Welcome to the BCHF's Summer's newsletter!
Welcome to the BCHF’s summer newsletter! I’m happy to report that the BCHF has had a very productive year so far. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for choosing to support us. We’re grateful not only to our sponsors, donors, and volunteers, but also to everyone who purchased (and sold) tickets to our lotteries and raffles and silent auctions over the past few months. Your support is what enables us to help so many deserving people, at a critical time in their life. Thank you!

I’d also like to express our gratitude for the work Lucy and the Dana Lee Consulting team does by helping organize and publicize the BCHF’s fundraising activities, as well as taking care of the day-to-day business of the Foundation.

In addition, I’d like to express my appreciation for the BCHF’s fantastic new Board of Directors, which is filled with energetic, smart, savvy men and women. Thank you for your work and guidance! The Foundation’s Industry Advisory Council ("IAC") has turned out to be a great place to mentor future Board members, and we’re fortunate to have a deep pool of talented and generous individuals to draw from. Together the Board and the IAC have a multitude of connections both within and beyond the hospitality industry, which is key to spreading the word about our fundraisers and scholarships.

Both our fundraising initiatives and our scholarship program are expanding. The BCHF now runs 3 online lotteries, including Dine Out Vancouver, the Wine Country Lottery, and Hotels to Help. We’re also involved in a number of third-party events, from which we receive proceeds. Our scholarship program likewise continues to grow, and we’re connecting recipients with their scholarship sponsors as well as potential employees and mentors. The hospitality sector is a major contributor to BC’s economy, and we want it to be strong for many years to come.

I wish everyone a great summer filled with memorable times with friends and family. May you enjoy good health, good food, and good craft beer, spirits, and wines. Thanks again for your support!
SUCCESSFUL AGM
Thanks to everyone who attended the BCHF’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, May 22 nd . It was particularly great to see so many members of our Industry Advisory Council at the meeting. The purpose of the IAC is to support the awareness-raising and revenue-generation activities of the Foundation in a wide range of hospitality sectors across the province. Thanks to all for your interest and input – it will help guide us in the year ahead!
Welcome to our New Board Members

Three individuals recently joined the BCHF Board of Directors. Below is a little biographical information about their areas of professional expertise. We look forward to the contributions they’ll make to our overall success as an organization. Welcome aboard!


Geoff Barlow is a global logistics professional who currently holds executive positions on various community and industry committees and associations. As a member of ContainerWorld’s senior management team, he provides customers with efficient and cost-effective solutions to supply chain challenges.


 Debbie Morris has worked for Delta Hotels for over three decades. She assists the Hotel Association of Vancouver’s Board of Directors, and has been instrumental in ensuring the success of the Hotels to Help Lottery, which is one of the BCHF’s major fundraisers.


 Sandra Oldfield moved from California to British Columbia in 1995 and founded Tinhorn Creek Vineyards. Over two decades, she consistently displayed visionary approaches to all aspects of the business, including winemaking, marketing, and sustainability.
2019 - 2020 Board and Executive

Jeff Guignard - Chair
Laura Starr - Vice Chair
Christine Coletta - Past Chair
Bill Senghera - Treasurer
Darcy Barish - Secretary
Geoff Barlow - Director
Shea Coulson - Director
James Iranzad - Director
Bert Hick - Director
Debbie Morris - Director
Sandra Oldfield - Director
Founder Richard Carras Steps Down

BCHF founder Richard Carras, who has been serving as Past Chair of our Board of Directors, stepped down from this role at our recent AGM. He has dedicated 13 year + from founder to Chair to Past Chair and everything in between. He continues to support the Foundation through scholarship and golf sponsorships and we look forward to his future involvement after a well deserved break.

Thank you Richard!

Local Hospitality and Culinary scholarship cheques presented at AGM

The BCHF has now granted all our 2019 scholarships. The total amount given out was $34,500. Please check the CLASS OF 2019 page and keep us in mind for next year, if you know of worthy candidates!
Beneficiaries update

The word about the Foundation continues to spread as we sometimes receive more than three applications per month. So far, since January, we have helped 12 servers, one housekeeper and one cook to a total of $41,750.

