I am writing what I believe is my 30th monthly President’s Message. I joined the WRCA Board in spring 2014 and became your President in 2017. I intend to step down as President after what will be 3 years at the helm, so, at our next Annual General Meeting, we will be looking for some new leadership to take us forward.
There are many good reasons to have term limits for our Officer positions. It is important to ensure that we continue to have a good supply of keen and interested community-minded residents to keep our organization healthy, fresh, and growing. Succession planning for volunteer boards is always a challenge, and finding replacements for positions before the incumbent gets tired and steps down is hard. For that reason, I sincerely hope that a few of you who read this newsletter will consider taking the first step of joining our volunteer board. After that, who knows!
Many of you lead very active lives, and are often too busy with work, family, sports, or other cultural activities to get involved with your community association. Volunteerism takes time, but, trust me, it is satisfying. Watching children running around chasing a soccer ball in springtime brings back fond memories of both my youth and my children at that age. Seeing hundreds of families show up at our Community Appreciation Party, organized and staffed by volunteers, makes me happy that I live here. Watching a family new to the neighborhood skate for the first time on ice that is maintained by our many icemaking volunteers makes me swell with pride in our community’s spirit.
Having a long-time community resident walk up to me to say hello when they arrive for painting, line dancing, or other daytime classes, and ask me to personally thank the building committee volunteers for their tireless work over the past 2 years to make our building a success, proves that we have an enduring community spirit in Willow Ridge.
Although it was satisfying to hear the many positive comments I received during our party about the event and the facility, by far the most gratifying part of the afternoon and evening was the 100% active involvement of my fellow directors in helping make the event a success. Every one of your directors put in much more than what a President could ever hope for in a volunteer board, and I am very grateful to be part of a group of people that care for their community, and each other, in such a positive and committed manner. Thank you all for your assistance and participation, and I hope that our volunteer spirit continues to build.
There were many other volunteers at our party who made set-up, event hosting and shut down a quick and painless experience, and if we keep our volunteer momentum going, I expect a great turnout to our volunteer appreciation event this holiday season, where I can thank everyone personally!
Don Boykiw
