Update on the ACE Diversity Friendly Communities

In case you missed it, here is a link to a blog by Janet Naclia, ACE Creative Cultural Liaison, on the Ignite Tour that happened with the ACE Diversity Friendly Communities (DFC) this November.

Ian Hill, ACE Ambassador, visited CARSTAIRS, GRANDE CACHE, JASPER, and ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE and was impressed with the dedication that these four communities have to making our rural towns more inclusive.

Keep your eyes on this blog for future updates.

Hinton in the news!

Check out this link to a Hinton newspaper article describing the Communities in Bloom report for Hinton. Communities in Bloom is a volunteer based, Canadian non-profit organization, committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility, beautification and to improving quality of life through community participation and the opportunity to participate in a national program. The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association oversees the Alberta's Provincial Edition of the Communities in Bloom initiative.

The last 2 paragraphs refer to the Hinton Community Garden that was part of the town’s ACE Communites initiative.

Good to see the continuing success with this project!

Neighbours still connecting in Okotoks

Neighbourhoods in Okotoks are still modeling their activities after their ACE Okotoks neighbourhood connector program.

One neighbourhood association in Suntree not only had a huge Halloween event in the fall, they also did a kid’s campout and pancake breakfast in their neighborhood park in August.

Better yet – they hosted a music festival in September that featured neighborhood musicians. What a great way to celebrate your local talent!

To see the ACE neighborhood connector program, click here!

Glad to hear that the ACE activities are still alive and well in Okotoks…

Longview's Big Build Day!

Congrats to the town of Longview (population 350) who had over 100 volunteers come out on October 15th to build a play park in the centre of town as well as start a veterans' memorial and serenity garden in front of the Longview Village Office. Through various fundraising activities, Longview volunteers (with the assistance of the town) put into place $160,000 worth of playground equipment. Funding for this build started with their ACE Communities seed money but also included government grants, local fundraising efforts, and corporate sponsorship from local Longview businesses as well as organizations like Legacy Gas.



In a recent article from the High River Times, ACE Leader Geistlinger couldn't express just how thankful she was for everything the community did on Saturday and is looking forward to when the community gets another opportunity to step up and do another project.

"You guys have not let me down," she told the gathered crowd at the unveiling of the play park. "I am just blown away by your dedication to this. I feel like we are family and that this is our town."

This project was intiated through community surveys as part of Longview's two years as an ACE Community. Longview went on to partner with Let Them Be Kids to help them maximize their playground build. The next stage of the Longview's Xtreme Makeover will happen next spring with the conversion of a local outdoor skating rink into a summer skate park. The build will also include the addition of tennis nets and basketball hoops at one end of the skate park. This stage of the project is estimated to reach just under $100,000.



For more details on the build see the above mentioned High River Times article as well as pics in the ACE Communities Digital Gallery.

Way to go, Longview! We knew you could do it!

Rocky Mountain House featured!

Check this out! Rocky Mountain House, one of the ACE 'Diversity Friendly Communities' (DFC,) is being showcased on the Immigrating to AB (I2A) website.

Shouts out to Wood Buffalo and Lethbridge, alumni ACE Communities, for also being mentioned as being communities who are helping newcomers settle in their new home so that they can enjoy all the province has to offer.

Chestermere Bakes a Pie for a Good Cause

Kudos to the ACE Community of CHESTERMERE for taking pie making to a whole new level! This September, participants from their second community pie making workshop made 25 pies for the Chestermere Regional Food bank pie auction held recently at their Red Ribbon Competition during the town's annual County Fair.

Not only were there participants of all ages, the editor of the local paper as well as some police officers in SERIOUS flak jackets, all came together to make pies for the cause. This community effort raised nearly $1000 for the local food bank. YEAH Chestermere!

"Seems we love to make pies in Chestermere," says head pie maker and ACE Community leader, Jennifer 'Grannie Jen' Peddlesden.  "And where did THAT come from?" she continued,  "ACE!"

Thanks for your fantastic work in Chestermere, Grannie Jen!

Click here to check out pics from this latest event. And if you want to see more pie action, here is earlier an ACE video of Grannie Jen making one of her now famous pies.

Trails in Trochu!

Kudos to TROCHU who have managed to turn their ACE Communities seed funding into a Return on Investment (ROI) of 561%! Amazing!

The Town of Trochu’s ACE initiative is set to construct a network of 2,714 metres of eight foot wide, gravel based, asphalt historical walking trails. The trail will promote physical activity and act as a lasting tool to preserve local history while truly transforming the community. The fulfillment of this project will also see a beautiful network of pathways, completely landscaped with native trees and plants, historical markers, bridges, benches, garbage cans, bollards and other decorative touches.

Way to go, Trochu!

Trochu is also stepping up to be a mentor for our next group of ACE Communities at the upcoming ACE 'Diversity Friendly Communities' gathering in October. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with the next generation of ACE Communities!

Official Launch of Hinton's Greenhouse

The Hinton Community Greenhouse is bursting with sweet red peppers, juicy tomatoes, strawberries, peas, squash and even cucumbers. What a time for thanks and celebration!

