EDITOR’S FIX

ANDREW VALLANCE is a cinephile nerd who currently lives on the west coast. Girlfriendless, he spends his time going to movies, buying DVDs and flirting.

ANGE QUALIZZA is a nutty economist who has a passion for policy, governance and everything to do with municipal government! Let’s lift up the carpet and take a closer look inside City Hall.

ASHLEY KRISTINA has studied astrology for over twenty years and has been reading/teaching for five. For an in depth natal chart reading, email mountainashastrology@gmail.com.

ASHLEY LORTSCHER of Valley Vitals is a market gardener and local food advocate, here to share her knowledge on growing food in the Elk Valley.

BRAD PARSELL is the manager of the Fernie Chamber and loves working with our local vibrant business community. He is also a music nerd with an ever-growing collection of records in his basement.

FRED GIETZ is a selfprofessed science nerd and lover of all things outside.

KEVIN MCISAAC haunts the coffee shops and streets of Fernie to find his column source material.

MICHAEL HEPHER is a painter, printmaker, sculptor and musician living and working in Fernie. His work is collected internationally and can be seen at Clawhammer Press and a variety of galleries in Western Canada. Every month SADIE ROSGEN teams up with some of Fernie’s brightest young writers collaborating on a given theme. If you are reading this and think that you are that person, drop her a line at sadiepumps@gmail.com.

SARAH PULLEN is a grade 12 student at Fernie Secondary with a passion for all things creative. She looks forward to pursuing some form of artistic studies post-secondary.

SYLVIA AYERS Sylvia is a tenacious naturalist and believes each one of us can have a big impact on making things better if we just know how.

TAINA TURCASSO is a naturopathic physician, midwife, and new mama who is at long last practicing in Fernie. She is enjoying getting reacquainted with all of Fernie’s offerings with her family.

TYLA CHARBONNEAU is a Registered Psychologist (CPBC2385), dog momma, and nature lover. She loves talking with others about mindfulness, self-compassion, and human nature. “What keeps you in Fernie?”

This month’s Feature Resident’s answer echoed the 184 Fernie residents who were asked before her – community.

Just what is it about community that holds us to a place, that is so important to our very being?

Deepak Chopra said, “Giving connects two people, the giver and the receiver, and this connection gives birth to a new sense of belonging.”

Feeling a sense of belonging is essential to us as humans, and how better to foster this than through genuine acts of kindness, genuine acts of giving to those around us? Over the last 15 years, it has become so apparent to me how many people in Fernie give (and give and give). Their time, their energy, their expertise. And they give because it matters to them – this place, the people here, the community. They give because they want to make it better, to be a part of what truly makes it a special place to live and work and to raise a family.

Interestingly, one of the best aspects of giving is often not found in the actual offering, it’s in the ripple effect. People see the effort or are impacted by it. It lights up something inside of them. It inspires them to be a part or to create something of their own.

Living among givers, among volunteers, can only strengthen a community, and all that is on offer for those who live and visit. Take time this month to recognize and appreciate the giving nature of many in Fernie, and consider ways, big or small, in which you can get involved and perhaps feel an even greater sense of belonging than you did before!

FERNIE FIX | FERNIEFIX.COM

Published monthly by Claris Media. To advertise and for general inquiries: info@clarismedia.com Box 1124, 361A 1st Ave. Fernie, BC V0B 1M0 p: 250-423-4062 | clarismedia.com

Editor | Krista Turcasso Associate Editor | Carolyn Nikodym Creative Director | Vanessa Croome

All content copyright Claris Media. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher.

Claris Media acknowledges that the land on which we work, gather and recreate is the traditional and unceded territory of the Ktunaxa people. We are very grateful for this place and the abundance it provides.

By Krista Turcasso, Editor