Seniors at a Nanaimo retirement community donned red and danced to MC Hammer and the Police after getting challenged by a sister community on the Island.
Residents at Berwick on the Lake were challenged by Berwick Qualicum Beach to a dance-off and on Friday afternoon they grooved on their balconies in order to answer the challenge.
Tracey Hunter, Berwick on the Lake’s active living manager, said the Qualicum Beach community did an outdoor dance party to help lighten the mood after restrictions put in place by Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C. health officer, to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“They do it twice a week and they have community involvement as well, because they’re located right downtown in Qualicum there … and then last Friday, they decided to make it an official challenge, so they put it on Instagram and officially challenged us as the first location to be challenged,” Hunter said. “So we thought, OK, let’s think about this and think about what we can do to make it big and bright and fun, take the challenge and blow it out of the water.”
RELATED: Four new COVID-19 deaths in B.C., hospitalization dips below 100
READ ALSO: COVID-19 mask fundraiser helping out Nanaimo SPCA
After the shooting tragedy in Nova Scotia last weekend, which saw 23 deaths, including RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson, Hunter said it was decided residents would wear red in memorial.
In terms of the new reality in light of the coronavirus, Hunter said the community is adjusting.
“We’re all adapting to a new normal here and changing life as we know it in Berwick, but we’ve been trying to do as much as we can with our active living team and small group activities that we can do as long we can maintain and ensure the proper physical distancing,” said Hunter. “So our residents have been really appreciative … our residents are happy, so so far everything is going pretty well.”
In turn, Berwick on the Lake has issued a challenge to Berwick Comox Valley.
This feel-good story is part of the #WereInThisTogether campaign by Black Press Media. Have an uplifting story that you think would bring joy to readers? E-mail your story, photos and videos to wereinthistogether@blackpress.ca
reporter@nanaimobulletin.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
