancouver have taken it over.

These groups and others are extremely important to the funds that we send to southern Africa.

Open House Photos

Photos of some of the excellent angels seen at the Nov. 5 Open House are now in the Angel Gallery.

There are also some on our Facebook page.

Hillside Mall December 2-4

Thanks to everyone who helped make our Open House on Nov. 5 a success. We are now looking for volunteers to help at the Hillside Mall kiosk on these dates:

• Friday Dec.2
• Saturday Dec. 3
• Sunday Dec. 4

We need to staff all open hours of the mall, which is 9 am to 9 pm, except Sunday which ends at 6 pm.

If you can help for a few hours or have questions, contact Barb McKrow, bmckrow@shaw.ca. Your name will go on a list and you will be contacted later about the schedule. Thanks!

Trees at Empress Hotel

Every year the BC Children's Hospital has a major fund-raiser at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria. The Festival of Trees on display for six weeks presents a special opportunity for groups and individuals to support the important work of the BC Children's Hospital.

This year a dedicated group of leadership students at Mt. Douglas High School are making African AIDS Angels to decorate their tree. They are contributing in honour of a fellow student who has been helped by the hospital, and later the angels will be available for African AIDS Angels fund-raising.

This event runs from November 22 to January 6. You can check it out and vote for your favourite tree. Thanks to board members Sandra Dennis and Nathan How for making this dual-purpose event happen, as well as to all the students involved.

Fair Trade on November 26

VIDEA'S FAIR TRADE FAIR

Saturday November 26th
First Metropolitan United Church Hall
932 Balmoral Road at Quadra St, Victoria
10am - 4pm

Come out and support over 35 local fair trade vendors, including African AIDS Angels. Make your holiday purchases with a conscience, enjoy great live music, food from the International Women's Catering Coop, good friends, door prizes and lots more! Admission is by donation and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

African AIDS Angels has enough volunteers for this table. Thanks to those participating.

Open House this Saturday Nov. 5

Be sure to attend our annual Open House in Victoria. See the clever handiwork of dozens of angel-makers, including standing angels for tabletop decoration.

Saturday Nov. 5
10 am to 3 pm
Swan Lake Nature House

map

Free admission and refreshments. Donations per angel are a minimum of $10 at this special event.

Bring a friend and combine the Open House with a stroll along Swan Lake's refreshing boardwalk.

Angel-making Sessions

Please join these upcoming angel-making sessions. They are drop-in events with instruction provided, and you do not need to bring anything. For maps and future dates, check the Calendar at the bottom of this page.

1. EVENING Thursday Nov. 3, 7 pm, Holy Cross Parish Hall ( behind the church), 4049 Gordon Head Road
2. Wed. Nov. 16, 1-3 pm, Cordova Bay United Church, 813 Claremont Ave, beside Claremont School
3. Mon. Nov. 21, James Bay Community Project, 547 Michigan Ave.
4. Student group every Tuesday evening, 6:30 pm at UVic Student Union Bldg, lower floor, except during Reading Break.
   

You may also drop off completed angels at these times.

Videa Fair Trade Fair, November 26, posters

We have all time slots covered with at least one person, but there are two times, 12 noon to 2 p.m, and 2 p.m to 4 p.m, that might need one more person each. If we have two people there at all times, it gives you a chance to wonder around to see all the exhibits.

Click on the title of this post, above to go to the Videa web site, with the poster for this event!

You can download the poster and handout here, by clicking on colour highlighted words.

If you can volunteer to sell angels at this exciting event, please let me know (reply to aids angels e-mail address),

Pierre Dil

Supply & Distribution Depot in Victoria

Linda Foley has kindly agreed to handle distribution of supplies and acceptance of completed angels. This will last into the fall until further notice.

Linda's phone number is 250-881-1536 and her address is 4310 Maltwood Lane (in the Broadmead/High Quadra area). map

Vic and Lorraine Parsons, the regular distributors, will be unavailable.

Fall Events

Here's a summary of the bigger events happening in Victoria this fall.

• November 5, Saturday, 10 to 3: African AIDS Angels Open House at Swan Lake Nature House
• November 26, Saturday: VIDEA Fair Trade Fair. See other posting for volunteer requests.
• December 2-4, Friday eve. to Sunday: Angels at Hillside Mall kiosk
• December 3, Saturday: Dickens Fair, James Bay Community School
• November 22 -January 6: Angel tree at Empress Hotel, part of the BC Children's Hospital fund-raiser, entered by Mt. Douglas High School leadership group

Videa Fair Trade Fair, Volunteers needed

African AIDS Angels will be selling angels at a table at the Videa Fair Trade fair, on November 26, 2011, from 10 am to 4 p.m. The location is Metropolitan First United Church Hall, 932 Balmoral Road, in Victoria.

We need volunteers (2 for each of time slots 10-12 noon, 12-2 pm, and 2-4 pm) to sell angels and be responsible for talking to the public about AAA.

This is a really fun event to volunteer for, and with two people available at the table you have ample time to spell each other offf and browse around the other exhibits. It is a great time to do some Christmas shopping.

