CCA Annual Report 2020
2020 has been a very busy year in Corkery. As our community continues to grow, so does our events and programs. We are in the planning stages of expanding the community centre, and are looking forward to the extra programming that will be possible.
Communication
We use the following mediums to communicate our events and programs in our community
- Website – Jenne has been doing a great job updating our new website
- Facebook – used to inform residents of current events and reminders
- Newsletter – Published monthly
- Road sign – Rural affairs paid for it
- Neighbourhood Ambassador Program – We have one local resident assigned for each community mailbox. They are responsible to look after and change the poster in the sign holder located at the community mailbox. There are at least 12 posters per year announcing upcoming events in our community
- The Voice and West Carleton Online covering local news.
Recruiting Volunteers
We are very fortunate to have so many people willing to help run our events and programs.
Corkery Programs
We have several ongoing clubs in the community:
Play group
EarlyOn from the WOCRC has taken over playgroup starting Sept 2019, they run 3 days a week, Mon, Thurs and Sat from 9:30-11:30. Toy library comes every Monday during playgroup.
H.A.N.D.S Program
Hire a neighbours daughter or son. We are asking people to post directly on FB to find local youth to hire.
Bookclub
Bookclub started this past fall, and comprises a dozen or so people who are passionate about literature. We are reading our 4th book at the moment.
T-Ball
Last spring we ran T-ball for the first time, and it was very popular. We maxed out our capacity at 40 kids. We had amazing coaches and built skills and had fun. This year we are expanding our T-ball program to have 2 divisions; 4-5 year olds, and 6-7 year olds. $40 to register, Mondays 6-7pm. Registration opens this week.
Gardening Club
Club meets from early May until late fall. They visit gardens and host guest speakers.
Yoga
Meets every Monday evening for 5:00 – 6:15, Friday mornings 9:30 to 10:45,and we are expanding our yoga classes, more info to follow.
Veggie Swap
In the summer local veggie gardeners get together and swap veggies from their personal gardens.
Corkery Outdoor Rink
The rink is operated, maintained and supervised 100% by volunteers. We had a touch season due to the mild weather, but the ice was enjoyed by all. We pushed the family skate during weekends and started skating lessons on Sunday morning which was very popular. Due to weather, the rink will be closing this week.
Corkery Events
Hockey day in Corkery
On the last Saturday of January we host a hockey tournament at the outdoor rink. This year the weather did not cooperate, but we had a community game of shinny nevertheless.
Euchre Tournament
One in March and one in November.
Bake/Plant Sale
Held on the same day as the Firefighters pancake breakfast. All money raised is used to fund the entertainment program for Canada Day. Community members donate baked goods and plants.
Volunteer Appreciation Day
On the 3rd Thursday in September the Association hosts a dinner and recognition event for all of the volunteers who helped throughout the year.
Christmas Tree Lighting
Corkery had its inaugural Christmas tree lightning at the beginning of December and it was a huge success. About 150 people came out for free hot chocolate, singing carols with the Glee club, decorating your own cupcake and of course the lighting of the Christmas tree. Allison Lipson organized the event, Michelle organized the cupcakes and the firefighters put the lights on the tree.
Easter Egg Hunt
Jenna Vachon leads an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Monday open to all ages. Preschoolers hunt for eggs inside and the older kids hunt outside. They exchange their plastic eggs for an Easter basket.
Clean up day in Corkery
On the 1st Saturday in May between 50 and 100 volunteers turn out to clean a section of a roadside in our community. Organized in teams of 2 or more each team is given approximately 1 kilometer to clean on both sides of the road. Coffee and muffins were offered in the morning and hotdogs in the afternoon.
Canada Day
Starts at 4:00pm and finishes after the fireworks at dusk. Live entertainment on stage. Games, races, and face painting. BBQ. Fireworks at dusk. We received the civic events grant to help run this grant. Last years turn out was great!
Christmas Tree Sale
The community supports the firefighters Christmas tree sale which raises money each year that is used to purchase the fireworks for Canada Day.
Financial Summary
The following are sources of income:
- T-Ball registration
- the money from the Christmas tree sale funds the fireworks,
- the plant/bake sale funds the Canada entertainment,
- Euchre Tournament is a 50/50
- Gardening and flower beds are looked after by the garden club
- Painting and most of our maintenance is done by volunteers.
- Civic events grant
- Prudent fiscal management
- Rentals of the building
- Fitzroy concerts in the park
- Yoga
WCDR
I continue to sit on the board for the West Carleton Disaster relief. The tornado recovery is complete from our end and we are currently working on helping the flood victims from last spring and preparing for future disasters. The flood ramifications are significantly worse than we ever imagined. We have about 30 families that are in bad shape and do not have the financial means to make the repairs necessary. We are currently canvassing flood affected houses to make sure we have identified all of the vulnerable families. I am heading up an initiative to pair our most vulnerable families with local service groups, schools and churches.
Corkery is currently helping Huntly organize a disaster preparedness meeting for the public on May 3rd. This meeting will draw awareness to residents of what they should have ready in case of an emergency. The big thing is everyone should be able to survive for 72 hours.
We are also planning a large scale preparedness which will go over all the possible disasters and what we should do to prepare for them.
Goals for 2020
The big goal for the next year is to get ready for the community centre expansion. We have submitted the drawings to the city and a proposal for all of the programming that we would like to have in the new building. The city is in the process of hiring a contractor who will work with us and make some technical drawings. The septic inspection is done, although the city needs to interpret the results as to what that means for the new building.
I’m hoping to expand our team to help with the disaster preparedness. I am hoping there will not be another disaster in West Carleton so we can concentrate on helping the flood victims and adequately prepare for the next flood.
Once we figure out how much the project will cost we will have to start fundraising efforts. I’m hoping for a few corporate sponsors who will cover the majority of the expenses. We will need a team of a few volunteers to head this up.
- Katherine Woodward – President Corkery Community Association