Lasting Impacts

By: Monique Wong

Let us, for a moment, bring you back to the time when you were just a kid. You were an innocent, carefree, and naïve little ball of energy who loved new toys and experiences. As we grew up, we witness more unfamiliar environments and meet more amazing individuals. Yet, we continue to strive to improve our quality of life and of those around us as well. As Rovers on the cusp of full-fledged adulthood, what we see are endless possibilities.

Fast forward. Let us imagine an elderly individual within our community. Maybe she has the luxury to be cared for and surrounded by her family, living in her home, healthy enough to meet her friends at Sunday brunch. This scene is not representative of all seniors in our community. As many as 390,000 individuals in Canada live in common dwellings such as senior’s residences. Dwell for a second the lifestyle changes this involves. There is now a set food menu and a common dining hall where all celebrations are held. There are names of caregivers and neighbours to learn and a new bedroom to get used to. After a while, these surroundings do get familiar and after years, perhaps unnoticed.

As such, the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group has partnered with Sherwin-Williams, an international Fortune 500 company, to participate in Youville Residence’s dining hall renovations. Youville Residence was built in 1969 and is a six-storey building that houses 62 permanent residents and is a part of the Providence Health Care network. Sherwin-Williams has generously agreed to provide our Crew with the paint, equipment and training required to paint Youville’s dining hall.

On April 27th, 2013 a group of over 20 Rovers will be revitalizing Youville’s dining hall by painting it a new color. Bumps and scratches on the walls from moving strollers and equipment will be painted over. Our Rover Scout Group will be building on the experience of creating a mural during our international service project in China.

As a Rover Scout Group of over 100 strong, we have an ability to give back to our community. We continue to seek out partnership opportunities for us to contribute to our societies in meaningful ways.