General News
YANA supporters to gather again for 2022 Big Love Benefit
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Roll out the red carpet! The 2022 Big Love Auction will take place on February 25th at our signature venue (location to be determined) for both an in-person gathering and a live-streamed broadcast event. Anyone can join in and support YANA families and their children, however they choose, for an unforgettable night of celebration and community spirit.
After a year of re-inventing, and then re-inventing again, adapting to change seems to be the name of the game these days. This year’s hybrid event will include the most loved elements of the Big Love Benefit Gala, with the virtual participation option making it possible for anyone, anywhere, to join in the magic this night brings.
**New Provincial Health orders in effect until January 18th for gatherings will impact this event if they are not lifted or loosened at the end of the timeframe of the current order. Stay tuned for an update on this page after the January 18th announcement, and note that we will be delaying ticket sales until Sunday, January 23rd, at 10am in order to accommodate these new orders.
Tickets will be available in groups of 8 and can be purchased online beginning January 23, 2022 at 10:00am. These hot tickets sell out and you’ll want to act fast!
There are other great ways to support this year’s Big Love event:
- Purchase a raffle ticket for a WestJet Flight for two or 50/50 draw, the winner’s half was over $10,000 last year, so every ticket purchased is a big WIN-WIN! Flight tickets are good for one round trip flight for two guests to any regular scheduled and marketed WestJet destinations. (*No cash value. Fees, taxes, surcharges not included. Blackout dates and restrictions apply).
- Donate to our online auction or make a donation of any amount to receive access to bid on items on February 15th when bidding goes live.
- Sponsor this integral event and help make donations go even further, right back to YANA families and their children.
- Volunteer and be a part of the collective effort to make this vital fundraiser a success. We couldn’t do this without the many hands that make it all possible!
Christmas Cracker Grand Prizer Winner Announced
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This year’s Christmas Cracker grand-prize winner has been revealed! A huge congratulations goes to Sandra Hickman who snapped the winning cracker over the holidays.
The winning cracker was purchased at Quality Foods in Comox as a Christmas Gift. Sandra’s family decided this year that instead of exchanging presents, they would exchange gifts of impact to a local charity, a gift they couldn’t have guessed would contain the grand-prize; a gorgeous set of diamond rings. Sandra is familiar with non-profit work through her work with national charity, Threads of Life, who help families who have experienced a workplace tragedy. It was an easy choice to give back to the community and support YANA in lieu of traditional Christmas gifts, knowing first-hand the difference every donation makes.
All 5000 crackers sold out at businesses across the Comox Valley and through our online store. A huge thanks goes out to our distribution partners, Edible Island Whole Foods Market, Quality Foods Courtenay, Tin Town Cafe, John’s Your Independent Grocer, Quality Foods Comox, Comox Community Centre, and Seeds Food Market, as well as all of the crafters, volunteers, and everyone who purchased a crackers in support of YANA and the families we help. 100% of cracker sales goes directly back into YANA’s travel and accommodation programs thanks to a generous, anonymous donor for this year’s fundraiser.
Check back next year (and early!), you just might be the next lucky winner!
Christmas Crackers 2021 – SOLD OUT!
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As of December 9, 2021, Crackers are SOLD OUT at ALL locations!
Thank you to YANA’s anonymous sponsor whose generosity allowed 100% of every sale to be directed to accommodation and travel funding support for YANA families, and to prize donors Mark the Gold Guy and Tim from Simply Timeless for their neverending sparkly support! Huge gratitude as well to all volunteers, retail location staff, and Cracker purchasers in the Comox Valley and beyond for making this fundraiser a huge success again this year!
Reminder to our gift certificate and grand prize winners to contact the YANA office at info@yanacomoxvalley.com or 250-871-0343 to make arrangements to pick up your prize. We can’t wait to meet and congratulate you!
YANA Christmas Crackers are on sale NOW!
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Published by the Comox Valley Record Nov 16, 2021
It was many years ago that YANA’s founder, Sandra Williams, gathered with friends around her own kitchen table to craft the first Christmas Crackers, all in efforts to raise money for the Comox Valley’s grassroots organization. The tradition has carried on today thanks to the many hands that contribute to pulling off a made-from-scratch batch of 5000 Christmas Crackers each year. This year’s team of 19 talented volunteers has been led by Coordinator, Robbie Rusk, who has ensured the standard and quality that folks have known year after year.
Each crafter, whether veteran or newcomer, is given thorough instruction before diving into cracker making, along with completing a “tester 10” set of crackers that are checked and approved by YANA expert mentor crafters. Each crafter then receives a kit of supplies to make between 100 – 200 crackers, the equivalent of about 10-15 hours of full-on elf-mode cracker making.
