Ten years ago this October running, jumping, bouncing, dancing, singing, smiling, loving, riding three-year-old Finn Sullivan died. Rising from the tragedy, Lynn Valley’s most powerful charity was born: Team Finn.
Ten years ago this October running, jumping, bouncing, dancing, singing, smiling, loving, riding three-year-old Finn Sullivan died. Rising from the tragedy, Lynn Valley’s most powerful charity was born: Team Finn.
There was a curious post circulating a North Shore Facebook group: someone was searching for people who love to garden.
“We have people who in the past have enjoyed gardening, and would still love to do it,” said Eunice Kruse, volunteer coordinator of the Lynn Valley Care Centre. “We have a rooftop garden with raised beds that the residents can use.”
But that can’t happen on their own.
The Lynn Valley Care Centre is looking for a volunteer or two who can share an hour of gardening with residents once or twice a week. The volunteer would take them up to the garden and plant seeds, help weed and visit with the senior, said Kruse.
“We would be looking for someone who loves gardening and can help one or two of our residents at a time,” said Kruse. “It means so much – it gives good mental and physical stimulation. There is also a sense of purpose of being able to do something they used to be able to do.”
The Lynn Valley Care Centre offers intermediate care, extended (complex care), palliative care, and end-of-life care. It has a combination of government subsidized beds and private pay rooms and suites.
If gardening isn’t your thing there are many other opportunities to interact and support the residents, said Kruse. Some volunteers visit with pets, some help organize tea time, one helps seniors get to their appointments with the in-house hairdresser, while others help with arts and crafts. Volunteers also read aloud and host music afternoons and sing-alongs.
There is another project Kruse needs volunteers to get started: a social group for senior men.
“I would like to find two-three men who would meet with our elderly men,” she said. “To talk about things that are important to men.”
Research shows that social interaction is immensely beneficial to seniors – or anyone who is feeling isolated, but recent research shows men are less likely to seek out that interaction, said Kruse. She hopes to find enough interest to run the group once a week and give residents a chance to chat about past and current hobbies, interests and adventures.
The reward for volunteers is tangible.
“You see what these visits mean to the residents,” said Kruse. “In just an hour or two you can see someone come to life. It’s a two-way street you give your time and they will give back.”
To learn more about the volunteer opportunities at the Lynn Valley Care Centre please call Eunice Kruse at 604-982-3709 (she is in Mondays or please leave a message) or visit the volunteer page of its website.
The twice-weekly concert series is returning to Lynn Valley Village again this summer. Wednesday and Friday nights local artists will hit the stage for free evenings of entertainment. Mark you calendars for the special family days and dance workshops all put on by North Van Recreation.
Gary Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars
Sam Spades
Wednesday August 1, 6-8 p.m. – Family Fun Night. A shared evening of artistic and creative workshops for families to enjoy together.
The best ideas for summer fun for all ages
With new recruits, good forest planning, public awareness and inter-agency support, Lynn Valley’s wildland-urban interface is better positioned than ever before to deal with wildfires.
Our latest update and news about the June 11 apartment fire with details from the NSEMO.
The latest on the Mountain Village Fire – Updated as we get it
There is plenty of action instore for this Lynn Valley Day. It starts bright and early and we have all the details on the parade, detours, food – beer garden!! – and the fun!
8:15-9:45 a.m. Pancake breakfast at Lions’ Cook Shack at Lynn Valley Park
9:15 a.m. Traffic detours begin for the parade.
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Games and large inflatable bouncy toys for the kids kick off at Lynn Valley Field.
Visit the face painters, watch the entertainment and grab fair treats.
9:30 a.m. The parade will make its way east on Lynn Valley Road from Mollie Nye Way towards Mountain Hwy, where it turns north towards Frederick.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Local community groups and businesses showcase their work in booths around the field. There are lots of games to be played and prizes to be won!
10:30 a.m. – Head over the LynnValleyLife’s Family Olympics and Obstacle course for your chance at prizes!
12 – 6 p.m. Beer Garden for those 19+ ($5 entrance fee)
*subject to change
Some photos courtesy of Lynn Valley Lions
We love Lynn Valley – our unique mountain-side home, our convenient doorstep with easy access to the city and the forest even closer. We love the people that make our neighbourhood unique. We love the businesses that make it thrive.
