I am incredibly honored but also extremely intimidated to have been elected as President at our November AGM – honored, because I think this is one of the best communities in the city, and intimidated trying to fill the shoes of the presidents I am following. They have all been marvelous leaders; we are so lucky to have had people of this caliber step forward.
On that note, let’s give a big huge thank you to Mark Schmidt. Mark has been on the board for over five years, he has devoted hours (and hours) of time to us, and been an exceptional representative for our community. Mark, thank you so very much, from all of us.
Also, many thanks to Chris Bernardi, our former VP, and Courtney Heppner, our former secretary. We really appreciate your time and contribution.
And of course, thanks so much to the board members who have agreed to stay on. Rose-Marie McKinnon, Keith Pedersen, Devin Elkin, Doug Bouwmeester and Erin Delamont. These are all wise and thoughtful, good humored people who add so much to our board.
We are so fortunate to have several new faces on our board. Rick Cunningham is taking over as Vice President. Travis Black, Nikki Compton, Ian Laird, Nouell Christian Larioza, Joan Trotz, and Darleen Hornaday have all volunteered to be directors. I look forward to working with you all.
For those of you thinking ‘who on earth is this woman?’ here’s a bit about me. My husband Larry and I moved to Midnapore in 1988 with our three children and have lived in the same house on the same street ever since. We are both retired from our careers in the computer field. Larry is an avid volunteer in the astronomy community – you might have seen him at a Rothney Observatory open house. I have been on the board for about seven years, first as secretary and more recently as Director of Policy. You can find me heading out to the theatre, reading a book, groaning after a workout at the Y or skipping a workout to eat chocolate croissants. My latest endeavor is to remember how to skate…I’ve just finished my first skating lesson in about 50 years. My hope is that I will soon be zooming around Midnapore Lake looking elegant and graceful – or tottering around Midnapore Lake trying not to fall.
There are quite a few things going on with our community association in 2020. There’s a casino coming up in January, please contact Rose-Marie if you can help with that. The Garden Committee is already taking registration for garden plots. Darleen and Joan are going to be looking into seniors’ programs at the center. Erin and the playground committee will continue to focus on the Sunlake Road playground with hopes for a 2020 completion. We have a review underway of the lifecycle plan for the community center to clarify the upcoming building priorities. I’m interested in by-laws and policy (it can be fun!) and investigating different ways to engage the community.
Christmas is coming, the snow is back, and as I watch the birds squabbling at our bird feeders, I feel so lucky to live in this beautiful part of the city. I care a great deal about our Mid-Sun community and hope to be able to contribute to our tradition of being a safe, lovely, inclusive place to live. If you have any questions, concerns, things you want to bring forward or have an interest in being on the board (we still need a secretary) please drop me an email at [email protected].
I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and very Happy New Year
Patsy
