A top Canadian motivational speaker led several dozen Aldergrove residents through a lively and dynamic discussion of how to improve a community's financial and personal well-being on Thursday evening.
Bruce Sellery's presentation was part of the filming of a proposed TV series that will be pitched to the Oprah Winfrey Network Canada (OWNC).
Force Four Entertainment camera crews will be shooting around the town and inside homes in the coming weeks, to put together a "demo" of the series "to showcase its people, adventurous spirit and strong sense of community," said development producer Nicole Lawson.
"We have been given the go-ahead to explore this production with Aldergrove exclusively and our job is to show that this community wants to do the show. Now the hard work starts."
The impromptu town hall meeting at Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre attracted about 60 people, despite the heavy competition from the Canucks playoff game that night.
Sellery, a financial expert based in Calgary, quickly engaged the crowd and inspired everyone there to openly discuss a topic — personal finances — that most people have reservations about sharing with others.
As he said, "the taboo about discussing finances is more pronounced than talking about sex. That's a huge missed opportunity, because by not engaging the community we are not getting the resources."
Sellery, 40, is a strong believer in building community and it is an aspect that he has stressed throughout his career as a business journalist, TV news anchor, speaker and coach.
He has also written a book, "Moolala: Why smart people do dumb things with their money (and what you can do about it)," in which he says communities provide support in ways that are often underutilized by those who need the help.
He said the first thing people need to do is "get real about money," as too many people live from paycheque to paycheque and just wonder where all their money goes.
Credit card debt is a common problem for many and this results in less time and quality of life for families.
"When we spend unconsciously, we're oblivious to the difference it can make to a satisfied life.
"These are consequences of our behaviour; we have to stop being oblivious. When we develop new habits we gain a sense of ease," said Sellery.
While he acknowledged that the TV series' premise is still under development, the tentative goal of the planned TV series is "to increase the net worth of Aldergrove by $1 million in three months."
Force Four will continue taping the demo over coming weeks in Aldergrove, and if the series idea is approved by OWNC the series would be shot over three months this summer.
More information on the series can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Aldergrove-Project/109661475778255 and Sellery's website is http://www.brucesellery.com