Nanaimo fundraiser that collects school supplies for kids in need of donations
Nanaimo man Dave Lawrence is pictured giving a kid a free haircut and school supplies before the school year begins. (File Photo)
A Nanaimo fundraiser that gives kids a free haircut and a backpack full of school supplies before the school year begins is in need of donations.
Founder Dave Lawrence, who owns That 50's Barber Shop in Nanaimo, says donations this summer have not been what he's used to seeing in previous years with the Fresh Start fundraiser.
With a month left to go, Lawrence is asking people to donate gently used or new backpacks, school supplies, books or clothes for the fundraiser. Cash donations to purchase needed supplies are also welcome.
"It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of stress on my part, but to see those kids the day of and how excited they are – it’s amazing," he said. "It’s great and very rewarding.”
The fundraiser has been running for eight years and this year will mark the one-thousandth child that's been helped go back to school.
You can drop off donations at That 50’s Barber Shop on Victoria Crescent, or at the Vancouver Island Regional Library Nanaimo Harbourfront location on Commercial Street.
Fresh Start is slated for Sept. 4 at the Harbourfront library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
More information can be found on the fundraiser's Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates
W5 Investigates Car security investigation: How W5 'stole' a car using a device we ordered online
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
Satire slinger The Onion buys Alex Jones' Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families
The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax, the families announced Thursday.
South African government says it won't help 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine
South Africa's government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.
Some Scotiabank users facing 'intermittent' access to banking days after scheduled maintenance
Scotiabank users say they are having issues using their bank’s services following a scheduled maintenance period that ended days ago.
2 B.C. Realtors fined $100K apiece for failing to disclose information to clients
Two B.C. real estate agents have been fined a combined total of more than $200,000 for professional misconduct they committed during the sale of a waterfront property on the Sunshine Coast in 2017.
Trump's defence secretary pick said women shouldn't be in combat roles. These female veterans fear what comes next
Female veterans fear the progress made for women in combat since then will be reversed after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump announced Pete Hegseth this week as his pick for secretary of defense – a Fox News host and Army veteran who has criticized efforts to allow women into combat roles.
B.C. midwives' college issues warnings about 4 unregistered women
The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives has issued nearly identical warnings about four women, each of whom it says 'may be offering midwifery services' without being permitted to do so.
A look at how much mail Canada Post delivers, amid a strike notice
Amid a potential postal worker strike, here’s a look at how many letters and parcels the corporation delivers and how those numbers have changed in the internet age.
'Only in Australia': Couple comes home to find koala in bed
Koalas are normally found in eucalyptus trees, but one couple came home in Australia on Wednesday and were shocked to find one in their bedroom.
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
Vancouver
-
Class-action alleges abuse, cultural devastation at Canadian Indigenous group homes
A proposed class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government says Indigenous people removed from their communities and placed in group homes beginning in the 1950s suffered physical, sexual and psychological abuse that "was commonplace, condoned and, arguably, encouraged."
-
2 B.C. Realtors fined $100K apiece for failing to disclose information to clients
Two B.C. real estate agents have been fined a combined total of more than $200,000 for professional misconduct they committed during the sale of a waterfront property on the Sunshine Coast in 2017.
-
B.C. midwives' college issues warnings about 4 unregistered women
The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives has issued nearly identical warnings about four women, each of whom it says 'may be offering midwifery services' without being permitted to do so.
Kelowna
-
B.C. woman sentenced for stealing $14K in funds raised for schoolkids
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
-
B.C. emergency room closed for 3rd time in 9 days
The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.
-
Child found 'small razor blade' in Halloween candy in Kamloops, B.C., RCMP say
Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.
Edmonton
-
A look at McDavid's magic moments as the Oilers captain closes in on 1,000 points
Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid enters the Oilers' game Thursday night against Nashville with 999 points.
-
'It was total betrayal': Leduc woman finds herself in trouble with law after falling for romance scam
After losing her husband of 30 years to cancer, a man she'd been with since high school, a Leduc-area woman found herself lonely and vulnerable.
-
12-year-old boy charged in stabbing of 11-year-old boy at Edmonton McDonald's
The boy stabbed at a north Edmonton McDonald's last Friday is 11 years old.