Applications tend to increase during the second half of the year as well as our fundraising activities to cope with the requests.

Past Events
Here’s a quick look at how we’ve been raising money for the BCHF’s work over the past couple of months.
Wine Country Lottery

Thanks to all the Okanagan businesses that generously donated such a fabulous selection of prizes for our first online Wine Country Lottery. The lottery ran from May 6 th to 26 th and raised over $13,000. Congrats to the lucky winners who will enjoy food, wine, and luxury accommodations in BC’s renowned Wine Country, and thanks to everyone who purchased and who sold tickets!
Vancouver Craft Beer Week

Vancouver Craft Beer Week commemorated its 10 th anniversary by collaborating with local brewers to create a beer called Ten. Partial proceeds from sales of the beer are being donated to the BCHF. Ten is a refreshing and fruit-forward dry-hopped table saison that’s easy on the alcohol (4.2% ABV) but bursting with exotic fruit flavours, making for an extremely satisfying summer quencher. 

If you’re interested in serving Ten at your restaurant, or would like to carry it in your retail outlet, please place an order with Four Winds at (604) 940-9949 or sales@fourwindsbrewing.ca . 

Thanks to Vancouver Craft Beer Week, and its partners Four Winds Brewing Co.  (Delta),  Dageraad Brewing  (Burnaby), and  Powell Brewery  (Vancouver) for their fantastic support!
DISH

Our annual food and wine extravaganza, DISH, took place on Wednesday, May 8 th . The shortened event name, DISH, is an acronym for Drink, Indulge, Savour, Help, and these words sum up the spirit of the evening. Guests enjoyed samples from 14 Vancouver-area restaurants and over 25 wineries from California, Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico. In total, the event raised over $20,000, including $2,500 from a raffle. Congratulations to raffle winner Shawna Cole and her partner Matthew, as well as to Zach Lavoie from Mamie Taylor’s, who won the sizzling cocktail competition with his original drink “Giddy Up.”

Thank you to all our guests, as well as the event sponsors and volunteers and the participating restaurants and wineries. The food and wine were exceptional, and musical act LesIsMore provided the perfect soundtrack for the evening. We received a lot of positive feedback after the event, and we’re already looking forward to doing it again next year!
Fundraisers planned over the coming months include the following:

Monday, July 8, 2019

Enjoy a game with food & beverages at many holes, as well as a sparkling wine reception, dinner, and more.

 Vancouver Golf Tournament - REGISTER HERE
Sunday, July 14th, 2019 5 - 9 pm

A & W Float Fundraiser
A great success last year, when BCHF volunteers sold floats at a Vancouver Canadians baseball game. 

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Enjoy a game with food & beverages at many holes, as well as a sparkling wine reception, dinner, and more.

Victoria Golf Tournament - REGISTER HERE
October

Hotels to Help Lottery

Created by the Hotel Association of Vancouver, this annual lottery is one of the BCHF’s major fundraisers: last year it took place in October and raised over $55,000. This lottery will be open to the general public. 

Stay tuned for details!

Volunteers

To say thank you we have 25 tickets to a Vancouver Canadians baseball game on June 17, 2019 (Hospitality night) . Please contact Lucy if you would like tickets to the game!

Do you want to help us with any of the events above?

We are looking for volunteers who don’t mind having fun while they help support a good cause! Check out all available opportunities HERE or email lucy@bchospitalityfoundation.com .

 About the BC Hospitality Foundation
The (BCHF) is a registered charity that raises funds to support those in the hospitality industry facing financial crisis due to a health issue. Each year hundreds of hospitality workers across BC face financial challenges and have nowhere else to turn. The BCHF helps them when all other options have been exhausted. In addition, the BCHF offers a scholarship program to foster the development of the next generation of workers and industry leaders.