Drivers' Program Provided by wonderful volunteers it is one of VARCS first services. Rides are provided to medical appointments, shopping, banking and social activities benefiting our members who have mobility issues. VARCS is ALWAYS in need of volunteers for this. read about all the services that VARCS provides

Home Help Another service provided by volunteers and one of VARCS first services. Volunteers may provide help with light cooking and housekeeping for our members. VARCS is ALWAYS in need of volunteers for this service as well.

Referrals and Advocacy VARCS staff will provide referrals to community programs and services and will seek out information for people who request it. If we don't do it, we'll find out who does. VARCS staff will provide advocacy to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS are able to access the services and programs that fit their individual needs.

Respite Respite is provided to relieve stress for caregivers (partners, spouses, family etc.) who are providing care and in need of a break.

Mobile X, mobile needle exchange The Mobile X has been operating for more than five years now. It provides harm reduction materials such as clean equipment like syringes, water, wipes, cookers. The outreach workers provide education regarding safe using practices, health information and offer materials and information about other service providers. The Vancouver Island Health Authority street nurses provide regular shifts in the van. The Mobile X works off a cell phone, individuals contact the van and the van drives to where they are. We serve the entire Capital Region.

VARCS and the Vancouver Island Persons' with AIDS Society (VIPWAS) will be partnering in the parade and at the festival! We DARE you to come out and join us in the fun and festivities!

Victoria Pride Week Events:

Note, all events are subject to change, keep checking back for updates.

6th Annual Dog Lovers Gala Fundraiser Saturday, 6 June For tickets call 250-247-7655
8th Annual Colin Fraser GLBT Art Show Saturday, 20 June Opening Reception, Exhibition runs 20 June to 26 July, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Martin Batchelor Gallery, 712 Cormorant St, Victoria 250-385-7919
Business Fair Monday, 29 June Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street
Marcus Tipton Memorial Drag Ball Game Wednesday, 1 July Noon at Vic West Park
Sex & Sensibility, A Forum for Men Friday, 3 July Health Unit, 1947 Cook Street 6:30 pm — 8:00 pm Hosted by VIPWAS, for more information call 250-382-7927
Cruisin' the Straits Tour Friday, 3 July Ambrosia, 638 Fisgard St 6:00 pm
Inner Harbor Boat Cruise Friday, 3 July Inner Harbor, 812 Wharf Street
Annual Pride Service Sunday, 5 July First Unitarian Church, 5575 West Saanich Rd 10:00am
Pride Parade & Festival Sunday, 5 July Parade at Noon, Festival 1:00 pm at Fisherman's Wharf Park
Big Gay Dog Walk Date: TBA

VARCS welcomes our new Access Worker, Paul! Paul volunteered with us on the Mobile X, providing regular shifts. He has also helped us with many of our events! He is a nursing student. We are pleased and lucky he was able to join our team!

Thank You! We would like to thank the Victoria Cool Aid Society and Streeetlink Emergency Shelter! VARCS Mobile X, mobile needle exchange has begun to provide exchanges for harm reduction materials inside Streeetlink on a daily basis. Monday through Friday, 11:30 to noon. This is great as it allows privacy for those utilizing the services! VARCS would like to thank the amazing staff of Cool Aid including Don, Joann, Christine and the entire team at Streetlink!

Victoria Taxi We would like to send out a special thanks to Mary at Victoria Taxi! She works very hard at assisting us provide a supportive service to our members! Thanks Mary and to ALL the people who are with Victoria Taxi!

Irony at its Best! 90 people get Swine Flu and everybody wants to wear a mask. A million people have AIDS and no one wants to wear a condom.

Each year the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life selects a piece of artwork from a Canadian HIV+ artist to be used in all of the national promotional materials. This artwork will serve as a link between the general public, as the audience of the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life, and the communities supported by the event in an intimate and meaningful way. The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life would like to congratulate Don Short and thank all of the artists for their contributions.

Don Short, of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, is actively engaged in his family life and career. With 20 years in the visual arts (sector), Don has taught art privately and publicly, participated in solo and group art exhibitions, and painted large murals in residential, commercial and public spaces. His output of creative work results in enjoyable, relevant images that present a positive, poetic interpretation of life. Diagnosed HIV positive since January 2006, Don has pursued any opportunity to foster support with the PHA community. For more information, visit his website.

Walk In Our Shoes depicts the ongoing hope of the "red ribbon" highway as it winds through a canadian landscape to reach a brighter horizontal road starts as a lace from the walking shoe which represents the commitment of those who participate in the scotiabank aids walk for life. it ends as the official red ribbon of the aids movement, suspended above the sunrise. overall, the image is intended to invigorate a renewal of hope and purposes of the scotiabank aids walk for life, to identify with those who have hiv/aids by walking along the red ribbon highway in support and encouragement.

Visit the website of Scotiabank Aids Walk for Life. The walk will do us good!

It was deliberately set by lighting our newspapers that were half in and half out of our mail slot. Luckily the fire was reported immediately by someone in the building and we were extremely lucky, as were the other business and residential units in the Fernwood Square building. The worst damage sustained was due to ash, soot, water and smoke. However, this set us back for three weeks in what is an extremely busy month for non profits! We were displaced from our office for more than two weeks while the clean up took place. The Mobile X was able to continue operating and we did our best to keep things going from satellite locations.

As always, when something like this happens, there is a silver lining. For VARCS it was the amazing organizations and individuals who were so quick to lend a hand or whatever they could. VARCS would like to thank all those who were so kind, generous and quick to respond, many before we had even processed the incident. A special thank you to following:

It really shows the strength and compassion of our community when one of our own is in crisis, there is no hesitation to step up and offer help

act as site moderator and devise discussion board topics relevant to the population group. We will be facilitating the Intravenous Drug Users population. It will also include posting interesting and relevant documents, from of our own agency and from other organizations. The site will also inform network members of upcoming events, such as conferences and meetings. VARCS has completed the first part of the training so we will let you know when the site is up and running, we look forward and encourage any contributions you may have! International Centre for Infectious Diseases