About 300 people attended the Olds Institute (OI) 15th anniversary community block party at Centennial Park on Sept. 24.
Activities included a pig roast as well as the cutting and serving of birthday cake and lots of games. A bungee cord game, human hamster races and bouncy castles were the most popular.
“It was a great opportunity for us to celebrate volunteerism and community,” OI executive director Mitch Thomson says.
“We were really pleased with our attendance and received lots of really positive feedback from volunteers and community members. It was an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of many people and thank the community for supporting our many initiatives.
Many attendees wore shirts that said “I AM OI.”
“This engaging exercise was empowering and helped us connect people to the purpose, place and projects that they have and can contribute. It was also empowering as people connected with one another and the community aspect of what we do,” Thomson said.
“The ‘I AM OI' campaign came about as a result of our desire to address the question ‘what is OI,'” he added.
“We recognize that we are many things to many people and our objective is to empower the community.
“It is not what I do for the community nor what Olds does for me. It is how we support and include one another that creates the community of Olds.
“It is Olds and I (as any individual) and a willingness to pitch in that makes the Olds Institute, our objectives and initiatives successful. We can all make a difference and create the community we want.”
-Submitted by the Olds Institute.
"It is not what I do for the community nor what Olds does for me. It is how we support and include one another that creates the community of Olds."MITCH THOMSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOROLDS INSTITUTE
