More patting ourselves on the back and a new twist on girls night… giving blood.  The only sad part is that you can’t really combine it with cocktails… but it is definitely a good idea to feast beforehand!  Follow the NQSS blood drive here and think about donating yourself.  If you’d like to come with a group, please message me (or grab your girls and call 1-888-2-DONATE to set up your own time)!

The day is finally here – whether you’re buying or selling or both – the Jenn & Colin community garage sale.   This is going to be a beautiful day for treasure hunting and making a few extra bucks for summer fun.  See you out there!

Make sure to put Bethany-Newton United Church on your route as well, as it’s time for their Spring Plant sale tomorrow as well.

We’ll be cutting our sale short to head out to join the Great Salmon Run, this is a wonderful day out in Tynehead with many great activities.  Loving Surrey’s events as they get better every year!  Don’t forget to also check out the Surrey Children’s Festival in May.

Well, we’ve survived week 2 of Survivor Fitness Boot camp.  This week was much tougher, mostly because I didn’t have my sidekick, Fran. I admit I was late (by 3 minutes) on Wednesday and cut it very close to arrive at 5:59 this morning!  Knowing Fran is going to be in my driveway or on her porch at 5:40 definitely helps me hurry it along in the mornings.  See some more tips later this week in our Boot Camp Challenge section, in the meantime here’s a throwback to Heather K’s keys to motivation.

Some discussion about the waste collection change coming our way in Surrey.  Personally I am so super excited, as our recycling bin is always embarassingly overflowing and I’ve been wanting a new big bin for a while now, but also to see how much we can really reduce our waste.  So proud of our city for taking this intiative!

Help a local student by simply watching this Youtube video and raising his spirits.  Parker is trying to get to 500 views and at publishing time, he’s almost halfway there.  I know we can support this local Cambridge kid and help him make his goal.

Thanks to all the Sullivan Elementary families who served up pancakes early this morning. Pancake breakfast is becoming one of the hallmarks of the beginning of the summer season, and we look forward to it every year!  We realize it can’t happen with all the support of the parents who are up at the crack of dawn making pancakes for our hungry kids.  Thanks again!

The pancake breakfast has a rodeo theme as it’s always held the week before the Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair starts!  We love the  Country Fair; for our family it is a great way to visit rides and have some fun without heading downtown to the PNE.  Young kids can’t always face a full day out and for uber-locals like us, driving out to Vancouver is almost a road trip!

If you drive down Highway 10 you certainly know Neil.  Someone suggested NQSS do a feature on him and our neighbours at the Surrey Leader beat us to it!  Check out their story.

Enjoy the sunny days ahead and if you’re visiting Sport City Butcher for your BBQ needs, be sure to mention Sullivan Elementary or Cambridge Elementary to support your local school!  In other local business news, be sure to enter Sullivan Optometry‘s Facebook contest for a pair of Coach sunglasses and Semiahmoo Speech Services colouring contest.  Check out local artist Irma’s exhibition at the Delta Firehall Gallery on this month.

Me saving lives. No biggie.

Please contact me if you have any community news to share!

Jen@NotQuiteSouthSurrey.com

Emergency Preparedness week is  here. Thanks to local fire fighter Shelley who told us about two free presentations next week in South Surrey and at Fire Hall #9 , to help you to make sure your family is prepared.

The community challenge to donate blood is well underway.  If you’ve always wanted to donate blood but never managed to get the deed done, now is a great time.  Grab a friend and go together for moral support.  Got questions?  Call 1-888-2-DONATE.   Local businesses, please let us know if you donate and we will give you lots of online love.  Karma!  Don’t forget to donate under Not Quite South Surrey so that the good folks at Canadian Blood Services can tally up our awesomeness.

Construction season in the ‘hood is well underway.  There are a number of changes and developments happening.  How can you be in the know and maybe even have a voice in shaping your community?  Check out the Panorama Neighbourhood Association.  We are taking steps and continuing to meet, and will soon be fully established as a non-profit and recognized as a community association.  If you’re at all interested in how to help build and maintain community and keep informed on area development send an e-mail to PanoramaNeighbours@gmail.com to be included on the distribution list.

I took the plunge and started boot camp this week with Survivor Boot Camp in Cloverdale Athletic Park.  Not sure if she’s still happy about it, but Fran is also back and blogging along.  It’s a good thing to stay outside your comfort zone and constantly expand it – well, that’s one of the things I tell myself at 5:30 AM every other day…

Summer camps!  It may feel like February or October out there but summer is on its way!  Creative Kids offers summer day camps, including all-day camps for preschoolers and extended hours for school-aged children. The City of Surrey and the Tong Louie YMCA also offer day camps – there is something for everyone so check out these resources today, and register before your favourite camp is all booked up.

