UVic gift ideas that keep on giving

by Jessica Gillies

Looking for a way to help worthy causes this holiday season? UVic offers a variety of ways for you to do just that.

Consider buying your Christmas tree from the Vikes during their annual tree sale in Centennial Stadium. Starting Dec. 3, the Vikes will be selling B.C.-grown trees Monday to Friday from 12 to 7 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The proceeds will benefit Vikes athletics programs, and the sale runs until Dec. 19. For more information, contact Brent Fougner at 721-8408.

The holiday season can be especially hard on students with families. Donations of non-perishable food items or gifts (wrapped or unwrapped) are appreciated by staff at the UVic Family Centre. They'll make sure the donations go to families in need.

The centre is also looking for donations of a small deep-freeze, good quality pots and pans, a food processor, diapers (of all sizes) and wipes, a large area rug, and child-safe side and coffee tables.

The Family Centre is located at 39208-2375 Lam Circle (off Finnerty Rd.) in the Lam Family Student Housing Complex. For more information visit web.uvic.ca/family-centre/, call 472-4062 or e-mail familyc@uvic.ca.

Christmas music sounds better on a tuba, and this year fans of the big brass instrument will have two opportunities to catch a TubaChristmas concert. The event, which features musicians from UVic, public schools, community bands and the military, is now in its 27th year in Victoria.

The TubaChristmas ensemble will perform carols in Market Square downtown on Dec. 3 from 1 to 3 p.m. Donations at the event will go toward the Times-Colonist Christmas Fund, which supports families in need.

On Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m., take in the TubaChristmas reprise recital in UVic's Phillip T. Young Recital Hall. This performance will feature tuba and euphonium students from the school of music, as well as guest soloist and UVic alum Paul Beauchesne, principal tubist with the Victoria Symphony.

Your donations at this event will benefit tuba and euphonium projects within the school of music. The event is co-ordinated by Eugene Dowling, a senior instructor in the school of music. For more information, contact Jill Michalski at 721-7904 or michalsk@uvic.ca.

At campus security, you can help the needy while giving yourself a break. If you pay outstanding parking tickets anytime before Dec. 23, bring a can of food with you and have your fine reduced by $5.

Only one food item counts per ticket, so if you have multiple outstanding tickets you can bring in a can of food for each one to save $5 on each. But if you bring in multiple cans to count toward the same ticket, you'll be out of luck. Last year, five or six big boxes of food were donated to local food banks.