On to the next chapter! (Ottawa)

November Project Ottawa is a community for new best-friends to be, the city walker, the bike path using commuter, the grandmother of five, the avid bagel eater and heavy coffee drinker, the Positivity Award recipients, the traverbeller, the sunrise 6k pr’er, the snow day badge earners and the new faces we have yet to meet.  

We are passing the torch on to new leadership and though this chapter is coming to an end for us, we are excited about what two wonderful women will be bringing to NP Ottawa alongside all of you. We are thrilled to announce the Rebecca’s as the new co-leaders of Ottawa !! 

Who knew four years ago when we showed up at the Arboretum, doing this pledging process, what adventures would unfold. The two of us were acquaintances when we first started that cold morning in January, and now we can’t imagine life without one another. And it’s because of all of you in the community, that we kept showing up, and got to experience the growing of so many relationships in this city and beyond. We are positive this list does not come close to all the experiences, while attending or at a November Project workout, social or gathering but we wanted to share some of the moments that have made us smile and cry:

-people finding love and a new love for activities and experiences that they might not have ever tried before November Project 

– street hockey 

-traverballing to other cities 

-traverballers 

-NP summits

-co-leading with your best friend 

-Getting access to TD Place Stadium 

-Canada Day 2020 and our ongoing learnings 

– racing up and down in the stadium 

-Hugging and high fiving people 

-November Project on Ice 

-Sunrise 6k, kids biking, people walking, completing their first 6k

-socials, board games, pizza nights, races, cheer stations, bike rides. 

-becoming morning people

-watching people become morning people 

-making mistakes and becoming more aware

-the first bounce 4 years ago

-mini party hats

-sunrise 6k signs,they were a work of art.

-the disco speaker 

-post workout chats 

-learning to zoom and stay connected in any way we can

-watching individuals elevate and lead in the community to make it better 

The sheer excitement that existed at 6:29am in the Fletcher Fields parking lot on a cold, dark January morning in 2017 has continued to flow into the workouts years later. The excitement of seeing new faces stroll into the Stadium, bike into the Aberdeen Pavilion, run towards the Supreme Court of Canada or make their way towards Parliament Hill was part of the fun. The dark silhouettes gathering for the bounce. Then, the chatting before the workout began, getting to know the people around you and introducing yourself to some new faces.  Racing, walking, sprinting, cheering or burpeeing your way through a 31 minute workout is part of what makes this wild Wednesday mornings so much fun.   The other part of it, was the people that show up and those that continue to show up. As, November Project continues to evolve and be shaped not by the leaders of this movement but by those who continue to show up.  We see that here in Ottawa.  

We see this as a continuation of growth, of a strong community that we have all built together, one Wednesday at a time. We see two incredible women we are passing the reigns to, who will continue to make changes, to shift, to better, along with everyone who shows up each week. As we strive to make this community a more inclusive place, we are confident in where this community will continue to go and excited to see it happen. 

Whatever happened on a Wednesday morning, we always shared ways we could make the morning better and what we could improve, but no matter what, we exchanged a text or a call saying how amazing that morning was. On the coldest, darkest morning, there was always something good, some kind of energy that made that morning such a unique way to begin the day, in the middle of the week.

We are so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you, who have made these four years such an amazing journey. The hugs and high fives we shared, the cold mornings, the short exchanges, the connections, the coffee chats. We appreciate you. 

Thanks for sharing your morning with us, the chaos of stella-ella-olla, the chaos of teams of three, and probably 1000 burpees later, this was a great morning. 

Here’s to bringing soles together, 

Lauren and Liz 

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