The Blue Mountains town council accepted our club's deputation, supported by the Georgian Trail Cycle & Ski Association, the BVO and the Blue Mountains Chamber of Commerce, to rename the historic trestle bridge on the Georgian Trail (behind the Town Hall) ‘The Bridge of Kindness’ for a year. The official inauguration of the renaming took place on World Kindness Day, November 13th. The festivities included an Indigenous greeting and water ceremony by Kim Wheatley, music by local youth, kindness awards, speeches and, of course, the ribbon cutting. Reflecting its new name, kindness banners were also hung at either end of the bridge as well as on lamp posts around the town centre. We hope that the community will see The Bridge of Kindness and the banners as a reminder of the importance of kind acts – no matter how small – in making our community, and the world a better place for all.
On July 1st of 2021, T-C Rotary launched the Community Kindness Challenge with the theme ‘Our Community Runs on Kindness’ and a new Kindness logo featuring a colourful wheel of hearts. We wanted an initiative that would help address the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and build on itself. As it happens, there is scientific evidence that kindness actually helps us heal emotionally and physically. Repeated acts of kindness decreases pain, stress, anxiety, depression and blood pressure – while increasing happiness and lifespan. And acts of kindness are contagious; when one is the recipient, its contagion makes it easier to pay it forward! Since Rotary is essentially in the business of ‘doing kindness’ and our community has shown immense kindness over the years, we felt this initiative was the perfect response. We want to thank the many organizations and people who have jumped on board, including our Town Council!
Our kindness activities have included zoom meetings with special speakers on different aspects of kindness, weekly kindness contemplations on social media, Kindness Treasure Quests, a 2022 Kindness calendar and greeting cards featuring artwork created by students at BVCS and GBCS, and much more. The temporary renaming of the historic trestle bridge to The Bridge of Kindness is part of this Kindness Initiative.