It’s been a fantastic summer. From making s’mores while camping, to walking through Fish Creek after the rain, to swimming at the lake, I have managed to enjoy so much of what our area has to offer and hope that you have too. One of my favourite parts of the season was looking after plants in my backyard: one, a mint plant that provided my friends and I with several Mai Tais and Mojitos; the other from the Community Garden’s plant share last year (pictured). When community garden plots filled up fast this year I didn’t end up getting one, so I guess this was my small way of expressing a botanical side I never knew I had.
As we now move into September, the regular routine of the Mid-Sun Board of Directors will start up again, with our first board meeting on September 12, followed by our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 3 (at 8 PM, following our regular board meeting). All are welcome to the AGM, where we will be going over the Association’s activities and performance from the past year. It is a good way to find out what we have been up to and where we are going. At our AGM, all members of the Mid-Sun Community Association are eligible to vote. And since we will be electing a new board, it is also your chance to join us as a director.
While anyone can volunteer with us, or use our facility, to be a director you must be an adult who resides in Midnapore or Sundance and is a member of the Association (memberships are available at the community centre for $20 a year). There is a lot you can gain and offer by joining the board.
To the users of our community centre, becoming a director offers you a chance to be involved with the inner workings of the facility, and provide an important perspective on the building. Those of us who are directors serve because we love our community, understand the vital roles of the association and community centre in it, and have a central goal of ensuring the centre thrives. Getting some more members on the board who share these passions is vital for reaching this goal.
To everyone in the community, joining the board is a great way to gain experience or share the experience you have gained. We welcome those from all walks of life to bring their skills to our group. Reflecting on my own experience, serving as a director could be especially helpful to the college and university students in our neighbourhood, whether you trek up to SAIT, Mount Royal, or U of C, or made the decision to stay in the area by attending St. Mary’s. Our board offers a chance to build up your CV by developing projects, debating motions and collaborating with your neighbours. Again, speaking personally, I wish that I had gained these sorts of experiences while I was studying, since they are so important after graduation.
If you are considering joining us, you might be wondering “what would I do?”. Besides participating in our monthly board meetings, there are several portfolios we would like filled:
- Seniors Director- to be an advocate for seniors and develop programs to meet the social needs of the older members of our community.
- Social Director- to develop attractive social events that will offer residents a chance to get out and meet their neighbours. In the past, this portfolio developed events such as Pub Nite, Oktoberfest, the Country and Western Dance, Taste of Mid-Sun, Ladies’ Nite Out, and the New Year’s Eve Gala.
- Communications- to help develop and coordinate the CA’s messages through advertising, our website and social media. An editor and content developer for Mid-Sun Messages is also needed- more cover photos from the community would be fantastic!
- Events- to help with events put on at the community centre, and manage events outside of the facility, such as the fence art installation or the Community Clean-Up. A Volunteer Coordinator to arrange help at such events would also be welcome.
- Policy Director- to help craft new policies for the facility and association, as well as review and maintain our existing policies.
- Outreach- to foster relationships with area businesses, our two Resident’s Associations, other community associations, sports teams and other groups in the area.
- Membership Director- to build membership programs and engage with members to ensure community and board needs are met.
Certainly, there is overlap between some of these positions, so how roles are filled will depend on the number of people applying and what their unique interests are. Further, if you are only interested in some aspects of the portfolios described, we would still welcome your contributions.
We have had many of these positions before and would like to build on our past successes and learn from past mistakes. Other positions are new and fulfill a need that has identified by our board or the community. And there are surely other portfolios that could be developed- the history of our CA shows that we should not only fill existing roles, but create new ones depending on the unique interests and skills of our directors.
Finally, we understand that not everyone is able to serve as a director and still welcome you to volunteer with us. And even if you can’t commit to joining us on a regular basis, I encourage you to pick up a membership and attend the AGM on October 3 at 8 PM.
See you then.
-Mark Schmidt
President, Mid-Sun Community Association
