(The following article is from the July 1-31, 2010, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers and  overseas readers - $50 per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

PV business manager Sam Hammond is spending some well earned vacation time with his family in Hamilton as this issue goes to press, so our Fund Drive report will be brief. The Drive has now reached 73.6%, with $36,800 turned in towards our goal of $50,000. As reported last issue, Saskatchewan was the first province to meet its target. Ontario is not far behind, with $19,467 raised, or 90.1% of their target of $21,600. British Columbia has  moved into third place ($12,113, or 60.5% of their $20,000 goal), just head of Quebec’s 60% and Manitoba at 56%.

Some of our most important fundraisers are planned for this summer. Toronto-area readers should mark Saturday, July 3, 2-5 pm (rain or shine) on your calendars. That’s the annual People’s Voice BBQ hosted by the Davenport Club, at 58 Albany Ave. (one block east of Bathurst, north of Bloor). This feast is just $20 for “all you can eat”, and kids under 12 get in free. Please RSVP to let them know how many people to expect.  You can email to omayasim@sympatico.ca, or call 416-536-6771.

Our biggest fundraiser of the Drive will be the annual Walk-AThon organized by the Lower Fraser Club CPC. This year’s event will be on Sunday, August 1, at Bear Creek Park in Surrey. The Walk starts at 11 am, followed at 1 pm with a delicious South Asian  lunch and a cultural program. There will also be a literature display. Call Harjit Daudharia for details, at 604-543-7179.

As a mark of appreciation for your generosity, we are once again offering supporters  complimentary gifts. For each $100 in donations, you can choose one of these black and white portraits, mounted on card, matted and ready for framing: Che Guevara, Clara Zetkin, Augusto Cesar Sandino, Bhagat Singh, Gall (Sioux), Elizabeth Gurley Flynn,  Louis Riel, Jeanne Corbin, or Gladys Marin. Other choices include music CDs or a copy of our 2010 Women’s Socialist Calendar. ●