Calgary
-
45 cats, 2 dogs rescued from northern Alberta property by Calgary aid agency
Dozens of cats and two dogs have been rescued from rural property by a Calgary-based animal charity.
-
Lethbridge police investigate 'high-risk incident'
Lethbridge police are asking the public to avoid a section of the city because of a dangerous situation.
-
RCMP called for urgent action weeks before carbon tax protest fizzled: internal emails
Emails obtained by CTV News show RCMP in Cochrane calling for action and urgent meetings with Alberta's transportation ministry over a months-long carbon tax protest along the Trans-Canada Highway west of Calgary.
Lethbridge
-
Lethbridge police investigate 'high-risk incident'
Lethbridge police are asking the public to avoid a section of the city because of a dangerous situation.
-
Charges laid in Lethbridge carjacking that saw truck, police cruiser end up in canal
Lethbridge police have charged two people in connection with a weekend carjacking that saw a stolen vehicle driven dangerously throughout the city.
-
Woman wanted by Lethbridge police
Lethbridge police are looking for a woman wanted on outstanding warrants.
Winnipeg
-
'It's great to be a fan in Manitoba': Bombers, Jets success creating excitement throughout Winnipeg
Excitement can be felt throughout Winnipeg these days as both the Winnipeg Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been dominating.
-
'Something to look forward to': Roughriders fan cheering for Bombers in Australia
CFL fans down under are preparing to take in the Grey Cup – Canadian style.
-
Manitoba premier shuffles cabinet, creates technology portfolio
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has shuffled his cabinet, adding three fresh faces and creating an Innovation and New Technology department.
Regina
-
Chad Bachynski defeats Sandra Masters to become mayor of Regina
Chad Bachynski will be Regina's next mayor, after defeating incumbent Sandra Masters, who was vying for a second term.
-
Here's a look at Regina's projected new city council
Regina's projected new city council will consist of eight new members with more than a handful of outgoing councillors not seeking re-election and two incumbents being defeated Wednesday night.
-
A look at how much mail Canada Post delivers, amid a strike notice
Amid a potential postal worker strike, here’s a look at how many letters and parcels the corporation delivers and how those numbers have changed in the internet age.
Saskatoon
-
Cynthia Block will be Saskatoon's next mayor
Cynthia Block is the 29th mayor of Saskatoon, and the first woman elected to the position in the city's history.
-
Prince Albert elects new mayor after 12 years under Greg Dionne
After 12 years under Greg Dionne, the City of Prince Albert has a new mayor.
-
Assault charge against former Sask. private school employee dropped
A private school employee accused of hitting a seven-year-old student in the head with a relay baton had her assault charge dropped on Wednesday in Saskatoon provincial court.
Toronto
-
1 man dead after double stabbing at City Place: Toronto police
A man is dead and another is in hospital following a double stabbing at a condo in the City Place area, Toronto police say. Officers were called to the area of Fort York Boulevard and Dan Leckie Way around 12:45 a.m., Toronto police said, after two men reportedly stabbed each other in an argument.
-
What should Taylor Swift (or Taylor Swift fans) see while she's in town? Toronto residents weigh in
Taylor Swift is taking over downtown Toronto’s Entertainment District for nearly 10 days when she brings “The Eras Tour” to Toronto.
-
'The Woodstock of our generation': Taylor Swift photographer credits email to her connection with the superstar
Taylor Swift has millions of fans worldwide, but Brampton, Ont.'s Jasmeet Sidhu has gotten closer to the musical icon than most.
Montreal
-
Montreal man pricked by dirty needle picking up his keys
A Montreal man was pricked by a dirty needle while picking up his keys that had fallen in a pile of leaves.
-
Quebec online ticket reseller sent 26 fines for allegedly hiking prices
Quebec’s crown prosecutors sent online ticket reseller Billets.ca more than two dozen fines for selling concert tickets at a higher price than the seller authorized.
-
Fire ignites in an apartment in Montreal North
Montreal police is investigating after a fire ignited an apartment in the borough of Montreal North.
