Emery Clean and Green: Good day and a Happy New Year too

By David Lance

So, we move on from the great year of the horse to the year of the sheep. Listening to “Wavelength” by Van Morrison – my favourite Irish poet, singer, musician – and reading back through newspapers and notes in my journals from the past year, I’m looking into the future here...globally! Whether Christmas, community, team or volunteer, the spirit here is human. Look at the feeling of good spirit our Canadian junior hockey players created as a team. Winning gold here in Toronto to start our new year.

Millions of us in this community we call Canada share their triumph. Their winning joy and good spirits that brought us all together.

While reflecting and envisioning, I had a great idea. To make this The Year of the Volunteer. A community spirit raising campaign for 2015 here in Toronto. With the Pan Am Games there are great opportunities to volunteer locally. It’s a great way to meet nice people, learn more, gain good references, earn credits if you are a student or feel good being able to use your experience and give back to your community. If you are elder, retired, and still active or want to be....then volunteer.

I have been volunteering most of my life. It brings amazing experiences, events and people. Great things get accomplished working together with other good people. Time, energy, ideas, human spirit are sometimes more valuable than money. (Though any donations are always good)

Imagine if all colleges and universities, schools, churches and libraries networked and encouraged a student, teacher or even a small neighbourhood of volunteers this year and all on the same wavelength and page. All the city of Toronto staff and elected officials doing the same thing simultaneously. All the good organizations we have here too. The Emery Village BIA, all the local businesses on the same wavelength, encouraging volunteers from their mass of employees, management and families.

One good thing our media could do for this global city is to sound the trumpets and drums to raise up some walking dead and citywide community spirit in all of us living, working, studying or visiting here in Toronto.

This would be good news.

We are all global villagers in one of the great global cities in this world. The least we can do is keep our city clean, green, safe and as enjoyable as possible for all. But, we could do so much more. This year the world is visiting for the Pan Am Games and other events.

Global media will be here sending images and messages home to countries all over the world. How do we look folks? How could we look? How good can we make this year, in our memories, in our history as a great global city? In other minds and memories globally.

Timing can be a key to success. Now is a great time for Toronto to shine. When the world’s lights are shining on us. To see what, how we do. Will we be on the same wavelength? Rise up. Read up on volunteer opportunities. Love sports. Join the good folks at the Pan Am Games, be a global village host and good will ambassador for us all.

Here in our top corner edge of Toronto we have many good volunteer options. The Emery Village BIA’s award winning Winefest is one.

Here is a good idea we could make happen this year, as our part of the citywide campaign to clean up Toronto this spring. April 18-19, 2015 are marked on the green recycling calendars the city mailed to us all for this year as community cleanup days. These help us be on the same page...wavelength. Call 311 if you need one. Three days later is Earth Day.

Get on the same wavelength. Ciao for now...