One of the greatest resources for parents with young children in Kitsilano has to be West Side Family Place (2819 West 11th @ MacDonald). Mention “Family Place” to our son, and he runs to the door and starts putting on his shoes. West Side Family Place has a great outdoor play area with a sandbox, swings, play house, and toys. Inside, they have an amazing indoor playroom, with art projects, painting, dress-up clothes, playdough table, lego, slide, play kitchen area, train set, puzzles, toy library, and tonnes of age appropriate toys. At the end of every morning, there is circle time with songs and stories. Snack time? Head upstairs and there are toddler friendly tables and chairs, and for 50 cents, access to tea and coffee and pastries donated from Starbucks. That deal alone makes it worth a visit. Drop-ins are M-F between 9:30-12 and W 1-4:30. There is an annual membership fee of $15.00, and all subsequent drop-ins are $2 (subsidies are available).
In addition to these drop-in times, WSFP also has a number of parenting and family programmes available, including infant/child CPR.
WSFP relies heavily on donations, and the annual ‘Fun’ Raising Auction is being held Friday, October 17th, 2008. Tickets are $10, and the evening includes a live and silent auction, a band, snacks, and the first drink is included.
Last year’s top item auctioned off was a dinner for 6, prepared in your home by Lumiere’s then Chef de Cuisine Dale MacKay. To make this year’s auction another success, donations both big and small are needed, and they can range from things as small as a bottle of wine to the promise to prepare someone’s dinner if you happen to be an Executive Chef… I know I would pay big bucks for the folks at Moderne Burger to come flip some burgers on our grill.
To make a donation, contact Diane Ash at 604-738-2819 or wsfp_info@telus.net.
Last modified: August 22, 2008
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