Lee Ann and I will take the first time slot (10am to 12 noon) so we wil set-up the table.

The persons covering 2-4 pm will need to take down the display and pack up angels/supplies, to be returned to Pierre and Lee Ann Dil's house.

If you think you could assist with this, reply to the AAA gmail address, or leave a comment in reply to this on the blog! Thank you,

Pierre Dil

Golden donations

With the high price of gold these days, it's well worth it to check any jewelry donations you have received. If an earring, brooch or chain is marked on the back at 10k, 18k, or 24k, you can turn it into a cash donation.

Recently a volunteer received $55 for two items at a jeweler/gold recycler. If you want the name of a shop in Victoria, send us an email.

Angels club at UVic

An angels club is forming at the University of Victoria.
If you're a student there or know a student who is interested in making angels, send an email to africanaidsangels@gmail.com. We'll put you in touch.

Angels and Quality Control

We're heading into the busy season for fund-raising and look forward to receiving your angels. Please take a moment to note a few points on quality control.

• All parts should be secure. Hold the angel up, or hang it briefly to make sure all parts are fully attached.
• The skirt seam should be fully glued, not flapping open.
• The name tag should be attached with a single split piece of raffia which is soft, not stiff, and hanging about 3 to 4 inches down the back.

Angels are handled several times and packed in boxes, so they need to be well constructed with future handling and donors in mind.

Where to find angels

Angels will be available at these upcoming events in the Victoria area:

• Sunday September 11 - Metchosin Fall Fair, Happy Valley Rd., Metchosin
  
• Saturday September 17 and October 8 - Peninsula Country Market, Saanich Fairgrounds, Mt. Newton Cross Road, 9 am - 1 pm.

For angels at any time, consult the list of generous shops on our website.

We are always in need of more places to present angels. Please send an email if you have a small or large opportunity to add angels to an event.

News from South African Projects

Following receipt of the second half of their 2011 allocation from African AIDS Angels, the people responsible for the South African progams sent reports and thanks:

Thembalethu (Assisi) orphanage
Sister Andrea, in charge of the children’s shelter, thanked the AAA volunteers for the funds sent in June. “You are the real angels. You have such special ways – a kind of magic touch. Your donation was highly appreciated, more than words can say. There is a world of special meaning in the words that comes your way.”

The head of the Outreach program, Sister Evarista, recently passed away and her place has been taken by a newly retired teacher.

The youngest child now at the shelter was born in March and abandoned by his mother in the hospital at Port Shepstone. “He is growing well and is spoiled by everyone.” Sister Fakazile is still helping the school-age children in their studies after the school day is finished. This has dramatically improved the children’s grades. The photo shows the children's playroom building.

There will be a change in the infrastructure at Thembalethu. The Sisters had originally found accommodation for the orphans in a wing of a former hospital. The South African government is requiring the construction of cottages which will be the homes for 6 to 8 children each. This has proven to be a better system overall but will stretch the resources of Thembalethu. The photo shows the former hospital.

St. Mary’s Hospital - Born to Live Program
Sheena Hardiman from the large hospital at Marianhill near Durban calls the AAA volunteers “stars” and thanks them all for the June contribution to the Born to Live program.

In the past year, she says, 964 mothers have gone through the antenatal classes. Forty-three per cent of those women were HIV-positive. “All of these mothers would have received treatment to prevent the unborn baby from getting HIV and the babies would receive the preventative drug at birth.”

“We have many more mothers giving birth at St. Mary’s who may not have been through the Born to Live program but come through referral clinics and are HIV positive. We give the mothers the preventative drug and to the baby at birth. These number 1908. Our statistics still show a 96 per cent success rate. These moms and babies remain in the program post-delivery until 18 months when the final blood test is taken to see if the baby is HIV negative.”

Sheena says one indication Born to Live is working is that fewer children are being admitted to hospital who are HIV positive at a very young age.

Sunday August 7, Glendale Gardens

We are still looking for volunteers to staff a booth in Victoria for a couple of hours on

Sunday August 7, between 11 and 5,
especially at 5 pm.

You're welcome to sign up with a relative or friend if you prefer. Arts & Music at Glendale Gardens, (Horticulture Centre of the Pacific),505 Quayle Rd, accessible via Interurban or West Saanich Road. Artists will be working throughout the 9 acres of spectacular gardens. Location map.
Please send an email to africanaidsangels@gmail.com if you can help.

A big thanks to the great people who have been helping at sales this spring and summer: Fran, Barb, Lesley, Ruth, Nathan, Laura, Meaghan, LoraBeth, Brenda, Shawna, Erin, Elizabeth, Wynne, Terry, Kathie, Cathy, Barb, Marcia, and Brian.

Seeds for Malawi Garden Party

Click on the newsletter image to read about Seeds for Malawi's very successful garden party/fundraiser on Saltspring Island.
Use Control & + to increase the print size (Command & + on a Mac).

Their Mill Bay chapter also did very well at their plant sale. Congratulations to all the volunteers.