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!