Haskayne Wise and Well Committee brightens the landscape at work and in the community

Leslie Holmes got involved with the Haskayne Wise and Well Committee because of the emphasis on developing work-life balance and the opportunity to make a difference to her community. “Part of the impact for me is to see how generous our Haskayne family is,” says Holmes, area administrator at Haskayne.

The Haskayne Wise and Well Committee was formed just over a year ago thanks to inspiration and initiative — where a standard meeting blossomed into a committee focused on building culture. “When a staff wellness representative came and spoke to our team about ergonomics, she had mentioned that many other faculties have been forming wellness committees,” explains Kiara MacDonald, chair of the Haskayne Wise and Well Committee. “She suggested that if we wanted to form one as well, the Staff Wellness team had everything we needed to get started.” Below, members of the Haskayne Wise and Well Committee include Leslie Holmes, Kiara MacDonald (chair), and Crystal Hickey. Missing: Alma Osorio, Andrew Mardjetko, Bree Austen, Candace Moody, Christine Stark, and Danielle Wolf.

Today the nine member committee has helped to deliver several projects: the plant project (above), Adopt-A-Family program, pedometer challenge and yoga nidra.

If you visit almost any desk at Haskayne, you will see a green companion These companion plants were chosen for Haskayne faculty and staff because of the many benefits they deliver, including making the workplace more attractive, cleaning the air, reducing stress and increasing productivity.

“We had a ton of people in the building reach out to us and tell us that they loved the plant project,” says MacDonald about the first project the committee implemented, with support from the Haskayne dean, Dr. Jim Dewald.

“We had a ton of people in the building reach out to us and tell us that they loved the plant project,” says MacDonald about the first project the committee implemented, with support from the Haskayne dean, Dr. Jim Dewald.

Making an impact in the broader community was important to the committee, which is why they chose to participate in the Adopt-A-Family program in December 2017. The response was massive — with the committee being able to meet all the needs on the list — and Haskayne faculty and staff coming to ask, “What else can I do to help?”

The family had been sleeping on inflatable mattresses and once the committee let the Haskayne community know, there was a huge influx of donations, allowing the committee to purchase mattresses, frames, bedding and pillows for the whole family.

The group is currently working with the Ronald McDonald House’s Home for Dinner program and hosted a dinner on Friday, Sept. 7. Lengthy hospital stays take a big toll on families — both emotionally and financially. The Home for Dinner program supports families by providing a home-cooked meal that is purchased, prepped, served, and packaged for leftovers by Haskayne volunteers. Tapping into the incredible generosity of Haskayne faculty and staff that was demonstrated for the Adopt-A-Family, the group prepared a scrumptious meal for 50 people staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

“I think the awareness the committee brings to the concept of self-care and wellness has been immensely important,” says Andrew Mardjetko, program co-ordinator, Haskayne Executive Education and member of the Wise and Well Committee. “This is something I find is very rarely talked about within the workplace but something important to everyone. I am also proud that the committee has allowed individuals across different departments to work together helping to encourage the development of a joint Haskayne community.”

The actions our faculty and staff take every day, at work or in the community, contribute to UCalgary’s success and our one university family culture. Celebrate UCalgary’s achievements at the 2018 Community Report event on Sept. 26. RVSP today.