It's almost time for our favourite annual SHARP Foundation charity event - Lawn Bowls for Beswick House!! On August 9th, 2014 starting at 11am at the Bow Valley Lawn Bowling Club in West Hillhurst we will throw those awkwardly weighted balls as straight we can to support this incredibly important foundation.
Established in 1990, the SHARP Foundation is a Calgary-based non-profit organization.
They are committed to providing a continuum of care including housing, healthcare, and support to those individuals infected and affected by HIV. The SHARP Foundation works in effort to prevent homelessness and fulfil the need for more acute health care facilities in Calgary for those with HIV.
SHARP currently operates five programs located in Calgary residential neighbourhoods. Residents are provided with affordable housing and individualized support to meet their housing, medical, and psycho-social needs. After stabilizing an individual’s medication regimen we provide programs to improve her/his quality of life and to value life.
100% of the proceeds from this absolutely fantastic event will go directly to the facility to keep it ship shape and running smoothly. This will be our 7th year at the event and every single year we laugh, play and have a couple of cocktails for the cause. There will be prizes for winning teams as well as 50/50 draws, door prizes, burgers and more!!
Check out the Facebook fan page for more details and to join the group! - 8th ANNUAL BOWLS FOR BESWICK HOUSE
We really hope that you can come out to play with us!!! Feel free to leave comments with questions and we'll get them for you.
Radon is a colourless, odourless gas that is produced naturally during the breakdown of uranium in the ground. It can make its way into your home and ultimately cause severe health effects including lung cancer. Outdoors, radon is dissipated quite easily and isn't a massive cause for concern. Indoors, however, radon can become trapped and levels will build to the point where they are a definite health risk.Radon can enter your home any place where the house touches the soil and there is an opening. For example, - cracks in foundation walls and floor slabs- construction joints- gaps around service pipes- support posts- window encasements- floor drains- sumps or cavities inside walls- dirt floorsThe amount of radon in your home depends on,- the amount of uranium in the ground- the number of entry points into your home- how well your home is ventilatedHEALTH RISKSRadon exposure increases your risk of developing lung cancer. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.The combination of radon exposure and smoking significantly increases the chances of developing lung cancer. Another reason to quit. The other two main factors that will determine the effect on you will be, how long you are exposed to it, and the level of radon in your house.HOW TO DETECT RADONAlthough almost every home in Canada has some radon in it, the levels vary from one house to another. Even if they are next door to each other.Testing for radon in your home is simple and inexpensive. There are two options for testing.1. Hire a certified radon measurement professional.2. Do it yourself. You can purchase a home radon kit for between $30 and $60 from most large hardware stores. They can also be ordered online. The kits include a radon detector that is meant to be exposed to the air inside of your home and then sent to a lab for analysis.**Health Canada recommends that you use a long-term test device for at least three months. The best time is between September and April when the windows are mostly closed.REDUCING RADON IN YOUR HOMEIf the levels of radon in your home are above the Canadian guideline of 200 becquerels/meter cubed, you need to reduce it. The higher the level, the sooner it has to be reduced. A certified radon mitigation specialist can help to provide the most effective radon reduction solution.One of these more commonly used methods is sub-slab depressurization. A pipe is installed through the foundation floor and is piped to the outside with a small fan attached. The fan draws the radon laden air from under the house and pushes it back outside. This solution can reduce the radon in your home by more than 90%.Also, increased sealing and ventilation of radon entry points can also help to reduce levels, but these solutions may not be as effective as sub-slab depressurization.
WHAT ABOUT CALGARY?Unfortunately us prairie folks are being effected by radon every day. According to Radon West, a Calgary based company, in Canmore, Banff, Okotoks and Calgary they are seeing 40% consistently of homes above the action level that Health Canada has set. Although Alberta is a hotspot for Radon, there is very low awareness at this point in time.
