Dave (Co-Executive Director) and Manulife’s Joanna Marcovici celebrate the incredible start of a fruitful multi-year partnership
Through their Impact Agenda, Manulife is committed to empowering sustained health and well-being that supports the journey towards a better life, as well as accelerating a sustainable future for our planet. Like us, they recognize the link between our environment, human health, and the well-being of our communities.
David Carey, Bentway Co-Executive Director, recently sat down with Manulife’s Director of Community Investment, Joanna Marcovici, to celebrate a year of unlocking urban public spaces together.
DC: What a year, Joanna! What inspired Manulife to become a Bentway champion?
JM: As a lifelong Torontonian, I was loosely aware of the work happening downtown to revitalize the space around the Gardiner Expressway, and curious about the plans for development. However, it wasn’t until I first spoke with the incredible team at The Bentway that I truly understood all the potential. We knew immediately that The Bentway and Manulife have shared values and goals when it comes to supporting people and the planet in a sustainable way.
Even from the start, I could sense that too. And when we learned more about your community investment strategy, it felt like such a natural alignment.
Exactly! So well aligned to our Impact Agenda. Manulife is proud to work with organizations from coast to coast to foster healthier, more equitable communities across our three interconnected strategic focus areas: 1) empowering sustained health and well-being; 2) driving inclusive economic opportunity; and 3) accelerating a sustainable future.
The work The Bentway is doing spans all three pillars and is a tangible demonstration of our values, supporting our belief that fostering healthier, better communities and improving the health and wellbeing of Canadians is a shared responsibility.
Tell us more about that. What role can public space like The Bentway play in empowering sustained health and wellbeing in community?
At Manulife Canada, health is our north star. We’re committed to helping Canadians live longer, better, healthier lives. The work The Bentway is doing provides access to spaces that promote activity, encourages people to get outside, connects communities and offers relevant events which in turn, play a huge role promoting – and maintaining – sustained health and well-being. Not just for individuals, but for entire communities. It’s so rewarding to drive by your sites on any given day and see people enjoying this revitalized space.
And so lovely for us to see Manulife staff roll up their sleeves with us.
Yes! We’ve found that our colleagues are also eager to give back to the community directly. We’ve had several groups of Manulife staff volunteers donate their time to help revitalize the experimental gardens at Bentway Staging Grounds while other groups have helped to execute amazing wellness events. The opportunities are endless.
Cheers to year one together; we’re excited to keep going. Thanks for all your support.
Well, thank you as well. The way the organization is re-imagining the possibilities of the Gardiner to build new forms of green space in Toronto’s growing urban population is a real testament to how you’re accelerating a sustainable future. The Bentway is a physical space, but it also represents a shared mindset of designing sustainable, healthy and flourishing places for the public to enjoy. Cheers to that!
(Global Director of Community Investment) at the opening of Bentway Staging Grounds
