At the age of 45, I have spent more time reflecting on the idea of adding value to my community and how this concept has changed over the course of my life. Making this connection to my professional life, where I have spent the last 20+ years as a teacher and leader, this idea has changed considerably from my twenties.

Playing soccer at a high level throughout high school and university, this differentiating factor continued into adulthood through coaching and playing in local leagues across the world. Soccer, in many ways, was my identity and contributed to my value added in a community.

I believe many of us want to feel as though we are adding value to our community and that there is something special that we bring; maybe even something unique that nobody else possesses. With the years adding up I still coach soccer and manage an adult team through our school, however, I seek for something more and different as I find ways to add value to our community.

One way I would like to add value to the community is by providing opportunities for people to come together and share a passion whilst focusing on physical and mental health and well-being. As I stated previously, I manage (and also play) an adult soccer team through our school and we play in a local adult league. We’ve brought back Creative Cafe, which is a two hour event on Saturdays where people get together in the Art Room and bring out their inner artist. With hot coffee, soft music, and good conversation, community members get to focus on wellness in a relaxed atmosphere. I would also like to start organizing a hour of fun on the weekends for our younger community. My kids are in lower elementary and I think it would be great to have other kids and parents get together and have a little bit of fun and fitness. Some of the things I have in mind are tee-ball, soccer, and field hockey. We just need to wait for the weather to warm up a bit!

On a personal level, I would like to get back into pottery and exploring the wheel. I hope to get into the art room more often (either during Creative Cafe or in my own time) and feel the clay on the wheel and the satisfaction of exploring and creating.

How are you adding value in your community?

How, if anything, has this changed from your teens into your twenties, and beyond?