I think we’re all pretty familiar with the saying “it takes a village to raise a child.”
It’s amazing and inspiring to think of just how many things that can be applied to if you change a word or two.
Last week when the Wounded Warrior Run BC came through Campbell River, Ron Mierau, the run marshall and Vancouver Island co-ordinator for Wounded Warriors Canada, said “it takes a community to get healthy” while accepting a donation from the Campbell River Legion. And for this annual relay run that traverses the length of Vancouver Island to raise awareness and financial support for Wounded Warriors Canada, a charity that helps people affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and operational stress injury, this couldn’t be more true.
This year’s run — the third annual — started Feb. 22 in Port Hardy and ended Feb. 28 in Victoria. The run has raised more than $30,000 and brought together many community groups, organizations, service clubs and businesses up and down the Island.
Locally, the Wounded Warrior Run BC received a lot of support. Comfort Inn provided rooms and breakfast for the team at no cost (I incorrectly stated the hotel provided rooms “at cost” in my Feb. 26 article about the run, my apologies). The Campbell River Legion and the Legion Ladies Auxiliary presented a donation for $1,050 and provided a spaghetti dinner for the team. The Oyster River Fire Department raised $653 for Wounded Warriors Canada through a beer and burger fundraiser held Feb. 23 at Salmon Point Restaurant. Serious Coffee in Willow Point collected donations for Wounded Warriors Canada and held a send-off for the runners on Feb. 24. It was an amazing show of support and an inspiring example of what can happen when a community comes together.
I witnessed another example of the power of community this past weekend during the grand opening of the new Robron Turf Field.
The City of Campbell River, local sports organizations, local businesses and community members gathered to celebrate the completion of the artificial turf field and celebrate all the people who worked so hard for 10 years to make this field a reality.
Speeches during the grand opening recognized the believers, the hard workers and the funders. There was lots of excitement and optimism about how this facility will help Campbell River sports teams and also be a boost to local businesses, as the city can now look at hosting high-level tournaments and events such as academies and jamborees, bringing hundreds of people here.
Every day, there are examples of people coming together to make a difference in their community — sometimes on a small scale, sometimes on a larger scale, but still making a difference — and highlighting these is one of my favourite things about being a journalist.