Stable, strong and loving families are the foundation of a vibrant society. We all need a sense of belonging and, families can come in many forms – traditional and non-traditional. For me, as a father of a blended family, I see and understand how vastly different my childhood was in comparison to theirs. Things sure have changed a lot.
Today, across the globe, billions of people will be holding their loved ones closely and celebrating International Day of Families. This year’s theme set by United Nations: Families and Climate Action touches on several issues that are impacting society’s most vulnerable families and the environment.
You may see in your community, some of the topics that will be observed such as raising awareness, improving education and impact reduction.
We know that for our community to be great it must be inclusive for everyone. This means considering today’s social and environmental challenges and helping find solutions. It’s very timely that today, climate action is coupled with a day of celebrating love for our families, friends and its correlation couldn’t be better aligned. That’s what we call local love.
This past year, more than 200,000 individuals were helped on behalf of donors. United Way Halton & Hamilton (UWHH) provided 129 life saving programs for families because of your investments and, nearly 15,000 volunteers worked tirelessly improving lives locally.
UWHH will continue to be relentless in breaking down barriers so that families in our communities have access to vital supports.
Change begins with us. Educating our families about the importance of not only loving and showing compassion to one another, but also to our planet is important and shouldn’t be a one day topic of discussion. Local love can be demonstrated through various ways.
For me, raising my four lovely children to be thoughtful, compassionate and empathetic with an understanding that each action has a reaction, therefore, teaching them it’s essential to love ourselves, help our neighbours and taking care of our community.
Today, I encourage you to not only express your love towards your family, however that may be represented in your life, and to also take the time to appreciate Mother Nature, as she provides the essentials for our daily lives.
Brad Park
President and CEO
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