LynnValleyLife.com is launching a community-wide contest. Do you love LV as much as we do? We know you love the big defining parts of Lynn Valley but what about the details?
Our Eye ? Lynn Valley FaceBook contest. For the next several weeks we will be posting some images of what makes Lynn Valley unique. It is up to you to guess what you are seeing.
Keep your eyes peeled for our posts – you never know when they will pop up. You might see businesses, art, buildings or landmarks – everything Eye ? about Lynn Valley.
If you don’t want to miss a post – change your Facebook “Following” settings to “See First.”
*Participants can only win once for the duration of the contest.
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If you would like to be a sponsor please contact us here!
Lynn Valley is a neighbourhood rich with history; the tales of our long-age neighbours are interwoven through our very forests, steams and streets. For a primer on our past, visit the LynnValleyLife History page … or, even better, pop into the Community History Centre, located in the former Lynn Valley elementary school heritage building at 3203 Institute Rd.
This is a great post from our archives by Bob Rasmus.
In 1912 the residents of Lynn Valley worked hard. There were trees to fall, buck up and transport to the mills. And once they reached the mills, there was still a lot of hard work remaining in order to turn the raw logs into lumber for transport to market or to build local houses.
By today’s standards, every task that was carried out was accomplished through hard physical labour. It only made sense that a few community-minded individuals took it upon themselves to create an event that gave the local residents an opportunity to play.
The first Lynn Valley Day was held 100 years ago, in September 1912. Featured events include Pin the Tail on the Donkey, a Tug-of-War, a ‘Fat Men’s’ race and a Men’s Handicap Competition for Merchants Trust and Trading Co. Cup. For a look at the actual 1912 program of events, click here!
Lynn Valley Day 1915
Also included in the day’s activities was the official opening of Lynn Canyon Park by Reeve William May, with assistance from the Mayor and Council. (For a story about the park’s early history, click here.) Following the opening of the park was the inaugural opening of the Suspension Bridge. Later in the evening, there was a dance that was led off by the Reeve and distinguished guests. The president of the organizing committee was John M. Duval, and the Vice-President was J.M. Fromme.
Track and Field events for all ages got underway at 9 a.m. with one of the features being a community tug-of-war, in which winners were awarded with a special trophy. The afternoon featured the crowning of May Queen Norma Damgaard, in addition to folk dancing, Maypole dancing, a children’s fancy dress parade, a band concert by the North Vancouver School’s Band, boxing matches and whist drives and concert.
These were all topped off with the annual Lynn Valley Day Dance. Officials in 1949 included M.E. Sowden, James Sinclair, Johnny Cates and MLA W.M. Draycott – the latter, of course, still well-known to us as the community builder who is commemorated with a bronze statue sitting on a bench in Pioneer Park.
In 1962, the 50th Anniversary was a special event held on Saturday, June 2. The day began with field sports, including races, jumping competitions for children of all ages, some pole vaulting and some discus throwing for older children.
The afternoon was reserved for adult races which culminated in a “married couple’s pie-eating contest” with a $2.00 prize. While the afternoon races were going on, there was also a full slate of concessions to take part in and a parade to watch, as well as the coronation ceremonies for the Lynn Valley Day Queen of the year.
The evening began with a ladies softball game at 6 p.m., followed by a square dance at 7:30 and a dance at the community hall at 9:00. It was a full day of activities – just check out this schedule of events!
Lynn Valley Day historical images courtesy of North Vancouver Museum and Archives.
More than 100 years later, this annual community event is still very much alive and entertains up to 10,000 people. In latter years, it has grew to the point that now both the Lynn Valley Lions Club and the Lynn Valley Community Association were required to manage it.
This year’s event kicks off with a gala dinner and dance under a huge tent on Friday night. Saturday morning begins the community parade. There will be the fantastic Lions’ Cook Shack, balloon artists, face painters, music, along with rides, public displays and a collector car show, will be entertaining crowds all day long.
The residents of Lynn Valley still work hard, and deserve a chance to relax and enjoy time with their family and friends. Lynn Valley Days still provides that opportunity.