Nominations sought for community sport administrator award

Every year, thousands of children have fun while learning the value of teamwork, fair play, and self-discipline thanks to the efforts of the coaches, parents and administrators who organize community sports.

For the fifth straight year, Douglas College is hosting the Investors Community Coaching Conference to honor those people for their commitment and contributions to amateur sport. Nominations are presently being accepted for the Community Sport Administrator Award, which is given to mark an individual’s contribution to sport in an administrative capacity. Cutoff for nominations is January 22.

“The event is for grassroots-level coaches and administrators,” says Chris Johnson of Douglas College’s Sports Institute. “It’s a way of thanking the people who work behind the scenes, and it’s also good professional development for people who will have an effect on a lot of children’s lives.”

Sponsored by Investors Group, the Douglas College Sports Institute, and the Sports Services branch of the provincial government, the conference speakers include David Cox, one of Canada’s foremost sports psychologists and coach for tennis star Grant Connell and Canada’s Davis Cup Team; John Mills, Executive Director of Sport B.C.; and Chris Johnson.

“The theme will be on making sports fun for kids,” says Johnson. “We'll be addressing issues like self-esteem, mental practice, and the role of sports for children. The contribution that coaches and administrators make has a lot more to do with the development of the children than the development of the sports.”

The conference will be held at the Douglas College Performing Arts Theatre from 9am to 4pm, Saturday, January 27. For information on obtaining nomination forms, call 527-5492. For more information on the conference, call 527-5041. Admission will be either $10 for one person and a guest or free with a coupon from the Sports Institute. Admission includes refreshments and lunch. To register for the conference, call 527-5472. Pre-registration is required. I

For your benefit

In November’s INside, we gave you information regarding Extended Health Benefits and filling out the forms for reimbursement of prescriptions. This month, we’d like to continue by discussing our Vision Care coverage. This is a different form than the prescription form and is also available in the entrance area of the Personnel Office, Room 2300.

Benefit coverage for eyeglasses (lenses and frames) works on a 24-month period. That is, from the date of purchase of eyeglasses, 24 months to the day (purchase date) must elapse before another claim may be made against the plan. The plan provides for a reimbursement rate of 80% of the cost of the eyeglasses to a maximum amount. Just as with the prescription benefit, the annual one-time $25 deductible is also associated with the Vision Care benefit. You will only pay the deductible once per year per family on prescriptions or vision care.

Also, you can claim a lens (e.g. broken lens) or a new set of lenses. This claim has a lesser maximum than the benefit for eyeglasses. The 24-month period above applies to this benefit as well. That is, the clock starts ticking once a claim is made and you can make the second claim within that 24-month period. The plan reimburses at 80% of the value to a maximum.

There are some special circumstances associated with contact lenses. Please contact the Personnel Department at local 5390 for more information on any of the above. I

\ Manveries and drearos peeenee colors

and rocods al College art show

n the early seventies, Rita Monaco

lived like an artist, looked like an

artist, and worked to become an artist, but was never satisfied with the results of her work.

Years later, after marrying, mothering and forging through the complexities of adult life, she began painting again and discovered that the intervening experiences had nourished her talent. Her work now graces homes ranging from B.C.’s Gulf Islands to Italy. In January, she will be bringing her vibrant, sensual canvasses to the Amelia Douglas Gallery.

“In my paintings and pastels I pour out impressions, dreams and memories,” says Monaco. “My style is an evolution

of impressionism, but there’s nothing complex about it. My pieces are very simple and easily understood.”

Born in Italy in 1945, Monaco came to Canada in 1967 and settled in Edmonton, where she studied art at the University of Alberta in the early seventies. In 1976, she moved to Vancouver and established herself as a talented graphic artist and illustrator. Although Vancouver is a long way from Italy, her old world origins are still visible in her work.

“People say that there is something very European, very Italian about my work,” says Monaco. “They can understand what I’m talking about and perhaps they find that refreshing.”

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For inspiration, Monaco sketches and takes photographs during her travels. She always returns to her Vancouver studio to paint, however, preferring to reconstruct her nostalgic, uplifting images in familiar surroundings.

The show, titled Monaco, is a collection of paintings and pastels created within the last year. Art afficionados can meet the artist at a reception on January 11 from 4-8pm in the’Gallery.

Monaco will run from January 8 to February 12. For more information, call 527-5528. I