About Turn To The Sun

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 the Mother’s Day weekend.

For 2010, 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.

Current HIV/AIDS Statistics:

From UN AIDS website (March 2010)
There are currently 33.4 million people world-wide living with HIV.
That number is about the same as the entire population of Canada.
There are currently 22.4 million people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
60% of the people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are women.
HIV is the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age (15-49) world-wide.
In 2008 alone, there were 430,000 new HIV infections in children, all from Mother to Child transmission.
With no treatment, the rate of transmission from Mother to Child is 30-35%. With antiretroviral therapy and replacement feeding the rate is reduced to 1-2%.
Globally, there are now 5 million people on antiretroviral therapy. However, this represents only 42% of those in need of treatment today, and there are 5 people newly infected every day for every 2 people started on treatment.
20 million kids will be without one or more parent because of AIDS by 2010.

Fundraising efforts so far

Since 2005, Turn to the Sun has raised over $ 35,825! These funds have provided support to women’s programs affiliated with:

Stephen Lewis Foundation (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
Ha Makhata Phelisanong Disabled Group (Lesotho) (2006)
The Society for Women and AIDS in Kenya (SWAK) (2005)

Volunteer growers

For 2010, the lineup will feature many returning growers including the students at Chief Maquinna Elementary and Lord Strathcona Elementary..

Carolyn Anderson and the Royal City Gogo's, Wistaria Burdge, Kathy Churchill, Gary Coulter, Deborah Handley, Murray, Sonia M, Tamara Litke, Fiona Gold, Kath Webster, Barb Hestrin, Shelley Klotz, Cayce Laviolette, David Burdge, Paul Coulter, Hugh & Ann Coulter, Norma Brow, Jean Bennet, Tomiye Ishida, Sally Lum, Liz James, Deb Swigart, and Yasmin Winsor.

Amazing Volunteers

Kath Webster, Sally Lum, Tomiye Ishida, David Burdge, Roy and Michael, Paul Coulter, Monique, Anna Coulter, Rebecca, Jean Russell and Jen

Supporters

The following local businesses generously donated various seeds, seed starter mix, pots, music, and cards:

Magnet Hardware (Commercial Drive), Bloom Nurseries, Garden Works (Burnaby), Canadian Tire, Rainbow Greenhouses, West Coast Seeds, Pacific Northwest Seeds, Andrea Lowe, Krasnogorsk, and Solidarity Notes Labour Choir

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:

2009 May 06 The Vancouver Courier
2007 May 02 The Vancouver Courier
2006 May 10: CBC Radio One interview on "On The Coast"
2006 Shared Vision, Hot Picks
2005 May 04 The Vancouver Courier
2005 BC Nurses’ Union Update magazine

Contact Us

For more information or to volunteer contact Suzy Coulter at or 778.330.6770.