The Hinton Community Garden Society hosted a Grand Opening ceremony and harvest celebration on the Labour Day weekend and community residents all shared the local produce, success and new opportunities that this brings for Hinton! Starting out as one of the first ten Active Community partners (now ACE), this hard working group has created this “Third Place” where everyone can participate and be part of ensuring a local supply of fresh, organic produce!

Greenhouse founder, Jerome Cranston, said that: “since the plan was first dreamed up and presented to council in January 2009, there has been so much community support. This is really a grassroots project thanks to the thousands of hours of volunteer labour, and from the support of sponsors especially Kinder Morgan Canada, Alberta Recreation and Parks Association and the Town of Hinton”. Hinton is pleased to have a new executive lead by Noel Corser that is working hard to take this to the next level!

And to see pics of this great event, click here!

For more information on this amazing process please contact Kate Wright at kathrynwright77@hotmail.com or visit their website at http://hintoncommunitygreenhouse.org

Sangudo's SPARK

Congratulations to the ACE Community of SANGUDO for the feature in the Alberta Venture Magazine focusing on the SPARK Energy Co-operative. SPARK is Alberta's first 100% member-owned retail electrical power co-operative focused on green energy and renewable energy reinvestment.

Jeff Senger, co-founder of SPARK, one of Alberta’s newest and most promising green ventures, says: "While there wasn't a direct connection of SPARK to ACE, the success I was able to experience through working with the community on our ACE projects has helped me to realize what could be achieved when people work together toward a meaningful goal. It granted me a huge amount of courage or even faith in pursuing the side project I was working on with Paul Cabaj - the electricity retailer cooperative, SPARK.

If more people were exposed to the inspiration at the core of grassroots, community led opportunities like those created by ACE, there is no doubt in my mind that more aspiring social entrepreneurs would feel compelled to take further action... And maybe try creating something much bigger than they previously thought possible!"

Thanks for the inspiring words, Jeff! We wish the best of luck to Jeff and to Sangudo and applaud both for their ongoing innovating spirits!

Nanton Round-up Days

The annual Nanton Round-up Days in the ACE Community of NANTON are fast approaching! The Nanton Round-up Days is a town-wide celebration featuring rodeos, pancake breakfasts, a world class fireworks display and much, much MORE. This year, in fact, marks the 22nd anniversary of Nanton's amazing fireworks display. So check it out if you are in the area this August long weekend!

New to the Nanton Round-up Days this year is the ACE Raise the Roof Slo-Pitch Tournament and Cabaret. This fundraiser is meant to raise much needed funds to help replace the roof on the Nanton Hockey Arena. All of the proceeds from this event will go to the replacement.

Click here to see everything that Nanton has to offer from July 29 – August 1.

Bike park for youth in Chestermere!

Two years ago, the youth in CHESTERMERE, supported by community partners, came together and built a mountain bike skills park on land donated by a local developer. It has been a popular spot for the youth of the community ever since and a source of pride for everyone that worked as a team to make it happen.

It was always clear, however, that the location was only temporary and now the bike park must find a new location. Seeing this as an opportunity and not a barrier, the youth are looking ahead to being able to add permanent features to the new bike park and have researched many desirable structures and designs.

The ACE team in Chestermere is partnering on this project to assist with the purchasing of the materials for these permanent features along with additional fencing, signage, and bike racks. The goal is to have the Park built and opened by spring 2012. Kudos to the team in Chestermere for helping the empowerment of their local youth!

Upcoming Grand Opening of Hinton Greenhouse

The HINTON Community Garden Society is so pleased to announce their grand opening celebration – slotted for the end of August! The north greenhouse is 100% filled and the south greenhouse will be ready for gardening in spring 2012. The outdoor gardens and site landscaping are currently underway thanks to thousands of volunteer hours and corporate donations.

The Hinton Community Garden project has three purposes:

· To improve Hinton’s food security by ensuring a perennial local supply of fresh, organic produce.
· To reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by reducing the amount of fossil fuel used in the production, processing, and transport of food.
· To promote social cohesion and inclusiveness by functioning as a "Third Place" where everyone can participate.

Go to their website to see all the action and check out this blog!

Longview Wins Major Award!

Congratulations to LONGVIEW who has recently won a Let Them Be Kids (LTBK) Award. As 1 of only 30 communities across Canada, Longview receives a 50/50 match opportunity that gives the community a dollar of equipment buying power for every fifty cents they raise. This will help to significantly cover the costs of the structure and equipment for building a new playground, skate park or outdoor fitness park.

This will assist Longview in their aim for an extreme make-over of their community focusing on the beautification of the main street, a new playground as well as fitness park for adults, and the upgrade of their Serenity Park and Memorial Garden.

Longview is planning one massive, exciting build day slated for October 15th of this year. They will need at least 200 volunteers for the day so please see their website for opportunities on how you might be able to help them achieve their goal. And check out this congratulatory video from Let Them be Kids Founder and CEO Ian Hill to learn more about this FABULOUS award!

Of course, things have already been in motion for Longview who recently submitted an flash mob video to the Communities ChooseWell initiative and WON a draw for a Supernova playground piece ($6800 value) in the PlayWorks Flash Mob contest.

We can’t wait to see how things develop! And to check out the LTBK launch in Longview, click here!

