I think most of our readers would be surprised to learn that sometimes, hiding beneath my jeans here at the Vancouver Is Awesome office, are a pair of LA Kings socks.
Yes, the editor-in-chief of V.I.A. wears LA Kings socks sometimes. Read this piece to find out why.
If you've been reading for a while what shouldn't come as a surprise is that while I'm V.I.A.'s editor-in-chief and I'm obviously passionate about the city and urbanism (and our local sports teams), I'm also passionate about getting out of it. I've written many pieces about venturing out onto BC's lakes, rivers and the ocean to absorb the air and the views and to catch salmon, and to encourage you all to appreciate what we're living in such close proximity to here in Vancouver. We're so incredibly lucky to live where we do, and we're also fortunate that there are countless groups ensuring the future of this often-pristine environment for us, and for all its inhabitants.
A couple of months back I accepted the invitation from our friends at one of these groups - the Pacific Salmon Foundation - to be on a committee for their annual gala fundraiser that takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre. At $200 a ticket, 650 people attend what is their largest fundraising event of the year. There's a wonderful dinner with music, wine, speakers, silent auctions, and it's a really fun way of supporting the future of wild salmon in our province. It's one of my favourite events.
I was flattered to be invited to join the committee but at first wasn't sure what my role would be, so I self-prescribed one: to leverage my network that I've built over the years and get auction items donated. I immediately went to my PERSONAL INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT and let people know what I was going to be doing, and moments after I posted the news LA Kings defenseman, Willie Mitchell, reached out and told me that he was going to donate a team-signed jersey that we could auction off. Amazing. Willie is a champion of salmon in BC, as you'll know if you read THIS FEATURE I did on him not long ago. I lived in LA for years and the Kings are my number 2 team (second only to the obvious), and I secretly support by wearing their socks. I don't dare wear their jersey... yet.
Team-signed LA Kings jersey donated by Willie Mitchell
The jersey for the auction arrived this week and it will no doubt help to raise some more money at the gala on April 30th. Willie came to me on his own, and I've been doing outreach to a bunch of other companies I have relationships with. Here's a bunch who have stepped up to the plate and will have items in the auction (there will be many more items, these are simply the ones I personally helped secure):
Bellstar Hotels & Resorts - Two night stay at Parksville Beach Club Resort
CRAFT Beer Market - Family Style Dinner for Six
Douglas & McIntyre - The Oil Man and the Sea by Arno Kopecky and The Cougar by Paula Wild
Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver - Dinner for Two at Yew Seafood & Bar
Hawksworth Restaurant - Chef's tasting Menu for Two
Liberty Wine Merchants and The Liberty Distillery - Selection of Wines for Salmon Pairings
Native Shoes - Family Pack of Jimmy Boots
Red Flag Design - SC Ladies Tote and HD Mens Duffell
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards - Two night stay in guesthouse suite
Vancouver Urban Winery - TBD
Vancouver Whitecaps - Two Tickets, Vancouver Whitecaps June 25 2014
Willie Mitchell - Team-signed LA Kings Jersey
You might notice that the Vancouver Canucks are missing from that list. V.I.A. has been fostering a relationship with them for years but the reality is that the lion's share of what they do in terms of community giving has to do with kids and health, so I haven't been able to crack the nut and get them to donate anything for this. Maybe after they check out this post and what a former Vancouver Canuck is doing from afar they'll see the value in pitching something in for the auction, to help secure the future of this most-important of species in British Columbia.
Tickets for the gala are $200 and can be purchased HERE.
If your company has something they'd like to donate to the auction please contact me at bobk @ vancouverisawesome.com
