Dear Rady JCC Friends,
It wasn’t that long ago when to eat or not to eat romaine lettuce was the biggest concern we had. Fast-forward to the pandemic we are living through today, and struggling through dinner without a Caesar salad seems so minuscule in comparison.
Life as we know it has changed. But here’s the thing: change is not always a bad thing. It is needed for growth. And change can bring out the best in people, and create positive impact during dark times. We are seeing this from our members and our staff every day.
Let me tell you a quick story.
Many of you know Rady Fitness Instructor Jacquie Friesen. You’ve attended her classes, talked with her, and have developed friendships. Ever since we had to cancel our classes, you’ve felt this void created by the pandemic. So has Jacquie.
No longer able to hold in-person sessions at the Rady, Jacquie, alongside her daughter Rhianna in Toronto, now volunteer their time to host live virtual fitness classes and workouts together from their homes. Jacquie does this on her own time because she wants to stay connected to our members. To show support for her interactive classes, she asks attendees to make either financial or food donations to Winnipeg Harvest – a small way she can help spark positive impact during these changing times.
Last week, Jacquie delivered a cheque for $1,750 as well as over 70 pounds of food to Winnipeg Harvest.
Kudos to Jacquie, Rhianna, and all of their class attendees for this inspirational accomplishment. If you are interested in attending one of Jacquie’s future live classes or any of our other offerings, information can be found on Rady JCC Virtual Connect.
This week, more change is coming as Manitoba enters into phase one of its reopening plan. Here at Rady, while we don’t have a specific time frame as to when we will be able to open our doors to our fitness and aquatic facility, we can say for certain that we will be able to run our Summer Camps. Details about this, including our increased safety and health measures in accordance with Health Canada and the provincial government, are forthcoming.
When you are eventually able to come back to the Rady, make no mistake; you will see some initial change. The machines you like to use may be in different spots than you remembered. You may be more spread out when you attend any of our classes. You may not be able to use the locker you like in our change rooms. You will have to adapt to all this preliminary change as we emerge from these dark times.
But remember this: in order to grow and create positive impact, you need change. And change is a dynamic thing, constantly evolving.
Think about that as you enjoy your Caesar salad tonight.
Kind regards,
Rob Berkowits
Executive Director
Rady JCC