by Leslie DeGagne
It is never too early to think about planning. February seems like light years away but we all know once September kicks into high gear time flies. In July, we celebrated Stampede and Dale Oleshko organized a car show to coincide with our pancake extravaganza. Dale took the initiative to plan and organize an activity all would enjoy and the members all loved the added attraction. This is a good example of a member building community spirit. It would be nice to see this type of community building continue. We are celebrating winter Sports in February and are looking for fresh ideas that will bring the community together. I know we have people out there with great ideas and could volunteer a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon to ensure the kids have fun. Last year, I was in Ontario and witnessed a great road hockey game. They blocked off the main street of the town on a Saturday afternoon and the firefighters gathered to play pickup hockey with the children. They had three games going at once and the parents cheered as the participants had fun. Hot chocolate flowed, and laughter rang out for the two-hour event. As a visitor to the area, I was impressed; this seemed like a real fun thing to do and made me think that that town would be a fun place to live. We do have board members who oversee community events and reach out for volunteers to help with these activities. Their job is a hard one, as complacency tends to set in. People lead very busy lives and asking for two hours of time on a Saturday afternoon seems like a lot; but when you hear the laughter and see the joy hours turn into minutes. If you have an idea that you think would be fun, please contact Thomas at the community center and he will get you in touch with the right people. We have the opportunity to build Community right where we live, and we need to celebrate it throughout the year. Please do not be shy; all ideas are worthy, and we have the time to plan if we start now. I look forward to hearing what residents think would be a way to have fun on a cold winter’s day.
This month we should see the Playground taking shape. The kids are back in school and the winter sports kick into full gear. Thank you to all who have volunteered time to coach, manage, organize for their children’s teams. The children would not play if not for you. Play is a very important part of our lives as activities build many skills. The skills of communication, cooperation and self-worth are just a few. We registered online for all children’s sports this year and I hope that the process was smooth for all parents. If you missed the opportunity to get involved contact, the community and we will do our best to get your son or daughter involved. It takes a village to raise a child and let us make sure ours continues to be a healthy one. Community values are built by volunteers please get involved.
