Collingwood Cares for its Community

Collingwood, ON invests in its residents and offers many recreational opportunities. This includes activitihttps://www.pexels.com/photo/faceless-multiracial-sport-team-stacking-hands-on-court-5384623/es explicitly geared toward public health and wellness. As Collingwood wants to see its residents thrive and maintain a healthy and connected lifestyle, programs like communal, environmental events, and activities to engage kids are critical features of the city all year long.

Communal Activities and Physical Education

The city of Collingwood lays claim to an outdoor train trail, which is made further engaging to both residents and visitors with the StoryWalk. Originally developed as a concept by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, this helps to engage children, especially in the US. Along the trail, metal and plexiglass protected stands feature pages from a children’s storybook, making fresh air and exercise with the family that is much more inviting. Another great outdoor activity for children is the “Imagination Playground,” which allows kids of all ages to play classic games, like Jenga and Connect Four, but in giant sizes to harness whimsy. There are also opportunities to create new games among the children themselves, encouraging creativity for free and outdoors.

Furthermore, Collingwood’s activity kits geared toward the community’s children promote fun, exercise, and development. Each activity kit, which comes to 20 in total, comes in a bag filled with activity cards and equipment meant to encourage the use of specific skills at home or outdoors. The main goal is to promote “physical literacy,” or the development of essential physical movement skills to have a fulfilling and healthy childhood experience.

Geared toward both adults and kids is Geocaching, a great way to interact with the community out of doors. Essentially, a GPS facilitates a treasure hunt, which features caches or containers along with the city trail system. Each contains small tradable items and a logbook to sign, promoting community connectedness. Also, during the winter, the Central Park Arena is used to host Sunday skates for all ages and levels of ability. Furthermore, adults looking for more gentle exercise, especially the elderly, can benefit from virtual Chair Yoga, offered every Monday and Thursday morning for free. 

Preserving Community Health and Environment

Collingwood knows that disposable water bottles are a severe issue to the modern environment worldwide. The city does its part by encouraging the refilling of reusable water bottles all around its community. Water fountains providing fresh and clean drinking water for free are located all around the city and in schools. These refill stations encourage further engagement by displaying a digital counter at each fountain, showing how many bottles have been refilled since their installation in 2017. Collingwood also participates in the BlueW program, which guides residents and visitors to places that provide clean and free municipal drinking water rather than expensive and wasteful bottled water.

The community also promotes healthier eating habits by installing health-conscious vending machines around town. These feature alternatives to greasy and sugary foods, offering cheese, crackers, apple sauce, and fresh fruit cups instead.

Collingwood as a community also knows the value of spending time outdoors. Through their ” Walk or Wheel ” slogan, the city encourages more travel by foot or using physical modes like bikes and skates through their “Walk or Wheel” slogan. The city also provides planning materials through “Walk a Block” and “Map My Route” to encourage exercise while traveling safely to and from schools. Gardening is similarly important to residents, particularly as it relates to healthy eating.

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