The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen is once again asking the public to tell them about the highs and lows of life in the region.
The Vitals Signs survey has been conducted every two years since 2011, with the exception of last year.
“We skipped 2017 because we were waiting for new long-form census data to come out,” said Aaron McRann, executive director of the CFSOS.
Related: Group gathering community’s vital signs
Vital Signs is a community check-up that measures the vitality of local communities and identifies areas that are doing well and areas that need improvement.
“For us, this helps us with our long-term strategy for providing grants in the community,” said McRann.
“It helps us really analyze what’s happening, where people feel their needs to be more support. Early on Vital Signs identified some real issues with youth mental health. We’ve committed massively to supporting youth in our community and that was the direct result of Vital Signs.”
To take the Vital Signs survey, follow the links at cfso.net. or click here: Take the Vital Signs Survey
It also brings to light areas needing support for others in the community.
“It inspires people to do something. It’s not always about donating money, sometimes it is volunteering at the soup kitchen or volunteering at a gallery, something like that,” said McRann. “It’s that type of thing Vital Signs is trying to do, to inspire people to do something to make the community more healthy, more vibrant.”
McRann said they have set a big target for the 2018 survey.
“We want to get 10 per cent of the population completing the Vital Signs survey. That’s over the entire region, so that is 8,000 people,” said McRann. “We’ve had 1,500 in the past, so we have a ways to go. We’ve got a good chance to get there and we are going to have some incentive for the community, some prizes.”
That includes a chance to win a $100 gift card to the store of your choice. For every 1000 respondents, the CFSO will add a gift card for a total of eight, if they hit their goal.
Steve Kidd
Senior reporter, Penticton Western News
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