Events
Communitas Springs Into Action
Every spring, the staff and people served at Communitas are encouraged to move. Their bodies, that is. Spring Into Action is an annual initiative that invites people to get active as we transition from winter into spring.
“It’s a great way to brush off the winter blues and get back outside,” says Bonnie Hayward, Communitas’ safety, health, and wellness coordinator. “Sometimes we just need a bit of something to motivate us to move a bit more.”
The challenge has unique incentives along the way. This year, the goal was to “travel” collectively from Campbell River to the South Pole, crossing all 7 continents. Participants were encouraged to either track the steps, kilometres, or time spent doing various activities and enter that information into a portal online so that Bonnie could keep track of total distance covered. Weekly prize draws and a grand prize helped keep the motivation going.
A unique component of the challenges this year was a virtual travelogue included in the weekly updates. Bonnie shared photos and information from staff who had actually been in various countries on the route. People shared photos from across Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
“We have staff who come from all over the world and we thought it would be fun to virtually visit those countries and have staff act as tour guides along the way,” Bonnie explains.
Participants did a variety of activities during the 9 weeks of Spring into Action; everything from walking, to hiking, to doing yoga, to cycling and more. Program Director Chris Karema participated in the Vancouver Marathon.
“It was a very hot day, and many runners were not able to finish, so crossing the finish line with a smile felt extra special,” Chris says. “It was not my goal time, but I am proud, grateful, and had a lot of fun.”
Melissa Ticknor is a child and youth worker with Communitas. She was the lucky grand prize winner of $100 towards a wellness activity or equipment. Living in Campbell River gave her lots of opportunities to walk outside in beautiful scenery. She also walked on her treadmill or headed to the gym to work out with a trainer. Her advice to someone who wants to be active but doesn’t know where to start is “start small.”
“Walking is a gentle exercise for beginners,” she says. “Walk with a friend or a pet. Walk with music. Be proud of every step because it all adds up.”
Melissa is right. Together, participants in the Spring Into Action initiative collectively travelled 26, 897 kms, exceeding the initial goal by more than a 1000 kms.
“It was amazing to see that we surpassed our goal,” Bonnie says. “But mostly, I’m so glad that people participated and got active. Hopefully the things we did during the challenge will become lasting habits.”
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