The sun was once again shining as an estimated 550 Comox Valley Co-op members lined up for their share of more than $400,000 at the Co-op’s annual members’ barbecue Mothers’ Day weekend.

Longtime Co-op members Jeannine and Chris Taylor left the Co-op members’ barbecue $147 richer – a sum that represents a 6.7 cent-per-litre rebate.

“It hasn’t rained on us yet since I began hosting the barbecue more than a decade ago,” says Co-op manager Richard Kerton. “I have a record to maintain, so I did a little dance in the back to call out the sun. I guess it worked.”

As an owner in the co-operative, each Co-op member receives an annual “patronage allocation,” comprised of both cash and equity in the company. This year’s cheques, ranging from $60 to $7,000, represent a 6.3 cent-per-litre refund on regular gasoline, and even more on premium and diesel purchases.

“We plan to spend our dividend cheque this year on our vacation,” said longtime Co-op member Chris Taylor, who pocketed $147 at the barbecue. “The best thing about being a member, other than the cheque of course, is that it’s an all-Canadian business with a long history of community support and outreach to the arts in the Comox Valley.”

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A volunteer from a local 4H club serves hot dogs at last year’s Co-op members’ barbecue. Comox District Co-op has more than $400,000 to give away at this year’s barbecue on May 12.

This Mother’s Day weekend, some Comox Valley moms will get cards, some will get flowers and some will get their share of more than $400,000.

That’s how much money Comox District Co-op has to give away in dividend cheques at its annual member’s barbecue on Saturday, May 12. Individual cheques range from about $60 all the way up to $7,000 – and they’re not just for moms!

“Our tagline is ‘moving ahead by giving back,’” says Richard Kerton, manager of Comox District Co-op. “The giving back part happens at the barbecue. Our members see the value of membership in the form of cash in their pockets and they realize they can earn even more by choosing Co-op for the things they’re going to buy anyway, like gas, coffee and snacks. That’s the moving ahead part!”

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The Comox Valley’s coastal waters may have gotten a little bit safer this week, thanks to a donation by Comox District Co-op to the non-profit organization that keeps local boaters safe.

Co-op manager Richard Kerton (front left) presents a $500 cheque to Cathy Dupuis, Station Leader of the Comox Valley Marine Rescue Society. Also pictured (L to R) are CVMRS president Jim Brass, Co-op director Grant Machin and CVMRS Boating Safety Officer Heather Mossauer.

The Comox Valley Marine Rescue Society (CVMRS), based out of Comox Marina, is the auxiliary unit for Station 60 (Comox) of the Canadian Coast Guard. On Friday, Station Leader Cathy Dupuis accepted the Co-op’s cheque for $500 on behalf of the organization.

“I want to say a big thank-you to the Co-op for this gift,” said Dupuis. “Donations from the public are what keep us going. They’re all we have to cover the costs of operating the Bruce Brown II, buying safety gear, and training our volunteers.” (The Bruce Brown II is the Station’s 31-foot fast response rescue vessel.)

Last year, about 35 CVMRS volunteers responded to 49 distress calls in the waters surrounding the Comox Valley.

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After years of living as roommates, cohabiting but never conjoining, they’re finally getting together.

Owners Mark and Danielle Duncan will unveil a new look and a new menu at Union Street Grill & Grotto April 8.

The Grotto, one of downtown Courtenay’s favourite casual eateries, has shared space with the Union Street Grill on Fifth Street for seven years, yet has always maintained a discreet distance in terms of what really counts – the menu. That’s about to change.

After a transformative week behind closed doors April 1 to 7, the Grotto will reopen with a new look, a new menu and a brand new relationship with the Union Street Grill

“We realized it was time to bring the Grotto and the Grill closer together,” says chef Mark Duncan, who owns both restaurants with his wife Danielle.

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Applebee’s Neighbourhood Grill & Bar will be facing off with hockey fans and players this weekend – except this is one face-off everyone’s going to win.

Kyle Sheehan (L), of the Courtenay Fire Department Extinguishers, faces off with Conner McNamee of the Ives Burger Sharks at Courtenay Applebee’s. The restaurant is helping raise funds for the players’ Atom House Tournament this weekend.

