Shawnessy Community Association - Calgary

The recent census shows that there are over 3000 homes in Shawnessy with more than 6000 residents over the age of 25. Every time I see numbers like this, I am amazed that the Community Association struggles to maintain as few as a dozen volunteers on the Board of Directors. There was a time when Shawnessy was growing by leaps and bounds, new houses, roads and shopping centres – people felt a need to be involved and provide their input to help shape this growth. The AGMs were well attended and there were always volunteers to fill positions on the Board that they felt they could assist with. Over the last 10 -15 years there has been little to no interest in our Annual General Meetings or in volunteering for Community functions. Time and again, the same small group of people are at the core of maintaining a functional Community Association. We need to applaud these folks for the time they put in at Board Meetings, Family Day celebrations and the Stampede party at the Barn. The people that do their best to keep the ice on the rinks, keep the facilities clean and maintained and volunteer for our ONE AND ONLY fundraising effort – the Casino. This happens about every 18 months or so and provides us with the means to maintain the Barn and the rink site, host Community events and subsidize the cost of the Scouting and Guiding groups that meet at the Barn. This September, we had to recruit volunteers from Canyon Meadows which we really do appreciate…but should it be necessary??

Every winter we get questions and comments about the ice on the rink sites, obviously from people who don’t know that this service is provided by VOLUNTEERS who spend their evenings and weekends trying to provide a decent facility for residents to use for family recreation. Every year we ask these people if they would be willing to donate their time and effort, and every year we are told by most that they are just too busy….. The Community Association built this facility with Casino funds, grants and volunteer labour and continues to fund the ongoing maintenance and improvement.

We have not been able to pursue membership drives because we just don’t have the bodies – a Community Membership for a family is $20/year and out of 3000 homes we have less than 50 paid members….

This message is one of frustration, not just mine but those other volunteers who continue to give unselfishly of their time and effort to maintain this Community Association.

There is a constant need for new volunteers and perhaps some of those 6000 residents of Shawnessy should give some thought to giving back….

Please contact me or any of the other Board members if you can find some time to lend your assistance to OUR Community.

Marshall McCarthy

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