25 years of giving

Angela Morehouse (left), Diane Edwards (second from right) and Daniella Palmieri (right), Victoria General Hospital Child Life Department Staff, accept a $4,000 delivery of toys and gift cards from Master Sailor (MS) Kayleigh Ferris of Naval Fleet School (Pacific) and HMCS Regina members Sailor First Class Billy Turner, Chief Petty Officer Second Class Trevor Moore and MS Zachary Kowalchuk. Monies raised for the donation came through the ship’s Dave Barber Charity, named in honor of the ship’s former Fire Control and Radar Technician who died of Leukemia in 1997. Credit: HMCS Regina

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer 
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The sailors of HMCS Regina brightened up another holiday season for young patients at Victoria General Hospital (VGH) with a large delivery of toys.  

This year’s 25th annual fundraiser for the VGH Child Youth Family Department saw $4,000 worth of toys and gift cards donated by the ship through the Dave Barber Charity. This foundation honours the memory of Master Sailor (MS) Dave Barber, former HMCS Regina Fire Control and Radar Technician, who died of Leukemia in 1997.

MS Zachary Kowalchuk, a Fire Control Maintainer at HMCS Regina, organized this year’s charitable initiative. He says playing Santa and spreading some joy to youth undergoing medical treatment is a big pay-off for him and the ship’s company.

“The hospital staff were overjoyed with the donation and appreciative of our efforts when we dropped the toys off at the hospital. We know the children loved their gifts,” said MS Kowalchuk.

VGH staff provided the crew with a wish list for the children, and it was up to them to do the shopping and toy drop-off. The first toy delivery occurred in early November, with a second batch donated in early December. Gifts included virtual reality headsets, Lego, Barbie dolls, various superhero toys, books, and gift cards from Amazon, Sephora and Starbucks, all items the children and youth had hoped for.

MS Kowalchuk and his shipmates were involved in many initiatives to bring this fundraiser to light. One of the more significant efforts involved organizing a charity golf tournament in the fall at the Metchosin Golf and Country Club, led by MS Kowalchuk and Sailor First Class Billy Turner. The turnout of 70 participants included current and former Royal Canadian Navy members and friends of Dave Barber.

Donations from the Ship’s Company and its three messes also contributed to the campaign, as were proceeds from weekly barbecues hosted yearly by Naval Fleet School (Pacific). MS Kowalchuk extended a special thank you to MS Kayleigh Ferris, who has puts in a lot of work to maintain the BBQ at NFS(P).