MASTERS COLLEGE OF HOLISTIC STUDIES

If you haven't heard of EFT, just type in those letters into Google search and you'll have pages of information at your disposal.  This is hands down the most powerful, self-fulfilling emotional uplifting, joyous tool you'll ever have at your fingertips.  MCHS will be having workshops in the fall/winter and Spring months to help everyone come into their own power, release fears and create a future that is the future of your dreams.

Our meeting with the Primie Ministers wife, Mrs. Laureen Harper in Vancouver was amazing! Her support for the Soles4Souls Charity is bringing even greater awareness to all of Canada in an effort to collect more shoes. See Soles4SoulsCanada.org

My husband, Jim Belshaw and I are so excited to be personally meeting with Laureen Harper this Saturday April 28th in Vancouver.  The purpose of our visit is in relationship to the Soles 4 Souls Campaign that began this month and goes into May each year.  Jim brought the Soles 4 Souls Charity into Canada 3 years ago after the disaster in Haiti.  He began collecting shoes for the people in Haiti and wherever else they were needed; whether it was in our local community, our province, our country, or to be distributed to 139 other countries in the world.  We are proud to inform you that Soles 4 Souls is moving across Canada and when it hit Ottawa, our friend Don Robichaud, managed to talk with Mrs. Harper and she has agreed to join us in the campaign to have more gently worn shoes collected Canada Wide.

The Masters College of Holistic Studies is now working towards making a difference in our Community and in the World.  Aside from a personal commitment and yearly contribution to the Soles to Souls Campaign; MCHS is now contributing funds from student registrations to the Soles4Souls World campaign.  Imagine just $1.00 will supply one pair of shoes for some man, woman or child that may never have known what it's like to have protection on their feet.  If you haven't heard about Soles4Souls, putting shoes on people of the world charity, please read the next blog written by our MLA Ron Cannon and check out Roy's Shoes, Boots and Repairs, Kelowna (this is where it all started in Canada), roysshoes.com or Soles4SoulsCanada.org for more information.  After you've done all that please clean out your closets of gently worn shoes you're no longer using and donate them to drop off locations listed on the Soles4SoulsCanada.org web site.  We are in B.C., ALBERTA, QUEBEC and ONTARIO at the present time and growing one City, one province at a time. 
Thank you for reading this and for your support. You can leave a comment about what you think of this Charity campaign here!  Again Thank you!  

Volunteers – Good for the Community’s Soul April 20, 2012  As I write this column, Canada is celebrating National Volunteer Week.  According to Volunteer Canada (www.volunteer.ca) 12.5 million Canadians graciously donate their time and energy and are leading positive change in the community and around the world.

I’d like to acknowledge the work of two of the many great local organizations, which rely on volunteers to do some great work in the community.

Soles4Souls Canada sends shoes to needy people in Canada and around the world.  It was formed with the help of Kelowna’s Jim Belshaw of Roy’s Shoes Boots and Repair and President of the Sunrise Rotary Club, another great local organization.

Since 2004, Soles4Souls has distributed over 17 million pairs of shoes, and has responded to more than 40 natural disasters worldwide with crisis relief aid, including Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Japan earthquake, and the Alabama and Missouri tornadoes in 2011.

For many of us who day to day have several shoe choices available, it might seem like an unused pair of shoes belongs in the garbage where they end up in the landfill. 

But for the 300 million children around the world who live a life of tragedy and disaster every day, a pair of shoes is a gift that can change their lives.

Soles4Souls asks that you clean out your closets and convince your friends, neighbours and relatives to do the same. All footwear including sandals and boots that have no holes in the soles and are in decent shape are accepted and needed.

If you’re interested in supporting Soles4Souls’ relief efforts please go towww.soles4soulscanada.com . For the month of April a number of local businesses are acting as official drop off locations and you will find a list there.  You can also make monetary and shoe donations throughout the year both.  It only takes a $1.00 donation buys 1 pair of new sandals. 

I’d also like to say a big thanks to the dedicated professionals and volunteers in our community who work with victims of crime and their families to help them take a path towards healing.

Next week is National Victims of Crime Awareness Week and it’s important to acknowledge the support and services that are provided to victims of crime in our community.

Across the country, thousands of people every year seek help from victim services offices. Being a victim of crime can be a life-altering experience and how an individual may chose to move their life forward after being victimized will be unique to the person and the situation.

In Kelowna, services for victims of crime are available from the RCMP, and for victims of abuse, at the Elizabeth Fry Society.

If you or your family needs support, help is a phone call away.  You can call the Kelowna RCMP at (250) 762-3300 or the Elizabeth Fry Society at (250) 763-4613.

In addition Kelowna and Lake Country have community policing centres located at Mission Community Policing Office, 4065 Lakeshore Drive, Kelowna (250) 764-5004, at the Rutland Community Policing Office, 115 McIntosh Road (250) 765-6355, and at 3231 Berry Road, Lake Country (250) 766-2288.

More information on the Central Okanagan’s Elizabeth Fry Society can also be found at www.beyondcrisis.ca.

Finally, just a reminder that we are still accepting nominations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal program. 

If you know of someone who has made a significant contribution to our community or country, you can nominate them by completing a Nomination Form at my website www.cannan.ca . 

As always, if you have any questions about these issues or want to share your views about federally-related matters, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at (250) 470-5075 or by e-mail at ron@cannan.ca.  Information is also available on my website at www.cannan.ca.

Ron Cannan is the Member of Parliament for Kelowna-Lake Country

Is writing a 300 word essay putting you off from getting the $200 off the Reflexology Course?  Then just think of it this way...... 30 lines of 10 words each.  Keep it simple, no one is marking your paper for spelling and punctuation.  The important information is in the passion you display in what you write.