With Family Day approaching on February 17, Alberta Blue Cross® and Communities ChooseWell, operated by Alberta Recreation & Parks Association, are encouraging families to come together to create meaningful connections while promoting their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Family Day in Alberta is a public holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February. It was established to promote the importance of family values and to give people an opportunity to spend time with their loved ones.
“As we celebrate Family Day, it’s the perfect opportunity to get active and create lasting memories together”, says Matt Leung, program manager, Alberta Recreation & Parks Association. Family Day is about quality time with family members, no matter what form it takes or how you may define “family”.
Communities ChooseWell and Alberta Blue Cross suggest the following family-friendly activities to try out this Family Day:
Outdoors
- Explore your neighbourhood parks and trails on a winter walk.
- Sign up for fun activities at your local recreation or community centre.
- Discover a new park or playground to enjoy.
- Strap on your skates and check out an outdoor skating rink or bundle up and go to a local tobogganing hill.
- Work together as a family to draw a map of all your favorite places to move and play in your neighborhood—it’s also a fun way to plan adventures for when warmer weather arrives.
Indoors
- Try out a tasty, new recipe and cook together as a family.
- Plan a family game night with your favourite board games.
- Family yoga at home—follow a guided beginner yoga session on Youtube.
- Enjoy free admission at Alberta museums and historic sites on Family Day.
- Give back to your community by volunteering as a family at a local organization.
“Alberta Blue Cross is proud to partner with Communities ChooseWell through the Alberta Recreation & Parks Association,” says Narissa Kanji, director of Community Impact at Alberta Blue Cross. “Together, we are enhancing wellbeing and creating a more vibrant, resilient and healthier community. This Family Day, I’m looking forward to spending time outdoors with my kids and building as many snowmen as we can. And, of course, hot chocolate afterward is a must.”
About Alberta Blue Cross
As the largest provider of health benefits in Alberta, we believe we have the potential and responsibility to impact people’s lives for the better. We believe all communities should thrive, and we are committed to serving as a champion for wellness by promoting the health of Albertans.
About Alberta Recreation & Parks Association and Communities ChooseWell
The Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (ARPA) is a recognized leader in the recreation and parks sector. We support our members by enhancing skills, knowledge and capacity to deliver quality recreation and parks services. Through impactful programs—like Communities ChooseWell—education and professional development opportunities, key sector events and sharing research and tools, ARPA is committed to ensuring Albertans use recreation and parks as essential resources for enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, communities and our natural and built environments.
As a program of ARPA, Communities ChooseWell is a provincial initiative that inspires and supports local healthy living champions, organizations and municipal governments across Alberta to transform their communities into places where eating well and being active are easy choices for everyone.
For more information, please contact Sharmin Hislop, director of Corporate Communications, Alberta Blue Cross®, at 780-498-8283 or shislop@ab.bluecross.ca. or Matt Leung, program manager, Alberta Recreation & Parks Association at mleung@arpaonline.ca or 780-415-1745.
The media release was shared as a news story on
- Red Deer News Now on Family Day in central Alberta
- Medicine Hat News on Albertans encouraged to take advantage of Family Day any which way they can
