Making a difference through Steps for Life

by | Sep 13, 2016 | Steps for Life

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One can make a difference….

(Posted on September 13, 2016)

We have all heard that saying “one can make a difference”. Do you every wonder if that really does happen? Can just one person make a positive impact? Yes. One can. Plenty of examples show that with commitment and by taking the first step, one person can create and support change.

At Threads of Life our vision clearly states our intent, that as an organization we will lead and inspire a culture shift as a result of which work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths are morally, socially and economically unacceptable. Threads of Life started with a few individuals and over time we have become a movement of thousands of individuals with the same vision.

Of course then, we believe that one person can make a difference! One family, one volunteer, one donor, one sponsor. But we also believe that more can achieve more. Can you imagine 100 more people beside you sharing your goals? What about 4995 more? At final tally, that’s how many of us walked together this past May in our annual fundraising event, Steps for Life.

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…and many can do so much!

It’s here we recognize too that everything we have done or will do, may have started withone, but it has never been completed and never will be completed with just one alone. In fact just in 2016 we walked 24,975 kilometres collectively – that’s approximately 32,967,000 steps taken together – raising more than $600,000 for Threads of Life programs, including our Family Forums, Volunteer Family Guides initiative and Threads of Life publications. Can you say ‘WOW!’

At Threads of Life, we have never lost sight of this. So for 2017, our motto for Steps for Life will be “ONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE“. To support this, we will not only be sharing stories, experiences, testimonials – we ask that you do the same. Whether it’s for Threads of Life, or in particular Steps for Life, we encourage you to think about how you can make a difference. Volunteer, register as a participant in the new year for your community walk, invite a friend to join you, set a new personal goal for fundraising, donate and tell your story: why you’re walking; why you’re supporting the event, the cause; why you want to make a difference for family and friends who have experienced life-altering workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. There are a number of ways to get involved.

Betty Evans is an example of one Threads of Life family member and volunteer who is determined to make a difference. Betty’s son Stephen was on a working vacation on a cattle ranch in the Australian outback, when a wheel fell off the vehicle he was driving and it rolled, killing him. Five years later, Betty was learning to cope with her overwhelming grief.

“In April, 2013,” she says, “on a lunch break I saw a Steps for Life display and felt a rush of emotion. I told the representative my story and asked if I could walk and I did. In September 2013 I attended the Family Forum in Edmonton. Like many others, I experienced the healing from listening and sharing with others who know your pain and suffering, and who also want to heal and become “the best that they can be”.  Threads of Life has offered me a purpose which I hope can be of support to others and to assist in creating a culture change with regard to workplace safety.”

Whatever step YOU take, big or small, you truly will be part of the difference made. 

 

 

Heather Lyle
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