The 100 Fine Gentlemen of Oceanside Who Give a Damn are one of a number of groups in the area based on a similar idea. Members agree to donate $100 to charity 4 times a year. Every quarter they meet and vote on what charity will receive those funds, which founder Kim Burden says are […]

After joining the army and training as a medic, and working as a civilian paramedic, Matthew Heneghan wants the public to remember that first responders are human. “We wear a uniform. We have a skill, but we are not impervious to the effects of sadness and trauma,” he said. Heneghan shared his story recovering from […]

Happipad is a non-profit that matches people with empty bedrooms with people looking for a place to live. Based in Kelowna, the group has agreements with partners in a number of communities across B.C., as well as one with the provincial government in Nova Scotia. CEO Cailan Libby spoke with People First Radio following a […]

Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the country, according to a government of Canada webpage. As a regulated substance, there’s a comprehensive system of rules dictating things like where and when alcohol can be sold, how much it needs to cost, how it’s allowed to be advertised, and what kind of warnings […]

15 years ago, Connally McDougall sold her first dress. “I was working in a gallery and the owner said, ‘Hey, if you or anyone you know are makers, why don’t you show us your work and we’ll see if we deign to put it in our gallery,'” she said. McDougall submitted a dress made from […]

Guy Felicella spent 30 years in the repeated cycles of gangs, addiction, treatment, and jail. Today, he lives with his wife and three young children, and has over a decade of recovery and sobriety under his belt. Felicella was one of the speakers at a recent community dialogue on the toxic drug crisis at Nanaimo’s […]

One day, when they were in the eighth grade, Christopher Lee and a group of friends decided to spend a Sunday a little differently. “We were just like, ‘Hmm, there’s something wrong in our community. We’re able to live such a nice and amazing life, but there are people who aren’t able to live that […]

Parksville resident Earl Blacklock has been recognized by the BC Achievement Foundation for his work helping expand the number of trained counsellors practicing on Vancouver Island. The Executive Director of Island Community Councilling, Blacklock said that the bulk of the work that he does is with trauma survivors. “The definition of trauma that I use […]

Vancouver non profit First United has created an interactive map that provides information on a number of evictions across B.C. Sarah Marsden, director of systems change and legal at First United, spoke with People First Radio to help break down the data. One finding was that around 1 in 4 people reported not finding a […]

WeCan Shelter Society is a Comox Valley organization that builds homes inside shipping containers for people who had previously been experiencing homelessness to move into. Charlene Davis, one of the group’s founders, spoke with People First Radio. She said it takes between $25,000 and $30,000 to build a unit and get a person living in […]