Bringing our A-game to PVM for Centraide

We walked into Place Ville Marie sporting our old-school headbands and animated as ever.  It’s fair to say our chanting and group push-ups were intimidating the other teams, but hey, it was all in the name of charity. We do, however, take our racing seriously at Vigilant. We were 10 people facing 41 flights of stairs with a time to beat of 2 minutes, 40 seconds.

Over 40 teams converged onto Place Ville Marie this past Wednesday to race up its steps during RBC’s annual relay race to benefit Centraide (United Way) in greater Montreal.

The Vigilantes were pumped, ready to race, and we had practiced in our own stairwell at work. We had even gone on a recognizance mission to investigate the stairs across the street to determine our race and baton-passing strategy. Knowing which side the handrail is on is of the utmost importance in this kind of competition!

It took us 2 minutes and 58 seconds. We were only one of four teams to make it in less than three minutes. The top ranked team was made up of past and present Canadian Olympians including gold medal winning goalie for Team Canada’s women’s hockey team Kim St-Pierre.

Well, at least we lost to Olympians…and a couple of other teams to take fourth spot, but that isn’t important. RBC’s relay race managed to raise $95, 000 this year for Centraide, an increase of 15 percent over last year.

We’ll be ready next year…

The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

Have you ever noticed how great you feel after a really good stomp your foot, straight from the belly laugh? Check out this article I came across:

“Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. In addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. 

Laughter is good for your health

• Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
• Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
• Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. “

 

For the complete article click here: http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm 

So when’s the last time you pulled up behind a car at a stop sign and waited impatiently only to realize you are sitting behind a parked car! Let’s hear your best joke, most embarrassing moment, or funny story..

Youth Fusion helps keeps kids interested in school

Youth education is a subject dear to Vigilant Futures. A recent article in La Presse discussed ways of improving public school/education in Quebec to counter some of the highest drop-out rates in the country.  It outlines eight ways to help high-school students stay in school including increasing the legal age for dropping out to 18.

Among the suggestions: develop meaningful afterschool and extracurricular activities that extend the classroom with a perhaps non-traditional twist like project-based activities. Youth Fusion is highlighted in the article as the success story of this method. Remember our involvement with project FIRST?

Youth Fusion introduces high-school students to activities they might not have otherwise heard of or participated in. According to La Presse, research shows these types of project-based activities increase overall student success rates and reduce absenteeism.  

The projects are run by university students who volunteer their time and ask the students what projects they want to work on. You don’t usually get to choose your assignment in school.

 Read the full article here: La Presse article