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Liftoff for A Better Life

This past Saturday night Mark Brand's A Better Life Foundation launched with a party and fundraiser at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

This past Saturday night Mark Brand's A Better Life Foundation launched with a party and fundraiser at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The festivities were hosted by TV host/columnist/author Preet Banerjee and this photo below of Mark with Jackson Davies (of Beachcombers fame) Ghost Cheersing (I just made that term up) perfectly sums up what the night brought; Smiles, drinks, friends, and much good will. Hannah Georgas and Ryan Guldemond played a set, VCC provided delicious food, the Donnelly Group and David's Tea made sure everyone had beverages and brandLIVE were behind the curtain bringing it all together.

The foundation exists to help bring food security to the Downtown Eastside and feed those most in need, and through a series of videos throughout the night it was explained to us that they aim to do this by bringing food training and meals right into SROs. Their initiatives are to:

- Provide meals to those in need.

- Facilitate acquisition of relevant skills training and work experience to those with employment barriers.

- Provide an educational and job readiness programs that equip individuals for success.

- Provide outreach and referral programs that provide encouragement and support.

- Provide and maintain a high quality working environment that integrates teaching, learning, and community engagement.

Of course there's more to it than that, and you can dig a little deeper by reading the 8 points that are outlined in their Outlook and Values HERE on their website. I'll be posting a video soon and bringing you more from ABLF in the coming weeks and months and years as they really get the engine revving. Mark is a dear friend of mine and the work he's doing with Save On Meats as a social venture which serves the community is an inspiration to myself and countless others. His work in giving back has just been taken up a few notches with the launch of this foundation and I look forward to helping spread the word through this good news medium of ours; this is great news.

Above is the memento we received for making a cash donation on Saturday night. If you'd like to make a donation or help in other ways, visit abetterlifefoundation.ca to find out how.