BONNYVILLE – The Bonnyville Wellness Coalition (BWC) is a group of people promoting overall wellness in their community, and for 2025 they hope to create more awareness about the abundance of low or no cost ways residents can stay active.
“We did some strategic planning over the last year, and we are gearing up to focus our energy on some projects, and a lot of the focus is on highlighting the assets and offers that our community already has,” said BWC Chair Danielle Larson.
On Feb. 5, the BWC is hosting a Bonnyville winter walk day, which is an initiative put on by Shape Alberta annually across the province that encourages walking in the winter.
“It's always on the first Wednesday of February. Sometimes it's a very cold day, but sometimes it's not. We're encouraging folks to come out in the evening between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. and walk to or from Pontiac Park, we’ll have some fun planned. Even though we’re in the cold season, we can still get out and enjoy a walk,” said Larson.
Larson said the organization has a long history, starting in the early 2000’s. It was founded in light of some deaths caused by drugs and overdosing, and it has evolved into an overarching focus on wellness.
“Our biggest focus would be our community itself. We are very community driven . . . The big goal is to do things that the community really wants,” said Larson.
Larson spoke about the structure of the BWC, where individuals and industries who value wellness can come together and make a positive impact on their community.
“[We’re] able to bring that energy together into something that’s project focused and make an impact,” said Larson.
“We’ve done a few projects based on accessibility. There was a survey done with the Alberta healthy communities initiative that showed that Bonnyville wanted access to more free fitness and for physical activities to be more available. So, we did some projects including the 12 days of Christmas.”
The 12 days of Christmas was a campaign highlighting 12 days of winter fitness activities available in Bonnyville for free or at a low cost.
“Another thing we did was work with the Bonnyville Municipal Library for their rec library, so you can go and rent gear like snowshoes,” said Larson.
With wellness also encompassing mental health, Larson spoke about clubs offering a social element as well as bringing joy through hobbies.
“There are clubs of all kinds that can be tapped into, whether sport and recreation is your cup of tea or arts and culture. We have a great nordic ski club, a pottery club, and the library offers great programming for the arts and literature side. There are so many opportunities, you just have to look for them and figure out what you like to do,” said Larson.