It’s the final days to get yourself organized for the Jenn & Colin community garage sale and clean out your garage!  The word is out so be prepped for early birds… While you’re out and about, stop by the plant & bake sale at the Bethany-Newton United church and be totally ready for spring.

If you’re feeling lucky, there’s still time to enter the contest for the fall registration at 4Cats Studio in South Surrey.  Check out our girls night!

Enjoy your Pro-D day, Surrey!

First up, would like to announce the winner of our Good Day Sunshine Cafe contest: Peter Leblanc!  Thank you all for your comments and please try out this great little locally-owned shop.  (Pssst… they just got a liquor license!)  Follow GDS Cafe on Facebook to find out about all their great events and specials.   On a side note, Peter is one of the great people behind the Surrey Urban Farmers Market which will be starting up again in North Surrey in June.  Great work Peter!

One contest over but a great new one just popped up.  Check out our fun girls night out at 4Cats South Surrey and you can win your child an Artist of the Month set of classes!   It was a great time and I now have something of my own on the wall alongside my boys’ paintings of space aliens and bugs.

Another hot contest is being offered by Sullivan Optometry; check it out on their Facebook page and see how you can enter to win a pair of (drool) Coach sunglasses to rock this summer.

Speaking of rocking this summer, it’s time to step up the fitness a little…or maybe a lot.  I am pulling Francesca out of “retirement” to take on a new challenge with Survivor Fitness at Cloverdale Athletic Park.   Sign up now to get started in May!  And yep, they’re on Facebook, too.

May is almost here and our first big COMMUNITY CHALLENGE!  We have challenged the group My North Langley to a blood drive.  I am doing a ton of trash talking, as frankly we have a major advantage with Canadian Blood Services being located so close with great hours.  So let’s do this!  Yes it may be outside your comfort zone, but it is a small piece of your day/week/life that could change someone’s life.  Plus, it will give you an excuse to finally sit down guilt-free.  Please consider joining the team – grab a friend and call 1-888-2-DONATE.  Please book today!  (Let’s kick some Langley butt!)

Thanks again to Jenn and Colin for their support of the community clean-up!  We had a great turnout with some super motivated kids.  The Environmental Extravaganza continues this weekend with Party for The Planet at Surrey Central.

Enjoy the sunshine!

At least it didn’t rain down on our Sun Runners last Sunday.  It was a fantastic day for a run with the 49,000 other Sun Runners!  It was great to see so many locals out in the big city, personally I was behind a Sullivan Heights Star for most of the 10 kms.  If you’re looking for another run to either get you started or keep your run mojo going, check out the Surrey Great Salmon Run, with events for all ages.

One of our wonderful community partners, Bethany-Newton United Church, is starting a community garden.  This garden will be to serve the community… it will be a wonderful place to teach your children about connections with food and the earth and make great connections.  Please consider attending the first planning meeting if you have any gardening expertise to offer or want to be involved in the planning or just have a spare hand to pitch in.  You can learn about all the great things happening at BNUC here, which are open to the whole community.

We have a new space on NQSS, a space dedicated to giving back.  Appropriately, it’s called “Give Back”.  Please check this section often, to learn how to give back in your community in a way that works for your family.  We recently held a clothing swap and raised $550 for the Lourenco family!  Please contact NQSS if you know of a family in need or a situation that the community can contribute to.

Speaking of giving… we’ve been challenged by the community group My North Langley!  Let’s see who really has it in them to give by donating blood in the month of May.   BOOK NOW at Canadian Blood Services.  Make a night of it and go as a group!  Just call 1-888-2-Donate and make sure you mention Not Quite South Surrey so that we can really sock it to Langley and make this a wonderful win-win-win-win-win-win-win… Just one donation can save 3 lives!

One of my favourite blogs is Keep Canada Clean.  It’s kind of like having a favourite horror movie though: I love what this Surrey resident is doing by documenting the endless litter, but it’s completely frustrating.  How can we change these behaviours?  Our alleys and parks are riddled with debris from old electronics to styrofoam to drink cups. We will be out en masse cleaning the streets this Sunday as part of Surrey’s Clean Sweep week.  While our streets and parks seem (to me) much, much cleaner than last year, it’s important to model this behaviour for our kids and community and strike some ownership.  Please join us at Panorama Village Park at 11 AM on Sunday to help clean the park and enjoy some coffee courtesy of Starbucks Panorama Village and Jenn and Colin Real Estate.  Thank you to Pollywog’s Child Care who did their own Clean Sweep of 150th and 58th on Wednesday – way to go kids and thank you Pauline for volunteering.

