Remember the Heart Of Chinatown campaign I told you about recently? Well they announced the top 5, as well as the judging panel which includes none other than our own Rick Chung! See below for the official details and stay tuned for for the announcement of the winner later this week.
The Flats on Georgia is excited to announce our Top 5 nominees for The Heart of Chinatown. The Top 5 was selected by a handpicked judge panel with set criteria. The judges for the Heart of Chinatown proudly include local Vancouverites Frances Hui, event socialite, Rick Chung, lifestyle editor at VIA, and Vancouver City Councillor, Dr. Kerry Jang.
Through the efforts of the Heart of Chinatown, we have combed the community looking for the difference makers, the game changers – the people driving positive change every single day. Through this, we have collected an eclectic mix of businesses and individuals who make Chinatown a great place to live and work. The Flats team would like to extend a big thank you to all of our nominees and all those who nominated – your efforts have made this contest a success.
The winner of the Heart of Chinatown will be announced Wednesday, April 11th at Chinatown’s own Caffe Brixton at the Heart of Chinatown Wrap Event. Stay tuned to see who will the $2000 donation to a select list of charities operating in the Downtown Eastside.
The Top 5 Nominees are:
Get Warm Project
Co-Founders Shauna Beaudoin, Krista McKenna, Sara McKenna
The Get Warm project is a blanket and goods drive aimed at bringing awareness to Vancouver’s homeless population, and outfitting these individuals with the necessary supplies to survive the biting winter weather. From November 2011 to February 2012, ‘Get Warm’ donation boxes were found in various locations throughout the Metro Vancouver community. The goods were picked up on a bi-weekly basis, and dropped off at the Union Gospel Mission. While the project is sure to help keep Vancouver’s homeless community safe and warm during winter, many hope it will create a long-term positive change; “establishing a wider community discourse about homelessness and poverty, and actively work towards ensuring that all members of our community are safe and have access to food, supplies, shelter and greater standards of living.
PullFocus Film School
Pull Focus Film School is a non-profit film school that helps students develop story ideas for compelling, authentic, though provoking documentary films. Students are taught to write, produce, film and edit broadcast-quality mini docs to advance the media content of charity organizations. These mini docs are useful for fundraising purposes or community outreach work.
Harvest Community Foods
Mike Leung
Mike Leung asked the community of Chinatown what they wanted, answering their request to put the “local” back into local foods in the form of a grocery store/café. He and his business partner called on the community’s involvement allowing local residents to name the store, choose who would design the branding, and by working with a local foods buyer to create a healthy and convenient grocery store and café with an emphasis on local farmers. Mike focused on a business model with a positive impact on the community, helping build a sustainable business they could call their own.
Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association
This organization is comprised of a group of Chinatown merchants who formed an association to keep the vibrancy of Chinatown businesses alive. Through the decades, this association has worked together and with other influences (such as the government) to face the issues faced by Chinatown. Their history is rich in legacy, and their accomplishments are numerous. The association has always been comprised of volunteer members who have spent most of their lives in the community, and strive to achieve the best for Chinatown.
Josh Michnik
This Space
Josh Michnik is the key player behind the idea and vision in developing "This Space" in which the community was called upon to vote and build the business that is now Harvest Community Foods. He has lived and worked on Union Street for over a year, and has been instrumental in turning it into the vibrant street that it is becoming. Josh has dedicated his life to this part of Chinatown, and will be a key leader in helping shape the positive changes throughout this community.
