Morgan Cross / News contributor
Beat the heat and indulge in west coast cuisine with ice-cream and salmon at Willows Beach Park, Aug. 27. Running 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., the Oak Bay Kiwanis Pavilion Foundation will host Salmon Fest, with $15 meals for adults and $10 meals for kids, including fries, coleslaw, salmon, buns, Jones soda and ice-cream sandwiches. Chef on the Run provides the coleslaw, Oak Bay Seafood the salmon, while ice-cream is handed out by Telus and tables lent by Oak Bay Parks, Recreation and Culture.
All proceeds from the event will go toward Oak Bay Kiwanis Pavilion’s music program, launched to offer musical therapy, concerts and music and memory sessions to its residents living with frailty and dementia. Each week, residents are guided through therapy sessions by a Victoria Conservatory of Music musical therapist and provided with iPods containing personalized playlists for memory improvement. Professional chamber bands visited the pavilion several times last year to perform concerts for residents and will return to the pavilion six times at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, given how well last year’s concerts were received by pavilion residents.
“Music is a central part of our program. It relaxes [residents], it brings them joy, it helps them with communicating. It’s really remarkable how, sometimes, people won’t be able to talk, but they can remember the words to a familiar song. And they can dance,” said Fiona Sudbury, director of resident services.
The Oak Bay Kiwanis Foundation recently purchased a used piano for the pavilion activity room. Salmon Fest will fundraise to pay back the purchase and further the music program, which aims to improve mental, physical and emotional health, as well as the overall quality of life for residents. Last year, the foundation contributed over $96,000 to the running of the Kiwanis Pavilion, with $39,000 for the music program and the remainder toward furnishing and equipment to enhance the pavilion’s goals of creating and maintaining a homelike environment and care with compassion for its residents.
“The Salmon Fest is a major fundraiser for the Pavilion Foundation,” said Janet Morningstar, vice-president of the Kiwanis Pavilion Foundation. “We will show the community what support is possible through these donations, especially music therapy which makes such a difference for our residents, living and dying with dementia and frailty.”
Late-comers to Salmon Fest may miss out on the 250 pieces of salmon, though all are encouraged to show at Willows Beach Park regardless and make a donation where possible. Vintage cars will be shown in the parking lot and musical entertainment present.
To learn more about the Kiwanis Pavilion music program, visit kiwanispavilion.ca.