This thought-provoking, animated video clip was made in the USA which may mean some statistics vary from the Canadian experience, but the truth contained here should give pause to conversations around poverty and the government's role.

The reviews are in and Saturday's IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility was a great success, all around. Nearly 200 were in attendance for a celebration of engaging ideas, positive community energy, surprising art, and local delectables. Here's what audience members are saying:

"Thank you for bringing IMAGINATE to life. On the way home i wondered how to share the night with more people. Let me know how i can help "take it to the street". -R.B.

"Thank you so much – it was lovely and you did an amazing job!!" -M.B.

"The video with Victoria was particularly moving" -M.M.

"The reception  was filled with conversation and goodwill -- a very fine evening all around." -B.C.

"I just want to thank you for the wonderful evening full of creative people and their ideas.It was a real pleasure-filled evening." -C.S.

"As with virtually everything the Green Wood community takes on, it was exceedingly successful and I believe it left everyone feeling inspired. Victoria's film was a stunning highlight among an entire night of top-notch work." -D.N.

"I really enjoyed each speaker and what they contributed. Each dynamic, informative and constructive. There is no limit to being mindfully creative with any pursuit we engage in." -S.W.

"Attended IMAGINATE, swung into gear by putting 10 jars of marmalade up... mmmmm." -P.G.

Many thanks are in order for what happened at IMAGINATE. From the financial support of Cameco, to Trinity College School for sharing their beautiful venue, the engaging presenters, the amazing volunteers who worked behind the scenes, and the in-kind provisions of the following local businesses, it was a great collaborative effort.

Black Beans Steakhouse & Lounge
The Waddell
The Publican House Brewery
Huff Estates Winery
Holton Flowers
Ganaraska Art & Framing
Atomic Coffee
Kingsholm Farms
Queenies Bake Shop
Cravingz Port Hope

Tonight promises to be a memorable night as a cast of diverse characters take their passions to the stage at Trinity College School in Port Hope. Tickets will be available at the door. Online tickets and directions to the venue at greenwoodcoalition.com/imaginate Doors open at 7:00 pm, start time is 7:30 pm. Delicious food, drink and conversation to follow.

Many thanks to our sponsor, Cameco, and to the volunteers and local businesses who make IMAGINATE possible.

A beautiful story will be told at Saturday's IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility, when the short film 'Victoria' is screened for the first time. It's a story of life in all it's colours, lived through the days of one woman. The darkness and the light that has brought Victoria to our community.

Equally fascinating is the story of how this little film came to be. How Rob Quartly, Juno Award-winning director of music videos for Rush, Platinum Blonde and Corey Hart, collaborated with Ron Baxter Smith, whose photographs have appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, Vogue and New York Times Magazine . How space and gear were made available to shoot this real-life epic. How Victoria overcame her fear, one step at a time.

This film and so much more will be on tap for an amazing evening at Trinity College School. Saturday, February 15, 7:30 pm.

 Our weekly Creative Arts Group is in its fourth year of imaginative, collective art-making. Currently, we're helping each other through this long, cold, snowy winter by spending afternoons needle-felting with warm and fuzzy bits of wool.

Port Hope Photographer, Oliver Steins will unveil his exhibition, Tommy Talker & His Butterfly Collection, at this Saturday's IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility. The show is fascinating assembly of high-definition portraits created in Olver's studio at Ganaraska Art & Framing, where a Tommy Talker ventriloquist doll was the first in a parade of some 200 subjects. According to Oliver,  "Tommy was very patient and could pose for hours without complaint."

IMAGINATE is pleased to host a presentation by Dr. Bridget Campion, a bioethicist and researcher who's worked for many years as a clinical ethicist in hospitals in Toronto and continues to practice as a healthcare ethics consultant, researching, writing, and lecturing about issues in bioethics.  Her current interests include social justice and healthcare, particularly the interplay between the social determinants of health and the wellbeing of individuals and communities.

The voice of Ralph Torrie, a pioneer and innovator on environmental issues and climate change, has been heard by a long list of audiences, and on February 15, it will be heard in Port Hope at IMAGINATE.

Check out this list:
World Cities Summit on Climate Change,
Queen’s University Engineering faculty,
Schulich School of Business
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Recycling Council of Ontario
Québec National Assembly
Aspen Global Change Institute
Harvard University School of Public Health
United Steelworkers of America
Grand Council of the Cree
Australian National Institute for Economic and Industry Research

We're thrilled that Shari Beaver, Indigenous Adventurer, will be presenting at IMAGINATE! Her journey has taken her around the world and back home to Alderville First Nation. Her enthusiasm for life is infectious. Be sure to order your ticket early at greenwoodcoalition.com/imaginate

Had any good food lately? How do you define 'good food'? It tastes good? It's good for you? It comes from good sources? Joel MacCharles and his partner, Dana, have fun with those questions at their blog WellPrerved.ca, as well as in the rest of their life. We're pleased to be hosting a talk by Joel at IMAGINATE; An Evening of Possibility, on Saturday, February 15. Click on the IMAGINATE button for tickets. Here's a sample of the kind of fun that WellPreserved is up to: