During the June 25 Town of Bonnyville council meeting, the non-profit Bonnyville Wellness Coalition (BWC) gave a presentation to promote awareness of their organization and foster connections and possible collaborations between the BWC and the Town.
BWC representatives Danielle Larsen and Nicole Labrie presented before the council.
Larson began with a fitting quote “Margret Mead once said ‘one of the things I have learned is that very great change starts from small conversations amongst people who care’. The Bonnyville Wellness Coalition reflects a small group of people who care and has done a great job promoting wellness.”
“Today we would like to give a brief update as to what we've accomplished and where we are headed. Our hope is that we can explore opportunities to collaborate, support, and build healthier communities together,” continued Larsen.
The BWC was reignited in 2016 through funding from the Alberta Health Services Addiction Prevention Unit. In 2019 the BWC was awarded funding from the Alberta Healthy Communities Initiative.
The BWC advocates for cancer prevention, fitness, and access to healthy food, among other wellness areas.
“A healthy community is like a level table where everyone has fair access to the essential resources that help shape health: supportive relationships, affordable housing, decent work opportunities, recreation, and policies that reduce and eliminate harm,” says Labrie.
Larsen referenced the Town on Bonnyville’s Vision Action Plan and how it aligns with BWC’s efforts to increase wellness in Bonnyville.
“The Bonnyville Wellness Coalition remains committed to seeking out opportunities to improve wellness in our community through grants and engaging community members... We hope that you think about us when you think of future opportunities because we're here, we're happy to help, and we are always looking for grants for. ourselves that we can bring forward to the community,” says Larsen.
“I really can see some of the synergies just looking at some of the data that you presented... I think you have a lot of information that might come in handy and there might be some opportunities to collaborate, especially if you have access to funding for doing some of those projects,” Mayor Elisa Brosseau replied.
