Volunteers are the fabric of our community

 

 

One of the sites for the 2010 Olympic Winter games, Richmond, B.C. has been dubbed “Canada’s healthiest city” by Canadian Living Magazine.

In addition to the longest life expectancy in Canada, several other factors make up this healthy community. Its residents are generally more fit than the average Canadian with access to over 80 km of walking, running and biking trials, 90 parks and a host of sporting clubs and recreational facilities. Its rates of smoking and obesity are the lowest in the country.

 

It is situated such that eating local foods is a real possibility. It is a city devoid of extreme weather conditions, has “an unspoiled environment and clean air” and residents and city leaders interested in maintaining that environment. “Council now includes a “triple bottom line” for environmental, economical and social sustainability when evaluating major city projects.”

It doesn’t stop at the physical health. Health, looked at in a global perspective, incorporates much more than the physical realities. “Richmond residents also seek some kind of spiritual connection.” And they do some through giving – one of the measures of a health character and a healthy city. The people are willing to generously and selflessly spend some of their time helping their community.

According to Richmond resident Rick Hansen “through the eyes of our children,” the residents of Richmond “are immersed in an incredibly healthy lifestyle and community stewardship that involves family and friends.” Mayor Malcolm Brodie adds that “Volunteers are the fabric of our community. People extend themselves and give thousands of hours a week.”

Living in a way in which we are not only physically healthier, but also connected to our environment and our neighbours in deeper ways will lead to more optimal emotional and mental health. This kind of health displays itself, among other ways, in a spirit of generosity, where we open our hearts and our hands to uplift our communities and by extension, our world.

 

 

May 22, 2008

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