Brandon, MB – The annual Halloween Food Drive will take place again this year on Halloween night, October 31st, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Volunteers will be canvasing the neighbourhoods, collecting donations of non-perishable food and hygiene items. Historically this initiative has been co-hosted by the Assiniboine Community College Students’ Association, and the Brandon University Student Union, to collect food for their student food banks. BUSU collects food from 18th Street – West in Brandon, to go towards their student food bank hosted on their campus. ACCSA collects food from 18th Street – East in Brandon, to go to the Samaritan House community food bank. Last year A&W and Progressive Westman joined the ACCSA in coordinating and collecting food for the Samaritan House. Six community organizations/clubs came together, including the ACC Student’s Association, A&W, Progressive Westman, Telus, AAA Wheat Kings Hockey, Crocus Plains Rugby and Crocus Plains Football teams. A total of 5000 lbs of food was collected for the Samaritan House. This year their goal is set to collect 10,000 lbs of food, which is 10% of what the Samaritan House needs per year. “We’re hoping to have 150 volunteers this year to help bring in more food”, said Janice Penziwol, Administrator Officer, A&W Rootbeer Holdings. “There’s also donation boxes located at the Trans-Canada and Queens A&W locations. For every visit, with a donation, you will receive a coupon for a free root beer. There’s also a donation cup, where you can leave change. Last year we purchased $300 worth of diapers that we donated to the Samaritan House.” The Samaritan House distributes more than 147,000 pounds of food each year, which is approximately 22,000 hampers, to local families. Nearly 50% of Samaritan House clients are children. The roster of teams collecting food east of 18th Street, so far this year, includes the ACC Students’ Association, A&W, Progressive Westman, ACC Cougars Hockey Team, Telus, Paramount Services, Brandon Youth Hockey Association, Westoba, Heritage Co-op, and Benny’s Restaurant. We welcome all other organizations/groups to volunteer with us for the evening. If you would like to join the effort, please email accsa@assiniboine.net or call Karleigh Paul, ACCSA Events & Marketing Coordinator, (204) 725-8700 x. 6644, and she will get you set up with a neighbourhood map, volunteer badges, bags & boxes, and provide you with instructions to help make the evenings efforts a success. “The ACCSA is proud to be involved in the Halloween Food Drive again this year”, said Shelby Mymko, ACCSA Vice President of Events & Marketing. “This community event gives Assiniboine students the opportunity to not only be involved in supporting the Samaritan House but also in supporting other Assiniboine students who may be in need.” The Samaritan House provides food hampers for Assiniboine students and members of the community in need. To make an appointment and access their Food Hamper Program, call (204) 726-0758 Ext. 1. It runs Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., along with access designed for students and those who are working from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays only. Brandon University Students’ Union collected just under 3000 lbs of food west of 18th Street last year, for their student food bank. Their goal is to increase that amount this year. The Brandon University Bobcats have come on board to help this year as well. “The Halloween Food Drive is incredibly important to BUSU’s foodbank due to it being the only way we stock food for our foodbank”, said Emily Simon, BUSU’s Vice President Internal. “Being able to partner with ACCSA is a great opportunity for our organizations to cover a larger area and share the work and benefits. We are so lucky to be in the community of Brandon. Due to it being a smaller city, people have the opportunity to see where their contributions go. You never know, when you are out and about, if maybe your waiter or cashier used your donated goods to eat so they could pay their bills.” Brandon University students can access BUSU’s foodbank every Friday afternoon from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., but arrangements can be made for emergency hampers when students need. Students receive a milk coupon or half a dozen eggs with each hamper given out. Although we put out our best effort every year, we may not be able to get to every house and neighbourhood. Next day pick-up is available for this reason. If you live from 18th Street-West in Brandon, please call BUSU at (204) 741-0248. If you live from 18th Street-East in Brandon, please call ACCSA at (204) 725-8710.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brandon will be holding their thirteenth annual Halloween Town & Haunted Forest at Turtle Crossing starting on October 18, 2018.   The absolutely terrifying, yet safe and harmless, haunted forest is the primary fundraiser for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brandon and all proceeds are used to support programs and services for local youth.  Non-scare (until 7pm) is suitable for kids of all ages. Additional features at this year's event include a children's carnival, a ghost story hayride, children's face painting, and the Smoked & Sauced Mobile BBQ food truck. Dates/Times October 18-21, 25-30 Weekdays 6-9pm Fridays 6-10pm Saturdays 5-10pm Sundays 4-9pm   Come face to face with your living nightmares at the Halloween Town & Haunted Forest (Oct 18– 30) in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brandon.

