Supporting our Communities

Accent Inns InnAid community Expo 2009
Accent Inns InnAid community Expo 2009

One of the key values for us at Accent Inns is supporting our communities. We do this by hosting or sponsoring events, volunteering and participating at others. This is all done under our InnAid program banner. This column is our opportunity to tell everyone about the great charities and non-profit associations that we are so proud of and are thrilled to be working with.

 
 

Dog Friendly Kamloops

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

At Accent Inns we not only speak Kamloopsian, we also speak Pekinese and Boxer and Terrier.  And while Kamloops B.C. is a great city to visit for many reasons; one of the best is its dog-friendliness!

Activities ranging from kayaking, hiking and rock hounding to rollerblading, GeoCaching and beach walking are all possible with your four-legged family members.  Kamloops has 15 off-leash dog parks, 14 on-leash parks and 3 off-leash dog beaches.  If this isn’t doggie heaven, it’s certainly on the way!

The City of Kamloops is so dog-friendly Tourism Kamloops actually has a doggie mascot – a Golden retriever named “Kamloops Kooper”.  Kooper is especially fond of hiking in Kenna Cartwright Park and Peterson Creek, and wandering among the downtown sidewalk cafes where there are always doggie water bowls to help keep him cool on those hot and sunny Okanagan summer days. Read more about Dog Friendly Kamloops

 

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BC Day – is it just another long weekend?

Monday, August 6th, 2012

BC Flag

For some people BC Day (Aug 6, 2012) is just another excuse for a long summer weekend.  But for many, it means much more than that.

People who grew up in BC may sometimes take this province for granted but for those of us who are here by choice, it is really a very special place.  We came here for many reasons but no matter the reason, most of us are totally enthralled by the weather, the natural beauty, the diversity of the population and the healthy lifestyle. Whether we moved from the East Coast, the Middle East or the Far East – British Columbia is special in so many ways.

Anybody who has ever visited BC goes away with tales of the beauty of the mountains, the ocean and the parks. But for those of us who live here, there is a great deal more to celebrate.  We may get used to living in such amazing beauty.  We may even complain about the weather. But given the choice most of us would not live anywhere else. Read more about beautiful BC

 

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The Blue Roof Believes in Green

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

We are all trying to be “greener” at home but what about when you travel? Staying in a Hotel like the Accent Inn in Victoria BC  can be a real treat but Hotels are often culprits of excessive waste production. Serving thousands of guests a year, it’s hard to provide the amenities that people want and expect without sacrificing the environment. However, hotels can take action to make operations more sustainable, resulting in large-scale waste reduction.

 

“It’s a family belief that we just don’t waste”, Mandy Farmer, President & CEO of Accent Inns

 

Green hotel actions include:

  1. Offer recycle bins throughout the hotel, including in guests’ room
  2. Provide our guests with reusable items such as ceramic cups for coffee
  3. Educate our guests so that we don’t wash towels after every use via good signage that express our water saving effort.
  4. Install low flow showerheads, toilets and faucet aerators
  5. Use non-toxic cleaners that are natural and biodegradable
  6. Use soap dispensers instead of individually packaged soap (saves on packaging waste)
  7. Install energy efficient LED lighting throughout the hotel (LED bulbs use a fraction of the energy and save on costs)
  8. Use bike racks and employee engagement to encourage ridership by both staff and customers. Biking is one of the best ways to tour and experience a new town
  9. Educate our staff about sustainability!

 

So the Accent Inns with our famous blue roofs sincerely believes in being GREEN.

 

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Westside Warriors become West Kelowna Warriors

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Below is a reprint by Wayne Moore.

Warriors Captain Max French unveils the new jersey

 

The BC Hockey League’s westside franchise has been re-born.

Tuesday morning, the franchise officially became the West Kelowna Warriors as the club attempts to build on the success of West Kelowna’s Hockeyville campaign.

“If we learned nothing else through Hockeyville it’s that this community’s pride is stronger than any other community in Canada, and we saw how strong we can be as a community when we all came together behind one flag,” says Hockeyville co-chair and Warriors Director of Business Operations, Andrew Deans. Read more

 

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Pedalling for Papua

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

jeremy Bally Mile 0Although most of us have causes that we support both financially and emotionally, there are very few of us that would jump on a bicycle and pedal across Canada to spread the word about something we truly believe in. Jeremy Bally is one of those people. On April 27, Jeremy left Mile 0 in Victoria BC and began his life as a Travelling Minstrel as he mounted his bicycle and headed east. The story that he is telling is that of the people of West Papua New Guinea, previously known as Irian Jaya. ...read more about Jeremy

 

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Save-On-Foods World’s Longest Street Hockey game

Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

yst2bYouth Sticking Together the organizing committee for the Save-On-Foods World’s Longest Street Hockey game for charity needs your help!

