Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

Aunt Leah’s 10th Annual Lonely Hearts Club Band
Saturday, March 31st at 7pm
Polish Community Centre, 4015 Fraser Street @ King Edward, Vancouver BC
Tickets are $40 and are available at clubzone.com; Aunt Leah’s Urban Thrift Store (177 East Broadway, Vancouver, Ph. 604-709-3254); or from Theresa Frazao, Event Coordinator at 604-525-1204 ext 224.

Music benefit with performances by Van Django • Rich Hope • Sarah Wheeler • Reid Jamieson


Since 1988, Aunt Leah’s Place has worked to prevent foster youth from becoming homeless and young mothers from losing custody of their children. Over the past 10 years some of Vancouver’s best musicians have lent their talent and time, playing their rendition of classic Beatles songs, in support of the crucial services that Aunt Leah’s offers. This year’s stellar collection of performers are the gypsy-jazz quartet Van Django www.vandjango.com, the rockin’ and rollin’ Rich Hope www.richhope.com, the inimitable Sarah Wheeler www.sarahwheeler.com, and the harmonizing and crooning of Reid Jamieson www.reidjamieson.com.

WHY SUPPORT AUNT LEAH’S PLACE?

Aunt Leah’s works proactively – by providing supportive housing, training and lifeskills programs – to help prevent foster children from avoiding the following outcomes:

• In BC, 65% of all people who live on the street are former kids in care.
• In Metro Vancouver, there has been a 29% increase in youth homelessness since 2008.
• Only 21% of foster youth graduate from highschool, making them twice as likely to end up in jail and more than five times as likely to receive income assistance.

All profits from this annual event go towards the operational costs of Thresholds House. Thresholds is a supportive housing program for new mothers who face the threat of having their children taken into government care if they cannot secure safe housing and obtain extra supports for parenting and life-skills. While Thresholds in-takes women from many sources, it acts as an essential component of the Families In Recovery (FIR) Unit at BC Women’s Hospital, which is dedicated to prenatal and postnatal care for moms recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. Aunt Leah’s offers a safe, affordable place for homeless moms to reside without the fear of apprehension of their newborn into the foster care system.
Thresholds receives no direct government funding, and currently has a wait list of pregnant women living in shelters, couches, hospitals or in abusive surroundings trying desperately to find a place to support them in providing a nurturing home for the baby.