A special event is being planned to celebrate and say thank you to the child-care providers who work with local children and play a key role in their development and care.

In recognition of Child Care Month, which is celebrated in May, community agencies from New Westminster and Burnaby are hosting an evening of appreciation on Tuesday, May 25 for child-care providers. The evening will include lots of pampering, food, tokens of appreciation and recognition of child-care providers.

Child-care providers from New Westminster and Burnaby are invited to attend. They must RSVP pronto to tricrr@vanymca.org.

The event is co-sponsored by Burnaby and New Westminster Understanding the Early Years projects and early childhood development community tables, YMCA Child Care Resource and Referral, B.C. Centre for Ability and the City of Burnaby.

A press release for the event encourages people to show their appreciation to their child-care providers for the important work they do. For more on this story, see Theresa McManus's blog on The Record's website at www.royalcityrecord.com.

MAYOR'S GRANDSON PLAYS LACROSSE IN QUEEN'S

Mayor Wayne Wright took a bit of time away from the May 17 council meeting to tend to some family business.

Wright's grandson Jacob plays midget lacrosse for the Coquitlam Adanacs. Monday marked his debut on the wooden floor at Queen's Park Arena.

"It is the first time he played here," Wright said. "I wanted to be sure I saw it."

The game ended in 4-4 tie. While his grandson is an Adanac, Wright, a longtime New Westminster resident, is a 'Bellies fan.

"You couldn't believe how much I harangue him about it."

MOVING ON UP

The Canadian Mental Health Association couldn't be happier about moving its thrift store back uptown.

Having got its start in March 2005 on Columbia Street, the thrift store later moved uptown where it was turning a $2,300 monthly profit and then back downtown where it started losing money.

Rodney Baker, the association's executive director, said the thrift store has been doing better financially since moving back uptown to 435 Sixth St. in January.

That's good news for the association, as the thrift store's proceeds support programs in the community for people with mental illness.

"We have done remarkably well," he said. "That is like the ray of hope pulling us into the future."

The Canadian Mental Health Association will soon move its local branch office into the same building, which will also help on the financial front.

Like many organizations, the association is struggling because of funding cuts.

"It's making money. The other one lost money. It had a full-time staff," he said about the thrift store. "Now it is volunteers operating everything. They learn more."

The thrift store always welcomes donations and is quite desperate for more volunteers. Volunteers help run the till, bag items, greet customers, accept donations and do displays.

"It's a fun place to work," Baker said. "People come in and are happy because we have good prices."

Volunteers receive a $1 an hour credit that can be used to purchase items in the thrift store. The Canadian Mental Health Association is grateful for the support its received from Champagne Taste, Grand Central and Incredibles, which are local businesses that have donated items to be sold at the thrift store.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the thrift shop can call 604-516-8080.

SPEED REMINDER

New Westminster has set up an electronic speed reader board on Stewardson Way to help drivers remember to drive safely because speed kills.

The reader board is a partnership between the City of New Westminster and the Insurance Corporation of B.C. The Stewardson Way location was selected from ICBC high crash location data sheets.

"Our location in the centre of Metro Vancouver means that a lot of traffic funnels through New Westminster," said Mayor Wayne Wright. "The new speed reader board on Stewardson Way will remind drivers to slow down as they travel through the Royal City and drive safely."

The new speed reader board at Stewardson Way will be rotated between two other high-risk locations in the future - McBride Boulevard at the approach to the Pattullo Bridge, and along Brunette Avenue.

FISHING FOR CHANGE

New Westminster-Coquitlam MP Fin Donnelly is proposing legislation that was suggested by a high school student in Victoria.

Donnelly, the NDP's fisheries and oceans critic, wants to protect wild salmon by strengthening the Fisheries Act to require that fish farms operating on B.C.'s coast transition to closed containment systems.

"New Democrats believe environmental protection not only can, but must coexist with economic prosperity," he said. "British Columbia's, and indeed Canada's, wellbeing depends on it."

A NDP press release said Donnelly received the idea for the bill from Victoria NDP MP Denise Savoie, who held a Create Your Canada contest last year. Grade 10 student Thea Block submitted the winning entry, having worked on a fish boat with her dad for the past few summers.

"Last summer, I fished for wild salmon with my dad," she said.

"I want us and future generations to be able to do what my family is doing. I don't want it spoiled because we didn't take steps to protect our wild salmon. That's why I entered my idea for closed containment in the contest."