Birthday Party, Information Session, and a Wonderful Donation!
March 3rd, 2023
Wow, what a fun filled meeting this was!
First we celebrated Karen’s Birthday (see below), then we found out both Nancy and Cathy have birthdays just a few days later. So we sung Happy Birthday to them as well!



Happy Birthday Karen!
As you can see in the background of Karen’s picture, Brian of OBLT was patiently waiting for the singing to die down, before sharing with the group how his organization helps oceanside residents with their tech issues and challenges.
Check out their website for more information about all the ways they help: https://oblt.ca/



OBLT’s Coordinator Brian Collicott
Last but certainly not least, a special thank you to the Let’s Get Active group for their VERY appreciated donation. Their organization has a fundraiser where they place jars at numerous establishments around the Bowser area, and folks donate here and there. Every bit counts, and they collectively raised approximately $400.00, and 2 of their members have signed up to help volunteer at OSRS special events!
Thank you Darlene and the Let’s Get Active Team!



Kathleen (OSRS), Darlene (Let’s Get Active), Marie (OSRS)
See y’all at the Micky J’s lunch on Friday!
First Appreciation Post of 2023: Creators and Sharers
January 15th, 2023
At our recent Christmas fundraising event, one of the raffles was a large framed photograph of a wild fox taken and donated by our member Wayne Duke (Digital Photo Portfolio can be seen here). The lucky winners were the Bauer’s! Donna Bauer has been a longstanding volunteer with OSRS and attends this party with a large contingent of her friends.
Thank you to Wayne for his beautiful donation and thank you Donna for sharing the fox’s new home with us (see below).



Amazing Photo in a Great Spot!
Also, our member Gary C donated two of his beautiful hand carved bowls for the silent auction. The bidding was fierce and Walter Schultz took home both bowls. Since then, Gary has been asked to carve more bowls by our members. As the bowls are finished, Gary delivers the new bowls to our members for payment.
This money is promptly donated by Gary to Oceanside Stroke Recovery to help with our fundraising to cover the costs of our programs (see below).



Gary’s Beautiful Bowl
Last but certainly not least, OSRS’s long-time supporter, June Wood!
For many years June Wood has supported OSR by donating a percentage of her sales to help cover the cost of our therapy programs. As well, June continues to cover the ongoing costs of our web site. June was not able to attend our Christmas party this year, but sent her generous cheque and best wishes.
This past year, June rebranded her business and is now known as “June’s Gems Thriftstore with Style” (located 149 Alberni Highway in Parksville). June often looks for volunteers. If you have a few hours to spare and would like to volunteer in the store, give June a call at 250 586-5206.



June Wood with OSRS’ own Rick Turner!
We are honored and proud to have members, caregivers, and supporters creating and making a positive difference to not just for our organization and it’s members, but the community as a whole. Thank you thank you thank you. Every bit helps!
2023 let’s goooooooooooo!
PS. Thank you MJ for doing the writeup for this post! <3
Christmas Party + Last Meeting of 2022 + Happy New Year!
Hi Folks!
Well would you look at that, another year has flown by! Hopefully all your holiday activities went as smoothly as the OSRS ones!
Special thanks to everyone who helps make OSRS what it is. Each Member, Caregiver, Volunteer, Coordinator, Director, donor, etc helped make 2022 a special one.
Christmas Party
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success! The basket prizes were amazing, and I heard the fundraising was a great success!
The party itself was indescribably fun (Santa told some great jokes as well)! I’d like to share with you some of the pictures that MJ and Mike took (thank you both!). As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words:
There are more pictures to come!
Thanks to Doug, his lovely wife, and CJ for making the last music therapy session extra festive and fun!
2023 is just around the corner, see you there!
August Potluck, Nancy’s Garden Party, and AGM!
August 31, 2022
Hi Folks!
As you know, August is typically a quiet month for the group, since we take a short break from the usual weekly meetings. However, we had some annual events, so why not share some of the activities we had on our “quiet month”?
August 11th, 2022 “A New Potluck”
Great job everyone coming out to the potlock, bringing some food, and just as importantly, your appetite! A good time was had by all, but the generosity was overflowing, and we couldn’t tackle the mountain of meals. See for yourself:



Table 1 had Deserts, and a number of newer faces!



Table 2 with the Treby’s and Guthrie’s
It was a remarkably balanced potluck, given the variety of dishes!
The turnout was fantastic as usual. Here are some extra pictures (sorry if we missed you – next time!)



Kathy & Jim, with his older brother



John, Paul, and Terry



Bob presenting Fish and Games Check to OSRS’ Karen and Bernice
Organizations are going through tough times all over, and we greatly appreciate Bob and the Fish and Games’ support! We need each other.
August 19th, 2022 “The Garden Strikes Back”
Thank you Nancy W for hosting this especially fun Garden Party! The turnout was as warm and comfortable as the weather! The treasure chest game was a pleasant surprise, and everyone enjoyed picking something out from it!
Special Thank you to Wayne Duke(husband of stroke survivor Linda Duke) for donating a very beautiful mounted and framed picture that he took on the San Juan Islands of a red fox. Wayne is a talented Wildlife Photographer, who travels the world to photograph various wildlife.
Below is a picture of Wayne holding the amazing donation (Taken at the AGM):



Thank you, Wayne!
August 25th, 2022 “Return of the Executive”
The AGM went smoothly as usual. Bill W has graciously decided to take a step back from his executive role, to let another member step up! Last I heard, the spot’s available, *wink wink nudge nudge*. All of the other past executive members are continuing on! We thank you.
The weather was amazing… almost as good as the company!
Here are some Pictures from the event:



Rick pondering the mysteries of the Universe, as usual



Kathleen with the Coordinator’s Report!



Gerry with Batista’s and Suzanne’s Grandkids behind



She’s so dang photogenic!



Marie and Rob showing off their amazing hats



Doug bringing his AAA new songs to the group!



Mike and Batista telling each other baaad jokes



Rollie and Nancy!
Thank you MJ for the amazing Pictures!
It was a fun August. Hopefully the rest of the year is as pleasant.