Day 20: Grateful Giving

I have said this before a few times in past posts: I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, West Vancouver, BC.

I wake up to the ocean every day, I watch the sunrise through my office window over Lions Gate Bridge. We watch the ships coming and going all day and I get to teach my son the importance of taking care of our planet. You can’t miss Mother Nature’s brilliance right outside our window. One of the reasons we chose this neighbourhood, out of all the places to live in Vancouver, is because of our local Community Center. You have never seen anything like it and from what I understand there is nothing like it in Canada.

West Vancouver Community Centre

83,000 square feet dedicated space for the community to enjoy.
Open to the public almost every day of the year.
Facility includes an Ice Arena, Community Centre and Seniors’ Centre with an expanded Aquatic Centre.
he $5 million project uses new pedestrian pathways, site lighting, street furniture and landscaping to link and unify the existing buildings on site with one another and with the surrounding neighbourhood.
LEED sustainable design principles to make the facility “eco” friendly and energy efficient. Buildings are also linked by an extensive new centralized mechanical system which utilizes geothermal energy to heat and cool buildings using a sustainable energy source. For example, waste heat from ice-making equipment in the ice arena is transferred for use in the swimming pool.

Since moving to this area just 2 years ago we take full advantage of the facility and programs. My husband and I use the gym and Wellness Centre. Our son goes to a range of classes from gymnastics, sportball, swimming and music. On average we are there 5 days a week and on the rainy weeks more.

I was there today getting in a morning workout and I bumped into the women that runs the special events at the Centre. There was a special Pumpkin Patch event going on and I wanted to see if they were raising any money for the Centre so I could come and make a donation as my GIVE for the day. This leads me to my GIVE and my lesson in grateful giving.

GIVE 18 /  Day 18

Today I was hoping to GIVE back to my Community Centre by taking my son to the local Pumpkin Patch event. I assumed I could buy a pumpkin and the proceeds would go to the Centre.

I was informed differently but I should attend as my GIVE of the day any way. My lesson on giving went something like this:

Part of giving is being grateful. So many people, donated so much of their time and money to make this Community Centre become the reality that it is today. It didn’t just rise out of the ground from nowhere. It was someone’s vision and dream come to life. The best GIVE I could do was to be grateful for our Centre, enjoy the community events and support their efforts just by attending. I could also take the time to teach my son the same respect and gratefulness.

So we went. My son and I went to an art class, picked a pumpkin, participated in an obstacle course. I had to drag him away for his afternoon nap. (theoretically speaking). We enjoyed every minute and I made sure I thanked the women that had gave me my “giving” lesson for the day.

Giving isn’t always what we “give away”, it is what we do, it’s who we are, how we participate and how we are grateful.

Time commitment: 1 hour  Cost: $5.00 for the pumpkin

Lesson: Be Grateful as much as you Give. It just feels good!

The project received a 2005 AIBC Architectural Award in the “LG” (Lieutenant Governor of BC) Merit Category. The Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture was established to recognize excellence and innovation in completed architectural projects by AIBC members. The LG jury included leading architects, developers and engineers of British Columbia. Projects are judged on how effectively they address principles of design program, context, budget, schedule and sustainability.