March 31, 2004 News e¢ theother press © continued from page 4 bono legal advice, and aid for women and their children fleeing domestic violence,” she said. But Chong said her definition of essential services is different. Core services are “directed mostly at women in emergency situations, such as those fleeing domestic violence,” she said, adding that they include providing women with the contact information for shel- ters, health centres, and charities not funded by the government. Women’s centres were given two years notice that the government would withdraw funding, said Chong. The Liberals provided the centres with money so that they could find alternate donors, she added. Chong said the women’s centres were not helping the ministry meet its fiscal responsi- bilities, and that other government agencies in operation would be better providers of essen- tial women’s services. The BC government will stop funding women’s centres on March 31. The province's 37 women’s centres will lose about $47,000 each. Dodds said that all 37 will eventually have to close because provincial funding com- prises the bulk of each centre's operating budget. Seventeen centres will close their doors immediately after they lose the provincial funding, bringing the total number of centres closed to 21 by the end of the month, say women’s advocates. - broadcast media are being ncoutaged apply for the Penny Wise Jo i Scholarship for Women. The winner will receive a total of $2,500 to study journalism in Langara College's Certificate Program in Journalism. The scholarship is provided by the gen- erosity of the late Evelyn A. known to generations of newspap as “Penny Wise”—and in ass: Langara College Community News journalism—usually in of clippings from high school, university, community newspapers—or who is a coi munity newspaper employee with less | one year’s experience. All applicants m ion visit the BCYCNA site at ommunitynews.com/files/ Wipphication deadline is — Web Changing How Kids Seek Help: Kids Help Phone Lisa Terepocki OP Contributor Kids aren't just talking on the phone anymore. Like the rest of the world, they are increasing- ly communicating through the Internet. That’s why Kids Help Phone added web counselling to their services in the fall of 2002. Established in 1989, Kids Help Phone pro- vides professional, bilingual, confidential, toll- free, 24-hour phone counselling to troubled Canadian kids. Its Internet “Ask a Counsellor” service lets people submit online questions to Kids Help Phone professionals who will answer within 72 hours. Over 2003, Kids Help Phone noticed a shift in demand from phone to web. “We continue to help more than 1,000 kids every day,” says Kathie Jagger, Kids Help Phone's regional director, British Columbia. “However, how we're helping today looks dif- ferent than it did even a few years ago.” Whether kids are using the phone or the Internet, the questions asked are the same, and often concern family issues, abuse, and suicide. In the next year, Kids Help Phone will embark on extensive research, investigating how kids want to communicate and how Kids Help Phone can effectively serve them. “Young people want to use us in new and innovative ways and we're responding,” says Jagger. “We must and will respond to this demand so we can continue to be there for kids whenever and however they need us. We don’t know what the future will hold, but one responsibility would be the introduction of real-time web counselling.” Kids Help Phone is a non-profit organiza- tion that does not receive support from the government or United Way. Instead, it relies on corporate support and individual donors for funding. On Sunday, May 2, 2004, in 35 Canadian communities, thousand of support- ers of Kids Help Phone will take part in the Bell Walk for Kids. For more information, visit . Stats from 2003 In BC, Kids Help Phone helped almost 14,000 kids from almost 230 communities. Nationally, more than 430,000 kids were helped. Calls and online contacts were received from almost 3,000 Canadian communi- ties. Counsellors spent almost 140,000 hours helping kids. Kids and parents contacted Kids Help Phone about many issues, including sexu- ality, substance abuse, relationships, and suicide. Building a Community Of Life Savers. Olympic First aid Services First Aid / CPR Courses emergency First Aid Course eStandard First Aid course e Residential Care e Automatic External Defibrillator Course eCPR Recertification's First Aid Services www.olympictirstaid.com Olympic First Aid Services Office (604) 420 - 1748 www.olympicfirstaid.ca Theresa Laviolette OP Contributor If someone comes to your door soliciting donations for the Burn Fund and/or the Surrey Burn Unit, call the police. A young man claiming to be a fire fighter in Coquitlam has been going door-to-door in Surrey, in the area around 68th and 144th Streets, ostensibly raising money for the Surrey Burn Unit. In order to appear credible he provides a list of donors but cannot pro- vide a tax receipt. He is described as a tall South Asian man in his early thirties, and has been seen wear- ing a navy blue Coquitlam Fire Fighter's sweatshirt, with a white firefighter’s insignia over the left breast. The real Burn Fund emphasizes that they never solicit donations door-to-door. To gain awareness and support for their cause, the group holds a variety of publicized commu- nity events including golf tournaments, pan- cake breakfasts, hose reel festivals, and sport- ing competitions. They raise money through the production and sale of fire fighter calen- dars, the presentation of magic shows, and byhosting hundreds of unique fundraisers in cities and towns across BC. http://www.otherpress.ca As well, numerous corporations, founda- tions, and individuals have contributed to the Burn Fund by way of cash donations, bequests, planned giving, and legacy funds. The Burn Fund is a registered non-profit charity established in 1978 by the BC Professional Fire Fighters Association. Thirty-three hundred professional fire fight- ers from 43 communities around the province willingly donate their off-duty time and skills to promote the group’s work. The Fund is dedicated to burn prevention as well as survivor support and recovery pro- grams in British Columbia. They provide financial assistance for the purchase of equip- ment, training of medical staff, and the oper- ation of a children’s burn survivor camp. The public needs to be aware that few, if any; legitimate charities do any door-to-door canvassing anymore. As well, official organi- zations always provide tax receipts with their registered charity number printed on them. If you are ever asked for donations and have any doubts about the legitimacy of the solic- itation, request information and call the charity being represented. If you are approached by anyone request- ing Burn Fund donations, try to obtain a license number, write down any identifying information and report the incident to the Surrey RCMP at 604.599.0502 and quote file number 2004-31-660. For more information on the work of the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, and to learn how you can really support their cause, visit . e Page 5