Is Rossland up for the challenge? Family Time city challenge
By Contributor
Family Time Connections (FTC), a project of Shore Counselling Society was given the task to create a Family Day for Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island. Even though provincially this idea has been rejected multiple times, the four ladies of FTC took on the challenge to get this done in Nanaimo. Family Day, much like Mother’s Day is a day to reflect on those important to you and spend time with those you love. We all belong to families whether by DNA or by choice, so why not make a day to celebrate the relationships we cherish?
The ladies of FTC got down to business, wrote a proclamation that was worthy of the White House approval, and presented it to Nanaimo City Council on January 25, 2010. After a few technical hiccups along the way, that were bound to happen as beginners, we are proud to say that the proclamation was accepted! Unfortunately however, it was not proclaimed a holiday, but Nanaimo will recognize the third Monday in each following February will be as Family Day, getting us one step closer!
This could be the beginning of joining ranks with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and even South Africa and the Republic of Vanuatu, that have already successfully added Family Day as a statutory holiday.
Now, is your city up for the challenge?
Will you present a request to your city council to have a Family Day proclaimed in your community?
The FTC crew are extending the challenge to the rest of the cities of BC. Will you join us in the quest to have BC recognize Family Day as a holiday for us all? Don’t you agree that if South Africa and the tiny Republic of Vanuatu recognize this day for their families that we should too?
Confucius has said ‘To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order.’ If we take this approach and build up our families, our communities will be stronger, and then our cities will be stronger, and if we work together on this our country will be stronger. It all starts somewhere, and if it is also said ‘It all starts at home’, maybe that is the best place for a foundation. Will you join us in the creation of a strong foundation for families to build on and gain from?
Should you choose to take up this challenge, we would love to hear about it, and help where we can. Write to us and tell us where you are from and why you believe this is important for your community, and what it means to your family. We can provide you with templates and ideas for both your proclamation and a speech to present at your next city council meeting.
We CAN work together to make this happen, but first, you need to be up for the challenge.
*Family Time Connections is a community project of Shore Counselling Society in Nanaimo, BC and funded by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development. It and has been created for the sole purpose of bringing families back together to learn, play, eat and grow. Until August 2010, we are working out of John Barsby Community School to help families of all descriptions to create awareness and share information about services and resources in Nanaimo, BC.
Find us on Facebook: Family Time Connections
And on Twitter: FaTiCo