“The care and artistry that our talented volunteers put into their crafting impress me beyond all belief”, shares Kelly Barnie, YANA’s Executive Director, who tells us the community has come to expect this fundraiser each year. “Even though we had to move away from our traditional group crafting last year, our dedicated volunteers pulled this fundraiser together to make sure our happy customers get their annual supply. Whether it’s for a special holiday dinner or as gifts for family, friends or coworkers, people sure get excited about these every year.”
Each cracker contains the usual trinkets and delights you’d expect to find, with 50 crackers containing a special prize. This year the grand prize is actually two prizes in one. Mark the Gold Guy has generously donated a gorgeous coordinating pair of diamond rings, appraised by Tim Haley at Simply Timeless at over $5,500. Thanks to an anonymous donor, 100% of the 2021 Christmas Cracker sales will go directly back into YANA’s funding and accommodation program, which provides support for about 400 medical trips each year for Comox Valley families.
YANA Christmas Crackers are on sale now for $3.00 each from one of 7 retail locations including Edible Island Whole Foods Market, Quality Foods Courtenay, Tin Town Cafe, John’s Your Independent Grocer, Quality Foods Comox, Comox Community Centre, or Seeds Food Market. Crackers can also be purchased online for $3.25 each (including online processing fee) at https://shopyanacomoxvalley.square.site/. Shipping and bulk orders are also possible by contacting YANA 250-871-0343 or info@yanacomoxvalley.com.
At-home crafting of 2022 crackers will begin in January 2022. Anyone with a keen eye for detail, nimble crafting hands, and time available to help YANA is invited to reach out about helping make Christmas crackers for 2022. Please email: christmascrackers@yanacomoxcalley.com or complete the YANA Volunteer Form.
New-to-Town Family Gets a Warm, Comox Valley Welcome
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2020 was the year of uncharted territory for Nicole Vogelzang and Chris Wilson, who, in the middle of a global pandemic, packed up their life and flew across the country all while expecting their first child, anxiously excited to settle into their new home in the Comox Valley.
Along with a massive move during a turbulent time in the world, the couple was also faced with some news about their unborn son, Linden. At 26 weeks it was discovered Linden had a cleft lip, as well as some other concerning red flags and presented potential complications after he was born. At a minimum, Linden would require surgery sometime after birth, and it was uncertain where this would take place and what it would all look like for the new parents.
“We didn’t know if we were going to have to fly back to Toronto. Being our first child too, we just didn’t know what to expect. We knew that it was going to be a big challenge to have everything sorted out”, Chris explains.
It was eventually determined that the surgery would take place at BC Children’s Hospital, and through a connection at a local baby group, Nicole was pointed toward YANA to inquire about support for their trip.
“Because of the pandemic I didn’t have a baby shower or anything like that, so we were going to ask for support from our families to take our trip out to Vancouver”, Nicole says. “After I spoke to YANA they just really put me at ease and let me know we’d have help with accommodations, with food, our transportation. I just didn’t have to worry about that anymore. It was a huge relief for us.”
Many Comox Valley families have grown up around the YANA name; the organization celebrated their 35th anniversary this year. But for newcomers like Nicole and Chris, YANA is an exceptionally unique service that reflects the generosity of this special community and other local organizations alike.
“I didn’t know anyone coming here”, Nicole explains. “I’ll ask a question and a bunch of people will sort of come together and try to figure out how I can solve a problem. I just feel well supported even when I don’t know anyone here.”
Word of mouth is the way that most families first hear about YANA, Executive Director Kelly Barnie tells us, pointing out that there is always work to be done to make sure that all families know what support is available through the organization, or that support even exists.
“Many families are connecting with us for the first time because a family member, friend, a care provider or somebody else in their close circle referred them to YANA”, says Kelly. “We know there are still a lot of families that don’t know about YANA or perhaps don’t think they would be eligible for support, and we’re working to change that. It’s the community that rallies together to make YANA’s programs possible, and it’s the community that we’re counting on to continue to share about the help we are able to provide”.
For Nicole, Chris and Linden, the support they received was an unexpected and warm welcome from their new community in a time that it was needed most.
“Here, it’s almost overwhelming how much people care about each other”, says Chris.
Nicole agreed that they were caught by surprise at the generosity of so many.
“It was very, very shocking. It was a pinch-me sort of thing”, says Nicole. “There’s a lot of hands and people helping, which is amazing.”
YANA’s funding and accommodation program is available to all Comox Valley families who are required to leave the community to receive medical care for a child under 19 or a pregnant mother. To find out more about YANA, visit www.yanacomoxvalley.com or email info@yanacomoxvalley.com.
