Thank you to all the residents who completed our recent community survey that was conducted over the month of January! Your feedback was greatly appreciated to inform on your values and priorities with the neighbourhood and our community association, and we will use the information gathered to guide our offerings in the future. A few key themes emerged from the survey, and we see a great opportunity for our community to engage and improve our neighbourhood.
• Membership in the PCA could be expanded, with member status and its benefits made clearer. People wish to support our community, and most would like to see membership give priority access to the programs and events we offer.
• We see great interest in more people attending some of our most popular events, with an opportunity to sculpt those events to be even more varied, welcoming, and inclusive. A number of people are willing to help out at events from time to time, which is great help for our events to happen smoothly.
• Among our programs, people highly appreciate and are quite familiar with the new accessible rink, and many would like to see time set aside regularly without sticks and pucks to encourage recreational skating and learning. Many families continue to enjoy our soccer program even though it is smaller than in the past, and our garden space has a steady level of interest and is well-regarded by many.
• The number of people volunteering for the PCA, whether in committees, programs, and events, can be improved. We do appreciate that energy and time to help are scarce for many, but we see there are a number of people who could help a few hours a year, and others that can help a few hours a month; either way, we want you to connect with us!
Most people who responded gave a heartwarming response that you value Parkdale to be safe, welcoming, and inclusive. The PCA Annual General Meeting is coming up at the end of April and as always, we encourage members to attend and hear some of the great things happening. We need new board and committee members to help guide the association and our activities to deliver those values we want. Volunteering with care is the life behind the Parkdale Community Association, allowing people to give to others around them and make a great neighbourhood. Thanks, and we look forward to you joining us, using your feedback, and shaping our community to be better every day!
Parkdale Community Association Board of Directors