Applebee’s is hosting a “Forks for Fundraising” event March 23 to 25 in support of the Atom House Tournament being hosted by seven Comox Valley teams those same days. Sally Sheehan, a tournament organizer, says she hopes the event will raise a significant portion of the approximately $8,000 needed to host the tournament.

“We’re hoping all 12 teams will make it to Applebee’s at some point over the weekend,” says Sheehan, whose son Kyle plays for the Courtenay Fire Department Extinguishers. “I think it’s great that Applebee’s is supporting minor hockey players. I’ve seen them doing things like this throughout the community and it’s great to see.”

The way Forks for Fundraising works is simple: members of a non-profit (in this case the hockey teams) distribute flyers promoting the event. Each time an Applebee’s guest presents the flyer on the appropriate day (or days), Applebee’s donates 15 per cent of the bill to the group.

“It’s a super easy way for any organization, be it a sports team, school group, church group or any other non-profit, to raise funds without a lot of work required on their part,” says Linda Thomas, who heads community relations for Courtenay Applebee’s.

“It’s important to us to support the people who choose to dine at Applebee’s and to support the community in whatever way we can,” she adds. “A lot of it stems from the fact that our owners and all of our staff live right here in the Valley – we’re not some big city corporation, we actually care about what happens here, because it’s our community too.”

Tournament organizers expect about 90 players to descend on the Comox Valley from out of town this weekend, plus at least one parent per player and any siblings who form part of the entourage. That’s in addition to more than 100 local players who could celebrate their on-ice accomplishments at Applebee’s and contribute to the tournament’s success.

“It feels really great to be able to help out,” says Thomas. “Parents are going to be looking for a place to take their hockey players to eat anyway, so we’re making it easy for them. They can come to Applebee’s, enjoy a great selection of fresh food and also help out the tournament.”

Any non-profit that would like to arrange a Forks for Fundraising event, or even a pancake breakfast fundraiser at Applebee’s, is encouraged to contact Linda Thomas directly at 250.650.4258 or linda@islandapple.com.

Click here to visit BC Applebee’s on Facebook.

For the second straight year, Comox District Co-op members will receive more than $400,000 in cash this spring, with individual cheques ranging from about $60 up to a whopping $7,000.

Comox District Co-op president David page hands out cheques at last year's members BBQ.

Members of the Co-op are paid a “patronage allocation” every year based on their purchases over the past year. At last night’s annual general meeting, the Co-op’s seven-member board announced that, for only the second time in recent memory, this year’s allocation will be paid out entirely in cash.

Historically, the Co-op has paid a portion of the allocation, which this year equals five per cent of purchases, in equity.

“We’re very pleased to be paying it all in cash this year,” says Co-op manager Richard Kerton. “Our members have supported us, so we’re giving back to them – that’s the way it works. Despite price wars this past year, we were able to meet the price and our members came in and supported us. Because of them, the Co-op achieved record sales this year.”

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As featured in the Campbell River Mirror

You never know where you’re going to find love. Case in point, Martin Jurek, the soft-spoken father of two who runs Campbell River Hearing Clinic with his wife Jana, likes to tell the story of “a mail-order bride gone wrong.” It’s the story of how he and Jana met.

Martin’s improbable love story began in 1987 with a casual remark he made as a teenager to his grandfather, who was visiting from Martin’s native Czechoslovakia.

“My brother Lucas and I didn’t have girlfriends, so as my grandfather was leaving I said, ‘Hey Grandpa, find us a couple of girls!’ I said it as a joke, but he took it literally. A month later I received a letter with a couple of pictures. It was Jana and her sister.”

After two years of casual correspondence, Lucas visited the girls in the newly formed Czech Republic. Liking what he saw, he convinced Martin to send them some money for plane tickets to Canada. Although their developing relationships had been nothing more than friendly, there had been a distinct “pairing” of Martin with Jana’s sister and of Lucas with Jana. But that all changed within a few days of the girls’ arrival.

