A commonwealth is a combination of the word common, meaning “belonging to all,” and wealth, meaning “happiness or riches.” The commonwealth examples that I observed are resources that provide positive assets to my community and are available to everyone. Being that I’m an intern for a farmers’ market, I thought it was fitting that I focus on commonwealths that encourage health. I’ve attended some intramural softball games sponsored by the Woodland Park Parks and Recreation and I was also a youth soccer coach for four years. My mother who doubles as my supervisor is also a fitness instructor for Parks and Rec. The organization provides exercise for youth and adults, along with opportunities for stress relief and leisure. By looking into Parks and Rec as a commonwealth, I’ve started to consider other ways that I can contribute to those opportunities through my internship. I think promoting alternate transportation to the market via walking or biking would be a way to encourage a healthy community in terms of exercise, stress relief, and leisure. Also, using a bicycle could be considered a commonwealth since it is a resource that can be used by most people and it has so many benefits. Besides health advantages, the bicycle is a great way to stray from the car and consider a more environmentally conscious medium of transportation. Another commonwealth that is sensitive to the environment is The Harvest Center. Another project of mine is to try and incorporate backyard growers into the farmers’ market. My co-intern Anne, and I, plan to meeting with the director of The Harvest Center in order to find those community members in order to include their excess produce in our market. To put it briefly, there are many commonwealths in my community; however, I find it most valuable for me to focus on the assets that I can enhance and encourage.
