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BIZ BEAT: Get a head start on spring cleaning in Port Alberni

Chris Fenton walks across a desert to raise funds for ACAWS
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Steve and Richard Guineau of Go To Guys are gearing up for spring yardwork. (TERESA BIRD PHOTO)

TERESA BIRD

ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS

Realtor Chris Fenton has returned from his fundraising adventure in the Sahara Desert and has presented a cheque for $4,666 to Alberni Community and Women’s Services Society (ACAWS) for their programs.

Fenton travelled to North Africa in November for the Sahara Trek for Shelter through the Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation.

ACAWS fundraising went from the desert to dessert when Scotiabank held a bake sale for the ACAWS annual fundraiser Coldest Night of the Year. Along with nearly $400 raised from people purchasing goodies, donations were made by Rotary Club of Port Alberni ($500), Port Alberni Port Authority ($2,000) and the family of Gillian Trumper ($500). Scotiabank matched those donations with $3,000.

To donate, register or enter a team for Coldest Night of the Year go to: www.cnoy.org.

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Thinking about spring yardwork yet? Steve and Richard Guineau of The Go-To Guys certainly are. They started their handyman business last summer when Jim Del Rio retired from Hire-A-Slave, adopting many of those clients.

Born and raised in Port Alberni, the Guineau brothers love to work outdoors and do the yard work, small home repairs and garbage disposal for you.

“I was looking for a change after working retail for 12 years,” says Richard of his decision to start a business with his brother Steve, who worked for Del Rio for four years. “I like being outdoors again and there is a large variety of work we are doing.”

The Go-To Guys offer free estimates, seasonal yardwork contracts and you can call from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. any day to set up an appointment. Call early for spring clean and garden preparation: 250-731-7200 or find them on Facebook.

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Looking for a job opportunity? Looking for staff? Then the career fair hosted by the Nuu-chah-nulth Employment & Training Program (NETP) is for you.

The seventh annual career fair will be held March 12 at the Alberni Athletic Hall form 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Table registration is free. Call 250-723-1331 for more details.

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Twin City Brewing is participating in a worldwide fundraiser for those affected by the Australian bushfires—which are now officially extinguished. Last week owner Aaron Colyn and Twin City’s brewing team began working on ‘Resilience,’ a special beer that is being brewed all around the world to help support various bushfire relief efforts.

The recipe was designed by a group of Australian brewers and shared freely to anyone wanting to get involved. Twin City’s version will only be sold in their lounge on Margaret Street in Port Alberni, and should be ready for consumption by the first week of March, Colyn said. “I thought it was a neat idea to be making the same beer as a bunch of other people and doing it at the same time,” he said.

Twin City’s proceeds will go to a group that aids displaced Indigenous communities affected by the bushfires. “Our community is so tied to Indigenous groups and land that it resonated with us.”

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The Noodle Box is now open at Pacific Rim Centre next to Warehouse One. The Noodle Box menu is inspired by Southeast Asian street food. They focus on fresh food cooked on an open fire. Noodle Box offers a variety of noodle dishes from pad Thai to Bombay mac & cheese, as well as a kids’ menu. They are open noon to 7 p.m. everyday. See their menu at http://www.noodlebox.ca/.

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The staff at the City of Port Alberni celebrated their annual Soup Day in January. It’s an annual tradition for city workers, when they clean up their workspaces, then gather for soup. The event is hosted by the city’s Employee Family Assistance Program that promotes health initiatives for city workers.

Teresa Bird is the Alberni Valley News publisher. Have you got a business tip for her? E-mail her at publisher@albernivalleynews.com or call 250-723-6399.

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City staff put together a pot of soup for their colleagues who gathered for their annual Soup Day in January. (PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF PORT ALBERNI)