By Kieran Andrews

"Like many people, it has not been easy for me to watch the crises of our times unfold.  As a local business person, I am deeply aware of the scars that our housing and addiction crises leave on our community; a community that supports most of us every single day.   Additionally, both my personal and business lives are tossed by the uncertainty of climate change while the negative news cycle swirls around us all, creating anxiety and fear.  And yet…and yet, we are actually a community surrounded by beauty and opportunity while being awash in positivity and care.  

As I personally move away from an ownership role at Wild Rock I have found myself with time to consider both my position in the community as well as Wild Rock’s capacity to do good.  Together with Wild Rock, I am happy and proud to announce our creation of the Wild Rock ComPassion Project.  Determined to be a force for good while remaining at the very heart of Peterborough’s active community, this new initiative aims to connect our business, our staff and you, our customers, to a select group of organizations that are dedicated to issues that we know are important to every single one of us.  These organizations serve our passions by acting as stewards for our lands and trails and express our compassion by addressing the pressing social issues of housing, addiction and social justice.  Together, we call this ComPassion.  

I know I am not alone in needing both good news in my life as well as the knowledge that I am engaged in good work in the service of others.  My hope with the ComPassion Project is that we will not only continue to do that good work ourselves but encourage more and more people to join us.  Together we can build more good-news stories, and ensure that our community remains a place we are all proud to call home. 

Encouraging volunteerism, education and, ultimately, raising money that will be used to improve the lives of everyone in our community are the sole objectives of the Wild Rock ComPassion Project."