The YMCA is hosting a penny drive in their childminding area.  Before you head out to the gym, stuff your pockets full of pennies!  There is also a new and improved locker system at the gym.  These lockers are are more theft proof (plus, you don’t have to remember your lock!)

The giveaway is BACK!  I first discovered the Good Day Sunshine cafe back in December when checking out the Mom Spa.  Support a local business, learn about this little gem and enter to win!

Get out and enjoy the sunshine this weekend! Some interesting local events this week:

• Cloverdale Baby & Kids Swap Meet
• Newton Library: Basic Crochet for Teens
• Birding Walk at Redwood Park
• Vaisakhi Parade
• Pooch Parade on the Peninsula
• Winks & Whispers Sleep Seminar
• Public Information Open House on KG Blvd widening
• FREE Foot & Heel Pain Lecture at Morgan Crossing Sports Medicine Clinic
• Seniors’ Forum

And be sure to check our Events calendar regularly!

And another big thank you to everyone who donated time, candy, eggs, and the et cetera.  Props to the Tong Louie YMCA for hooking us up with an in-person visit from the Easter Bunny and to the following local businesses for their support: Jenn & Colin Real Estate, Biggest Little Preschool, Angelique’s Cake Boutique, MLA Stephanie Cadieux’s office, Pollywog’s Preschool, Klutch Photography and Amy Lucrezi Real Estate!

I attended a Town Hall Forum last night for the Newton area.  People, we have some problems like everyone else, but it was heartbreaking to hear tales of walking a child to school amid prostitution and open drug use, just a few blocks away.  Let’s leverage our assets (that’s you) and band together as a neighbourhood to prevent this kind of decline in our own area – and find a way to help the bigger picture as well.  Check out the Panorama Neighbourhood Association and get yourself on the list.  (If you’d like to attend a forum, check it out on Monday in South Surrey).

Get out and enjoy spring this weekend at these local events:

Colebrook Elementary Bake Sale & Garage Sale

Seedy Saturday

Rocky Mountain Bikes Demo Day at South Surrey

Shred-A-Thon

Sullivan Heights Dry Grad Bowling

We’re looking forward to garage sale season, so if you hear of any, please let us know!  And If you don’t already live in this amazing community, you may want to check out some open houses this weekend!

Saturday, April 7:

Easter Fair at the Surrey Museum

Easter Egg Hunt at the Surrey Nature Centre

Easter Egg Hunt with Ocean Park Neighbours

Sunday, April 8:

Easter Egg Hunt in Panorama Village Park

Easter Egg Hunt at Sullivan Hall

Monday, April 9:

Easter Egg Hunt at Camp Alexandra

Please let us know of any other events by listing them in the comments, or sharing on Facebook.

Our great neighbourhood was featured on 45in45.com which is a Tourism Surrey project.  It’s too bad we couldn’t list all our amazing community resources and shops but we wouldn’t want to give away all our secrets, now would we…?

There are a few community groups that are working to improve the surrounding neighbourhood.  As NQSS has shared in the past, the ReNewton group is seeking to ensure the space at 64 and King George (former Surrey Public Market site) is developed into a community-friendly site and encourages all residents to let the City know what residents would like to see at this site.  ReNewton now has a website at http://renewton.org/ so  check it out!

There is also a group seeking to implement trails in Colebrook Park just west of Sullivan.  Colebrook Park is a 455 acre Park in Surrey that borders Panorama Ridge to the North, King George Blvd to the East, Colebrook Rd to the South and approx. 131st St to the West.  Check it out at http://colebrookpark.com/ and join forces with them on Facebook as well.

The City is holding several Town Hall Forums starting next week.  Please consider attending to learn, share, and show our city that we are a strong and engaged community!

There was a public open house to detail plans of the improvements to the 32 Ave Diversion.  If you missed it, you can still view the presentation boards and provide feedback.  The City of Surrey is also currently running a survey to get your feedback on the South Surrey Rec Centre expansion here.

If you’ve got a little one, check out the Newton Family Resource Program Drop-in to meet other families and share parenting advice.  Is your little one not sleeping or giving you sleep challenges?  Check out this local seminar from Winks & Whispers and get some help!

Great news – we’re getting new neighbours at 64 and 152 – Creative Kids Learning Centers is opening a Sullivan location!  They will provide junior kindergarten, child care, before and after programs (for both Sullivan and Cambridge) all in a 3100 square foot state of the art facility.  Creative Kids Sullivan will open in September 2012.

