⚓ Please help baby Wesley

Together With

Hello there,

15 months ago, I quit my broadcasting job because I wanted to write books: this included working on an autobiography, and a fiction series. I’ve started working on the former but put the latter on hold to work on short stories because short stories have just felt more up my alley.

When the idea of what would eventually become The Anchor was pitched to me, I was skeptical, but I’d always wanted to be involved in my community and figured writing was one of the best ways to do that.

In the last 52 weeks, I’ve met some wonderful humans, made incredible community connections, and had a front-row seat to local historic moments.

Writing is a tough gig: ironically, there’s such a lack of respect for writers, despite it being a skill many of us engage in daily. Many people write emails, make notes, fill out forms—the list goes on and on. Writing also serves as a way to keep the community in the know and informed.

The difference doing this in New West is seeing how many people care about and back up this publication. I’m lucky to work in this community. It’s a dream come true.

So, thank you, subscribers for giving me such an amazing year. I am humbled, privileged, and blessed.

LOCAL NEWS

A taste of Hong Kong in New West

Ditch those pricey plane tickets and let Hong Kong come to you! The Vancouver Hong Kong Fair has chosen the Anvil Centre as its spot for this Sunday’s fair.

From traditional sugar crafting to food, artisan sales, and events galore, learn about a fun-filled day presented by HK House.

OUR ONE-YEAR GIVEAWAY

Win coveted New West Anchor swag!

We’re doing a giveaway for our newsletter subscribers—and it’s simple:

• All Anchor newsletter subscribers (that’s you!) will be entered to win a prize pack that includes an Anchor tote bag and an Anchor water bottle.

• Insider members have twice the chance to win, with their name entered twice into the draw.

• We will announce the winner in the Tuesday, May 9 edition of The Anchor.

• The winner will be required to reach out to us to confirm that they are an active subscriber before we ship the prize.

• If the winner doesn’t reach out within three (3) business days, we will draw another name until someone reaches out.

📣 Neighbourhood bulletin

🚶🏼‍♀️ Jane’s Walk. It’s the return of these fun and free neighbourhood walks. They can be organized by any local resident, and they are back as of Friday. To learn more about organizing or participating, take a look at this website. We’ve also got the full events list for our premium subscribers below!

Police presence. Those in the Downtown area may see more police in the neighbourhood: the New West PD announced Tuesday it’d be launching a redeployment plan after a shooting, two stabbings, and a number of assaults in the last two months.

📎 Summer camp survey. Yeah, it’s almost summer—unreal. Anyway, Eighth and Eight is looking for some input via survey about summer camp selection. Give the group a hand by taking it here.

👶🏼 La Leche League. The next meeting is slated to take place on Wednesday, May 10 at 10am, and the topic will be “the advantages of breastfeeding to mother and baby.” All the details can be found here.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Baby Wesley & the Wiebe family

It’s the news no parent ever wants to hear: their child is sick.

Wesley is Tom and Jen Wiebe’s third child: he joins brothers Ben and Theo. Before he was even born, Wesley’s family learned he had a 9cm brain tumour, and doctors thought he wouldn’t make it to term. But this little fighter’s family is hopeful for a miracle—and is grateful to the community for its support.

Learn more about Wesley’s story, and how you can help one of our newest New Westies.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

The Columbian

The Columbian, also known as The British Columbian, was a newspaper published in the 1800s. UBC’s Digitization Centre has more than 1,500 copies in its collection. Read more about the history of The Columbian here.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.