After moving to the Village of Longview Mandy sustained severe injuries from multiple car accidents which greatly impacted her mobility and mental health. Recovering has come with its challenges but when Mandy found support and community through Michele and Tony’s free recreation programming, it had a profound impact on Mandy’s life.
By Kayla MacIntosh, 2024
If you were to stand atop a hill overlooking the Village of Longview you would see a serene valley bed, paired with the Highwood River and a stunning view of the towering Rocky Mountains in the distance. It’s a small community with less than 300 residents, and for Mandy Mounts, this is the very reason she moved to Longview in 2020.
“COVID hit, and everything was kind of crazy where I was living in the city. And I just kind of wanted to get away from it. We used to come out here a fair bit anyway, because I would bring my daughter to the parade they have out here,” recounts Mandy.
But moving to Longview has not been easy and Mandy has had to face some extreme challenges. Within that same year, she was involved in two severe car accidents, resulting in two concussions, post traumatic stress disorder, full body injuries, severe pain, recurring headaches, and major loss of mobility.
“It’s been very hard. Because I’m a very independent person. So even asking anyone for help was a challenge for me. And then the frustration that comes with your brain telling you that you can do something but your body is not allowing you to do it.”
Mandy (right) participates in a mobility focused fitness class at ARC Society’s GO ME!! Program
But something happened that would change her life. Mandy met Michele.
“I put a post out on Facebook and I just said ‘anybody interested in food security issues, or maybe learning how to can, come to the park to meet.’ So there were quite a number of people who showed up and Mandy was one of them,” recalls Michele – co-founder of the Longview ARC Society.
After that, Mandy attended all canning courses with her daughter and was soon convinced to go and see what other programming the Longview ARC Society had to offer. She soon became a regular face at the fitness classes – mostly attended by seniors.
“The stuff that they were doing was senior oriented but it worked perfect for different things like concussion symptoms, balance and just movement which all those things were a struggle for me after the accident… I don’t even know where I would have been mobility wise, had it not been an option for me to go to some of these classes.”
But the benefits of attending these classes have not stopped at the physical level.
“Everyone is really kind and welcoming. [Michele] was always just willing to accommodate whatever I needed. And each day could be different. Maybe I couldn’t do something that particular day, but she was just encouraging and helpful…The whole group is really great.” Says Mandy.
Mandy and her daughter participate in an outdoor boxing class with Tony – co-founder of the ARC Society
Michele also asserts that the group is more like a family than just participants. Everyone has become close and other participants are very supportive of Mandy’s progress in her recovery.
Mandy further affirms that the programming has been an important factor in her mental health recovery claiming, “It kind of was what made me able to take that turn that allowed me to not be so down in the dumps. And then, just being around the positive environment allowed me to sort of focus on the things that were going well.”
Mandy’s story can be seen as a great example of how a community can support and uplift someone in a community. Michele created a space that fostered intergenerational connection, allowed for accessible and adaptable activities everyone could participate in, and ensured a positive environment where Mandy could feel welcomed by the group. And you can too! Creating a positive environment that fosters community building can be easy. Just take a page from Michele’s book and reach out online to meet with those who share your passions and interests.
When asked to describe Mandy, Michele confidently offers: “She’s a go-getter, that’s for sure. She’s a single mother, very driven, and a heck of a mom.”
Recovery is a long process, and is still ongoing, but Mandy continues to attend classes, going when she can, often bringing her daughter along. It has been an extremely difficult journey, but she has worked hard to get where she is today. And recovery is always better when done with community.
20 years into the future…
By Beth Durnie
Over the last 20 years, Communities ChooseWell has been fostering healthy eating and active living in Alberta. Within the province, being active and eating well looks different in each community. To celebrate these unique contexts, Communities ChooseWell asked Champions about their personal relationship with healthy eating or active living over the last 20 years and what they hope for in their communities in the next 20.
Mandy’s accidents significantly affected her physically, changing her relationship with active living. She describes the impact it had on her mental health and as a parent.
“Being a parent, you feel like you’re kind of failing your kid. Because you’re not able to do the same things, you once were with them as well.”
Mandy says that ARC has enabled her and her daughter to be active together again and hopes that others will benefit from the program as much as she has.
Both Mandy and Michele hope that the ARC program continues to grow and support active living and community for another 20 years.