News

We are immensely thankful to Boston Pizza for selecting YANA as the recipient of this year’s Hearts Campaign! 🫶

Between January 14th and February 14th, guests showed their love by donating through purchasing paper hearts, enjoying delicious Salted Caramel Panookie desserts (yum!), and ordering heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine’s Day. Thanks to all of your generosity and Boston Pizza’s big-hearted support, a total of $713 was raised for YANA! 💕🍕

We are deeply grateful to Chamya for her incredible generosity and heart. She just wrapped up her Mother’s Day photo sessions and chose to donate 20% of the proceeds to support our cause — a beautiful way to honor moms and give back at the same time.💗

We are beyond grateful to Jody Murray, one of our star volunteers, for choosing YANA as the recipient of her Scotia Wealth Management donation! Through her incredible generosity and dedication, Jody has donated $1,000 since November 2023, which is an amazing contribution that directly supports children and families in our community. This was achieved by Jody logging volunteer hours, with the company providing a grant of $15 per hour volunteered, up to the annual maximum of $1,000! Jody, your commitment to making a difference is inspiring, and your support means the world to us. Thank you for being such a passionate advocate for YANA—we’re so lucky to have you in our corner!

A huge heartfelt thank you to Sally Long and her amazing family for hosting a garage sale this past Saturday — and for generously donating 100% of the proceeds to YANA! Thanks to their incredible effort and community spirit, $1263.77 was raised to support local families. Amazing!! Thank you Sally!

A huge thank you to Quantum Dental for organizing a silent auction at their staff holiday party and choosing to donate every dollar raised — an amazing $1,565 — to YANA 🦷😁

✨ A huge thank you to Design Therapy Inc. for their generous donation of $821 from their online auction — with all proceeds going to YANA! ✨
Your support helps ensure that families in our community know they are not alone. We’re so grateful!

Valley Vonka golden ticket countdown: Sweet treats for a great cause

Posted on

Originally published by the Comox Valley Record, April 25, 2025

Black Press Media Staff  – Comox Valley Record

Calling all chocolate lovers — time’s almost up!

You have until Monday, April 28, to turn in your golden tickets for this year’s Valley Vonka contest. This isn’t just a chocolate fix — it’s a treasure hunt.

Hidden in more than 3,000 bars made by Comox Valley’s own Hot Chocolates are five golden tickets, and at least three are still out there. The bars are scattered across participating businesses throughout the Valley, so your chances are still very real.

Need a place to start? You can still pick up Valley Vonka bars at Peninsula Co-op and Hot Chocolates — but don’t wait, they won’t last long. Each chocolate bar you buy supports YANA (You Are Not Alone), a local non-profit that helps Comox Valley families with children who need to travel for medical care.

Each golden ticket is worth between $780 and $1,000. Prizes include:

  • The Ultimate Relaxation Package: A luxurious stay at The Old House Resort & Spa, a delectable dinner at a local restaurant, and a family spa day (Value: $1,000)
  • A Healing Escape: Experience the magical Healing Caves at the Kingfisher Pacific Resort and Spa, an experience for four (Value: $780)
  • Save on Fuel: A Peninsula Co-Op Gas Card (Value: $1,000)
  • Shopping Spree Time: A Canadian Tire Shopping Spree (Value: $1,000)
  • Grocery Goodness: A Quality Foods Gift Card (for Comox and Courtenay stores – Value: $1,000)

So whether or not you find a ticket, you’re doing something great for your community.

Find gold, do good, and don’t forget — tickets must be turned in by April 28!

🌟 Huge shoutout to Euspira for being absolute community stars! 🌟
This amazing new business in the Comox Valley just wrapped up a silent auction fundraiser on their Instagram—and get this—they raised an incredible $1893 for YANA! 💛🙌


A huge thank you to Lacasse Construction for their generous donation of $1,197 to YANA! From January 14 to February 28, they pledged to donate $1 for every follower they had—and thanks to this amazing community, they went from 1,090 to 1,197 followers!

We’re so grateful for Lacasse Construction’s creativity, generosity, and community spirit—thank you for making a difference!

YANA Helps Comox Valley family after premature birth and B.C. journey

Posted on

Originally published by the Comox Valley Record, April 16, 2025

 Erin Haluschak – Comox Valley Record

Théodore Labrecque made an early appearance in the world this past December, and his birth gave his parents an expected adventure throughout the province, with help thanks to YANA.

Parents Rebecca and Jean-François Labrecque son’s birth took a surprise turn when he was born prematurely in the Valley.

The Labrecques went to the North Island Hospital Comox Valley, but due to complications, they had to find a neonatal intensive care unit.

“We were originally sent to Victoria, then Nanaimo and then Vancouver, but they were all full,” explains Jean-François. “As we were waiting in the hospital (getting ready to leave), a nurse came up to us and handed us an envelope from YANA with some money.”

The couple took an emergency flight transfer to Kamloops where Rebecca had a C-section; Théodore was born on Dec. 3, 2024 at 8:13 p.m. Because he was being monitored for jaundice and had to spend extra time feeding, the family was required to stay in the area for longer than expected.

Jean-François says in the original envelope there was a note from YANA that told him to contact the organization once the couple had settled with their newborn. He called YANA and, nearly right away, was transferred funds to help support the family for food and transportation, as they didn’t have a way of returning to the Comox Valley.

“Within a short time, I had a link to a car rental, funds for the ferry and for gas. We even had a stop in Pemberton with a hotel booked because we didn’t want to travel the whole way in one day with a newborn – everything was organized for us.”

He adds that both he and Rebecca are still in awe of the community’s generosity and how effortlessly the support came together.

“Rebecca knew of YANA from community fundraisers, but it is still amazing to see it (in action.) The nurse at the hospital just gave us an envelope, and overall (YANA) was so good as it saved us a lot of (expenses).

As for Théo, he’s been thriving and gaining weight just as he should. The family recently returned from a visit with loved ones.

***

The Valley Vonka – a major fundraiser for YANA, is ongoing in the Comox Valley. Businesses throughout the community are selling chocolate bars (by donation) with the chance to find one of five Golden Tickets inside the bar. A Golden Ticket qualifies the redeemer to one of five grand prizes, values anywhere from $780 to $1,000.

Chocolate bars are available at: