The newest Chicken Soup for the Soul book is packed with stories about Canada in honour of the country’s 150th birthday, and within its pages are two tales about the Sunshine Coast written by Frances McGuckin.
The former Halfmoon Bay resident who now lives in Abbotsford wrote one story about the fun of living in a log home and the other about the deep impact the Old Sechelt Mine fire had on her in 2015.
“It really touched me what happened with that fire,” McGuckin said, noting she had experienced a devastating fire years earlier in Langley and was reminded of how quickly flames can spread and consume if not contained.
“That fire was so close to Sechelt, it was so close to my home, and just to see what the people of the Coast did was so impactful. And I felt like they didn’t get the recognition that they needed for what they did for the firefighters – and John Phare, of course, lost his life. I just wanted to honour everybody, the people of the Coast, because it was just one of the most touching, humbling experiences.”
Her short story in the new collection, titled This is How We Do It, paints a picture of the 400-hectare forest fire, how “ash rained down” and “a strange red glow lit the sky,” before going on to detail the amazing efforts of volunteer firefighters, tree fallers and members of the community who rallied to support those battling the blaze.
Her stories, along with those penned by 94 other authors from across Canada, are featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Canada, released June 13 during a book launch in Toronto.
McGuckin plans to bring 80 copies of the new book to Sechelt on Canada Day to sign and sell from a booth on Cowrie Street, in an effort to raise money for a piece of street furniture in Sechelt to honour John Phare.
McGuckin said she felt the fundraiser was an important way to give back to the Coast and create a lasting monument to Phare.
“I really hope that people will support this fundraiser by coming down and buying one of the books to get that piece of street furniture built for John,” she said, adding the book itself is a great keepsake meant to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.
The book sells for about $20 and 75 per cent of proceeds will go toward the Phare fundraiser.
The Sechelt Downtown Business Association (SDBA) will hold the funds until enough are raised to purchase and install the street furniture, which is yet to be decided upon.
“We saw an opportunity to improve downtown Sechelt and honour a great community member, so we jumped on it and will sort out the details later,” said Matt McLean of the SDBA.