Ottawa
-
NEW THIS MORNINGNEW THIS MORNING Trump border czar calls eastern Ontario border crossing an 'extreme' security vulnerability
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's incoming border czar is calling one of Canada's busiest border crossings in eastern Ontario an "extreme vulnerability" for the United States as he intends to crack down on illegal immigration and increase border agents across the U.S.-Canada border.
-
OC Transpo scrapping youth discount fares, increasing seniors passes 120% in 2025 budget
OC Transpo is ending the free ride for 11 and 12-year-olds and will be charging youth and seniors more to board the bus and the O-Train in 2025, as part of a five-per-cent hike in the 2025 City of Ottawa budget.
-
Student transportation van driver facing charges following crash on Hwy. 7 in eastern Ontario
The 80-year-old driver of a student transportation van is facing charges under the Highway Traffic Act following a multi-vehicle crash in Lanark County.
Atlantic
-
NEWNEW Tim Hortons gift card brouhaha shows N.S. electoral officer needs fining power: watchdog
The director of a democracy watchdog says that if Nova Scotia's electoral officer had more power to levy fines, it would discourage situations such as campaign managers giving Tim Hortons gift cards to voters.
-
'I can only turn the thermostat down so low': NB Power customers wait for finer details of incoming rate hike
NB Power says customers should have a better idea soon about how much more they’ll be paying on utility bills, following last week’s approval of a nearly 20 per cent increase over two years.
-
Beetles from B.C. settling in Nova Scotia, taking up the fight to rescue hemlocks
The offspring of beetles imported from British Columbia are ready to take up the fight against an invasive insect that is killing hemlock trees in Nova Scotia.
London
-
Concerns remain as Hydro One identifies a preferred corridor for the St. Thomas EV battery plant
Hydro One has identified a preferred route for a transmission corridor to supply the Volkswagen electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, Ont. While the corridor now appears inevitable, officials are continuing to take feedback on the plan.
-
Needleless insulin device being introduced in Canada on World Diabetes Day
“InsuJet [is] the first device to Canada that actually has no needles,” said Daphne Lapenna of Sol-Millennium Medical Ltd. who is introducing the product to Canada on Thursday evening at Banting House.
-
Jury hears police interview with co-accused recorded days after fatal bush party shooting
Testimony at a London courthouse continued Wednesday, as London Police Detective Jim MacLachlan took the stand in the seventeenth day of evidence in the case of the murder of Josue Silva.
Kitchener
-
Take a look inside Amazon’s new fulfillment centre in Cambridge, Ont.
Amazon says its new fulfillment centre in Cambridge, Ont. is the first-of-its-kind in the country.
-
Toronto teenager charged with first-degree murder in Kitchener, Ont. homicide
A Toronto teen has been charged as part of an investigation into Kitchener, Ont.’s first homicide of 2024.
-
Kitchener, Ont. woman with incurable cancer dies, fight continues to get provincial funding for expensive drug treatment
The family of a young Kitchener woman, who died Sunday from a rare bile duct cancer, is promising her quest to get provincial funding for a drug that helped extend her life will continue.
Northern Ontario
-
South African government says it won't help 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine
South Africa's government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.
-
'Your body, my choice': Attacks on women surge on social media following U.S. election
Sexist and abusive attacks on women, like 'your body, my choice' and 'get back to the kitchen,' have surged across social media since Trump’s reelection.
-
Northern Ontario couple charged in their baby girl's 2022 death
A northern Ontario couple has been charged in the death of their three-month-old baby girl who was found in September 2022 with no vital signs.
N.L.
-
Newfoundland man electrocuted by downed power line, two women injured
Police in Newfoundland say a man was electrocuted Saturday by a downed power wire about 10 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L.
-
What is 'recitation?' Newfoundland tradition-keeper returns to stage from 100-day cancer-treatment isolation
On Thursday morning, Dave Penny officially ended a suggested hundred-day isolation period that followed his diagnosis and stem cell treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On Thursday night, Penny returned to a stage at a downtown St. John's bar, regaling a small crowd with songs and stories with a distinctive Newfoundland flair.
-
Newfoundland beach blobs are plastic pollution, but source remains unknown: scientist
A Memorial University scientist says the mysterious white blobs washing up on Newfoundland beaches are actually gobs of plastic -- and they need to be cleaned up.
