The purpose of VitalSigns is to use local knowledge to measure the vitality of the community and support actions towards improving quality of life. VS is used to; Explore opportunities to go deeper; Engage donors and other collaborators’; Share lessons learned & impact; and Inform grant making.

As part of a series of Vital Conversations hosted by the Community Foundation with various partners we want to engage older adults to share with us what they value in their community and what is missing- what ideas they have to increase the vibrancy & meaning of their experience living in this place.

The GSCF partnered with the Crescent Valley Resource Centre who’s Neighbourhood Developer, Rachel, had been having regular conversations with Rodney. Rodney himself is an older adult who grew up in Crescent Valley, and is currently caring for his mother, who in her late 90’s still resides in this neighbourhood. Rodney has worked as a home support worker for older adults and he brought to Rachel that he was noticing a real lack of opportunities for folks like him to engage with peers and to express any kind of collective voice as to how this group is experiencing life here in 2022. Rodney recognized that this gap for older folks has become more apparent as older newcomers have come to reside here without English language skills, and they aren’t necessarily able to engage with the longer-term older residents who only speak english. 

We will hold a Vital Conversation on November 25, 2022 from 2 pm – 4 pm at the Crescent Valley Resource Centre.

We hope this first get together is the catalyst for something bigger.

Learn more about Community Foundations of Canada VitalSigns.