The Rotary Westman Wine Festival Gala Dinner takes place on October 17th & 19th, 2018 at the Victoria Inn, with a Gala Dinner on the 17th and the Public Wine Tasting on the 19th.   The elegant five course Gala Dinner with specially selected wine pairings is not to be missed. The festival  has been running since 2002 and has had a variety of beneficiaries over the years.  In 2002-2006 proceeds went to the 2006 Special Olympic Summer Games and since 2007-2017, proceeds have gone to the Elspeth Reid Family Resource Center and Rotary Club of Brandon charitable activities.  The total amount of money raised by the Rotary WWF over the years exceeds $150,000.

We are in need of at LEAST 10 more people to register as head shave participants in our World Record Attempt Event. We are SO close to making this event a success, but we need YOU! We have the 76 people we need, but absolutely NEED another group of people at the event as backups in case we have no shows. Please consider being a part of this cause! On Oct 6th, from 2-3pm, we will be attempting to break the current World Record for Most Heads Shaved in One Hour by One Person. This will be done as a fundraiser, with all proceeds of the event going to the Canadian Cancer Society bladder cancer programs. Please consider this amazing community event, help us put Westman on the map as a community of champions that are leaders in the fight to Scare Away Cancer! To sign up, please contact Brian at grimacres@gmail.com.

It isn’t that uncommon in today’s society to have an 18-26-year-old still living at home with their parents. This generation is known as the Millennials. While the definition of the Millennial, also known as Generation Y, isn’t exact, it generally includes those born starting in the early 1980s right up to the mid-1990s (and possibly into the early 2000s). This is the generation that grew up with technology - video games, cell phones, and computers. For many young adults who fall into this category, they don’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to leave the nest. There are, however, a number of trends (perhaps started by the parents!) that are surfacing to tailor apartments to meet the demands of this new generation of tenants. Some of the ideas that are materializing across Canada to target the millennials include: Smaller floor plans, but with quality finishes. The new trend is to offer less space than the traditional 900+ square foot apartment. More and more units at 500-600 square feet are now available at the same price point as the traditional units, however, they offer higher-end finishes like luxury vinyl plank flooring, quartz countertops and wall mounts for smart televisions.   Pet-friendly. According to Pet Business Magazine, 7 out of 10 Millennials have pets. If rental units are going to satisfy the demands and expectations of this market, then they must accommodate pets.   Common Spaces. Shared spaces like a dog run, dog wash areas, courtyards, rooftop patios, common barbecue areas, and video game rooms are being incorporated into new communities to make the apartments that much more attractive to this demographic.   Flexible leases. There is a trend to offer furnished units and allow weekly rentals versus monthly, allowing those entering their careers more flexible options when it comes to making a commitment. Property owners and managers are also switching to ‘all in pricing,’ which means rather than having to pay rent, an electricity bill and other utilities such as water and Internet, the tenant would just pay one fee. Therefore, instead of paying $1,200 (all in) for a more traditional, unfurnished unit, a furnished unit might go for $400 to $600 per week and could be negotiated down for those looking for longer- term commitments.   Marijuana-friendly floors. In the larger markets, there are areas of the building or entire floors that have improved ventilation that allows for marijuana to be smoked right within the building or the apartment itself. This means that those who do smoke cannabis can do it in the privacy of their own rental unit, whereas those who don’t smoke electric lettuce have the same amenities, but aren’t having to deal with the funky smell.   Commercial and retail amenities. Property owners will often allow space on the main floor of the building for an upscale coffee shop, small, trendy restaurant or a pub. This brings vibrancy to the community and allows the tenants to socialize without actually having to leave the building. Places with boutique fitness centres and yoga studios are also very popular.   Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has nearly 4,000 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca. VHP has committed to constructing 128 multifamily residential units in Portage la Prairie that will be ready for occupancy in spring of 2019.