Lizzy Segal is a teacher on call for School District 61.
When she’s not teaching, she uses her off days to create clay sculptures in the Cedar Hill Rec. Centre ceramics studio.
Segal is one of the many artists to donate a piece of her work to the 2018 Souper Bowls of Hope event, which supports the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society (YES). It’s the 20th edition of the Souper Bowls fundraiser on Thursday, April 5. From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. guests, or Community Souper Heroes, can enjoy a bowl of soup and entertainment at the Victoria Conference Center.
As always, guests choose one of the hundreds of handmade creations to take home.
This year’s event focuses on supporting two YES programs that help Victoria’s vulnerable youth (ages 13 to 21) learn about healthy eating habits. You(th) Can Cook and You(th) Can Garden are the two programs, each providing hands-on knowledge and experience for youth in the area of healthy cooking, food security and about maintaining access to fresh produce throughout the year.
“The community kitchen and garden programs have been incredibly important in developing youths’ self-esteem as well as giving them tools to be successful as they transition into adulthood,” said Souper Bowls event chair, Michele Davis. “The program staff are seeing youth show up week after week with a sense of excitement and they leave feeling proud and accomplished.”
With 400 attendees at last year’s Souper Bowls event, it takes a while to collect the number of bowls needed for the event.
“In addition to local artists contributing bowls we also get quite a few from the Family Day arts demonstration in the Cedar Hill ceramics studio,” said Davis.
On Family Day, staff and artists demonstrate the throwing wheel and each of those creations turns into a bowl for Souper Bowls.
And the public can contribute too, experienced or not, by paying $9 to create a piece at the ceramic studio Fired Up (Fort and Richmond).
Serving the soup this year will be Victoria firefighters, Victoria Police officers, Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins and local writer Jack Knox. The delicious soups are from the kitchens of Fairmont Empress, Union Club, Cheryl’s Gourmet Pantry and 10 Acres Bistro, complemented by bread from Portofino Bakery. Entertainment by the Vic High School R&B Band is a highlight of the event, as are the raffles and silent and live auctions that include a WestJet ‘Gift of Flight’ package for two
people and five Capital Iron gift certificates worth $500 each.
Tickets to Souper Bowls of Hope 2018 are $50 per person and can be purchased online. For more information visit souperbowls.com, @souperbowlsofhope on Facebook and @souperbowlshope on Twitter.