Connor & Megan Wells, a YANA Family Story
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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record – October 23, 2021
Andrea Postal, Client Services, YANA. Special to the Record
It was February of 2007, Michelle and Bob Wells were excitedly awaiting the arrival of their twins, Megan and Connor, who were expected to stay safe on the inside for a few more months.
It seemed the twins had other plans though, and at just 29 weeks pregnant Michelle went into pre-term labour and was flown from St. Joseph’s Hospital to a higher level of care at BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver.
Bob recalled his first encounter with YANA as he prepared to follow behind his wife; a nurse had handed him an envelope with cash and a note from YANA, funding provided through YANA’s Emergency Hospital Funding program and designated for families who are unexpectedly sent out of the community to access medical care for a pregnant mother or a child.
“One of the nurses just handed me an envelope and I asked what it was for, she said it was $100 cash from YANA, and I remember saying, ‘we’re okay, we’re sort of relatively prepared, we have our overnight bag’, they said, ‘there’s no choice, you have to take the envelopes,’” said Bob, laughing at the memory and the kindness felt from his community in a time of such uncertainty.
“For us, that trip, being able to get some money from YANA that we didn’t ask for, I guess an analogy is, it’s kind of like a hug from your community. We didn’t know what was going on, certainly lots of anxiety, a lot of fear… you don’t know how things are going to turn out. To have that support was absolutely amazing. We kind of thought that would be the end of the story.”
The doctors were able to get Michelle’s labour under control and the couple returned home about a week later. Life was getting back to normal. And then, at 36 weeks, Michelle began to show signs of complications with the pregnancy. After being assessed at the hospital it was clear they would need to relocate again, this time to Victoria.
“We literally got in our car, drove to Victoria, and while we were doing that, at the same time, unbeknownst to us, YANA was working in the background to get us a place to stay,” said Bob.
YANA arranged for a place for the couple to stay at Easter Seals House and provided the family with funds to help cover some of the expenses of being away from home.
Bob and Michelle welcomed their twins into the world the day after arriving in Victoria. Connor was doing quite well but Megan was struggling with breathing and feeding complications as the result of a cleft palate. Despite that, both babies were expected to return home within a month.
After three weeks in the Victoria General Hospital NICU Connor was given the all-clear and it was hopeful that Megan would follow close behind. It was only a week later that the hospital gave the green light for Megan too, and Bob eagerly headed down-Island to bring his daughter and wife home, when he was pulled over by an unexpected phone call.
“Unfortunately one of Megan’s nurses mistakenly squeezed her bottle at the wrong time, and that ended up getting Megan with aspiration pneumonia. One of the side-effects was that she’d gone into cardiac arrest… all we knew at that point is that she wouldn’t be coming home that day,” said Wells, describing how the terrifying setback came with the uncertainty of the future, while Megan fought to regain the strength and health she needed to come home.
For the next three months, the couple would travel back and forth every few days sharing their time between the twins and living between their family home and their Easter Seal home that YANA continued to provide for them to stay in, in addition to their continued help with the living expenses.
After a long and uncertain four months and close to 40 trips back and forth, Megan was finally healthy enough to return home.
Over the years since their first encounter with YANA and the many follow-up trips that followed, it’s been important for the family to give back to YANA and to show their appreciation for the community’s support that made such a tremendous impact on their lives.
Bob, formerly the owner of My Tech Guys, has generously provided the organization with equipment and technology support for YANA’s internal operations and many of their annual fundraisers. Connor and Megan know intimately the story of how they came to be a YANA family and they’ve creatively given back over the years by selling hot dogs for YANA and hosting by-donation Star Wars movie nights. Connor, Megan and their younger brother Quinn also started a bottle collection company to give back to other local charities, and have collected almost 25,000 bottles since May of 2020.
“That support you get from the community, I can certainly say for myself, that’s really wanted to make me give back to the community even more,” said Bob. “At the end of the day, what YANA’s meant to us, I think, is really that embodiment of the best in our community, of people who are really there to support us, and not just support us, but allow the community to give that support back.”
Shayne & Tori Boelk, A YANA Family Story
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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record – Sept 18, 2021
Andrea Postal, Client Services, YANA. Special to the Record
Nobody plans for their child to get sick or for their lives to get turned upside down, but it happens to families right here in our community. This glimpse into reality comes from Shayne Boelk, father of Tori Boelk, whose journey has not been an easy one, or a short one, but it has been one that began with a glimmer of hope from YANA.
