A new initiative to bring positivity and kindness to 100 Mile House has taken shape this winter.
Dubbed Small Town, Big Smiles this new group made up of members of the 100 Mile House and South Cariboo communities plans to help bring people together through mutual kindness and collaboration. It's being spearheaded by Kristin Buxton, the Canadian Mental Health Association South Cariboo Branch's community engagement coordinator. Buxton said while her work at CMHA helped inspire her to form the group, Small Town, Big Smiles is an independent group with no agenda beyond spreading kindness and enriching the community.
"Whether the gesture is big or small, we believe in the power of connection. Our goal is to strengthen the community through engaging and interactive projects, fostering a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported," Buxton explained. "Sometimes, all it takes is a smile."
Since moving to 100 Mile House five years ago, Buxton said she has found the South Cariboo to be a warm and welcoming place. She noted there is a real sense of community that's palpable, more so than in a city like Abbotsford, where she and her family moved from.
In the last few months, Buxton said she has begun to learn about Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), which she said is a community-driven approach to developing a community using the assets and people already there. Rather than emphasize problems and needs, Buxton explained the idea of ABCD is to highlight the capabilities of individuals, associations and institutions within a community to drive sustainable development and create meaningful change.
"I was working with the Climate Change Taskforce and they had started talking about asset-based community development because they had started working with Joe Erpenbeck from Cincinnati," Buxton explained. "The task force knew how much I enjoy community engagement and being involved with the community, so they brought the idea to me."
Buxton said since August last year she has been training with Erpenbeck, a faculty member of the ABCD Institute at DePaul University who has spent the last 25 years working in communities across Canada and America. Erpenbeck visited 100 Mile House in October of 2024 and did a half-day presentation on ABCD for Buxton and several community members who went on to help her form Small Town, Big Smiles.
"You look at the community as a glass half full. You don't look at the community and say it needs more housing or this, you look at the community and see what the community already has to offer and you build on those people and try to bring them together," Buxton explained. "You try to build a more resilient community."
Right now Buxton said her group is still finding its feet as it plans out what it wants to do in the community. The group currently consists of eight members though Buxton is always open to new people joining. She said she is looking for people who love the South Cariboo and want to make it a better place.
One of these members is longtime community member Lori Fry, who has been a community volunteer for various organizations for 34 years. Fry was invited by Buxton to the ABCD presentation over the fall and said she liked the concept.
"I like the concept of collaboration versus competition because that's sort of my philosophy and personal approach to begin with, why reinvent the wheel?" Fry said. "It was appealing because of the concept of working together, collaborating and strengthening what we already have."
Personally, Fry remarked that while she believes in spreading kindness in the community, she doesn't want the group to appear sappy. To her, actions speak louder than words and she wants Small Town, Big Smiles to have a positive influence on the community.
Fry noted that, in general, many of the community's organizations and non-profits rely on ageing volunteers. She thinks that Small Town, Big Smiles could help some of these groups keep their community events going, or even take them over.
"That way you're not losing what's been established. You can build upon and grow what's already been built here," Fry said.
Buxton hopes to officially introduce Small Town, Big Smiles to the community around Easter by volunteering at What's Hoppening 100 Mile. Following that, she said the group is discussing doing some potential pop-up events in and around town.
One idea is setting up a table at the South Cariboo Farmers Market to ask attendees what their favourite part of living in 100 Mile House is. Buxton said that Erpenbeck told her about a similar activity in Vancouver where they did this and its goal was to encourage people to connect and share their experiences.
They also have plans in the works to create an online community cookbook in the fall where members of the community can submit their favourite recipes. At the same time, they'll be encouraged to share a story related to the recipe.
Ultimately, Buxton said she hopes this new initiative spreads kindness and joy around the community. She encourages anyone looking to join to email them at smalltownbigsmiles@gmail.com or come to the Cariboo Trail Terrance Common Room at 910 Cariboo Trail Unit 1 on the second Thursday of each month from 5-6 p.m. to attend one of their meetings.
"We are all coming together as members of the community and not as organizations we might generally represent. We're here because we love 100 Mile House and we want to show them it's a great place to live and we want to do fun interactive things that get people connected and just sharing stories," Buxton explained. "Everybody has a story and once you just stop and take a moment to talk to somebody and find out their story... it's a way to find out different parts of 100 Mile House and just embrace 100 Mile and showcase how awesome it is here."