Okotoks selected to participate in Canada Gets Active program

The Town of Okotoks was one of five communities selected by the Canadian Parks and Recreation and Association to participate in the Canada Gets Active program, which will provide local Grade 5 students with a Community Physical Activity Pass allowing free access to designated recreation facilities.

The four other Canadian communities selected include Coquitlam, Durham Region, Arnrprior, and Annapolis.

Modeled after Kingston Gets Active, and in conjunction with the Everybody get to play™ initiative, the main objective of Canada Gets Active is to increase physical activity involvement of Canadian children by increasing their access to and participation in community recreation facilities.

Congratulations to the Town of Okotoks for taking initiative to improve access to recreation opportunities and helping local residents get more active!

ACE OKOTOKS Community Network in action!

Congratulations to the ACE OKOTOKS Community Network who hosted their first networking social event this month. This network aims to bring area residents together in a variety of fun activities and social events with the goal of being active and more connected to fellow community members.

This latest event was tied into the local Okotoks parade day and was meant to celebrate all of the fantastic events in Okotoks.

To check out more about this initiative, see this feature on the ACE Okotoks Community Network in the Okotoks Living Magazine.

A busy summer for Irricana

Kudos to IRRICANA who is using the summer to fully capitalizing on the ACE-driven upgrades to their local Recreation Complex. Not only is adult floor hockey a hit on Monday night, the youth centre kids love all the drop-in times available to them as well.

The local Ag Society is also on board and has booked the complex almost every weekend for birthday parities with recreation play themes. Good bye ‘Fast Food’ parties, hello Irricana Rec Complex!

And more good news… Irricana has received a Canada Summer Jobs Grant to hire a summer student for the Complex to help with their summer programming! Great work, Irricana!

ACE Communities featured in Apple Magazine

Check out this feature in the Alberta Health Services magazine apple. Highlighted in the latest May/June issue were the activities of eight ACE Communities.

Click here and scroll to page 45 to see what’s happening in Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation, Cold Lake, Hinton, Killam, Irricana, Longview, Vulcan, and Wainwright.

We love that the word is getting out there about the FANTASTIC things happening in rural Alberta!

Didsbury Talks

Healthy Didsbury is pleased to announce a new community initiative: “Didsbury Talks!” and the hiring of our “Didsbury Talks!” Coordinator: Lyle Schulz.

“Didsbury Talks!” is a two year series of theme -based community cafes designed to intentionally bring together community organizations and the citizens in Didsbury. The goal is to create a welcoming forum for engaged and authentic, action-oriented conversations about topics that are relevant to the people of Didsbury. The cafes become the catalysts for generating ideas, identifying necessary actions and connecting with community members who are enthusiastic about the specific theme. At the completion of each café, action plans and follow-up activities will be created to assist community leaders, organizations and residents to move great ideas into major actions.

Thanks to the generous support of ACE Communities of Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, Healthy Didsbury has hired Lyle Schulz as the Community Café Coordinator. Lyle brings diverse skills and experiences to the initiative, including electronic media, community engagement, marketing and graphic design. He will be working closely with Healthy Didsbury for the planning and implementation of the upcoming community cafes. Healthy Didsbury is thrilled that Lyle has decided to accept this challenging and rewarding role.

Background:

Healthy Didsbury is a coalition of community members and organizations working towards a long range vision for a Healthy Didsbury. This group grew out of a public forum in January, 2008 that was hosted by the Town of Didsbury, the Rosebud Health Foundation and the former Calgary Health Region (now Alberta Health Services). Since that first public forum, the group has been quietly working to develop a vision and action plan for Didsbury. Our vision for Didsbury is a healthy, safe and involved community. Our mission is to facilitate wellness through community involvement, partnership and action. In 2009, Didsbury was selected as an ACE (Active, Creative, Engaged) Partner Community. This two year partnership focused on enhancing the quality of life in rural communities by strengthening community leadership, collaboration, and innovation through recreation, parks, arts, culture and heritage. One of the fundamental purposes of ACE is to recognize and help develop sustainable leadership using a grass roots or community driven approach.

Funding for Eckville

A shout out to ECKVILLE who has now officially received their grant funds from Alberta’s Community Initiative Program (CIP).

This means that they have now secured enough funds for a two-year part time contract for their new recreation director. Talk about economic impact! The Town of Eckville, Conoco Phillips, the Eckville Legion, the Community Development Association, Medicine River Oil Recyclers, Fred’s Trucking, Keyera Energy, and the Lion’s Club all contributed funds towards the creation of this position.

So welcome again to Eckville’s new Director, Wayne Hazell. We can’t wait to see what else the ACE Committee in Eckville can accomplish!

Update from Killam

Heritage Park Renewal

The ACE team continues enthusiasm and focus on phase two of the heritage park renewal project. The park is being used by a broad cross section of the community and a source of pride for many.

The team was and continues to be involved in fundraising to help complete the park. They recently raised over $12,000 helping out with the Red Serge ball, and have another bottle drive underway. They are considering developing a local cookbook as a fundraiser. Seniors had identified this as a potential project for ACE. The team has applied for a federal grant to assist with paving the walking trails.

