Rosella Leslie is giving a talk about her book Losing Us: A Dementia Caregiver’s Journey, on June 9 at 2 p.m. at the Cowichan Library in Duncan.
“My presentation is meant to help new caregivers and their community to understand the difficulties of the dementia caregiving journey and to share with them the strategies and resources that I discovered during my twelve years of looking after my late husband, John Alvarez,” Leslie said in an email.
“I learned about dementia and caregiving the hard way — through trial and error and plenty of guilt, frustration and tears — and I waited far too long to seek help,” she said. “When I did reach out to others, the support I received saved my life. In time, I joined with others to advocate for changes that would help caregivers to be better, healthier, and more resilient as they care for their loved ones.”
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St. Edwards Catholic Women’s League is hosting Elvis on Saturday, June 10 at St. Edwards Church Hall, 2085 Maple Bay Rd.
Live, in Person, Elvis the King stars Scott MacDonald.
MacDonald’s singing career started early as a member of Ottawa’s Christ Church Cathedral choir. In the early 1990s Scott happened to hear Elvis performing ‘American Trilogy’ on TV and was spellbound by the King’s performance. At that moment he committed himself to a life long study of Elvis’s life and his music. He practiced his performances on friends and family and was soon entertaining at various venues throughout Ottawa.
“MacDonald has definitely put the “Elvis” back in his music and has delighted thousands across the country from Halifax to Vancouver Island ever since,” said a press release for the event.’
He will be performing two 45-minute sets. A buffet dinner is included in the $50 per person ticket. Tickets are available from Francine (250-710-5021) or Mary Hof (mhof126@gmail.com, or phone 250-715-6297). A silent auction and 50/50 draw will also be held at the event. This is an alcohol-free event.
The event runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Proceeds are to support local charities.
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Cowichan Hospice, along with Kwun’atsustul Counselling and other community partners, are hosting a free two-day workshop to acknowledge and explore grief as a community.
On June 14 and 15 community members are invited to join others and strengthen their capacity to support one another.
The workshop takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Quw’utsun Cultural Centre. Lunch will be provided.
On June 16, community members are invited to a drop-in day of Honouring Grief. Support will be offered by counsellors, hospice volunteers, Elders and wellness practitioners.
To register, email cowichancares@gmail.com or contact Mellissa Craghtten at 250-732-1602.
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BC Transit and its local government partners are once again offering the popular GradPASS program for graduating high school students.
Schools in more than 70 communities across British Columbia, including the Cowichan Valley, take part in the program that allows Grade 12 students to ride the bus for free, any two days during the month of June. The GradPASS program aims to help students consider all transportation options when planning a safe ride home at graduation time.
To use a GradPASS, students scratch off their two chosen travel days, which do not have to be consecutive. When boarding the bus, they present the card along with a valid student ID to the driver.
GradPASS cards were handed out to students by participating schools in late May.
The cost of this program is covered by local governments and BC Transit.
For more information on BC Transit schedules, fares and to sign up for customer alerts, visit bctransit.com and select your local transit system.