Would you like to be part of history as it’s happening? Then come out to the opening ceremony for the Save on Foods Longest Street Hockey game. Join Youth Sticking Together at the Nanaimo Curling Centre on June 28. Doors open at 6:00 pm, with formal presentations beginning at 6:30. Proceeds from this event, and money donated at the game itself, will go to support three local youth serving agencies: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Vancouver Island, Nanaimo Youth Ball Hockey and Crimson Coast Dance Society. There will be light refreshments and a silent auction with some amazing items, such as BC Lions tickets, a signed Roberto Luongo photo and more! Tickets are only $20 and will not be sold at the door.

We want to be able to make this event a success for our youth players, and raise as much money for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Crimson Coast Dance Society and the Nanaimo Ball Hockey League.

You can help them do so!

YST Poster 3

Contact Tali Campbell at Tali@kickradio.ca or (250) 327-9332 to secure your tickets!

 

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SOS Children’s Village Run

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

“EVERY CHILD BELONGS … EVERY CHILD MATTERS”

Step out for the SOS Children’s Village B.C. Walk/Run on June 30/2012 at the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Healthy families are active families and this year’s SOS Children’s Village B.C. 10 and 5 km. run and walk and 2km. family walk encourages communities to embrace a healthy lifestyle while helping children and youth in foster care.
On Saturday, June 30, at 9 a.m., the beautiful, natural setting of the Richmond Olympic Oval Plaza will be the backdrop for the 4th annual SOS walk and run beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the family 2km. kicking off at 9:45.  From 10 a.m. to noon, gather on the Oval plaza to enjoy family-friendly entertainment, refreshments, and a Silent Auction with prize draws. ...re more about the SOS run

 

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Cycle of Hope for ALS Launches Today!

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
Accent Inn proud to support cycle of hope for ALS

Cycle of Hope for ALS

This afternoon in Victoria B.C. the organizers of the Cycle of Hope kicked-off the event campaign with the goal of raising funds to support for families dealing with ALS.  Six riders from the Greater Victoria area are set to cycle 650 kilometers throughout B.C. to raise awareness and funds for families living with ALS. The cycling adventure will begin in Kamloops August 8th and finish in Hope August 18th. The riders from Victoria are inspired by a friend who recently lost her father to the disease. “Cycle of Hope has been my way of healing from the loss of my dad from this devastating disease. My goal is to raise awareness and much needed funds to find a cure for ALS”, says Cindy Lister the rider behind the event. ...read more about the cycle of hope

 

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Wild About Whales

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

Boys and Girls club Victoria BC

 

 

 

 

 

Leaked video footage smuggled out of Crystal Pool confirms Admiral Roger Girouard (retired) is secretly training an unidentified whale for Boys and Girls Club’s Whale Derby. After a successful launch in 2011 this unique fundraiser will see over 4500 tiny yellow plastic whales racing down the Gorge waterway on Saturday, June 9at 1pm.  ....see the video

 

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City Opera – Fallujah

Monday, May 7th, 2012

In the world of Not-For-Profits and Arts and Culture it’s great to report that one of the organizations we are proud to work with is getting global attention and incredible support.

City Opera Vancouver’s Board of Directors has announced that the company has been awarded a commissioning grant of $250,000 US from the Annenberg Foundation, in connection with the philanthropic multimedia organization Explore.
This extraordinary sum is believed to be the largest single commissioning grant in Canadian history. The working title: FALLUJAH.

The Annenberg Foundation, a private US-based family foundation, provides funding and support to non-profit organizations around the world. Explore, a signature project of the Annenberg Foundation, developed the concept of the project and presented the commissioning grant to City Opera Vancouver. It is awarded for the creation of a new chamber opera, to be developed over a two-year period. The story is based on the real experiences of US Marine Corps Sergeant Christian Ellis at the Battle of Fallujah in 2004. ...read more about Fallujah

 

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