Thank you all for you generous support of our Fundraiser for Matthew Williams whose battle with Leukemia has been made a little easier through your generous donations.

Thanksgiving and fall are traditionally the time where we take stock of the bounty that has come from the harvest. We sit down to great dinners whose spirit wraps us up like a favourite blanket.

Part of that ‘blanket’ is the hugs I get from my youngest daughter, Chloe. If you were to see her walking down the street you would be able to smile as she passed you as she likely has greeted you with her voice ‘hello- look my daddy.’

As you passed by with a smile on your face you may think what a cute little toddler, and you would be right. The only difference is that Chole is 5 years old and has Down Syndrome. As such she is little smaller than other kids, she is tough to understand sometimes, but she can warm a room in seconds.

Down Syndrome is genetic, and people with Down Syndrome have 1 more chromosone than the rest of us. The manifestations include delayed mental development, which includes speech and, of course, learning. There is no cure but there are therapies that help Chloe and her friends in developing their speech, social skills, and learning capabilities.

Like any therapy there is a cost. From Oct. 9 through November 11, 2009 we will be raising funds at the till and through the sale of specific products found in our stores. All the money raised will go to cover some of the cost of Speech and Music Therapy for kids, teens and adults with Down Syndrome.

Selected products (see below) will be on sale for $1.00 of the regular price. When you purchase these products, the suppliers of these products will contribute $1.00 for every unit sold to the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society, through whom Speech and Music Therapy is offered.

Thank you so much for your support and purchases.

Rod Phillips – Buyer, Liquor Plus

Participating Products:

Spirits

Alberta Pure Vodka 750ml – Beam Canada LTD.

Alberta Premium Rye Whisky 750ml – Beam Canada LTD.

Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon 750ml – Beam Canada LTD.

Wine

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvingon 750ml – Fosters Canada LTD.

Little Penguin Shiraz 750ml – Fosters Canada LTD.

Gabbiano Chianti 750ml – Fosters Canada LTD.

Beer

Bud Light Lime 12 Cans – Labatt Breweries LTD.

more to follow in the coming weeks….

Special Thanks to:

Scott from Fosters Canada

Michelle & Micky from Fosters Canada

Mike, Lauren and Al from Labatt Breweries.

I receive no less than 50 requests from charitable donations each week. Some are on fancy letterhead, some from huge organizations and all worthy of donations and support. Every so often I get one that hits really close to home.

Last year Matthew Williams was your typical 10 year old boy. Played soccer and hockey, has lots of great friends in the neighbourhood and resisted coming in for dinner when he was in the middle of playing with his buddies during the summer.

Matthew is now 11 and life has changed dramatically. Matthew was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and is now getting treatment at Vancouver Children’s Hospital.

A few days back I received an unassuming letter, likely printed off a simple HP printer that goes through ink like nobody’s business, from Matthew’s Godmother Marlene Patton.

Marlene was looking for some items for a silent auction at a dance that she is organizing as a fundraiser for Matthew and his parents. At present his parents Graham and Angie and little brother Christopher are staying at Ronald McDonald House to be with Matthew for the duration of his treatment. By the way, if all goes well, his treatments will go on for 12 months.

Being a parent I can’t imagine getting the news that your child has life threatening Leukemia, and worse I can’t imagine not being through to comfort and console my child as they go through the treatments. That brings me to what Marlene is asking for in her letter.

Graham and Angie are desperate to stay with Matthew but the bills are mounting and we are looking to raise enough money for them to cover their bills for the rest of Matthew’s treatments.

If you would like to help out, when you come into a Liquor Plus store drop your extra change in the collection tins at the tills, or add a dollar or two to your debit or credit card, or better yet, bring a cheque that we can give to Marlene (made out to Matthew Willams Trust). Every little bit helps.

Rest assured this is not a scam as Marlene has been a loyal customer of Liquor Plus for a number of years and the trust account is being held at VanCity Credit Union Branch #69.

If you would like to contact Marlene please drop her an e-mail at mkpatton@telus.net

Thank you for your giving of heart and money.

Cheers

Rod Phillips

Buyer – Liquor Plus