The outdoor amphitheatre completion has been set for mid June since this time coincides with some other planned community events and their local rodeo. They have desires to be involved with Alberta Arts Days. The team has decided to apply for Society status and elected executive from the existing team. Kari Newby-Fox is the president. Others who have been involved from the start appear to continue to be involved.

Long Term Plan

The recently elected Killam town Council is in the process of updating their MSP which was developed in 2008. The ACE team was asked to provide feedback in the process and a town hall meeting is scheduled to invite and gather public input on May 18. The Killam ACE coaches have suggested that this could be an excellent time to review the results from the 2009 Scan and other discussions on long term desires.

Great work, Killam! We can't wait to see what the future holds...

Forward momentum in Nanton

Check out this fabulous news from Nanton. Their ACE Committee has now identified three ACE initiatives that will carry them through the summer. We love that forward momentum, Nanton!

1) Better Communications & Collaboration

Better Communications & Collaboration was the number one area for improvement that came out of Nanton's ACE Community Workshop in November 2010. How they plan to achieve this is through a community Web Site, which will be a place for ALL community organizations, groups, clubs to post information about upcoming events FREE of charge. The website will be supported by Nanton’s FCSS and the yearly maintenance fees and update costs will be provided from funds raised through on line advertising. They have also put in place an ACE Nanton Facebook page and an ACE Nanton Blog.

2) An event to help raise funds for the Roof Repair on their community Recreation Centre

Raise the Roof Ball Tournament and Dance during Nanton Days (July 30 – August 1). During their Nanton Day Celebration, ACE Nanton will be hosting a Ball Tourney and a Community Dance. Profits generated from these two events will go towards leveraging more funds to assist with roof repairs on their community recreation center.

3) Spring Community Clean-up Day

Annual Spring Community Clean-up Day. This day will bring members of the community together to help clean up their community. The day will end with a Community BBQ at the community centre.

Irricana in the news!

The ACE Community of Irricana is in the news! The town recently launched the grand opening of their newly enhanced recreation cente As part of their ACE Communities intiative, the town purchased movable flooring to convert a curling arena into a year-round recreation facility.

To read more about it, see this link!

Great work, Irricana!

Trochu highlighted in The Capital newspaper

Check out this excerpt from The Capital, the local newspaper in Three Hills. It highlights Trochu's recent fundraising success. To read the complete article see this link!

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Trochu Centennial Trails, in partnership with the Trochu and District Agricultural Society, are excited to announce the receipt of $159,300 from the Federal Government's Heritage Legacy Grant. Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson reported the good news on March 24, 2011, to the Trochu Centennial Trails Committee and not only congratulated them on receiving their grant, but complimented them on the strength of their grant, further indicating that it is rare to see an application successful for the entire request. This can be seen as a testimony to the commitment that Trochu has demonstrated thus far to the project and their ability to work together to make things happen.

The Trochu Centennial Trails project is a result of the community's acceptance as an Active Creative Engaged (ACE) community in June of 2009. As part of this process, ACE brought in Ian Hill as a guest speaker in December 2009 for the ACE Community Ignite Tour. This empowered residents to participate in a consultation process, whereby a historical trail system was identified as a top priority during Communities in Bloom Community Engagement process for their new five year plan.

Fort Saskatchewan: Where There's a Will There's a Way!

Not being officially selected as an ACE Partner Community hasn't stopped Fort Saskatchewan from becoming one!

As a result of the efforts of local leaders Jasmine Adams, Community Recreation Coordinator and Barb Bigelow, FCSS Director, Fort Saskatchewan hosted a Community Building Workshop in 2010 to stir up interest. They have also been active participants on a number of the ACE free webinars. Last week they utilized the talents of ACE coaches Susan Roberts and Angie Dedrick to implement the use of the ACE Scanning Tool. To their credit, they also managed to get the Mayor and two Councilors to attend the community meeting and celebration where the scanning tool was used to focus conversations on their community assets and areas for improvement.

Recreation subsidies are already being discussed as a potential solution for getting people active and healthier, areas needing attention will be incorporated within their Municipal Sustainability Plan, plans are underway to hold a "win a block party" contest, and front yard BBQs are being organized for Fathers Day (front yard encourages neighbours to get to know one another).

The Fort is definitely "ACE'ing" it! Congratulations and keep up the great work.

Homegrown Talent Showcase in Sangudo

Sangudo Arts for Everyone (S.A.F.E.) will host the University of Alberta Mixed Chorus and Faculty of Education Handbell Ringers on April 30, 2011. The group, which consists of approximately 70 students, will arrive in Sangudo at mid-afternoon in order to set up for their evening concert. At 5:00 pm, a supper will be provided to the group at the Sangudo Golden Club prior to their 7:00 concert at the SHS Gym. This concert will be free to the public with a Silver Collection being received at the door. S.A.F.E. has arranged 22 homes to billet the students. Community members will drive their billets to their home, provide overnight accommodations, breakfast and a bag lunch for May 1, and return the student to the high school by 9:30 am on Sunday morning. The choir will then resume their tour.

On May 7 from 2 – 8 pm, the school gym will be home to S.A.F.E.’s 1st Annual Homegrown Talent Showcase. The gym will be alive with displays, demonstrations and performances. Artists have rented tables to showcase and sell their artwork. The audience will experience first-hand demonstrations of soapstone carving, pencil drawing, watercolour painting, acrylic painting, and much more. The stage will be graced with dancers of all ages showcasing their talent. Local musicians will fill the air with their music. Tae Kwon Do students will demonstrate how their bodies are used in an artistic fashion. This free family event will delight your senses.