In other news for kids, there’s some news on our new local elementary school in the Surrey Leader this week.

A big thank you to all our photo entrants, and please keep them coming.  We love sharing community photos!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend – and don’t forget to check the waste collection schedule for the holiday schedule.  Next week all pickups will be one day later than scheduled.

Big thanks to all our community conscious neighbours who are stepping up and starting Block Watches.  Not just about keeping our neighbourhoods safe and sharing information, this entire exercise has brought the community together in a fun and social way as well.  If you’re curious about your own block, again you can e-mail Leeanne Kelly at the RCMP to learn if there is one in your area (and if not – how to start one!).

In other community news, the Panorama Neighbourhood Association is well on its way.  This Association will be a platform for residents to share their opinions and formalize a connection to government agencies, allowing us to have a voice.  Make sure you’re on the mailing list to learn more.

There are also a number of town hall forums being hosted by the City of Surrey; this is a community consultation and they are seeking YOUR input!  Make these sessions count and bring your concerns to be heard by the City.  Also in City news, there are free public swims being offered at our public pools, check it out!

This week I attended a Community Forum hosted by the Surrey Foundation.  This was right up my alley as the topic was Seeking Innovative Solutions for Surrey.  I met a number of people from community organizations and, in particular, was touched by the work the Surrey Urban Mission does.  Currently they are supporting 5 expectant mothers who are all refugees from Africa.  I let a few parents know about this and I now have 4 bags of maternity clothes and newborn necessities waiting to be delivered!  Thank you NQSS!

Closer to home, it will be a relief to clean sweep our neighbourhood.  Between the windstorms and whoever thinks our alleys are their personal garbage bins, they are looking pretty sad.  Check the events list to see if there is one organized for your street, and high fives all around to those who stepped up to volunteer and big thanks to local Remax realtors Jenn & Colin for being our community partner.  There’s a big park clean-up at Panorama Village Park so please join your neighbours there for coffee and talk and … clean sweepin’!

My kids are already talking about who is going to find the most eggs at the Panorama Village Easter Egg Hunt.  This is going to be a fun community event so please join us in the park!

Supporting local business is one of the primary goals of our community.  Get to Know Dr. Anisa from family-owned Sullivan Optometry!

Even as the rain pours down, spring weather is on the horizon.  Just a few garage sales this week – please e-mail if you’re having one soon, and don’t forget that you can make the most of your sale by joining Jenn & Colin’s community garage sale. 

Lastly if you are looking to upgrade, downsize, or get your favourite family into our neighbourhood, check out this week’s open houses brought to you by the Holmes Team!

Spring has officially sprung and aside from the flowers poking through the earth, another sure sign of spring are all the For Sale signs popping up on local house!  If you or anyone you know are looking to secure a home in the quickly developing Sullivan/Panorama area, watch for our weekly Open House posts to check out what’s up for grabs in the area.

As we head into spring we’re planning the big community clean-up.  If you’d like to do your part in your neighbourhood, please let me know!  All you need to do is show up on April 22 and we’ll put you to work.  Speaking of clean sweeping, if you’ve been busy decluttering your home over Spring Break, why not make a few bucks and register for the Jenn & Colin garage sale. The more houses signed up, the more shoppers and $$$ in your wallet, not to mention the space in your garage!

Several new Blockwatches have been started up in the last month.  If you’re not sure if one has been started on your street, you can e-mail Leeanne Kelly at the RCMP  to connect with someone in your neighbourhood.

Our photo contest has been extended to Sunday, March 25.  Get your photos in to be eligible for prizes from Greg & Liz Holmes. I leave you with these photos to inspire – make sure to head to Facebook to vote for your favourite!

To celebrate our community, NQSS is hosting a photo contest.  Send in your neighbourhood pictures – sunsets, mountains, kids playing in the street – the things you love about our community! You can win some great prizes from local realtors Greg & Liz Holmes.

We’ve survived our first week of Spring Break — make that March break.  Between the wind and snow, it’s obviously not officially Spring yet.  There is still room in day camps at the Tong Louie YMCA if you’re ready to give up on the weather.  If you’d like to try a new activity as a family – why not try geo-caching?  You don’t need any fancy equipment since many of us already have smartphones with GPS.  For little ones, check out the Newton Family Resource program.

If decluttering and purging is on your to-do list this Spring Break, put your sale-able items aside and make some money with the Jenn &

photo by Heather K.