“After a couple of days, we knew it wasn’t going to go as planned,” says Martin. “Jana and I became really good friends and started hanging out together, which was a bit awkward because my brother liked Jana and Jana’s sister liked me. Jana was just this cute 16-year with a spark that really drew me to her; she really let you know her opinion!”

Martin and Jana Jurek, owners of Campbell River Hearing Clinic, are living proof that love can bloom from the unlikeliest of sources.

When the girls returned to Europe, Martin and Jana exchanged occasional letters for about a year as friends. Then Martin finally crossed the Atlantic for a return visit, ostensibly to visit family but really, he says, to find out if there really was something between him and Jana.

“I went to her grandparents’ place the night I arrived, and the moment I saw her I knew the spark was still there,” he says. “So we went for a walk into the hills and I asked her to marry me. It was a pretty spontaneous thing!

“I had to ask her right away,” he says, “because I only had three weeks there and wanted to spend it all as boyfriend/girlfriend. She was my first girlfriend and the first girl I kissed or even held hands with. But I knew she was the one.”

So it was that on that December evening in 1991, Martin and Jana got engaged and, moments later, shared their first kiss. The two were officially married in Canada six months later.

Against all odds, Martin and Jana took a relationship that really didn’t span more than a few weeks together and stretched it into 20 years of marriage, raising two children along the way.

“When I visited her in Czech 20 years ago I wanted to spend every minute with her, and I still do today,” says Martin. “She still has that spark that made me fall in love with her; I think I fall more deeply in love with her every day.

“This is my public expression of my love for her, and my commitment to many more years with my wife, business partner and best friend.”

By now, most local businesses have incorporated social media into their online marketing arsenal. But even as the late adopters scramble to establish a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, another social media tool is quietly becoming yet another must-have arrow in their online marketing quiver: FourSquare.

Chad Huff, owner of Applebee’s Neighbourhood Grill & Bar in Courtenay, shows off the FourSquare app, which he uses to engage with and reward his guests.

Launched in 2009, FourSquare (www.foursquare.com) uses geo-location functionality to allow users to “check in” via their mobile device at any location with a FourSquare profile. By connecting with other users, they can see where their friends have been, what recommendations or tips they’ve left and even what specials nearby businesses are offering.

“We’ve been using FourSquare for about eight months now as part of our broader social media presence,” says Chad Huff, owner of Applebee’s Neighbourhood Grill & Bar in Courtenay. “We have regular guests who use it every time they come in. It’s still pretty new so there aren’t a lot of people on it, but those who are can find some really special deals.”

At Applebee’s, for example, any FourSquare user that checks in at the restaurant receives a free spinach and artichoke dip appetizer. The person with the most check-ins at any given time, known on FourSquare as the mayor, also gets 15 per cent off his or her entire bill.

“I see lots of potential for FourSquare in the Comox Valley,” says Sean Kerrigan, a local web designer and social media consultant who runs EcoPeak Web Strategy & Design. “Mobile browsing is overtaking desktop browsing, and people are getting used to the idea of using their mobile devices to enhance their real-world experiences. Even small business can leverage technology like FourSquare to reach out to their customers, but they should ideally be there before their customers start looking for them.”

FourSquare boasts more than 15 million users, who have checked in more than 1.5 billion times. Millions of new check-ins are made every day at more than 600,000 businesses worldwide.

The way Applebee’s is using the site to engage with guests, says Kerrigan, is a good model for other local businesses.

“That’s just one way businesses can create a fun, competitive spirit – by giving away something to the mayor,” he says. “It’s a great way to create a community around your business. And ultimately, that’s what social media is all about – community.”

“We take great pride in being a part of the community, both offline and now online with FourSquare and our other social media tools,” echoes Huff, who grew up on the Island and lives in Courtenay with his wife Julie. “Our business is providing fresh, healthful and tasty meals, but our passion is engaging with and creating memorable experiences for our guests.”

To join FourSquare, simply download the free FourSquare app for your iPhone, Blackberry or Android device, or visit www.foursquare.com.  Then head down to 2910 Kilpatrick Ave. to check in at Applebee’s!