Irricana Recreation Complex Multi-Flooring Project

This Saturday, IRRICANA will officially launch their Recreation Complex Multi-Flooring Project. This project was initiated in 2007 with ACE Communities providing leadership from within the community and the Town of Irricana Administration as well as the seed funding for the project.

With public input, priorities including: 1) the year round utilization of the Recreation Complex, 2) the development of a trail head park and, 3) a communication strategy were identified. Through provincial, federal, and regional grants, along with the generous partnership donations from the Irricana Lions Club, the Irricana Ag Society, and the Irricana Curling Club, the flooring project has become a reality.

Many feel that this addition to the recreation complex will be a much anticipated source of pride as well as an activity hub for the community. Great work, Irricana!

The Good Food Box, Camrose Community Garden

A virtual high five goes out to CAMROSE! The Camrose ACE Committee is pleased to inform us that they have recently be able to get the City and numerous community partners on board to begin the Good Food Box, Camrose Community Garden! It has been over two years of actively planning and advocacy to make this project happen.

The official “Garden Day and Celebration” has been set for May 28. Fantastic perseverance, Camrose, and what amazing results!

Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Recreation Plan Approved

Congratulations to the ACE Recreation Advisory Circle in the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation! We have just received news that their proposed ‘Recreation Master Plan’ has now been approved by the Band Council.

The ACE Recreation Advisory Circle began their journey with the Recreation Plan last year. This process started with a survey that went out to the general community about the recreation services and programming on the reserve. The survey was then followed by a strategic planning session in February facilitated by their ACE Coach.

Out of this session came a 5 yr plan designed by community members themselves for their own community. This plan extended past competitive sports to look at other recreational priorities in the community like parks, facilities, programs, outdoor activities like walking trails and cultural activities.

Great work, Alexis Nakota Sioux! We can’t wait to see what the future will bring.

Nanton's getting ready for Spring!

The ACE Committee in Nanton is planning a community clean-up on May 28 to, not only help with the beautification of their town, but to also help their community members become more active and engaged. Residents in Nanton are encouraged to pick up garbage in their area and even the weeds are fair game to those with a green thumb!

Nanton community members are also being encouraged to bring their refundable bottles and cans to the local Bottle Depot in an effort to help the local ‘Raise the Roof’ project. This project’s aim is to fund the roof repair project at the Tom Hornecker Recreation Center which is estimated to cost $1 million. While people are getting into their spring cleaning, the ACE committee has also suggested that any spare change collected over the winter go to the ‘Raise the Roof’ fund.

The ACE group is planning a hot dog party in the park to wrap up the community cleanup and to thank all of those who participated. Sounds like a fun cause, Nanton! We’ll see you there!

Longview Link

By Michele Geistlinger- A.C.E. Team Leader on behalf of Chey Nickerson

Longview’s ACE (Active, Creative and Engaged) Team is excited to announce their plans to form a registered Society with the proposed name of Longview ARC Society. The ARC letters in the name stand for Arts, Recreation and Community which will be the focus of the society. The main reason for forming the society is to have the ability to access a wider assortment of grants that are unavailable to municipalities through Council driven groups such as the Community Services Advisory Board.

The team is ready to move forward with its application for the ACE seed funds for the community identified projects which include upgrades to the Centennial Park with playground additions, park benches, picnic tables and attractive waste receptacles and a serenity garden at the Village office grounds. These projects will involve partnerships with the ACE/ARC team, Village Council, the Longview Recreation Board and independent philanthropic groups as well as some provincial funding which we will now be able to apply for.

Longview’s ACE team has been steadily moving forward since Ian Hill’s Ignite Tour 14 months ago. They have successfully completed the community scanning tool and held four successive meetings to narrow down the list for the community initiative. During this time they also applied for, won and hosted a successful Alberta Rural Touring Showcase in June 2010 which many ACE members raised monies for, planned for, lent equipment, and participated in.

During the summer a newsletter was successfully launched under the ACE umbrella and has grown into its own entity the Longview Voice. One of the main goals of ACE is to bring community together and find those leaders who are amidst us. The Voice has attracted a number of enthusiastic community people who wish to nurture this project and take over its management as ACE moves forward with the Village projects. The ARC Society wishes the Voice good luck and hopes it will be a great conduit for upcoming projects.

In the fall of 2010 ACE began a fundraiser towards the Main Street beautification portion of the ACE proposed projects. Close to $6000 was raised towards Christmas lights on Main Street in a partnership with the Village Council supplying an additional $4500. The lights were beautiful and truly added to Longview’s existing charm!

The ACE/ARC team is presently putting together the seed money application and looking at some very interesting upcoming opportunities. Stay tuned for more info on Communities Choosewell. This wonderful program is back in Longview and is in planning stages as we speak!

In recognition of Volunteer Week, Longview ARC Society would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who have assisted with Boards, workshops, Sustainability Planning, Longview Stampede Committee, Longstock Music and Arts Festival, Canada Day Committee, all ACE/ARC team members, Library Board, Longview Fellowship volunteers, Volunteer Firefighters, Longview Christmas party, Longview Youth group, Longview Voice editors, Blue Brona Volunteers and the countless unpaid hours that council puts in on our behalf. You people truly ROCK!! Together We Can Do Anything!!

ACE Okotoks community network is born!

This Saturday, April 9th from 1 - 3 pm, ACE Okotoks will be launching their community network at a launch party at the Recreation Center (99 Okotoks Drive).

The Okotoks community network aims to to bring Okotoks area residents together to be active in a variety of fun activities and social events. The goal? To meet new people and build connections in their community.

ACE Okotoks will be creating a neighbour program throughout all of the neighbourhoods in Okotoks and connecting them with non-profit organizations and businesses to collaborate on community projects. With the ACE Okotoks community network, local leaders hope to a create an environment where all residents can engage in creating a greater sense of community in Okotoks.

They encourage residents to: Be Active. Be Creative. Be Engaged.

To learn more about the launch and the ACE Okotoks community network, see: http://www.aceokotoks.ca/

Cold Lake's SELF initiative

The ACE Team in Cold Lake is thrilled with what is happening with their ACE - SELF initiative. The program offers several opportunties for participants to build their confidence and self-worth as well as ways to make connections within the community.

Recently, participants used a Vision Board exercise to evaluate both themselves and the program with fantastic results! The ACE - SELF team will be moving forward with program based on the ideas and thoughts created through this Vision Board exercise - all of which was documented on video.

We believe that the participants and the SELF project could be really outstanding candidates for a Digital Storytelling opportunity in the future. Amazing work, Cold Lake!

What’s been happening with the Active Community Strategy (ACS)?

Framework

A working copy of the ACS Framework continues to evolve as we build and strengthen our knowledge and action in communities, and have discussions with experts and professionals. A new inclusion is an ecological model that links the eight core active areas with different sizes of stakeholder groups from individuals to the global sphere, with community being central for this strategy.

Collective Community Action

All four of the communities that are participating in the Active Community Strategy have engaged community members, organizations and councils to determine priorities in terms of building a more physically active community. Each is at a different stage in developing their strategy goals and outcomes. All have linked their priorities to local Community Sustainability Plan’s and other relevant local plans, the draft Active Alberta Policy, the AUMA “Healthy Alberta Communities: Convention Policy Paper”, and the Coalition for Active Living “Pan-Canadian Physical Activity Strategy.” Identifying the linkages with local, provincial and national efforts afford each community an opportunity to leverage their efforts and build collaborative partnerships.

• Lethbridge

Lethbridge has numerous programs and facilities both indoor and out that support an active community. They see a need to build an interactive arena for organizations and individuals to interact online. A working committee from the Healthy Communities Association of Lethbridge and Area (HCoLA) has developed four main goals; 1. Promoting opportunities to live a more active lifestyle for all residents, 2. Create a sustainable stakeholder network that encourages community involvement in building initiatives and promoting active living, 3. Support a knowledge based community that has access to information on healthy active living, and 4. Gain support from key governing bodies in promoting healthy active citizens. Ensuring a sustainable approach that is accessible to citizens as well as organizations is top of mind. Expanding the conversation with other interested organizations and citizens is one of the next steps they are working towards.

• Irricana

Having built a solid plan, with involvement from a wide range of community stakeholders, during their formal ACE Communities tenure, Irricana has focused in on two of the priorities laid out in their plan; a strategy to operationalize their portable flooring for the curling rink and communications. They concentrated on a collaborative partnership with the Ag Society and now have a strategy in place for the flooring. They continue working towards a sustainable communication plan, there is some interest in policy development, and work on a trailhead park and the path system are ongoing. Their upcoming centennial celebrations present an opportunity to collaborate and generate excitement about the ACS.

• Camrose

The drivers of the Camrose ACS have enlisted involvement from a broad range of community organizations, from City Planners to the accessibility group. Their initial desire to increase communication and collaboration between Health and Recreation has led the way in increasing dialogue and understanding of existing resources and programs, and continues to grow awareness. An overwhelming desire to improve communication and collaboration across sectors is one priority that remains front and centre. Having many existing programs and resources for physical activity, they continue to build collaborative partnerships and increase communication via discussion around goals, potential outcomes and accountability for building a more active community.

• High Level

A different group of people were inspired to join the ACS discussion around priorities, from new residents to Council members, each came with a commitment to build a more active community. Their top priority reflected the Community Sustainability Plan’s findings, building a sense of community. Using a unique approach to involve youth, the Manga club - an after school art group who draw graphic novel characters, were invited to attend the community sessions and to draw what participants were sharing. The results were poster sized visuals with the youth interpretations of the conversations. Utilizing the strengths and passion of these youth to produce visuals for the ACS proved effective. Future efforts will continue to build on this relationship and involve community members.

Each community has taken steps unique to their situations, and there have been similarities in the process as well. Using the ACE Communities ‘Planning Framework for Community Development’ as a guide, they have all taken the time to engage a variety of partners, built on strengths, and utilized existing knowledge, plans and research to inform priorities. All continue to explore who else should be invited to the table and how to communicate more effectively. The strategies that they are formulating are evolving and being generated by the community members, organizations and businesses. All the communities are thinking about creative ways to use the seed funding in a sustainable way.

