**This post was originally published on December 13, 2015 on the House of Friendship’s 12 Days of Good blog.

**I am lucky enough to be able to work for a cause that I love. A safe and clean environment means a healthy community for all. As a Do GOODER, my focus over these few days has been to build community.

A mentor of mine recently said that he sees his job as being a Community Builder and I have been inspired by this idea and strive to follow his lead.

Today, the focus of 12 Days For Good is safety. Safety is one of the essential needs of a good life. As outlined in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we know that above simple biological needs, safety is the next level of need. These include safety from the elements, security, order, law, stability and freedom from fear. It is often through the creation of a strong community that these elements are enabled. And therefore support the community means that we are building a safe community.

The work I do with my team and our community network at Sustainable Waterloo Region also plays a role in the safety of our community. A healthy environment means that we have a safe environment. Climate Change has created risk for all members of our community, including through severe weather events. The young, the elderly, those with special needs and many others can be significantly affected during these events. And every year severe weather puts the whole community at risk due to falling trees, power outages, water supply issues among other things. Mitigating climate change, by reducing the carbon that is emitted into our environment, means we are protecting ourselves and future generations.

Up until now, the acts of good that I have chosen to highlight in this first week, are items that support individuals such as contributing to the food bank, giving blood, support a school, doing my holiday shopping in locally-owned establishments and buying items that support those in need.

In the coming week, I will shift focus to make my Do Good Acts be in support of other community not-for-profits. Each of these organizations contribute to a stronger community, working as a wider network, each with a unique focus, to ensure that all members of our community are cared for.

I believe that all of these areas of focus are inter-connected. House of Friendship knows this and lives this every day. Together we can build a community that not only gives us a safe place to live, but provides every citizen with what is needed to have a happy and fulfilled life.

Connect with Tova and her good deeds on Twitter .