An 18-kilometre run on Pyramid Bench; a cross-country ski trip along the Pyramid Fire Road; 30 minutes of circuit training.
Since the beginning of the month, Jasperites of all stripes have been getting out and getting active, and making sure to report their daily progress to a group of 200 of their peers.
They are taking part in the December Project, a simple initiative that asks participants to get active for 30 minutes every day during the month of December, and donate $10 to Advocates for Special Kids (ASK), an organization dedicated to giving a leg up to kids in Jasper with special needs.
Joe Urie, who started the project, said he “dreamed up” the idea on the last day of November, while thinking about ways to encourage physical activity during the holidays.
“The whole idea was that December is the month that typically people gain the most weight, and at the same time they’re the most charitable.”
Urie thought the December Project would be a great way to capitalize on the spirit of giving, and encourage people to get out and be active at the same time.
So he whipped up a short message, posted it to Facebook, and after getting an overwhelming response, he created a specific Facebook page for the December Project.
In less than 24 hours that page exploded, as community members flocked to sign up.
The group went live the last day of November, and by Dec. 2 had 125 members. Close to 180 are now on board, and the Facebook page sees an almost constant stream of excited updates from participants who are getting off the couch.
For Urie, the community coming together to brag about staying fit is an important part of the project, because seeing what other participants are up to will motivate people even more.
“Some people don’t want to do the posting because it seems like they’re bragging a bit, but you know what? Brag, because it’s cool. You can brag on this thing because that’s going to get other people motivated.”
But Urie also realized that in a town of extreme athletes, it was important to make the project as accessible as possible. That’s why he set a reasonable activity goal, and made it as flexible as possible.
“It all counts. If you’re a senior and all you have in the tank is to walk to the post office and back, that’s all you need to do. It all counts. Post it.”
Now that the project has taken off, Urie hopes to completely turn it over to the community. Aside from steering things a little bit, he wants the people involved to set the direction and goals for the project.
“Obviously the financial goal is to bring as much money in for the charity as possible. But this whole initiative, the community snowballed it, and the community can make it bigger and bigger. It all depends on what kind of goals they want to set for themselves.
“It’s about what you can do for you, and in turn how it builds the rest of the community. But it’s all up to you how it’s going to grow,” he said.
Initially that growth was driven by the enthusiasm of the participants, but now local businesses have begun to jump on board as well.
Freewheel Cycle has organized a December Project fat bike ride, with proceeds from the $20 sign-up fee going toward ASK. Support has flowed in from businesses like Wild Mountain and Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, and the Bear’s Paw and Other Paw bakeries have been set up as drop-off points for donations.
As organized rides and outings pop up, the project has continued to snowball, as more and more Jasperites join in.
Marnie Oatway, for example, got involved because the project is raising money and awareness for a deserving local cause.
“It’s promoting physical activity during a time of the year when fitness can often get pushed to the back burner, and it’s creating an inspired community of individuals—all striving towards the same goal, supporting and cheering each other on along the way,” Oatway wrote in an email.
Members of ASK are thrilled at the attention. The group has existed in Jasper for decades, but has remained more or less under the radar the whole time.
The group pays for therapeutic activities like pottery classes and horseback riding, helps families pay for travel and alternative treatments, and provides kids with technology to make their lives easier.
“Mostly it’s programming for the kids and support for the families. Because it’s a hard road to travel, and it’s really helpful to have the knowledge of other parents who have been there before us, and have found different ways of assisting their children,” said Connie Tiesenhausen, a member of the group, and mother to Bella, who lives with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy.
With the exposure the December Project is bringing, Tiesenhausen hopes ASK will be able to help even more kids in Jasper.
“The December Project I’m hoping will raise a little awareness for our group—and especially there’s probably lots of parents who are in our situation that might not know we exist.
“When you have a child with special needs you feel very alone, and like nobody else understands. And to be able to share that with other people that totally understand and get it without being judgmental is so important.”
Urie, whose own daughter has benefitted from the group’s support, agreed. He explained that even little things can be a huge benefit for the kids the group helps.
“Obviously they’re not going to save the world, and obviously they’re not going to make the things that bother these kids go away—but they’re going to try and smooth things over a little bit,” he said of ASK.
Urie said he hopes the December Project will continue past this one month, and suggested each year the money raised could go to a different local charity.
To sign up for this year’s December Project, visit the group’s Facebook page and drop off a $10 donation at the Bear’s Paw Bakery or the Other Paw Bakery.
Trevor Nichols
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