Monday's speaker was Karen Danielson, the newly hired Executive Director of Thrive. Karen explained that Thrive is a strategy put together for Medicine Hat and the surrounding region to help put an end to poverty. Karen advised 1 in 10 people live below the poverty line. This became evident after events like the last flood. With the assistance of research done by Medicine Hat College students, a number of local community agencies and groups joined together to try to deal with this issue. Thrive's Vision is: "By 2030, Medicine Hat Will End Poverty In All Its Forms and Ensure Well Being For All."
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Karen then went on to outline Thrive's very ambitious task by outlining the organization's Founding Principle, which include the following: Equal rights for all; Person centered and community driven solutions; Ending poverty will take a collective effort and Ending poverty will take some innovation. Karen then discussed a number of Thrive's Key Actions and Priorities before moving on to the group's Moving Ahead plans, which includes; Setting up Thrive; Connecting the community partners; Securing implementation funding and Driving Year 1 Implementation Actions. Karen suggested "it's not just about surviving, it's about thriving."
More information about Thrive and its plans can be found on their website: www.thrivemh.ca.
Karen then answered a few questions, before being thanked by President Karen, who presented our speaker with a Rotary Mug.