Gentle Readers

Gentle Readers October 2013 Let’s call this an annual appeal, even though it’s been well over a year since the money-crunch of 2012. That one, the first so dire, was precipitated by the withholding of approval, by the BC Gaming Commission, of funding for the Carnegie Newsletter. When called directly by the curious and concerned alike, the Public Relations Department outdid itself by saying, “We haven’t cancelled anything; it’s entirely up to the Carnegie Community Centre Association where they spend the money awarded to them.(!)” - Only after the Gaming Commission voided any possibility of spending it on “Community Communications;” perhaps in the great non-paper world such things as hand-held newsletters are a thing of the past. The obvious, to me/us here anyway, was that the decision-makers were acting on or succumbing to pressures brought to bear by the forces engaged in gentrifying the neighbourhood and driving out all the poor (read low-class) individuals calling the Downtown Eastside home. The appeal went nowhere so the application for 2013 was re-written to highlight the necessity of having a forum for the writers and poets of the ‘hood… and the GC ‘graciously permitted’ $4000 for this. The cost of printing the Carnegie Newsletter is ~$8500; the cost of volunteer tickets is ~ $2000; and the petty cash for mailing, office supplies, various online fees and miscellaneous is ~ $1500. A total needed to function without undue constraints is about $13,000 annually. The funds raised in the Spring last year, including the one fundraising event with entertainment and a silent auction, brought the newsletter to about the end of 2013. It is about the coming year that this letter is to address. The Newsletter is needed and valued in this community. Help in the Downtown Eastside, its little sister, is a resource guide for everyone from transients to long-time residents. It contains a wealth of information to aid anyone in securing the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, medical aid and education, as well as a myriad of resources available to people in different parts of the city. Money to pay for its printing must be raised every year, separately, as there is no government assistance. (Odd in itself, as staff at a number of agencies have continually lobbied to impress on their respective administrators that their jobs would be much more difficult (or could not be done) without having the latest Help booklets on hand.) In 2013 there has been one updated, revised edition, #46 APRIL 2013, and twice a year has been the best schedule to keep up with changes and with demand. There is, as yet, no money for another edition this year. An application has gone in to the Gaming Commission for funds in 2014, but it is a fact that $13,000 will not be approved. This is where you can and hopefully will come in. Any amount is welcome and the state of many people’s personal finances is a matter of concern. Certainly you will ask yourself what, if anything, you can afford. All donations above $20 will get a tax-deductible receipt. Please be as generous as you can be. It is vital that the voices of the low-income, marginalised, beneath (someone’s) notice individuals in the Downtown Eastside must have a non-censored forum. All aspects of our lives amid the many pressing issues need to see the light of day. Respectfully submitted, PaulR Taylor, volunteer editor since 1986 The Carnegie Newsletter is published twice monthly, 23 times a year. To donate, go online to www.carnnews.org or send a cheque, payable to The Carnegie Newsletter, 401 Main Street, Van6A 2T7.