Mary Lee Chan, according to daughter Shirley Chan (my boss and CEO of BOB!) was a one woman employment agency, connecting residents in need of work to local businesses and even connecting couples-to-be on more than one occasion! She was a community advocate who energetically  and tirelessly served the people and businesses of Chinatown/Strathcona. Whether lobbying hard for a community centre or against the creation of a freeway that would’ve destroyed this part of the city (she was the founder of SPOTA – Strathcona Property Owners & Tenants Association), Mary Lee Chan definitely goes down in the history books as an important civic figure in Vancouver, particularly in Strathcona and Chinatown.

Recently, historian wrote a thank you letter to the Mayor and City Council with a cc. to the Library Board concerning the plans to go ahead with the long awaited East End Library Branch on the 700 block of East Hastings. In Johnstone’s words “The people in Strathcona have been lobbying and working for a new East End Branch for over 15 years. The branch is long overdue.”
In that letter he suggests that the new East End Branch should be called the Mary Lee Chan Branch Library in her honour. Please join us in writing in support of his suggestion to Mayor and Council. As says it best I’m reposting the rest of his call to action below:

-It is a result of the leadership, community building skills and tenacity of Mary Lee Chan and the people of all backgrounds living in the East End who worked with her that we even have our old historic East End neighbourhood today–not to mention large swaths of Chinatown. Please, please, please take some time to write a short e-mail in support of naming the new East End Library Branch to be built on the 700-block of East Hastings the Mary Lee Chan Branch Library.  . Here are the addresses you should send your notes to:

board@vpl.ca; paulwhi@vpl.ca; Diana.Guinn@vpl.ca; mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

will be holding their annual fundraiser featuring Barney Bentall & the Grand Cariboo Opry at the venerable Vogue Theatre on December 11, 2010. For the past few years, Potluck and have provided a toe-tapping good time for those in attendance. The show is comprised of humourous monologues and all sorts of amazing musical guests. This year’s performance promises to be better than ever!

Potluck is a social enterprise in the Downtown Eastside that runs a café and provides catering services, both of which serve hundreds of customers in the area. Potluck offers many great to residents of the Downtown Eastside. They (rightfully) believe that no one should be deprived of quality, nutritious food and are committed to sharing this message.

BOB has maintained a good working relationship with Potluck for a number of years. We have partnered with them on numerous occasions, including collaborating with them for monthly SHINE dinners for clients, as well as employer breakfasts.

BOB and Potluck also worked together to offer a Banquet Server Training Program last year. As a part of BOB’s Business Links program, clients were taught valuable skills in order to enter the workforce and were given the opportunity to interview with employers once they completed the training.

The night at the Vogue not only supports a fantastic cause, but is guaranteed to be a good time. Tickets can be purchased at:  

If you are not able to make it to the fundraiser and still want to support Potluck, visit their café at 30 W. Hastings from 8-4 Monday to Friday or donate .

Perhaps because Thanksgiving is upon us, the BOB Supported Employment team is taking the opportunity to thank all of the great employers who have worked with us over the past year. We have had so much success placing clients with these companies and hope to maintain these good relationships in the future.

To read more, please see the newsletter in full:

Other items featured this month include:

• SFU Theatre Re-hires 10 Inner-City Residents
• Event Listings

That’s what members of the (BIA) are hoping as they put forth an application for funding for a number of micro-gardens throughout the Strathcona neighbourhood. Aviva Insurance is holding a competition for the best ideas that support positive change within communities, and the BIA to keep it in the running.

The proposed 20-30 gardens would be situated adjacent to public spaces in the area. This would contribute to the beauty of the neighbourhood, allow for the local growth of edible plants, and engage the community in the gardens’ collective upkeep. Barbed wire fences and other deterrents currently found in Strathcona can create an exclusion of people from their neighbourhood.

Building nice green spaces in urban areas is in line with the principles of .  The principles suggest that the use of openly visible space in a positive manner can strengthen a person’s bond with their physical environment. The more connected individuals feel with the space in which they live, the less likely they are to do harm to that space and to others. This interplay can create the ideal mutually beneficial relationship between a city and its residents, where each is influenced by the other.

The gardens would be constructed by landscapers from , a non-profit organization in the Downtown Eastside which helps people with job readiness barriers find employment opportunities. Mission Possible hopes working with local youth in this endeavour will engage the youth with the neighbourhood and allow them to make a meaningful contribution to a large project.

Strathcona has always housed a progressive group of citizens with very strong views on what happens to their neighbourhood.  In the 1960s when was just beginning to take form, were held in Strathcona to fight the plan to build a highway through the neighbourhood. This helped spur a number of similar campaigns in later years in Canada and the US.  The pride and passion residents have with regards to their area is inspiring. It is very appropriate that Strathcona may once again have the chance to be a trailblazer in terms of community building.

You can read more about the project and vote for it here:

Every vote counts!

BOB is excited to participate once again in the taking place this October 4th to 7th here in Vancouver. The summit will explore the green economy, sustainability, building capacity, emerging theories of governance and industry collaboration, greentech/cleantech and other fascinating issues.

This year’s speakers include Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, Deputy City Manager for the City of Vancouver, Sadhu Johnston (who has contributed to leading sustainability policies in Chicago, Portland and now here) and Carol Sanford, an acclaimed speaker considered a leader of leaders. Her consulting clients include Fortune 500 businesses and emerging ventures such as Seventh Generation.

The Keynote speaker will be , currently the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9.

About Jared Blumenfeld:

Jared Blumenfeld is the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9—which includes California, much of the U.S. Southwest and Hawaii. With a background in international environmental law and an active career with the , Jared was appointed in 2002 by San Francisco to build and lead its Department of Environment.

Under his leadership, San Francisco initiated landmark policy and laws, starting with precautionary principles and reaching into every area of urban practice. He believes that international and other broad-based frameworks are well-intentioned but produce limited on-the-ground results. During his tenure, San Francisco convened that brought 80 of the world’s largest cities together to define urban
sustainability and map strategies.

EPA Region 9 includes 47 million people, 4 of the 10 largest cities in the U.S., and 24 of the hundred largest.

Blumenfeld comes to Gaining Ground on Tuesday, October 4th to speak about the adoption of new technologies, measuring what’s happening, and the sweet spot where policy and stakeholder engagement merge. He will also lead a policy salon during the afternoon workshop portion of the program.

To register and for more information please visit: www.gaininggroundsummit.com