Communication

Communication between the four communities and within each community has been important to build relationships and trust. From the beginning of the initiative we have had regular teleconferences, twice a month. Until recently, one was with the entire group and one was with individual communities. Now that the community leaders are more familiar with the process and other leaders, and that community action has heated up, the group decided that it was more time-effective to concentrate on individual community meetings (approximately twice a month), and to call group meetings when necessary. Within each community relationship building through word of mouth, committee meetings and targeted conversations together with traditional advertising were used.

Resources

The Resource Group met in December, discussed the ACS initiative and provided feedback on the draft framework. Resources continue to be added to the ACS database, discussions and connections with other professionals and organizations i.e. AUMA, physical activity guidelines, are sought out and integrated. Continual review and ongoing discussion about the overall process, community progress and deliverables are ongoing within the ARPA, ACE and ACS team.

What’s Next?

This update gives a snapshot of how things are unfolding for the ACS. A second meeting with the resource group is in the works and by mid-April the development of this initiative will be complete. Because the Strategy is evolving and continually improving, it does not mean that the ACS initiative is finished. Communities will have; just begun to look at implementation with a clear picture of moving their community to increased activity, a plan to utilize seed funds, and a strategy and/or initiatives to celebrate, the ARPA will have; a framework, resources and planning tools to share provincially, community stories and process learnings to use as a conversation tool and evidence in support of recreation and parks. This process continues to unfold, more people are getting more active more often.

We invite your feedback, encourage dialogue and anticipate involvement. Thank you and please feel free to contact us.

Karen Driedger – ACS Facilitator: info@fourward.ca

Carol Petersen – ARPA Manager – Recreation and Community Development: cpetersen@aropaoline.ca

Fantastic news for Trochu!

Celebrations are due in TROCHU!!! The Trochu Trails Committee, created through the local ACE Committee, has just received word that their application through the Canadian Heritage Legacy Fund has been successful. This fund aims at building communities through arts and heritage and helps commemorate local historical events, anniversaries, or tributes to local historical personalities.

Trochu has been actively pursuing the creation of heritage trails for their community in celebration of their 100^th anniversary and have been received $159,000.00 from the Legacy Fund for their efforts! Way to be creative AND active, Trochu! To learn more about Trochu's activities, see this blog by Trochu ACE Leader Val.

Slyvan Lake's Green Thumb

The SYLVAN LAKE ACE Committee handed out grants to local organizations and schools this month for projects aimed towards growing food and involving the community. Seven different groups received $1000 grants during the recent Growing Green Neighbours Community Supper.

The committee decided to use their $10,000 seed money for community projects that included food and gardening as well as featured an educational component. Each project receiving the funding from the Sylvan Lake ACE Committee had to involve teaching community members about food security, healthy eating and life skills.

Projects ranged from teaching school children about gardening and growing berry patches to one project that saw a school turn their outdoor courtyard into an outdoor classroom garden. The aim of the whole project is active sustainability and building food security structures within the community.

Job creation in Eckville!

Talk about economic impact! As their ACE Communities project, ECKVILLE’s ACE committee has partnered with their local Recreation Board and Community Association to raise enough funds to hire the first-ever Recreation Director for the town.

The Town of Eckville, Conoco Phillips, the Eckville Legion, the Community Development Association, Medicine River Oil Recyclers, Fred’s Trucking, Keyera Energy, and the Lion’s Club all contributed funds towards the creation of this position. An application to Alberta’s Community Initiative Program (CIP) is also pending which could mean an even longer term reach for this new position.

The new Director, Wayne Hazell, has started his job this month. We would like to welcome Wayne and can’t wait to see what else the ACE Committee in Eckville can accomplish!

Vulcan is Rising to Meet Their Challenges

Vulcan Concert Series. Who would have thought that would be a name people would recognize? We started out like a lot of ACE groups do, knowing that we wanted to make a difference in our community but just lacking the direction and combined efforts to make it happen. But ACE got us rising to the challenges we put before ourselves and we have certainly “come a long way baby”.

The words that were banded about the community before were that there is nothing to do in Vulcan, if we want entertainment we need to go to the city. Now it is “Did you see the concert last night it was great, who knew we could get such good entertainment here in Vulcan”. Yes, the tables are turning for Vulcan in entertainment.

We started by finding people who had a passion for the arts and asked them to get involved and boy did they ever. We are very fortunate to have a husband and wife who are part of our community and are very involved with the arts scene. Steve Coffey (Steve Coffey and the Lokels) and Barbara Moore (Past-Prima Ballerina of the Alberta Ballet and now, Barbara Moore Dance Academy) are the ones who have stepped up and have put 110% effort into making our Vulcan Concert Series a go. They have lined up great talent to bring to Vulcan each season and have begun to line up our 3rd season.

Response from the community at large has been great. We have sold out almost every concert. We now have performers contacting the Recreation office to become part of our series. Past performers have commented that they had heard about the concert series before they were asked to be part of it and has said the feedback is very positive. We are very happy that we ACTively pursued the goal of having a visible cultural element in our community. But that is not all the Concert Series has to offer oh no, at each concert different artists are asked to share some of their talents to adorn the wall at the hall in which we host the Concert Series. It truly is a night full of culture for young and old alike.