Colin community garage sale.  Let Jenn & Colin do all the marketing, sit back and let the cash roll in.  Last year was a success, even with the torrential yet intermittent downpour.  (I’m counting on spring being fully sprung by May this year!)

Our area continues to grow, with new businesses popping up every day.  One of our new supporters is Semiahmoo Speech Services, located on the southeast corner of Hwy 10 and 152.  Check out their Facebook page for useful information — and a chance to win Brown’s gift certificates!

More growth is taking place in our residential areas and there are some big changes around Bethany-Newton United Church and some of this construction is allowing BNUC to build a community garden.  If anyone is interested in joining the planning committee, or would like your thoughts and ideas passed on please contact Kim Cathcart.

We are coming up on week 10 of our Sun Run training at the YMCA!  Some great new events in Surrey this year include the Great Salmon Run and the Surrey Marathon.  The Great Salmon Run is a wonderful family event and has both a 5k and 8k.  Training for the Surrey Marathon in September would be a great way to build on your Sun Run training and keep you motivated throughout the summer!

I’ve been talking alot about Newton lately.  The ReNewton group is committed to change; if you are interested in championing the cause, please contact me to learn how you can help be a part of this change and culture shift in Newton.

The ReNewton group is separate from the more local Panorama Neighbourhood Association.  The PNA is having a planning meeting this week, so please e-mail me if you’d like to be involved in shaping this official community association (to-be), or if you’re not on the mailing list yet.  I have a list of ways to improve our neighbourhood already and I’m sure you do too!  Let’s unite our community and make it happen.

Great things are coming up as we head into the second quarter of 2012 – stay tuned to learn more about the NQSS Clean Sweep in April and the NQSS Blood Drive & Challenge in May this year…

Jen@NotQuiteSouthSurrey.com

Stella & Dot is partnering with Autism Speaks to support Autism Awareness.Throughout April, 20% of proceeds from the Limited Edition Shine bracelet will be donated to Autism Speaks. Local S&D representative Tracy S. is also donating all commission on the sale of these bracelets to local school Harmony House.  The bracelet is $42.  E-mail Tracy to order today.

Dear Mother Nature: turn the snowdial to “off”, Spring is around the corner!  It was a rainy, wet day for the Cambridge Community walk today, but there was a sea of umbrellas wading to school today, the last day before spring break.   For Sullivan students, the City has upgraded the lights at the intersection of 152 and 60th to include countdown timers on the pedestrian signals.  Check them out!

Coming up this week is also a special day, March 15 marks NQSS’s birthday.  We’re celebrating with a photo contest to celebrate our community, with great prizes from local realtors Greg & Liz Holmes including Ikea gift cards and a subscription to House & Home magazine.  What do you love about our neighbourhood?  Whether it be kids playing in the street, a sunset, or just the changing leaves, send in your pictures of our ‘hood and/or vote for your favourite by March 18!

Speaking of contests, you still have the weekend to win a gift certificate and art basket from Arts Umbrella at The Shops at Morgan Crossing.  Tell us how the arts play a part in your family.

Photo by Jennifer Wiegert

As defined by the City of Surrey’s town centres, the Sullivan/Panorama neighbourhood falls directly within the boundaries of Newton.   As the area develops there is so much potential for Newton to become a destination in our own backyard.   Imagine going for a short run up the hill and finishing at a public market for some shopping and coffee.  Or maybe we could use another community service like an ice rink or an arts studio.  The lot at 64th and King George Highway was recently sold and is currently in application for development.  This is the time to get involved and help shape change in our own backyards.  Join ReNewton to learn more, and if you really want to know how I feel about it, you can read my editorial here.

More locally, we are formally starting up the Panorama Neighbourhood Association.  E-mail PanoramaNeighbours@gmail.com to be on the distribution list, and please indicate whether you would be interested in helping form and plan the group.  There are many resources offered through the City to community associations to improve our community, but we must organize and engage to access them.  A big thanks to Councillor Barinder Rasode for facilitating and guiding us through this process!  Whether you rent, own or run a business here, please consider being on our distribution list to find out how you can help make our community better by simply being aware!

Whether you are staying in the neighbourhood in Surrey or jetting off on a vacay, enjoy the March break and don’t forget to “spring forward” by changing your clocks this Saturday night (technically Sunday morning)!  If purging and spring cleaning are on the agenda for your break, keep in mind that the garage sale sponsored by Jenn & Colin Real Estate is in May.  Over 60 houses participated last year and we are expecting double that this year, so register with Jenn Foster and let them do all the work (advertising & signage).

Happy Spring Break!

PS, stay tuned for the details on the upcoming community blood drive for your chance to make a difference.