Tori’s journey with YANA dates all the way back to 2007 when Tori’s Mother was pregnant with twins and was admitted to St. Joseph’s hospital with labour complications that resulted in devastating news.
“The OB came over and wanted to have a chat with us and brought a chair with him, and when that happened, I knew we were in pretty big trouble,” said Shayne. “And then what he told us is that we lost her sister. And that’s when things go sideways.”
After discovering that Tori’s twin had passed, they worked to stave off the threat of preterm contractions to ensure that Tori could continue to safely grow in utero for as long as possible. It was in between the flurry of activity, right before Tori’s mother was air-lifted to Vancouver to be closer to more acute medical care, that a nurse stuffed an envelope into her hand containing money with a note from YANA. The couple was overwhelmed with the generosity from their community, but it wasn’t until much later in their journey that they would reach out to the organization for further support.
After arriving in Vancouver and looking more closely, Tori’s medical team discovered a congenital cardiac defect that would require open-heart surgery shortly after birth. The heart defect was the result of a microdeletion, DiGeorge syndrome, which would present myriad health complications and challenges after Tori was born. The couple stayed for the three months leading up to her birth and didn’t return home with her until after her first birthday.
“We were pretty overwhelmed and maxed out by the time we finally connected with YANA. Being away from home for a year, still paying all of those bills, and also carrying rent and living expenses in Vancouver was a lot,” Shayne said, commenting on how quickly it became apparent how unique YANA is to this community.
Many families receive hospital emergency funding, an envelope with $200 cash and a letter from YANA to connect for further support given to families who are required to emergency transfer for medical care from the Comox Valley Hospital. Presently, only about 40 per cent of recipients connect for further support, something that the organization is working to change in hopes that all families will benefit from the full depth of relief YANA can provide, something Shayne quickly discovered after making the connection to YANA.
“One of the things that’s almost universal, none of those parents plan for that stuff to happen. You don’t plan for life to get derailed, and it happens a lot… and all of a sudden there’s a YANA there.”
Tori is almost 14, she has a vibrant and infectious smile, and Shayne beams with pride as he speaks of her strength and resilience. Tori continues to make multiple trips to address many of the challenges she faces each day, and the family continues to be overwhelmed with gratitude for the support they receive from their community through YANA.
“I can not convey what an amazing program that YANA is. I have met many people at BCCH (BC Children’s Hospital), and when they ask where we are staying and I tell them about YANA, their jaws usually hit the floor,” says Shayne. “The fact that it is managed privately and is a product of the Comox Valley and the people who run it, is awe-inspiring. I can not think of a more worthy charity for people to get behind.”
YANA’s support is available to any Comox Valley family required to travel for the medical care of their child or a pregnant mother. YANA’s programs are made possible thanks to the enormous hearts of the generous people of this community, helping families know in some of their most difficult moments that You Are Not Alone.
Andrea Postal is a member of the client services team for YANA.
Thank you YANA riders and supporters!
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More than 300 riders put their creativity and bikes to work from August 1-15, 2021 by participating in the chart-your-own-course, virtual version of this integral, annual fundraiser.
Through a summer like no other, even in the midst of holidays, beach days, long-anticipated road trips and travel, this incredible community still showed up. You ‘Everested’, you climbed, you cruised (some of you crashed), but no matter how you showed your support, you found a way to make it your own and celebrate YANA any way that you could.
To the riders, the donors, the sponsors; to the giant-hearted YANA supporters from across the Comox Valley and beyond, to say ‘thank you’ is hardly enough for the $77,000 that, together, we raised for families in our community. You truly showed every YANA child that even through the darkest of days, they are not alone.
Plans are already underway for a hybrid event in 2022! Mark your calendars now to ride for YANA between August 1-21st and join other riders and supporters for the Party in the Park on August 21.
Bikes Will Keep Us Together, One Pedal at a Time
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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record – May 26, 2021
Registration ongoing until August 15!
The 2021 Comox Bike Co. YANA Ride is ramping up for another fully flexible, socially distanced virtual biking event. While the world makes its way through the final stretch of a pandemic that has changed the way we do things, the YANA Ride organizers are making sure that bikes will continue to keep us together as we see our way through to the other side.
Registration for the 2021 Comox Bike Co. YANA Ride will open online on June 1st.
Last year’s re-vamped, virtual fundraiser was YANA’s most successful ride yet, and this year’s event is set to be no different. Between August 1-15th, participants can choose the when, where, and what for their ride, in order to raise pledges in support of the charity’s funding and accommodation programs that provide help for children and pregnant mothers required to travel outside of the community for medical care.
