February is Heart Month! There are many ways to celebrate health, home, community, family, friendship, freedom, fun, and the list goes on. There are many aspects of Ranchlands to celebrate that make my heart glad.
Late last fall, during one of the snowy breaks, I had family visiting who spent time walking around the neighbourhood. They commented on how impressed they were to see sidewalks so well shovelled, making it safer for everyone to get out and about. It was such a meaningful reminder to me how neighbours here look out for one another.
And care showed up in another way – did you know our neighborhood had no crimes reported in December! This report was from our Calgary Police Service constable who attends our monthly board meetings. As we take care of our neighbourhood and watch out for each other, we have a safe community to call home.
The beauty of the neighbourhood was on display over the first weekend in January – the frost really highlighted the beautiful, big trees we have. There were so many great pictures posted on various social media platforms – absolutely stunning!
Our city is working to support us – whether it is listening to our perspectives or helping with funding through grants, advice, ideas, and general communications. A great example was how we were notified so quickly about the water restrictions to ensure we did our part, particularly with respect to our rink. I am hopeful that at the time of this publication, we are well past restrictions and are aware of a new plan to support our infrastructure for water for the future.
With January behind us, it is a good time to think about our mental health along with our heart health. While the cold and dark of January can be triggers for many, we need to know all the resources available for ourselves and those in our community.
For Mental Health and suicide prevention support, there is the National call/text line of 9-8-8.
For access to many services in Calgary, calling 2-1-1 or accessing the 2-1-1 website will provide lots of leads for information and support.
Of course, in any emergency, 9-1-1 is always the best option.
With heartfelt appreciation for our community and all the people who live here,
Kathy Ervin
President, Ranchlands Community Association
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