A Trip to the Gardens, and a Fight against Poverty

Yesterday morning, our Friendly Social Seniors group enjoyed a trip to Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens, courtesy of our Care-Link buses.  They had the opportunity to see one of the major attractions in our region, complete with some flower and souvenir shopping, and a fabulous lunchtime meal.  Feel free to check out more pictures on our Facebook page.

This was the first of what will hopefully be many more summer trips to local attractions for our Friendly Social Seniors group.  But such events are not closed off to only them; if you or anyone you know would enjoy a similar event, contact our reception, or follow/like us on Twitter or Facebook to get updates on our next such event.

Earlier in the week, I had the privilege to attend the “Dignity for All: A National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada” workshop, hosted at the Green Bean cafe, through Pathway to Potential.  This campaign, which was founded by Canada without Poverty and Citizens for Public Justice, two nationwide not-for-profit organizations, explained just how widespread poverty is in Canada, how it affects us all, and what we need to do to improve these conditions nationwide.  While this campaign makes a significant case for a national plan to end poverty, the point was driven home that work also needs to be done locally to make a real change.

If nothing else, the stats that this group presented were shocking – for example, almost 8% of our population relied on food banks last year – but they also served as a great reminder.  We all have a role to play in reducing poverty.

Stepping up and working to create change isn’t necessarily easy, but it certainly isn’t as difficult as we sometimes allow ourselves to think.  Even just one or two hours every month can make all the difference to an individual in need.  We hope anyone reading this, takes time to become more informed on local issues (the links above would be a great place to start), and decides to take action.  If you decide you would like to make a difference, please contact us either online, through social media, or by visiting/calling our office.

Special Reminder:  The Canada Pension Plan is only 2 days away.  Don’t forget to register on Facebook, or by calling our front office at 519-736-5471.