Who we are
Turn to the Sun is a Vancouver-based fundraising effort to support community-based HIV/AIDS programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Every spring, several HIV/AIDS nurses working in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, their families, friends, school children and neighbours grow and sell sunflower seedlings.
What we do
Volunteers grow ornamental sunflower seedlings in their homes, at work and in a small, family greenhouse. The
annual sale, which typically features at least
30 varieties of sunflowers, is held on Mother’s Day.
For 2008, Turn to Sun hopes to raise $5,000. This year's proceeds will be donated to the
Stephen Lewis Foundation which distributes the money to grassroots projects focusing on direct care and programs for HIV/AIDS impacted families.
Why we started
Suzy Coulter, a community nurse in the Downtown Eastside, was inspired to start Turn to the Sun in 2005 after she volunteered for four months in Kisumu, a city in Kenya with one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in that country. She decided to raise sunflower seedlings after meeting a Kenyan woman living with AIDS whose income generating activity included growing sunflowers for seeds. The chickens were fed the seeds and the income from selling the chickens and eggs helped support her family.
The Global AIDS Crisis
Over 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS.
In Africa, of the 25 million people between 15 and 49 years of age living with HIV, 58% are women.
Over 20 million children will be without one or both parents by 2010 because of AIDS in sub Saharan Africa.
In the developing world, 6 million need antiretroviral drugs right now, yet just over 1 million have access to them. Without these medicines, the rest will die.
The AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest public health crises in history. For more information see
UNAIDS.
Fundraising efforts so far
Since 2005, Turn to the Sun has raised over $ 16,000. These funds have provided support to women’s programs affiliated with:
Volunteer growers
For 2008, the lineup features many returning growers including the students at
Laura Secord Elementary. New participating schools are
Chief Maquinna Elementary and
Deroche Elementary.
Fiona Gold,
Kath Webster,
Jerry Cyr,
Sonia Marino,
Hugh & Ann Coulter,
Emily Coulter,
Dan & Erin Coulter,
Gary Coulter,
Tomiye Ishida,
Sally Lum,
Liz James,
Noah Brunt, Benjamin Brunt & Camryn Brunt,
Leslie Dodd,
Jolene Cumming,
Jane McCall,
Deb Swigart,
and Yasmin Winsor.
Supporters
The following local businesses generously donated various seeds, seed starter mix and pots:
Figaro’s Garden, Garden Works (Burnaby), Magnet Hardware
(Commercial Drive),
West Coast Seeds, Bloom Nurseries, Rainbow Greenhouses
We all participate in weaving the social fabric. We should therefore all participate in patching the fabric when it develops holes.
Anne C Weisberg
Media coverage
Turn to the Sun’s efforts have been featured in local and nursing publications, including:
Contact Us
For more information or to volunteer contact Suzy Coulter at
or 778.330.6770.
