We regret to report that Violet Puskas has been found and has sadly passed away. We are all very sad that this gentle, kind woman who volunteered with the BCCPD is no longer with us and send our sincere and heartfelt condolences to her family. She is very much missed by us all. Thank you Violet for everything you did for the BCCPD and our clients. Rest In Peace.

The BCCPD recently facilitated a Money Skills workshop developed by Family Services of Greater Vancouver.

Workshop participants shared many great resources and money-saving tips:

• Clothes on Wheels: Free clothing – www.clothesonwheels.org
• Free Geek: Volunteer for 24 hours to get a free computer – http://freegeekvancouver.org/ – 1820 Pandora Street, Van. 604-879-4335
• UBC Dental School: Cheap and/or free dental work- www.dentistry.ubc.ca
• teksavvy.com– Internet for as little as 24.95
• Magazine & Comic Book Emporium (Broadway/Granville) – Cheap magazines (new: 50 cents)
• Dollarama: $1 store ($1 Shoe laces, $2 organic soup, pickled beets, Kalamata olives, hats gloves with double layers ($1.25)
• majicJack: Make long distance phone calls cheaply – www.majicJack.com
• Volunteer at thrift stores for 24hrs of service and receive a 40% discount
• Volunteer at discount food outlets (Quest) and receive free food
• FREE! – Free stuff in your area – www.freecycle.org
• Check out the ‘FREE’ column on Craigslist
• The Bay has a food floor on the lower level and it usually has discount dairy and perishables
• Green tea leftovers can be used for acne treatment

Many thanks to all our workshop participants and Family Services of Greater Vancouver.

The BC Coalition for People with Disabilities is seeking 8-10 people aged 40 and older with chronic health issues/disabilities for a focus group. Participants will discuss their experiences communicating with health care professionals. The purpose of this discussion is to identify improvements or strategies that could be used to increase successful interaction.

The focus group findings will be used for an article on communication in health care situations and participant input will be kept anonymous.

No honourarium is available but light refreshments will be provided.

When: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 2:00-3:30 pm

Where: BCCPD office, #204-456 West Broadway, Vancouver

If you are interested, please contact Shelley by emailing wdi@bccpd.bc.ca or phoning 604-875-0188.