Also at our first ACE meeting the community wanted to get a community calendar going. This is another area in our ACE adventure that we decided to put some effort after all, if you have fantastic entertainment or events happening that nobody knows about what is the use in doing them. So we put our call out again to anyone who have interest in creating a community calendar to come and meet and plan how our calendar would work. We had some very CREATIVE people come out and give us suggestions. It was great and from there we created our first community calendar. Over the period of a year it has taken on a new look and we have Vulcan Innovation Project who with their tech backgrounds have moved this calendar into what it is today. The Vulcan County Events Calendar ( http://www.vulcancountyevents.com/) has taken off. Many different groups have submitted events for the calendar. We even have spotlights from our concerts that are recorded and put on the site.

Everyone and organization is able to add to the calendar any event that is happening.

These two ACE projects would have never gotten off the ground if we didn’t have great community members who took the time to become ENGAGED in the community. Even though you see only a few names of people and organizations that have helped get things going, it has taken many more people behind the scenes to make these things a success. What had begun as a hope for the community has now become a reality and a jumping off point for other possibilities such as our Fall Fair and New Years Family Events to name two. Thanks to ACE for providing a framework for what is possible when a community talks and acts on their wants and needs.

Bonnie Ellis
Director of Vulcan and District Recreation.

ACE OKOTOKS has gone virtual!

The ACE Okotoks group has just launched their new virtual network with the goal of broadcasting community projects. The aim of the site is to bring service clubs and neighbourhood groups together with businesses so that they may collaborate on sponsorship and project opportunities.

The group has also recruited a web development member recently with the hopes of making the site's collaborative tools even more richer. They are also currently considering selling banner ads to local businesses which could be a great source of ongoing revenue for the ACE Okotoks group.

Check it out at www.aceokotoks.ca!

Longview finds their Voice

While it's cold outside, the winter blahs aren't getting the best of Longview as the Longview ACE Committee gears up for their spring activities. One recent priority is the submission of a proposal for their ACE seed money. After extensive deliberation including the thought provoking use of the ACE Community Scanning tool, the project coming into focus is the upgrade of the Longview Centennial Park including playground upgrade and additions, park benches, picnic tables, and garbage cans. Main Street beautification, including assistance with the town office's Serenity Park, is also being considered.

Since the inception of the Longview village newsletter, the Longview Voice, in August 2010, the newsletter editing team has grown to 5 people including a technical whiz who has enthusiastically designed an accompanying website for the project. The newsletter's website has grown into a great communication tool as well as weather station and discussion board. The website is officially being launched with the distribution of the newsletter this Friday, February 25 and can be found at: http://www.longviewvoice.com/

Irricana moving forward...

Congrats to IRRICANA who is moving forward with the plans for movable flooring for a local arena so that they can use it as a multi-purpose recreation space.

They have also partnered with the local AG Society and are working together in the hiring of a summer student to help with programming as well as the implementation of Toonie Movie Nights series. Irricana credits their work with ACE and the CNA as essential to their programming endeavours.

The Grand Opening for the Irricana Recreation Complex is April 30^th. Fantastic work, Irricana!

Update from Hinton!

The Hinton Community Garden Society will be holding the AGM and membership drive on Feb 23. Both greenhouses are up, thanks to hundreds of volunteer hours! All the garden boxes have been built and the soil has been delivered and is ready to go. The board has developed into a very high functioning group and it is very collaborative with diverse skill sets.

We have applied for an Evergreen-Walmart green grant to help us with phase 2. Next on the list is solar panels, composting toilet, composting system for greenhouses, landscaping, including planting native species on site and building a picnic/gathering space.

Our goal of being ready to plant in spring of 2011 is a reality. We can't wait!!

To learn more, check out: www.hintoncommunitygreenhouse.org

Alexis Recreation Advisory Circle

In early June 2010, the Alexis Recreation Advisory Circle (RAC) agreed to assess what residents think about recreation on the reserve, how they are involved, and what they would like to see happen in the future.

Working with their ACE coach RAC members developed a set of questions they asked community residents concerning their recreation involvement, preferences and concerns as well as their ideas and suggestions with reference to the operation, maintenance and planning of recreation on the reserve.

Responses will help to identify the specific community assets, ideas, and dreams and challenges the reserve faces in better accepting the expanded role recreation can play in building a healthy and sustainable community on reserve.

Eighty‐three (83) individuals completed the questionnaire. (44 women, 39 men) They ranged between 10 and 60+ years with sixty‐five (65) respondents between 11 to 39 years.

Consequently, a large majority of people completing the questionnaire are young people some with young families. Questionnaires were distributed to individuals who attended a variety of meetings (August to October) including school classes. Individuals were also asked to complete the questionnaire and return it. Members of the Recreation Advisory Circle went door to door to complete as many questionnaires as time permitted. The exercise provided an excellent opportunity for RAC members to discuss recreation on a one to one basis.

Results from the survey focused on the state of recreation facilities, the dream of a new multiplex facility for the community, the state of current recreation programs, and barriers to citizen participation and engagement.

Great work - we can't wait to see your next steps!