Giant snow globe encourages selfies

Funky new idea in the name of charity.
By Anna Phan

In need of a good selfie for the winter holidays? The Kettle Friendship Society, Harbour Centre and the Vancouver Lookout are inviting everyone “to celebrate the season with a twist this year.” Forget about pictures with Santa! Come and get “Snow Globed!”

“Get Snow Globed for a Cause” is a charity for the Kettle Friendship Society, a local non-profit organization that assists people living with mental illness. The society’s mental health teams are trained professionals that include nurses, occupational therapists, physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, rehabilitation therapists, social workers and support staff. They strive to provide individuals with services that prevent and reduce hospital care, and to “promote the optimal level of functioning to achieve each individual’s personal satisfaction, growth, and highest potential.”

Ultimately, the goal of The Kettle Society is to assist people in finding housing, employment, advocacy and support services, and to raise the awareness of mental health issues and break the stigma and barriers for people with mental illness. The organization believes this can be accomplished specifically by improving upon the integration of people living with mental illnesses into society.

Their approach to helping people with mental illness is based on an empowerment model, where they primarily aim to assist individuals to “build self-esteem and then give options for rehabilitation and recovery.” They believe this method allows their members to “maximize their quality of life.”

All visitors are welcome to visit the Harbour Centre’s lobby and take a photo inside a giant snow globe with their own camera and phone. A minimum donation of five dollars is suggested, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to The Kettle Society.

The snow globe will be in operation Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Dec. 20.