Creativity is key, and the endless choice of roads and trails are the only maps needed for riders to chart their own path. Whether you set out to ride solo or gather a crew, bike a kilometre or two, or plan an across-the-island adventure, this year is all about creating a ride that fits with the current health protocols, but equally important, also means something to you.
Organizers are excited to be adding a 50/50 draw to the event this year. “The online 50/50 was a huge success for us at our Big Love event in February. Our lucky ticketholder won over $10,000! There have been some incredible jackpots for charity 50/50 draws across the province in the last few months, like over $100,000 and $300,000 big”, said YANA Executive Director Kelly Barnie. “We know how much our supporters would love to see that kind of money be raised for YANA families, and we would sure love to hand over that kind of cheque to a lucky winner. The 50/50s really are a huge win-win!”. There will also be an online auction loaded with a variety of bike gear and accessories thanks to Comox Valley Bike Co. and their generous suppliers, along with many other great items to bid on. Prizes for every fundraising rider and top fundraiser prizes, including the coveted original YANA Ride T-shirts courtesy of Dr. Andreas Conradi will make a return for the 2021 event as well.
Registration opens June 1st and is available by any donation, big or small. For more information and to sign up for this year’s event, visit https://www.yanacomoxvalley.com/yana-event/ride/. Together, we will let Comox Valley families know that we’re a community that goes the distance for one another, one pedal at a time.
Ali, Nick, & Blake, A YANA Family Story
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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record – July 28, 2021
Andrea Postal, Client Services, YANA. Special to the Record
Team McQueen is decked out and ready to take donations and ride for YANA families in this year’s Comox Bike Co. YANA Ride. This is the 3rd year Nick and Ali Usher have participated in the organization’s annual event, and they have every reason in the world to come together to give back to YANA.
The Usher’s were first introduced to YANA 3.5 years ago when their youngest son, Blake, was born 15 weeks early by emergency c-section at St.Joseph’s hospital. Shortly after an emotional and challenging delivery, Blake was air-ambulanced to Victoria General Hospital and his parents prepared to follow close behind. Before they left the hospital Nick and Ali were given a gift from YANA that would change the course of their time away from home.
“The nurses just handed us this envelope, it says YANA on it, and you open it and there’s all this cash in it and you’re like, “whoa, whoa, what’s this for?” shares Ali, who was blown away by the no-strings-attached gift they received from the organization.
The $200 gift was just the beginning of the support they would receive from YANA. The cash funds were made available through the Hospital Emergency Funding Program, designed to provide immediate help to families who are transferred out of the community for medical care. Nick connected with YANA shortly after they arrived in Victoria, and immediately many of their worries melted away.
“Nicks’ like, ‘I got this email, they said they’d call us in the morning. We don’t have to pay for anything.’ “ Ali tells us, moved by the memory of how quickly and completely YANA stepped in to help with monthly financial support, as well as covering the cost of their accommodations at Jeneece Place.
And that was only the beginning for the Usher family. Blake spent 6 months in the Victoria Hospital NICU, and the family would have many more trips to come.
“All of the appointments following him coming home started coming in. You have your neonatal follow-ups, child development, multiple surgeries”, says Ali, who feels lucky their situation wasn’t more difficult. “You think about these other kids and families that are traveling way more than us. It’s the funding to go, the gas to go, the food to go, the organization to go, the missing work to go. It’s a lot and it adds up.”
Blake was recently discharged from the neonatal follow-up program, but the family continues to make trips to Victoria for a diagnosis the family received for him last year.
“He (Blake) got diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy last January (2020), and so he’s had more follow-ups with an orthopedic surgeon in Victoria that we go down to see.” says Ali. The family makes many of these trips each year, and YANA’s support has made a tremendous impact, one that has trickled down to friends and family who are also eager to give back to YANA’s cause and are excited to be participating in Team McQueen for this year’s Ride.
“This is our first year as a team fundraising all together”, says Ali. “Last year we were together, fundraising individually. We were like, why aren’t we doing this together? Let’s make a big team and let’s make as much money as we can.”
Team McQueen, which consists of Blake’s grandmother, aunts, and other close family members, has a goal of riding 25km and raising at least $5000. The team has a route picked out that Nick tells us consists of just about every hill in Comox, and a few rest stops along the way like Point Holmes beach and Blue Haven blueberry farm. Team members will take turns pulling Blake in the bike trailer, which the team has decked out in bright signs displaying their support for YANA.
“If you’re donating, you’re donating exactly back, dollar for dollar, right back into your community to your own friends and family”, says Ali, “you never know when you’re going to be in a situation when you’ll need YANA’s help.”
To find out more, donate, or register for this year’s ride, visit: https://raceroster.com/events/2021/48466/comox-bike-company-yana-ride