Best of Calgary is a celebration of the people, places and voices that make Calgary an amazing place to live and call home.

Written by: Kelsey Woods

The weather can’t seem to make its mind up here in Calgary, but we sure can: Calgarians and the local community are coming together like never before. Positive new stories keep flying in as we ask you, our friendly neighbours, to keep an eye out for those who are stepping up during this time of crisis. And you better believe there is A LOT to celebrate this week.

Here are seven more uplifting stories to keep you going this week:

1. Barre West

A once busy, bustling studio, Barre West is one of the countless fitness studios in the city that has had to temporarily close its doors during this time. To combat this, they are providing free, live workouts streaming through their social media platforms every single day. On top of this, they are also running a ‘wellness challenge’ from April 5-30. This challenge is not focused on working out as many in the past have been, but instead on your overall wellness as a way to keep everyone connected to the people they love. The challenge will ask you to do things like “ hold a plank for a full song” or “send your best friend a dad joke.” Barre West has really stepped up their game to help their community stay active and connected with their fellow neighbours.

2. Burwood Distillery

If you’ve visited Burwood Distillery before or even sampled their spirits, you know what delicious goodness you’re getting into. However, this distillery showed great care and leadership for their fellow Calgarians with the launch of their own handcrafted hand sanitizer initiative right when COVID-19 hit the city. Burwood includes some of their very own hand sanitizer in each order, having now fully pivoted to an online ordering system and offering free local delivery on orders for $40 or more. Burwood Distillery is helping our city stay safe and happy, one delivery at a time.

3. Duane Laurendeau

Duane owns a small trucking company here in the city and has luckily been able to continue working while most others cannot. This led Duane to post on Facebook, offering help to anyone out there who may struggle to buy groceries this month or have pressing financial needs that he can assist with. Duane’s kindness didn’t stop there. It was his good friend’s son’s birthday at the end of March who was unable to have a traditional birthday party. Duane being the fun-loving person he is, rounded up a dozen of his friends and had them decorate their vehicles for a drive-by parade to brighten the boy’s spirits. Duane led the parade with two of his large semi-trailer trucks, air horns honking and all. It really made the young boy’s day - and now ours after hearing it too.

4. Walk the YYC

Walk the YYC is a free walking tour company, exploring history and offering local tips to those interested in learning about our lovely Calgary. Unfortunately, the tours have been temporarily cancelled and the company had to lay off their winter guide, Rob. In efforts to still provide financial aid for Rob as this job was his only source of income, the company has shifted to providing #6feetphotography. A professional photographer will come to your home and take photographs of you and your family, pets, hobbies, whatever you feel is important to you at this time, whether from your porch or a large window. Walk the YYC is happy to provide this service free of charge and if you feel so inclined to donate at the end, all proceeds will go towards supporting Rob. This company truly wants to help put a smile on everyone’s face during this time, especially those who are struggling and could use something to look forward to, donation or not.

5. Giselle Kopf, GK Performance Training

Before COVID-19, Giselle's vivacious, energetic and motivating training style brought people of all fitness levels through Soul Spins doors every day. Now, amidst this uncertain time, she's bringing that same energy and positivity to the social media world through incredible live stream Instagram workouts, affordable workout programs that are perfect for at-home and uplifting Instagram stories to keep you in that positive mind frame. Giselle provides the motivation and support needed to get through this 'stay at home' time, so check out her online presence. Her commitment to the community never goes unnoticed.

6. Adam Thompson, Friday Sock Co.

A well-known Calgary business, Friday Sock Co., has taken this time to create something timely and support their fellow community. They have purposely designed mismatched COVID-19 socks, with toilet paper on one and hand sanitizer on the other, to raise money for the Calgary food bank; 100% of the profits generated from the sale of these socks will go to those in need. The production of these socks also helped a small family-owned factory in northern Italy continue to operate, which directly impacted their ability to generate income during a nationwide lockdown. Friday Sock Co. is allowing us to stay comfy and support local with the click of a button. Check out these trending mismatched socks on the Friday Sock Co. website here.

7. Mask Makers YYC

Out of every crisis, there is a group who rise to the occasion and help with what they have; during this global pandemic, this group is called Mask Makers YYC. With over 4,300 members on their Facebook page, Mask Makers YYC is a collective of local volunteers who are sewing masks, sharing patterns and delivering them to anyone who requests one. This group is completely volunteer-run, with buying or selling absolutely prohibited, so everything is done out of the goodness of their hearts. If you would like to participate in this initiative by sewing masks, delivering them, donating money for supplies or you yourself need to request a mask, visit the Mask Makers YYC Facebook page for more information.

If you notice someone going above and beyond for their neighbours or spot a local business who has pivoted and provided for their community during these uncertain times, we want to know! Nominate these local heroes so we can give them a shout out and continue to spread positive news.

Nominate a Local Hero

Kelsey Woods is the Content & Editorial Manager for Best of Calgary.