Happy International Women's Day! First West Foundation is proud to celebrate the incredible strength, resilience and achievements of women worldwide. Our trio of strong women stands in solidarity with women everywhere as we collaborate to advance gender equality and accelerate action. We are here to support and uplift women in our communities who inspire us every day with their dedication, passion, and leadership. And we are here to honour their contributions and commit to creating a more equitable and inclusive world for all. First West Foundation proudly celebrates 15 equity-deserving charities who received a total of $189,294 in grants in 2024. These organizations are advancing equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging in our communities and we are honoured to support their vital work. Join us in celebrating the amazing women who make a difference every day. #AccelerateAction

You know volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, but it’s also a surprisingly powerful way to reap your own rewards—in terms of happiness, salary, career growth and fulfillment. With burnout, stress, dissatisfaction and mental health issues at record highs, volunteering offers an important way to build your own wellbeing while you’re giving back. And despite the obstacles of busy schedules and overloaded calendars, you can find the time. It’s possible to fit giving into your life, and even to shift your perceptions of time—and actually feel like you have more of it. Check out this Forbes article for all of the great and powerful reasons to volunteer and how to easily fit it into your life: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2024/01/21/for-happiness-and-career-growth-consider-the-power-of-volunteering/?sh=2ac14b0f349c

Check out this TEDtalk where Elizabeth Dunn focuses on how "Helping others makes us happier". Now, this seems straightforward, but to some this is controversial and this topic can actually get quite heated. I've recently had discussions where people have said that helping others should be done, for no other reason, than it is the right thing to do. But I pose this to you...what if a person has good intentions to help others, but the driving force or the most important WHY to them is that it makes them happy and it feels good...is that wrong? Imagine a person saying: "Can you believe this guy? He saw an elderly woman struggling with her groceries, so he helped her carry them and now he's walking away with a smile on his face. The nerve! How dare he feel joy or happiness from helping her; he should simply be doing it because it's the right thing to do." As we approach this topic, I think it's important that we be careful not to judge. There's a quote that stands out from Chris Anderson's book Infectious Generosity: "We need not discount the generosity of others just because they may have additional motives for doing what they do… We should be encouraging each other, not finding reasons to tear each other down." So, if you have the time, watch the video and hear out Elizabeth Dunn as she says "Let's stop thinking about giving as just this moral obligation and start thinking of it as a source of pleasure". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUKhMUZnLuw

Regardless of where you are, there can be a lot of doom and gloom out there when you're online. I strongly believe in Goodness inspiring Goodness and how amazing would it be if more good news was shared and 'doom scrolling' was replaced with 'kindness scrolling'? As Jordan Davis said "The world wouldn't seem so bad" and "we'd all sleep a little bit better tonight."  So please, share those Good News stories! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfOOTZlWwgo

When was the last time someone was kind to you? Or you were kind to someone else? What were the ripple effects of those moments? A few days ago, a colleague offered to help me meet a deadline since he had extra time and I was busy. It made me feel appreciated and supported, and eager to aid him in return. Also a few days ago, I wrote a “thinking of you” note to a friend going through a tough time. She was surprisingly grateful, which made the rest of my day feel lighter and more meaningful. None of this would surprise scientists. The “science of kindness” finds that being kind to others not only makes us happier but also healthier. Literally. According to the Mayo Health Clinic, when we are kind, our blood pressure goes down and our serotonin and dopamine—the well-being and satisfaction chemicals in our brain—go up.Being kind helps us as individuals. It also makes our communities healthier. Kindness is contagious. One study showed this by giving participants a certain amount of money, having some of them receive a kind act, and then give part of their money to a stranger. Those who had received a kindness were more generous than those who hadn’t. They paid the kindness forward. We’re so wired to respond to kindness that we don’t even have to actually do it. We become more generous if we just think about doing something kind, or if we see another person do a kindness. This even works in polarized situations. Another study found that thinking about kindness (“befriending meditation”) can reduce our negative feelings about people from the other political party.So why don’t we do kind acts more often? We tend to underestimate exactly how meaningful it will be for the other person when we are kind. We’re shy.We can get over this. We can treat kindness like a muscle, practicing and strengthening our ability. An Oxford University study showed that doing a kind action every day for seven days increased people’s happiness. The more kind acts participants did, the happier they were, regardless of whether the kindness was towards, family, friends, strangers, or themselves. For the full article by Melinda Burrell, and to take part in a 7-day kindness challenge, visit: https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/03/29/be-a-rainbow-in-someone-elses-cloud-how-kindness-makes-us-all-stronger/

Today might be Valentine’s Day but we think every day is a day to share the love, far and wide!  Join us as we send out buckets of love and gratitude to our donors, charities, and communities. We really do love you so mush! <3 Show your love for community and become a donor today. Join us: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/first-west-foundation/