The fifth annual Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs will be made public on October 4, 2011, but the Community Foundation needs to hear what Hatters think of their city first.

Each year the Community Foundation publishes Vital Signs which looks at various components of life in Medicine Hat including Health & Wellness, Housing, Learning and Safety to name a few.

Residents are asked to go online to http://app.fluidsurveys.com/s/MHVitalSigns-2011/ and give their opinion on selected statements. These responses will be collected anonymously and collated in order to give a final grade, which will be published in the October publication. Residents have until Friday, August 26 to complete the survey.

We encourage all “Hatters” to participate in the survey and have their opinions heard.

Important note to media: the content of the survey is embargoed for publication until October 4, 2011.

The Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta has kicked off the Vital Signs project!

The Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta released the fourth annual 2010 Vital Signs report, giving Hatters more insight into their community.

The reader-friendly report card tracks and grades Medicine Hat’s quality of life in key areas such as the gap between rich and poor, health, housing, and the environment – transforming local facts and figures into a user-friendly comprehensive report.

“Vital Signs is truly a community publication,” said Les Erickson, chair of the Community Foundation and chair of the Foundation’s community leadership committee. “From the people who provide us with their local statistics to the hundreds of people who spend time grading the indicators, this report is certainly all about Medicine Hat.”

Vital Signs is used year-round by the Community Foundation to assist in its grant giving and community leadership activities, Erickson said.

“The information and knowledge this publication provides enables us to be better grant-makers. Additionally, it positively affects our community leadership functions and we can therefore impact the community on a greater level.”

This year’s report shows that, while Hatters have a stronger sense of community belonging than most Albertans, we have higher physician claim rates for mental illnesses. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Community Foundation luncheon “A Community Conversation” will discuss Vital Signs 2010

Medicine Hat’s annual community report card will be released on Tuesday, October 5 but it’s time to get tickets to take part in the discussion.

The Community Foundation will hold its annual “A Community Conversation” on Thursday, October 7 at a luncheon in Chinook Village’s Terrace Room. The event, which goes from 12-1:30 PM, will feature a panel of local media figures discussing their personal highlights of the report. Hatters attending the event will also have a chance to review and evaluate the report with those in attendance.

“Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs 2010 will inspire intriguing community conversation at this luncheon,” said Community Foundation executive director Mike Christie. “The fact that this is an election year will make the discussion even more stimulating. This year’s report has many statistics that will particularly interest our local candidates for election.”

Tickets for the luncheon are $20 each and include a hot lunch. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Community Foundation office at 430-6th Ave. SE, Room 104 during office hours of 8:30-4:30 (closed at lunch). For other ticketing options, please call the office at (403) 527-9038. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

The fourth annual Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs will be made public on October 5, but the Community Foundation needs to hear what Hatters think of their city first.

The report is well known for its sunshine symbols of how residents feel about each indicator. Residents are asked to go online to www.surveymonkey.com/s/vitalsigns2010 and give grades to each statement. These responses will be collected anonymously and collated to give the Foundation a final sunshine grade, which will be published in the October publication. Residents have until Wednesday, August 18 to complete the survey.

For the first time the Community Foundation will have a section dedicated to youth issues. Because of this, youth are particularly encouraged to complete the survey. For more information, please contact the Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta at (403) 527-9038 or jennifer@mhcf.ca.

‘Hatters now have a chance to be featured in our annual community report card, the 2010 Vital Signs.

The report, which will be released on October 5, 2010, features graded indicators to give the community an indication on quality of life in Medicine Hat. The full colour feature will have several categories, which may include: youth; gap between rich and poor; safety; health; learning, housing; getting started; arts, culture and recreation; environment; work; belonging and leadership; getting around; and economy.

Local photographers are asked to submit any photographs that may fit in to such categories. Photographers chosen will be recognized in the publication’s credits. Subjects of the photos are asked to sign a waiver form prior to publication.

Photographs should be less than seven megabytes and can be emailed to vitalsigns@mhcf.ca or dropped off at the Community Foundation office: room 104, 430-6th Ave. SE. Deadline is July 31, 2010.

Please be aware that only a limited number of photographs will be chosen, but we thank you for all submissions.

