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I was not a runner; the word was not even in my vocabulary. Now the cause was definitely in my vocabulary, every day. I lost my Mom, age 57, to breast cancer

October 4, 2009: Donna and I took our first steps toward the starting line at Nanaimo’s Run for the Cure. I was nervous, but ready. The energy, the inspiration, the amazing people that surrounded us… were there all for the same reason. We were all there to create a future without breast cancer. Before I crossed the finish line, I knew what I wanted to do. I announced I was putting a team together for next year’s Run for the Cure.

November 2009: I volunteered as team captain for a workplace, corporate team. I put out a company wide email to my co-workers at Vancouver Island InsuranceCentres. The response was overwhelming and Team VIIXEN was born!

My team consisted of co-workers from Port Hardy, Campbell River, Courtenay, Comox, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Qualicum, Parksville & Victoria. We had the full support and encouragement from all of our Managers and Senior Staff at VII.

Along our journey we had a very special lady wanting to join our team. Shelagh Flooker, from our Qualicum Beach branch.  Shelagh is battling Breast Cancer and we were now running for her. Team VIIXEN went into high gear with fund-raising – you name it, we did it!

October 3, 2010 Team VIIXEN crossed the finish line, full of hope, emotion, and inspiration. Shelagh came sauntering in with the biggest and brightest smile I had ever seen. She had just completed the 5 km!! We all gathered together for the finale, the awards were about to be announced. ”CIBC Team Spirit award for top corporate fundraiser goes to…TEAM VIIXEN with an amazing $10, 567.47!!!”

My question has already been put out there for next year… Who are you running for ?

Our history parallels B.C.’s history. Imagine pioneering spirits; small business owners who built private insurance brokerages through hard work and integrity. It’s a story that spans more than 140 years and a red-letter date – January 1, 2003 – when the past merged with the present to create Vancouver Island InsuranceCentres Inc. and a future – yours and ours – that we’re determined to see thrive. We are the largest, privately-owned insurance broker on Vancouver Island.

Our story begins with the longest continuously running company in B.C.’s history: B.C. Land & Insurance Group. Te year? 1863! B.C.’s most famous artist, Emily Carr, had yet to be born. Noted Victoria architect Francis Ratenbury had yet to arrive from England. It was even before Canada officially became a country. Now, that’s history!

The first recorded transaction of the BC Land & Insurance Group was a $400 mortgage on a farm in the Comox Valley issued to Tomas Dixon Galpin of England, a well-known newspaper publisher. Attracted by the excellent reputation of B.C. Land & Insurance Group, (which dealt in both land and insurance), investors arrived from across Canada and internationally. In fact, the legendary million-acre ‘Gang Ranch’, owned by Jerome and Thaddeus Harper in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, was their most notable land holding up to 1949.

The economic boom of the Klondike Gold Rush (1890s) set them up to develop large areas of land in the City of Victoria and surroundings. They survived The Great Depression and kept on developing into the 1950s. The 240-acre Landsdowne Park subdivision and Ten-mile Point are just two examples from that time. By 1972, they incorporated and concentrated solely on insurance selling home, auto, boat and small business insurance. When B.C. introduced government auto insurance in the 1970s, they increased sales staff growing into larger premises in Campbell River.

And, while B.C. Land & Insurance is our affiliate with the longest history,  the belief that the survival of small town brokerages depended on working together to form unique product lines and attract other well-founded insurance brokerages was an idea sparked by Comox Valley Insurance Services (CVI), also born out of a spirit of affiliation. Farrington Insurance Agencies and R.N. Carey Agencies in Courtenay merged to become CVI in 1967 and in 1977 they purchased P. Leo Anderton & Company., the Comox Valley’s first insurance brokerage, founded in 1911. CVI was the first agency to concentrate solely on insurance services and CVI, McKenzie Coastland Insurance (with roots to the early 1950’s in Campbell River) and Thwaites Norris Insurance (established in1912 in Parksville) were the first brokerages to affiliate.

Throughout the next 30 years, CVI continued to expand with affiliations (many concentrated in the 1990’s) of well-known businesses including: Ladysmith Insurance Service (established 1984), Hub City Insurance (established in Nanaimo in 1989), Simpson Insurance (dating back in Victoria since 1952), Dogwood Insurance (Cumberland), Good Insurance (Qualicum Beach) and B.C. Land & Insurance who joined the CVI group as an affiliated brokerage in 1998.

Through our collective experience, entrepreneurial spirit and hard work, for more than 140 years, we’ve provided security and protection for our clients … you!

Today, our 150 strong staff at 15 locations arrange over 100,000 Automobile, Home and Commercial Insurance policies for clients on Vancouver Island. We are prepared for the future and we are committed to provide you with peace of mind … We’ll Take Care Of It

I have been involved with the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life since its inaugural year in the North Island, 2005. I started a team called Pats’ Angels, in support of my dad, Pat and my mother-in-law, Patricia. Both are cancer survivors. 

The Team:

My team mates were Shobna Narayan, Alice Kulvi and Nicole Trottier from Vancouver Island InsuranceCentres Port Hardy office. We were joined by family and friends. At one point during the evening, a few of our husbands appeared with coffee and hugs of encouragement. 

The Fundraiser:

I talked my brother-in-law into allowing Pats’ Angels to act as waitresses, bartenders, dishwashers and prep cooks at his restaurant for a single night. In turn, he donated our wages and 25% of each meal towards the Relay. I spent 10 minutes planning the event and $100 on advertising and voila! At the end of a single night, Pats’ Angels had raised $1,000! 

The Event:

Tears flowed freely during the opening ceremony, followed soon after by a hum of energy as peals of laughter and lively music cranked out over the track. We were blessed with beautiful weather throughout the event. In the morning, a slight mist of light rain refreshed participants after the all-nighter. 

The Relay was not as well attended as it had been in past years, but the fundraising was as impressive as always for a little town. The North Island managed to raise $45,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society this year.

After falling from his chair, Jacob was transported taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where an orthopaedic surgeon and nursing staff oversaw his diagnosis, treatment and recovery. This included a CT scan, MRI, and other tests for bone breaks and fractures. 

Luckily for Jacob, he suffered only minor sprains and pains, and did not require surgery or setting of broken bones. 

Even still, after just five days of rest and tests, Jacob was well enough to go home – which included a $26,000 CAD hospital bill.

Jacob was one of the smart ones, who had the foresight and common sense to purchase travel insurance. Jacob’s claim was completely covered, leaving his personal finances intact and unaffected. 

Whether it’s a trip to Florida, France or just an inter-provincial road trip, a little travel insurance protects against the unexpected, and offers affordable peace of mind. 

For more information or to purchase travel insurance for your next trip, visit http://www.viic.ca or call 250.729.8089 to help find the coverage you need.

For more information on Shelterbox or how to donate, visit www.shelterbox.ca or contact any of our offices for more information.

We believe that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate and enjoy Alpine/Nordic snowsports.

We are here to help you accent your abilities in a fun and encouraging environment.