Some of our clients raise funds throughout the year to fill Christmas hampers for families in need at the Cridge Centre. The faces of the families when they receive their hampers could light up a thousand Christmas lights!!!

To get to their volunteer placements our clients often share Garth Homer Society vans, and that is where our clients are seeking your help. They need to replace an aging vehicle in the fleet, so that they can continue with their volunteer work in the community.

To learn more about this need click here or to make a donation click here.

The STARR Team would like to extend a warm thank you to all the GHS clients and staff who graciously helped with gift wrapping, shopping, and heartfelt donations.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the following community partners for their generous donations: Wal-Mart, Budget Rent-A-Car of Victoria Ltd., Fairway Market, Market on Yates, Saanich Police Department, Save On Foods, TD Canada Trust, Thrifty Foods, Focus 5000 Hair Designers, Heirloom Linens, Country Grocer, Costco and Boston Pizza.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this Christmas merrier and brighter for the families supported!

Despite a fierce rainstorm more than a hundred artists, clients and other friends of Garth Homer gathered to show their appreciation to the donors who contributed $130,000 to make the new studio and gallery a reality. The generous donors were presented with a framed print of the Grand Opening poster featuring art by David Whiting, a client in ArtWorks. The audience was then treated to a delightful performance by the Victoria Children’s Choir Chamber Group, directed by Madeleine Humer.

The Garth Homer Society has long believed that artists with developmental disabilities have the right to choose to be an artist and to show their work in public galleries and other community venues. The Jennie Butchart Studio and Karin Koerner Gallery are essential to making this philosophy a reality.

Key donors honoured at the Opening were the Victoria Foundation, Butchart Gardens, Cutting Edge Woodworks, Island Blue Print, Lynda and Jim Dryden, Rob Withrow, Jamie Koerner and David Whiting.

The donation will help Positively Africa, a non-governmental organization, support a disabled AIDS orphans in Phelisanong, Lesotho. The Society’s Community Access Team have been raising money through their recycling program to support this project since 2007.

This $5,000 donation brings the total amount raised to $15,000. The Chair of the union's International Solidarity Committee, Colleen Jones, presented the cheque to Positively Africa’s representative, Sue Russell, at an event at the Garth Homer Society on November 30, 2009.

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