Nu-West Spirt: Community Focused

I am proud to be from Calgary, the heart of the NU-WEST a city that does well by doing good. I had the privilege of attending two incredible parties on Thursday (June 21): Burnco's 100th anniversary, and Brett Wilson's annual garden party. The garden party benefited Calgary counseling and eating disorder prevention. An issue I relate to. Brett's Garden Party raised $300,000 to fund Juno House, BodyWhys, and Calgary Counseling.

Burnco's Party was a celebration of family business. Burnco Cement company was founded by Jim Burns the first. Burns Came to Albert in 1902 when Calgary had a population of 4398. Burns took a job for the railroad and worked in Revelstok. In 1912 after hearing news of the bombing construction business Burns moved to Calgary and started a cement and sandstone supplier company. Burns worked hard as both Calgary and Burns Company grew. In 1947 Jim Burns sold his company to his son Jim Burns the second.

 Burns 2 was always on the look out for new and innovative technology that would increase the efficiency of his operations. In the 1950's Burns introduced the cement mixing truck to western Canada. The mixing truck simplified the job by cutting the hours required to perform a job as well as gave the company leverage to grow. Burns 2, passed the Burnco torch onto his son Jim Burns 3 in the mid 60's.

Burns 3 worked hard to expand Burnco into new territory while maintaining and promoting a strong family focused corporate culture. In 1993, Burns 3 sold Burnco to his son Scott Burns. Scott Burns leads Burnco with passion, commitment, and a strong will to maintain the family culture of Burnco. Today Burnco employs over 800 people and has diversified into four main operating units: Aggregate, Landscape Centers, Ready Mix, and Asphalt.

In honor of Burnco's 100th Birthday the company played tribute to the Humble Beginning of Calgary and Burnco. In recognition of innovation and community leadership Scott Burns on behave of Burnco made the generous donation of $1 million dollars to Sait Polytechnic. Proving a community focus is always on trend. Congrats Burnco on the big 100!

A little bit personal...

My life always a party complete with networking, fundraising, and gala dinners. I enjoy the social aspect of the territory but fear the dreaded diet related questions. I am a vegetarian who tries to maintain a vegan diet. I avoid talking about my diet; because I hate being asked why I'm vegan. I wish I could say that I was vegan because of environmental, or social causes; I can't, however. I am vegan because in many ways it is a socially acceptable eating disorder (orthorexia), one that grants me enough control over food to avoid the panic of post anorexia and bulimic guilt. 

I bring this topic up because a local Calgary philanthropist, W. Brett Wilson,  has chosen to benefit eating disorder related charities at an upcoming function. 

There is a lot of stigma involved in eating disorders, and a lot of misconceptions about the problem. An eating disorder is not necessarily about the desire to be thin or skeletal. An eating disorder is a mental obsession that can hijack your life. There is nothing glamorous about being either anorexic or bulimic. I know, I spent the better part of my teens and early twenties in the trenches of an eating disorder. There is help available for people struggling with eating disorders- help that is confidential and anonymous such as Juno House or BodyWhys. 

My eating issues began in elementary school. I hated seeing my body grow and fill out before a growth spurt. By Jr. High I was counting calories, popping laxatives, going for midnight runs, and in a deadly competition with myself to see how many days I could go with out eating. I looked horrible, felt horrible, and CHOSE to have no life because I FEARED that it would  interfered with my diet. Yet, somehow, I felt victorious, because by forbidding my self nourishment I was the only person capable of hurting myself and therefore invincible. The constant starvation lead to inevitable binge eating, and subsequent laxative an diuretic use. The binges were shameful and disastrous. Every binge felt like a failure. A failure that left me frozen, panicked, and emotionally beaten. 

The laxatives always left me bloated, and the starvation screwed up my metabolism. I was always cold, always shaken, always looking for an excuse not to eat or to skip a meal. I knew that what I was doing to myself was not healthy, but it seemed so hard to ask for help. I didn't want to let go of the only control I thought I had. I tried to reach out for help, using an alias. The first time I sought help; I learned how to stick my fingers down my thought to erase the damage. Learning how to vomit gave me the freedom to have more of a life. I could go out armed with knowledge that a trip to the bathroom could be arranged. Bulimics are not always skinny, and during my bulimic stage of life I put on weight and risked my body to injuries. An ex boyfriend of mine called me out on my bulimia. He berated me, and forced me to seek counseling. I hated him for it. My eating disorder was MINE: my refuge, my safe place. 

Through counseling I was able to work through my eating disorder. I recognized that my issue came from fear. I realized that my competitiveness was self destructive. I starved and binged because  I could ration that by hurting myself, I made it impossible for others to get to know or hurt me. I prevented my self from feeling. Today, I am grateful for my ex. I am now nearly 3 years free of binging or starving. I take each day as it comes, and ask for the strength to overcome my poison one day at a time. 

There is nothing glorious about having an eating disorder. They are painful, emotionally draining, and body damaging. Eating disorders are preventable. There is help. If you or someone you know has an eating disorder seek help. No one should suffer the isolation of an eating disorder.