Congratulations to Karen O’Shannacery of Vancouver – tireless advocate for homeless people – as she receives the 2011 Order of British Columbia!

Karen O’Shannacery has worked for more than four decades seeking solutions and providing comfort to the homeless and disenfranchised of Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

Ms. O’Shannacery’s compassion for those less fortunate has led to the establishment of quality resources and housing. She has a thorough understanding of the issues, is a tireless advocate for homeless people, a respected, well-spoken leader and a team player who works across boundaries to achieve change.

Among her many successes, Ms. O’Shannacery’s has created 17 housing projects, including three multi-use buildings, renovation of two single-room occupancy buildings and the opening of Antoinette Lodge, subsidized housing in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. She co-founded a provincial shelter network and was instrumental in the purchase and renovation of New Westminster’s former College Place night club, which now serves as a homeless shelter and transitional housing.

Ms. O’Shannacery has served on committees, boards and organizations involved with homelessness, including the Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy committee, the Urban Core Workers Community Association and municipal task forces on homelessness in Burnaby, New Westminster and North Vancouver, and she is an original long-standing member of the Metro Vancouver’s Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness.

A celebration and singing of "For she is a jolly good lady!" took place at Vancouver Urban Core Community Workers' Association.

Back in the Saddle!

BOB is proud to be a partner with the Lookout Society and Mighty Riders in The Cycle Back Bicycle Repair Training Program.  Cycle Back is a 6 week training program with a 2 week work practicum for people who are interested in working as bicycle technicians.  The participants also get connected to jobs upon the completion of the course.  BOB is pleased to assist with advertising and recruiting local participants for the program.  Recently we were pleased to refer 5 inner-city residents who are passionate about bikes and cycling.   The participants have all said that the Cycle Back program is a great way for each of them to make a fresh start.   We are looking forward to celebrating with all the participants at the graduation near the end of May and are excited to continue to find more inner-city residents who are ready to get back in the saddle, or make a career change!  The Cycle Back program has on-going intakes with classes starting every 6 weeks.

Interested participants can drop by the BOB office at 163 E Pender between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, to complete an application for the Cycle Back program.

Army & Navy has got SOLE!

Over 100,000 pairs of soles!  Army & Navy has been having their Legendary Shoe Sale for decades and the sale has become a part of the history of the DTES community.   Shoppers are known to queue outside of the store for hours before the doors open.  The sale boasts over 100,000 pairs of shoes and requires extra staff to keep the store stocked and organized throughout the sale.  Through our BOB BusinessLinks program, we were able to connect 23 inner-city residents to employment with Army & Navy.  Colin Pierce, HR manager for Army & Navy, participated in the BusinessLinks session by providing an overview of the job opportunities, leading a workplace tour, and showing a Shoe Sale documentary.  Colin helped to prepare all the participants to work in what would prove to be a very busy, chaotic and rewarding work environment.  BOB BusinessLinks programs have been connecting inner-city residents to specific jobs and employers for over 5 years.  It has been great working with Army and Navy this time!

For more information about BusinessLinks, or if BOB can help you recruit and connect people to opportunities in your workplace, please contact:  jobpostings@bobics.org

- by Ada