Last year’s report can be viewed through the Foundation’s website at www.mhcf.ca. For more information, please call (403) 527-9038, email info@mhcf.ca or join the Community Foundation’s Facebook group.

Community Consultations Set for 2010 Vital Signs: Community Foundation asks for public input.

‘Hatters will have two chances next week to add their input to the 2010 Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs report. The Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta is hosting two separate public consultations in order for citizens to express what they would like to see in this year’s report.

The first consultation, aimed at the business community, will take place in the Chamber of Commerce’s board room on Tuesday, May 25 from 12 – 1 PM. The second consultation is of a general nature and will take place on Thursday, May 27 from 12 – 1 PM in REDI Enterprises’s board room.

Community consultations play an important role in the kick-off to the Vital Signs process.

“These consultations allow us to hear what citizens believe are the strengths and weaknesses of Medicine Hat,” said Mike Christie, executive director of the Community Foundation. “It also helps us create a better report because we hear what issues are important to ‘Hatters.” THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

“Healthy Decisions in a Fast-Paced World”
Lunch Session to Help Steer ‘Hatters to Healthier Lifestyles

In continuing to bring issues from Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs to the forefront, the Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta unveiled today the second session in a series of Vital Munches.

“Healthy Decisions in a Fast Paced World” will be the topic of discussion at the free lunchtime seminar, set to take place February 8, 2010 from 12 – 1:30 PM in the Honor Currie Room in the Medicine Hat Public Library. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch, and the foundation will provide beverages.

Panel members will include dietitian, food columnist and best-selling cookbook author (“The Big Cook”) Joanne Smith, and Ed Stiles, Certified Exercise Physiologist and owner/operator of Peak Performance Fitness Services.

“We are thrilled that Ed and Joanne will be joining us for this important discussion,” said Jennifer Thompson, Community Impact Coordinator. “Ed is very well known in the community for his insight into personal fitness and is dedicated to helping people improve their lives through exercise. Joanne’s experience teaching families to eat healthier through her work, column and cookbook will benefit all those in attendance as well. Ed and Joanne are both well respected and we are grateful that they are taking time from their busy schedules to help create a healthier community.” THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

The Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta is proud to announce the first in a series of 2009-2010 Vital Activities, a spin-off of its Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs publication.

“Waste Not, Want Not: Recycling in Medicine Hat — the who, how, when and what’s next!” will take place on Thursday, November 19 from 12 – 1:30 PM in the Honor Currie Room in the Medicine Hat Public Library. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch.

Panel members include Ed Jollymore, manager of solid waste utilities for the City of Medicine Hat, Randy Bray, operations supervisor at REDI Enterprises, and Raeann Torrance, owner of local curbside recycling company Down To Earth Recycling.

“Our moderator will ask our panel members questions related to the present and future of recycling in Medicine Hat,” said Jennifer Thompson, community impact coordinator for the Community Foundation. “We hope to give the public a better idea of how we can improve recycling in our area and perhaps glean an idea of what local recycling might look like in the future.”

This “Vital Munch” will also include a new component: interactive questions from the online community. Using the library’s new wireless internet service, Thompson will be online to write live “tweets” from the event on the foundation’s Twitter account (@cfmh). Followers can be part of the discussion by responding to tweets or even tweeting their own questions to ask the panel. Questions can also be directed to jennifer@mhcf.ca. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

The Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta today launched Vital Kids, an extension of its Vital Signs program.

Vital Kids is aimed at teaching children more about the community they live in. This is done by discussing some of the more kid-friendly facts featured in Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs. Issues covered will include voting, neighbourhood populations, Canada Day activities, volunteering, youth employment rates and much more.

The first Vital Kids presentation was held in the grade three/four classroom at St. Mary’s School today, led by Jennifer Thompson, community impact coordinator at the Community Foundation.

“Our Vital Kids presentations will be a conversation with the students,” said Thompson. “We will cover fun facts about Medicine Hat and talk about what they can do to make their community an even better place to live.”

The Community Foundation has produced Vital Signs for three years, joining more than a dozen Community Foundations across the country. Medicine Hat’s Vital Signs has inspired programs such as Vital Activities and Vital Munch; Thompson hopes that Vital Kids will touch a new generation. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »