ACE Community Highlights

Mountain View Arts Society in Didsbury

2012-02-15T11:43:00.005-07:00

Check out this FANTASTIC story about the creation of the Mountain View Arts Society in Didsbury! Thanks to the Society's President Kathleen Windsor for sharing their journey with us. Inspirational? We think so!

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It was the result of an ACE Leaders Teleconference on March 15, 2011, that spurred volunteers in Didsbury to take up the challenge of hosting an event during Alberta Arts Days (AAD). Kathleen Windsor of Didsbury joined in on that teleconference and became very excited about the prospect the AAD grant provided the community.

One e-mail to Nicole Aasen of Community Services, and an e-mail from Inez Kosinski of the Municipal Library, and a brainstorming session was scheduled less than 2 weeks after that initial phone call.

Almost 20 people attended that brainstorming session and everyone was gung-ho right from the start. We had writers, town councillors, business owners, artists, and reps from other non-profit organizations in attendance. The ideas ran swift and flowed from one to another. It was an incredible evening!

We followed that brainstorming up with a survey of those ideas in order to set our priorities – what could we host … what could we handle …

Next, of course, came figuring out a budget so we could submit our grant application to Alberta Arts Days. That required some red ink as well – some of our dreams simply could not be accommodated. In the end, our submission was accepted … after we all did our happy dance … the real work began!

This meant we had to decide on everything from a name and a logo to approaching Travel Alberta for marketing ideas and financial assistance. One of the things we initially wanted to do was not ask the business community for financial assistance if we could possibly help it, thinking they are hit up so much that we would try to make it on our own. Then somebody had a lightbulb and we realized we were doing our businesses a disservice by not letting them participate in what we expected to be an incredible celebration of all that was arts and culture in Didsbury.

That seemingly minor decision created an incredible change in our expectations, as over 30 businesses took part, whether with in-kind or cash sponsorships. Every time a donation came in, our volunteers lit up and were energized to do even more!

The end of September came and went. Our Mountain View Arts Festival was a great success! Our Saturday evening concert was sold out, the first time the high school band had ever had a sold out engagement! Over 50 entertainers and artists participated, ranging from painters and singers, to belly dancers, to a yoyo artist and a geodesic creation! The Library hosted a Writers Circle, Museum volunteers dressed the part and the place was hopping, the Community Engagement Site hosted seminars on digital art and screened films, we had Artists Trading Cards and a Collaborative Art piece that now adorns our library, and the Flash Mob during Streetfest was a real highlight. The schools were all involved, as were many "art-related" businesses in town. We all had a blast!

Evaluations followed and the "what now" conversations happened – all of which led to another brainstorming session. It was decided we wanted MORE! So … long story short … in 2012 the Arts Festival volunteers incorporated the Mountain View Arts Society, an organization designed "to promote and encourage a variety of artistic opportunities and events for the enrichment and enjoyment of the general public".

Our 2012 events have been determined and we are now looking forward to hosting an Art Show & Sale during the Didsbury Art, Travel & Trade Expo on April 14 & 15; Mountain View Rocks, a rock concert at the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre in Memorial Park on July 14th; and our Second Annual Mountain View Arts Festival on September 14 & 15! We are creating another website and a video as well! Besides hosting our own events, we are promoting arts, culture, and heritage events for other organizations, businesses, schools … you name it, we will be using our fanout system to help raise awareness for everyone in the Mountain View County area.

"This is probably the most active, creative, and engaged group of people I have ever worked with," says Society President Kathleen Windsor. "They share ideas, they compromise, they work together, they inspire each other. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we don't care who gets the credit."

Thanks ACE Leaders, for doing your part in keeping our communities informed.

Jasper in the news...

2012-02-13T11:12:00.003-07:00

Check out this great article from the fitzhugh Newspaper about the recent ACE Communities community scan in Jasper.

As part of the process of becoming an ACE Community, our new group of 'Diversity Friendly' Communities (DFC) - which includes Jasper - have been completing community scans. These scans, facilitated by ACE coaches, are citizen-driven conversations about the assets and challenges within their communities. The aim of each forum is to provide an opportunity for as many people as possible to voice their opinions about the quality of life in their area.

Great to see the fantastic work happening in Jasper. And to see pics from this community event, click here!

The Little Town that Could

2012-02-06T11:06:00.007-07:00

Any tiny community tempted to think a mountain is too big to climb need only consider Longview for an infusion of optimism. In little more than a year, the community has gone from bemoaning its dilapidated playground and dearth of active living alternatives to raising more than $400,000 for a playground revamp, a green gym, park amenities, a veterans’ memorial surrounded by a Serenity Garden, a concrete slab for the hockey rink, skate park equipment, basketball hoops and tennis nets.

“Almost every group in the village banded together to give Longview an ‘Xtreme Makeover,’” says Michele Geistlinger, local ChooseWell Champion and (with husband Tony) a key player on the society that is leading the charge. “It’s almost unbelievable, what we’ve accomplished.”

Longview’s journey may sound familiar to other small towns within commuting distance of urban centres. A member of Longview Council in the early 2000s, Michele realized that new residents drawn to the village by its rural setting and foothill views tended to have a different take on taxation and service levels and community involvement than those with deeper roots. What’s more, various boards were working in isolation, despite overlaps in members. Like its playground, Longview was splintering and in need of a makeover.

Just before leaving council to care for an aging mother, Michele took advantage of ChooseWell resources to do some community building – and encourage healthy eating. ARPA also put her in touch with Wayne Page, who helped build a Community Services Advisory Board that successfully applied to be among the third wave of partners in ACE (Active Creative Engaged) Communities. With the mentorship of ACE coaches, the board has morphed into ARC (Art, Recreation and Community) Society.

It’s a point of pride that the ARC Society is one of a few ACE initiatives fully driven by volunteers. Its five-member board has a distribution list of more than 90, on alert to pitch in as needed. The society began by asking people to imagine what they wanted to see happen in two years, recalls Michele, who has devoted nearly fulltime to the society since her mom died in 2009.

At an AGM in February 2012, community members compared their original wish list to the new reality. Contrary to what a few naysayers predicted, every part of the plan is on track for completion. “It blows me away, actually,” Michele says. “I still can’t believe it all came to be.”

This is a classic case of full-out collaboration underwritten by targeted grant writing. On the team: the ARC Society, Village Council, Longview Stampede Association, Longview Recreation Board (operator of an outdoor rink) and a group dedicated to the Serenity Park/Veteran's Memorial. Thanks to their fundraising and generosity, a full 80% of the money came through grants and awards – and not a penny from the tax base.

With seed funding from SOGO Active and ARPA, donations rolled in from Foothills Lions Club and corporations with a local presence, such as Legacy Oil and Gas, Suncor Energy Inc., Fortis, ATCO Gas and Costco. A Community Facility Enhancement Program grant helped pay for a concrete pad that will allow multi-season use of Longview’s outdoor rink for basketball, tennis and skateboarding. Fundraisers included a Night of Foolishness dinner and silent auction celebrating local talent. A Let them be Kids award, one of just 30 across Canada that year, not only matched every dollar the community raised for playground , fitness and skate park equipment, but provided coaching every step of the way.

“Look to big corporations, because they really do want to give back. But really research their motive in giving. If you don’t qualify, there’s no sense writing up a big grant.”
Michele Geistlinger
Longview

Amid all of that, Longview learned that the Wild Pink Yonder Ride for Breast Cancer Research was stopping overnight August 18. The town not only hosted the riders but raised $3,000 to support the cause. Cyclists camped at the rodeo grounds, enjoyed supper, entertainment and breakfast – and rode off with healthy bag lunches courtesy of the Longview Bible Fellowship.

The people powering Longview’s Xtreme Makeover also found ways to raise awareness of the initiative and its goal of enhancing health and wellbeing through exercise, fresh air and social gatherings. They entered a float featuring ARC, ACE and ChooseWell in the Little New York Daze parade. (Did you know Longview was originally called Little New York?) They sparked a July 3 Flashmob to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Heal the World – and shot a video during the wind-blown happening that won a ChooseWell draw. The prize? A $6,800 Super Nova from Playworks, a tilted and spinnable disc that is proving popular with kids – and a challenge for adults.

Both the new playground and the veteran’s memorial began to take shape Oct. 15 during a massive work bee that attracted nearly 100 volunteers. Located at the village office, the memorial will feature a life-size statue of a First World War veteran as well as benches, trees and a garden. By 2014, the 50th anniversary of its incorporation as a village, the community also hopes to have an interpretive centre celebrating the area’s rich ranching, First Nations, oil and gas heritage. “Nobody’s even going to recognize Longview,” Michele predicts.

“How could a 57-year-old woman know how to choose what kids would want to play on?”
Michele Geistlinger
Longview

Everything in the playground was chosen by children through “dotmocracy.” Invited to a choosing party (with healthy treats), each kid received nine coloured dots: three to vote for their favourite playground pieces, three for fitness equipment and three for skate park equipment. Curious adults came too – and received dots to vote for exercise equipment. By mid-2012, 13 exercise machines will be in place at the edges of the playground, inviting parents to be active while their children play.

The green gym will help make up for the fact that the nearest exercise classes are 35 km away in High River, Michele says. “I decided to bring the exercise equipment to me.” Next step: snagging a grant to hire a trainer to teach all ages how to use the equipment and maximize their exercise time.

As that comment indicates, Michele is focused on programming now that the capital decisions are made. As in the past, Longview School was key to promoting ChooseWell in 2011, sending a My Amazing Little Cookbook home with every elementary student as summer began – and a Sobey’s 21 Days to Healthy Eating calendar to every family in September. Perhaps another SOGO Active grant would entice the physical education teacher to set up an attainable exercise regimen at school that could spread to the community. Maybe the school would cohost a year-end party at the park, complete with a rented climbing wall and money for the parents’ association to serve healthy food. The popular admission-by-donation music festival hosted in recent years by Longview native Eva Levesque of the Travelling Mabels (with funds going to a local charity) also opens opportunities to build on what’s happening here.

Michele can see the renewed park out her kitchen window and has taken to recording who’s there in what sorts of weather. “I’ll see kids over there in minus 20, and I never did before,” she says. “More adults spend time there now, and people from the surrounding district bring their kids. It’s wonderful to see increased use of the park – and even new faces.”

“The province is going in the right direction with ACE and ChooseWell. ACE sure opened the door for me to think big; it’s like a support system – a huge family. I like ChooseWell’s newsletters and ideas and contest – and just the visibility, getting out there.”
Michele Geistlinger
Longview

Longview in Brief
Population: 350
Location: 64 km south of Calgary in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies
ChooseWell Team: Longview ARC Society
Recognition: Providing Health Education
Top Tip: You can do it! Don’t let the naysayers hold you back
Contact: Janet Naclia at jnaclia@aceleaders.ca

Written by Cheryl Mahaffey for Communities ChooseWell

Innisfail is going strong!

2012-02-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

A shout out to INNISFAIL whose pulled citizens together in their "Envision Innisfail" Planning. This has resulted in accomplishments that just keep on coming and coming.

Of note are their much appreciated off leash dog park (for our canine community members!), Neighbourhood Block Party Toolkit, Green and Clean Community Clean Up (500 community members participated!) and community gardens. Meeting places and gathering spaces, in fact, seem to be the theme for Innisfail with their earlier Dr. Greg Ritson-Bennett Park redevelopment (total budget was $113,000) and a planned downtown Community Gathering area (a $538,000 project).

It is also significant to note that the Town’s Envision Innisfail project and a youth leader from Innisfail were 2011 Recipients for the Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Leadership. Keep up the great work, Innisfail!

The Youth in Caroline Making a Difference

2012-01-11T15:01:00.004-07:00

We wanted to send out kudos to the youth of Caroline – one of our new Diversity Friendly communities. This Christmas, once again, the students, families and staff of Caroline School came through making their 2011 Food Drive a huge success. Each classroom in the school (Kindergarten to Grade 12), compiled and donated a Christmas Hamper to the local food bank that contained the necessities of a complete Christmas dinner.

The Caroline School students continued to give back over the past holiday season with the help of ACE Communities. As part of their recent Ignite Tour, the Directions Class of Caroline School had the great opportunity to sit in during a discussion of their recent ACE grant that the community/area received.

ACE Ambassador, Ian Hill, spoke to the students on how one person can make a great difference in the lives of many. In concluding his speech, Ian passed out a 5 or 10 dollar bill to each of the Directions Students. The students were asked to invest and “grow” their money and use it to lighten the burden of others.

Using this money, some students inspired their parents to join and create Operation Christmas Child show boxes and some purchased Christmas gifts to be donated to local families through Neighbourhood Place. One group of students, however, took Ian’s advice and made their money grow.

Students Tessa Smith, Cody Rowell and Brody Hamilton pooled their money and invested it into supplies to put on a hot chocolate and bake sale. The three students baked goods at home and advertised around the school. In the end, the students’ $20 grew to $80.25 profit that was then donated to the local food bank to aid in the purchasing of required food items. Presentation of the money was made to Mrs. Nancy McLean.

Way to go, Caroline! We can’t wait to see what you all do next.

Killiam's ACE Fundraiser

2012-01-04T15:45:00.003-07:00

Our good vibes go out the ACE Killam team who are putting together a FAB fundraiser this month to help raise the remaining money for the paving of their ACE-supported trail in Heritage Park and the finishing touches on the amphitheater.

This fundraiser will take place on Jan 28th at the Killam Community Centre. The event will include a tribute to the 70's with costumes and a live band. Sounds like a blast, Killam! There will be a "minute to survive" game show to start off the evening where teams will compete for prizes in minute-to-win-it type contests. Teams of 4-6 should register with with coordinator Kari Fox-Newby but there is no additional fee for entry.

Cost: $20 per person for the evening with late luncheon included. Silent auction items will also be available.

The ACE Killam committee will also have "Our Family Favourites" ACE cookbooks for sale featuring recipes from local cooks as well as photos from their " Let Them Be Kids" build day. This delightful books sell for $12 or 2/$20. This was a popular item for Christmas gifts but the group still has copies for anyone who missed out.

Again... all proceeds will go towards the ACE-supported trail in Heritage Park and the finishing touches on the amphitheater. Hurrah!

For more info or to register for an event, please contact Kari at: kmnewby@telus.net

Update on the ACE Diversity Friendly Communities

2011-12-16T15:18:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-12-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-16T15:14:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-10-19T19:04:00.008-06:00

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!

2011-10-06T12:33:00.002-06:00

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

2011-09-30T13:41:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-09-30T11:35:00.002-06:00

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

2011-09-09T14:23:00.003-06:00

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

2011-08-30T19:35:00.001-06:00

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

2011-07-22T13:50:00.003-06:00

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!

2011-07-22T13:46:00.001-06:00

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

2011-07-22T13:17:00.003-06:00

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!

2011-07-19T13:23:00.006-06:00

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

2011-07-14T10:26:00.001-06:00

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!

2011-06-29T10:53:00.001-06:00

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

2011-06-28T11:20:00.000-06:00

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

2011-06-28T11:17:00.003-06:00

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

2011-06-27T15:44:00.001-06:00

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

2011-06-27T15:35:00.001-06:00

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

2011-05-16T13:34:00.003-06:00

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

2011-05-10T14:26:00.004-06:00

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!

2011-05-10T13:39:00.002-06:00

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

2011-05-04T15:15:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-05-01T21:37:00.004-06:00

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

2011-04-28T20:30:00.000-06:00

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

2011-04-27T13:32:00.001-06:00

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

2011-04-27T13:29:00.002-06:00

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

2011-04-07T18:13:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-04-07T16:08:00.001-06:00

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

2011-04-07T15:34:00.004-06:00

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!

2011-04-06T16:00:00.003-06:00

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

2011-04-06T15:47:00.003-06:00

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)?

2011-03-30T20:56:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-03-30T19:20:00.003-06:00

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

2011-03-30T19:16:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-03-30T19:13:00.003-06:00

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

2011-03-21T23:10:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-02-24T08:58:00.004-07:00

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

2011-02-23T20:13:00.007-07:00

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...

2011-02-23T15:58:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-02-14T17:55:00.002-07:00

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

2011-01-11T15:19:00.006-07:00

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!

The Trochu Journey

2011-01-05T15:35:00.007-07:00

At the one year anniversary of our exciting "Ignite Tour", our town is feeling the impact of the ACE experience. Since our last newsletter reporting, we have seen an active Fall of serious planning, grant applications and fundraising by our pro-active Trails team including individual donations, Town, and corporate/businesses. There are high expectations once the matching grant process is complete!

The Skateboard Park and Family Fun Centre groups are realizing slower momentum, and the benefit of merging all efforts toward making the Trails project a single priority at this time, harnessing all this learning and experience for a future time when these projects are in the works!

The news of our designation as “The Pinkest Little Town in the West” was received in October which recognized the outstanding participation and community involvement in raising the most money during the 14 day "Wild Pink Yonder Ride" for breast cancer. This announcement coincided nicely with the ARPA Jasper Conference where we could share the good news. The Community Building segment was well done by the 11 ACE Communities who contributed their heart-warming stories. I am delighted to see the Trochu Journey six-minute video featured on the ACE Communities website…looks great there!

We have a community gathering booked for January 5, 2011 as a very fitting year- to- the-day reunion where we will have everyone back together for an update and to hear their valuable feedback. Future events are already in the works starting with a New Year’s Eve traditional fireworks display to kick-off what promises to be the best Centennial celebrations ever!

Trochu marks 100 years and we have more community leaders coming forward to help plan this party than ever before. We will update on this as the year unfolds but will just mention that our 2010 ACE Movie in the Park event, promises to be an annual close of school blast for our kids. It is booked to go again as part of the Centennial plans for 2011 and beyond… stay tuned for more exciting plans throughout our big year!

In closing, I think it is worth mentioning that an unprecedented four women ran in the municipal election in Trochu this past fall; two with success at the polls. Personally, I must attribute some of the decision to make this step, to the encouragement and positivity I have felt throughout the ACE experience. Our community, strong and progressive in many ways already, has definitely become even more cohesive, with leadership starting to emerge anew. Our communities will go where we lead and the more tools and skills we can gather and use to this end, the better for all

Update from ACE Leader Val in Trochu

Innisfail Youth Rock!

2011-01-05T11:40:00.005-07:00

On October 28^th, 2010 a group of 37 youth and 21 individuals representing organizations working with youth met at the Alliance Church in Innisfail. The purpose was to connect and share, set out priorities, develop youth leadership and work towards building a youth strategy.

The workshop produced a listing of resources available in Innisfail, priorities and bold action steps to move forward. One youth event has already happened and a communication plan for future activities is in the works. Thirty-eight individuals indicated that they would continue working collaboratively towards the priorities. Fantastic work, Innisfail!!!

Here is a vision board from the workshop:

Leduc County's ACE Projects

2010-12-20T13:27:00.002-07:00

Congrats to the Leduc County who is moving forward with the final stages of their ACE Communities planning.

For the Community of Warburg, the ACE initiative will be a Fitness Facility enhancement project. This will include enhancing the existing fitness centre in the high school so that it can be used by the wider community. The funding will go toward the purchase of exercise bikes, treadmills, and cross trainers.

The goal is to have the facility open to use by high school students, Village of Warburg residents, and surrounding Leduc County residents. At present the facility is only open to use by the high school students during school hours.

This initiative will help to get the Warburg and Leduc County community more active and engaged through fitness and healthy living. It also provides a place for youth to be active outside of school hours. It can accommodate those youth that have finished high school but still live in the area. It will also accommodate other adults in the community. By providing a facility that all community members can use, they can start to build stronger community leaders and increase the quality of life in Warburg and surrounding areas. With the completion of the enhancement project the facility can also look into the future to provide programs, volunteer opportunities, and youth development through fitness and recreation.

For the Community of Thorsby, the ACE initiative will be modernizing the Thorsby Recreation Complex through the purchase of equipment. The Complex is currently undergoing renovations to their old BMX track and it will become and multipurpose gym area, complete with Dance studio and workout room. The Thorsby seed money will be used to purchase new mats for the multipurpose area to be used for several programs such as gymnastics, cheerleading, yoga, and other fitness programs.

As a result of the purchase of the mats the community will be ready to host more programs that need specialized equipments.

The community will be able to attract more participants to programs and host a variety of programs that have never been possible at the Thorsby Recreation Complex because of a lack of equipment. This will also greatly impact the younger female population of the area as well because they will have the opportunity to partake in an activity that they have been asking for for quite some time.

Way to go, Leduc County! We can't wait to see the final results.

Connection is key in Nanton

2010-11-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

NANTON is moving forward under the guidance of their new ACE Coach, Karen Driedger. At a recent ACE meeting, local leaders identified key areas for action in Nanton and discussed how they could work together as community groups and leaders to make Nanton an even better place to live and work.

This process not only kick started community communication, many realized that they shared a common goal of connecting with like-minded individuals and community groups who are interested in enhancing quality of life in their community. Way to go, Nanton! Can't wait to see your next steps.

Vulcan’s ACE Journey

2010-11-25T13:48:00.007-07:00

Interested in learning more about the journey that our ACE Communities take? Then check this great story from Vulcan outlining their ACE Journey from 2009-2010. Great work, Vulcan! We can't wait to see what the next year has in store.

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In January 2009 we had our Ignite Tour. The visit ACE Ambassador, Ian Hill went very well. The Town Council, school children, local groups and citizens were all “choppin’ at the bit” to build our community through the ACE program. We held a town meeting to discuss where the citizens would like to focus their attention and handy work. After much discussion three areas came to the forefront. We had a large group interested in upgrading/new pool, others wanted a series of community events that would bring the community together and the last major idea was a way to communicate to the community at large the events that were taking place within our area.

Consensus was that we would begin by putting our efforts behind a pool. Our pool is 33 years old and we knew that the life left in the pool would be short. We had talked to the Town and they were on board with this. We were set to move forward when it was decided by the County of Vulcan and The Town of Vulcan that a deeper investigation into the pool was needed. The Town talked with the County regarding the funds to make some kind of improvements at the pool. This was not to be an easy or speedy process. We were told that we needed to stop moving forward and go sideways for a bit. There needed to be an independent study on the feasibility of new pool vs an overhauled pool. That took the wind out of sails. We know that with the County wanting a study done before they would talk dollars was an understandable way to move forward.

This was a blow to the ACE program in our community because everyone was focused on the pool and it was a tangible way to support our community. So now, a lot of the people who were involved with the pool and ACE were faced with choosing a new project. We had a meeting which turned out to be a small handful of the people. The small group helped to organize the second objective which was to bring about a way to gather the community together in a meaningful way. This led us to our 2nd objective.

We have already begun working on our 2^nd objective and that is to bring the community together in community building experiences. We have created a “Vulcan Concert Series” which is held in the fall and winter months of the year. Were we are bringing local and Canadian performers to town to help Vulcan gain exposure to our culture and heritage of performing arts in a family setting. This has been a huge success in not only exposure for our community citizens but also by the performing artists who have now got Vulcan on their radar as a great place to perform. Artists have requested that in the near future they would like to come back and perform for our community again. We have now begun our second season of the “Vulcan Concert Series” and look to continuing on with this series for a while yet.

We have also hosted our Vulcan Fall Fair on Oct 8^th, 2010. We had only a handful of people at the planning meeting that wanted to see this come about. We set out to figure out what we wanted to happen and then we divided those ideas between the 5 of us to reach out to community members to help make it happen. They came through in a big way. This event brought people from 1 month to 90 years old out to our Rodeo grounds to partake in a corn bust, quilt display, chili cook-off, wagon rides, family dance and many more activities. Through this event we had many people who wanted to be part of ACE activities.

As with all ACE activities, we want to get people interested in helping our with our next activities and as result of our Fall Fair we were approached by a member of the RCMP to work together to put on an event for Dec 31^st 2010, a Family Fun Night”. We also have a Community Block Party in the planning stages.

The New Years Eve - Family Fun Night is well on it way to happening we have found out that not many people want to be involved with meetings so what we did with our core group of people is we set a date, time and cost for the gathering.

We also made a rough outline of what we want to see happen music, entertainment etc. Referring back to the people who signed up for ACE we put the call out for help and have been happy to say that people are coming together to make this event happen in ways that work for them. We have the Fire Department putting on a bonfire, someone has committed to looking after the fireworks, groups are going to help out with providing food and beverages, and community members are helping in other areas.

The community calendar is our 3^rd objective and it went online in April 2009. Groups let the Vulcan & District Recreation office know when they are holding an event and we would then have it added to the website calendar so that everyone and anyone would have 24 hr access to what is happening in the County.

This has been a positive thing in our community and we are working with VBDS to improve on the community calendar to make it more easily accessed to input information on by the users and to make adjustment to the overall appearance.

We are also working with VBDS to create community calendar screens to have around town to improve on the visibility of the community calendar. The need and improved calendar that we are working on will allow people to add their event and I just administrate the information. The calendar will be an ongoing thing that we will tweak as needed.

Our adventures with ACE have been a bit of a roller coaster but the benefits to our community have been numerous. The people who were at first interested in ACE because our focus was going to be the pool have rallied around our other focus areas.

We have gotten to know our neighbours through our planning and through the process of putting on quality events within our community. Many people have commented that Vulcan is working together to put on events that make Vulcan a better place to live, work and especially play. We continue to work on our ACE activities and will continue to work with the town and county with the pool, like I said we were moving sideways with the pool but hopefully we will be moving forward with this community concern in the near future. We look forward to many years of working as community with our citizen, business and groups to maintaining a healthy community lifestyle through our ongoing ACE programs in Vulcan.

Yours Sincerely,

Bonnie Ellis

Director of Vulcan & District Recreation

Lighting Up Longview

2010-11-17T14:20:00.002-07:00

Longview is well on their way to lighting up the town with their holiday event, Light Up Longview, on December 5th. This ACE project aims to raise funds for Christmas decorations for the main street as part of Longview's beautification initiatives.

As part of their efforts, the Longview Youth Group collected nearly $1000 through their bottle drive and money has also been raised through the Longview Music and Arts Festival ("Longstock"). Longview is also looking for donors who would like to add to their Memorial tree. Way to go everyone!

To follow Longview's activities, check out their fabulous website: http://www.longviewaceprojects.weebly.com/

And to see their story, as presented recently at the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association's annual conference, click here:

http://longviewaceprojects.weebly.com/volunteer-tributes.html

Things are happening in Wainwright!

2010-11-08T15:06:00.002-07:00

Great news for our alumni ACE Community of WAINWRIGHT! They have now officially launching their “Tatanka Trails”. This project entailed planning a secondary signage program for one of their town’s major greenspaces.

The ACE group coordinated a comprehensive study on what the area needed for beautification and it was decided that the funding should go into nine mapping and information signs that would be created by a local contractor. Content for and design of the signs was all developed by the group.

Congrats on the launch Wainwright!

The Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Wainwright has also applied for $100, 000 in funding through the Pepsi Refresh Program for fixed back seating at our Peace Memorial Multiplex arena!

To vote for Wainwright, see: http://www.refresheverything.ca/search/?q=wainwright

Sangudo's 1st annual Festival of the Arts

2010-10-27T11:34:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to Sangudo who will be soon celebrating their 1^st annual ‘Festival of the Arts’ on November 13^th. This festival will showcase both local as well as regional talent and an evening Arts Gala (from 6 – 10 pm). This family event will provide opportunities to meet local artists, experience live music, and indulge in home baking. Our fav!

This event is presented by Sangudo Advocates for Education. For more info contact Heather at (780) 785-3587

Okotoks wins ARPA A.V. Pettigrew Award

2010-10-26T14:22:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Okotoks for winning the ARPA A.V. Pettigrew Award!!!

The purpose of this award is to recognize communities in Alberta that have contributed the most to improving the quality of life of their citizens through recreation and parks – in areas of programs, services, facilities, parks and open spaces, or a combination thereof.

ARPA inaugurated this award in 1972 in honour of Albert (Bert) Victor Pettigrew. Known to many in Alberta and Western Canada as “Mr. Recreation”, Bert retired from the Edmonton Parks and Recreation Department after 26 years of devoted service to Edmonton citizens. He was a founding and charter member of the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, and was dedicated to serving the people of Alberta through his profession.

Award Recipient: Town of Okotoks

“A small town feel with a quality of life” is the motto of the town of Okotoks. This motto has led the community service staff, town council and their residents to introduce programs, and events in and around Okotoks to provide a quality of life that allows for leisure learning, recreational activities, and community-based events that cater to a variety of interests.

The programs offered provide a sustainable option to community members and are a primary vehicle for community building and promoting health and wellness in the community. The wide variety of programs offered to all demographic groups enable residents to experience local programs without a commute to larger centres such as Calgary. Okotokians can live, work and play at home! The development of a Cultural Master Plan, Outdoor Facilities Master Plan, and Outdoor Spaces Plan and facility redevelopment has lead the town of Okotoks to build and provide the necessary infrastructure needed to sustain their population goal of 30,000 by 2030.

The challenge of keeping up with demand has resulted in creative, out-of-the-box program development that utilizes and maximizes the town-owned facilities, in addition to creating partnerships with local businesses. The growth of programs offered and numbers of individuals participating in these programs has doubled between 2005 and 2009.

The town of Okotoks has succeeded in introducing new energy technologies such as solar panels that heat the swimming pools, domestic hot water and ice resurfacing, and a solar wall which pre-heats the air in the Okotoks Recreation Centre.

The town of Okotoks is an outdoor place located in proximity to mountains, prairies, forests, wildlife, and historic and cultural attractions, filled with a team of people who have succeeded in connecting service, youth groups, sport organizations, seniors clubs, social agencies, and parent groups together, which in turn has injected the sense of spirit so important in the evolution of a community in the heart of foothills country.

The town of Okotoks is a deserving recipient of the A.V. Pettigrew Award in recognition of its forward thinking and planning to provide top quality recreation opportunities while still maintaining green policies and a culture of community pride.

Upcoming Hinton Greenhouse Build

2010-10-26T14:12:00.003-06:00

ACE Communities alumni town of Hinton is charging forward with the build of their greenhouse. The idea for a community garden for Hinton began in January 2009 as their ACE project.

The “Hinton Community Garden Society” was formed in February to prepare an ACE proposal for seed money to plan and build an all-season, organic, community-operated greenhouse and garden. And now the framework of both greenhouses is nearly completed, with several steps left to do. If you’re able to help out this week, please contact Noel at 817-2675 for instructions.

“Big Build 3” is happening this Saturday, Oct. 30, starting at 10 am. They are hoping to complete all the structural work on the greenhouse! If you have socket sets, cordless drills, or stepladders, please bring them. All welcome - the more, the merrier!

Details about preparation and planting for the 2011 growing season will be posted soon on http://www.hintoncommunitygreenhouse.org/Hinton_Community_Greenhouse/About_Us.html

Cold Lake Spearheads Unique Pilot Program

2010-10-25T09:17:00.004-06:00

Deliberations and discussions among Cold Lake residents took place in three community planning gatherings and many smaller meetings over a one-year period. These discussions indicated that a focus on making resources available to those needing them, and collaboration and communication among Non-profits were top priorities for ACE Cold Lake.

This led to a decision for ACE leaders to support the Lakeland Centre for FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder)through a pilot program called SELF (self, energy, life, fulfilling) focussed on helping individuals have a healthy SELF through self-discovery, volunteer, employment and relationship-building opportunities by:

 Removing barriers and opening access for participants to Cold Lake amenities – recreation, parks, arts and culture, heritage and social services
 Working with other Cold Lake non-profits, business and local experts
 Providing child care, food and transportation to enable participation
 Collaborating with the Lakeland employment program and other non-profit organizations in Cold lake
 Creating a model of this program for others to follow.

The Mission of the ACE project is to enhance quality of life in rural Alberta by strengthening community leadership, collaboration and innovation through a community recreation, parks, arts, culture and heritage using a community development framework.

In keeping with this mission this unique and progressive ACE Cold lake initiative will use a community building and asset-focussed approach to open doors and opportunities with the Lake land Centre participants to participate in the many amenities that Cold Lake has to offer its citizens.

Using a participatory approach the initiative will be led by the Lakeland Centre participants, and guided by Lakeland staff, Cold Lake resource experts and the ACE leaders. Participants will each find their connection to the Cold Lake community through a self-discovery of their talents and attributes which will connect them to local volunteer and employment opportunities. The project will start within the Lake land Centre with the Mothers-to-be Mentorship program. Candace Sutterfield, Cold Lake Mentor of the Mothers-to-be, will be the Lead on the project with Ingrid Harvie, Lakeland Centre Employment Coordinator, and Shelley Krook and Michelle Bourdon, ACE leaders, providing a supporting role.

From Pies to Pigeons to Portals

2010-10-25T07:01:00.002-06:00

Chestermere has been busy! In addition to their exciting pie making workshop that involved participants age 7 to 90 years of age, local ACE leaders have also worked with the Town to have an outdoor stage redesigned. Originally planned to be built in 1996, their input has ensured it will be a relevant and practical infrastructure that isn't at risk for becoming a home for pigeons. They also convinced Council to invest 10% more on the project! Local ACE leaders are now focused on working with students from Mount Royal College to build an online communication and information portal and ultimately a volunteer database. Collaboration is a priority and a signficant number of community groups are working together. Congratulations Chestermere leaders!

Update from Killam

2010-09-28T11:44:00.005-06:00

Congrats to Killam and their ACE team for their successful playground build!! Over 200 volunteers as well as many kids of all ages worked together on the makeover of the park.

The park came alive during the build with excitement of the kids, conversations, music and noises from bobcats and trucks. Some youth worked on planting a truck load of trees while other groups worked on the landscaping, building picnic tables, constructing the roof of the amphitheatre, horse shoe pits and new walking paths. The volunteers provided food and refreshments throughout the day. The community enjoyed the fellowship, food and lovely day.

Unfortunately for the ACE team, the bike and skate park supplies didn’t arrive due to some trucking issues – so the bike and skate park was completed on Sunday and the dedication happened then. There were several people taking pictures as well as the community paper. There is more to do to complete the park but a great start has been made to date. The group still has another fundraiser dance at the end of October so the short term project is on going.

The ACE team plans to build on the success of the park build and move on to focus on updating their MSP with more community engagement. The hope is that this planning will begin this fall. Great work Killam!!

Killam ACE Committee to dedicate Bike Park to Small Town Hero - Gordie Enghoj

2010-09-21T20:23:00.002-06:00

The Town of Killam was honoured to receive an ACE Community Designation in 2009. It was at that time the ACE Committee was formed and a short-term project was chosen – Killam X-Treme Makeover Park Edition. The makeover is to include an outdoor amphitheatre, new walking trail, bike park, some beautification, an outdoor barbecue station, new picnic tables, benches and garbage receptacles. Because of the scope of our project, the committee was also awarded the Let Them Be Kids Kool-Aid Smile Award in June 2010.

Recently the committee has been given the challenge of naming the bike park. It really was not a difficult decision at all, as there is one community member that stands out in everyone’s mind. It is Killam’s small town hero – Gordie Enghoj.

Gordie was only two when he contracted a near fatal case of polio complicated by double pneumonia and pleurisy. The disease left him brain damaged with partially paralyzed throat muscles and vocal chords. Two years later he developed a lump on his back, compressing his lungs and giving him pain for his whole life. These handicaps prevented him from receiving any formal education but he taught himself to ride a bike and began running errands for people. Then he volunteered at numerous locations. Uunloading and hauling freight from the train, filling pop coolers and swept floor at local restaurants for just a few examples. In fact, almost every business in town received Gordie’s help at one time or another. Sometimes he was given a free coffee or a piece of pie, but never wages.

Gordie made friends wherever he went in town, learning how to play pool at the local pool hall, learning to skate at the local arena he and his father helped the community to build. He also helped at the bowling alley and the swimming pool at the Agriplex. And for years he set up and took down the tables and chairs in the Community Hall for the Lion’s weekly bingo games. He served as errand guy equipment handler and inspiration.

Gordon Enghoj has spent his life beating all the odds while giving countless thousands of hours of volunteer service to the community his mother once described as his lifeblood. And the community has responded. People came from all over the province to his dinner to say thank you and to celebrate his contributions. He is a true Small Town Hero.

Gordie is known to all ages, young and old, and exemplifies someone who is the face and name of Killam so he is a natural choice to receive this kind of recognition and dedication. The ACE Committee feels that Gordie is not only a friend to all Killamites, but he is also a role model for our children and when they are on the Bike Park playing with their peers, they will read the sign of dedication to Gordie and realize anything is possible with hard work and perseverance. Gordie has recently celebrated his 80th Birthday and the ACE Committee would like to help him celebrate by making this dedication to him.

The Heritage Park Makeover Day is this coming Saturday, September 25th, 2010. We are asking the people of Killam to come together and volunteer their time to build a park that will be used by all generations. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and everyone is welcome to attend and help out. The opening ceremonies and the Gordie Enghoj dedication ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. at the Park. Hope to see you there!

Wainwright's Tatanka Trails

2010-08-30T14:26:00.001-06:00

Great news for our alumni ACE Community of WAINWRIGHT! They are now officially launching their “Tatanka Trails”. This project entailed planning a secondary signage program for one of their town’s major greenspaces.

The ACE group coordinated a comprehensive study on what the area needed for beautification and it was decided that the funding should go into nine mapping and information signs that would be created by a local contractor. Content for and design of the signs was all developed by the group.

Congrats on the launch Wainwright!

Fall Forward for Vulcan

2010-08-26T17:56:00.003-06:00

The ACE Communities group in Vulcan have been busy planning for the fall. Aside from providing entertainment to Vulcan residents, the ACE group is aiming use these upcoming activities to encourage people in the community to spend more of their time locally.

The ACE group has decided it wanted to try to keep the fall event's theme in tune with older-fashioned events, such as a blue-ribbon fair. Other ideas discussed for a fall event included a 5 km footrace similar to a Turkey Trot. Also still in the discussion stage is the possibility of Rainbow Literacy helping to sponsor an activity tent. Such details will be further discussed at the ACE group's next meeting on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Lodge Hall so stay tuned!

Longview Launches Community Newsletter

2010-08-20T11:12:00.004-06:00

The Longview Community Services Advisory Board (CSAB) and the ACE Communities Committee is proud to launch the very first issue of their new community newsletter. This initiative is in response to the fact that communication has been identified as a priority by the community.

This newsletter will be launched at the Longview Music and Arts Festival on August 21 and local residents will be given the opportunity to name the publication. A digital version will also be available on their website: longviewaceprojects@weebly.com

Keep up the hard work, Longview!

Youth Making a Difference

2010-07-12T14:20:00.002-06:00

ACE Alumni Communities and youth are in the news! Youth are making a difference by being committed to their communities through volunteerism and leadership.

Award recipients in High Level, Hinton, and Innisfail were part of a recent ceremony accepting the Queen's Golden Jubilee Citizenship award from Lieutenant Governor, Ethell. Sidney Lapp of High Level, Evelyn Cranston of Hinton (daughter of two of our ACE leaders), and Kelty Douglas of Innisfail received the honor of meeting Lieutenant Governor and being publicly acknowledged for their important community contributions. All are recent high school graduates.

Check it out at www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/NewsandEvents.htm.

These young women were chosen because of their outstanding performance in citizenship, leadership, community service, and volunteerism. They were recognized with a medal and $5,000 for personal development and tuition.

Honorable D. Ethell addressed the crowd by saying "Each recipient has helped make Alberta an even better place to live and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so into the future."

These young woman and their leadership are vital to our communities and it is important to acknowledge their strengths. Equally important is to recognize the people in their community who have been exceptional mentors and role models to these girls' lives. Young people are very capable of being good citizens and these young women have proven it.

Kudos to Killam!

2010-07-05T16:24:00.004-06:00

Amazing what a small community (population just over 1,000) can do when everyone comes together! Killam citizens are working to revitalize their Heritage Park with an outdoor amphitheatre, a bike/skate park, a new walking trail, an outdoor fire pit/barbecue and some beautification. They've held a fundraiser (60s dinner and dance) and made $13,000. They're also selling engraved bricks which will be used to construct the outdoor fireplace/BBQ. School-aged children have decorated coffee tins which have been distributed to businesses for people to leave their spare change and they will be rolling the change for the group. The local group has applied for a number of grants, will hold some additional fundraisers such as a Goat Raffle, a Children’s Festival Day, etc., and will seek corporate cash and on-kind donations.

They applied for funding through the “Let Them Be Kids” Program and have been awarded a Helping Hands Award. This means they will receive a 50/50 match opportunity that gives them a dollar of equipment buying power for every fifty cents they raise. This will assist in covering the costs of the structure and equipment for the new bike/skate park. They have also been assigned an experienced Let Them Be Kids volunteer to help guide them through the process of making the project happen.
This project will be completed in one soon-to-be-announced weekend this year.

Killam anticipates having 200+ volunteers come out to help make the project a reality. As their CAO put it, "It is going to bring back the sense of community and volunteerism to Killam. The residents are excited about the project and pride is building as they work toward making it a reality. This will result in endless opportunities for the future because people are seeing that when the sense of community is present anything is possible!"

Nanton Builds a Playground and Connects a Community

2010-06-22T20:04:00.002-06:00

Early ACE Communities work in Nanton identified that while there were a lot of strengths in the community, efforts weren't always connected and coordinated.

That changed on Saturday, June 19th when over 300 volunteers came together to build a playground after connecting with ACE Ambassador Ian Hill and being awarded assistance and support from his Let Them Be Kids initiative.

"It's wonderful to see a community come together like this," said Mayor John Blake. If we can build a playground, what can't we do if we put our collective energy to work! This was a ground up program," said Blake, with people identifying a need, and getting it done."

After the build, the park was dedicated in a moving ceremony as being "Where kids should come to play," with a memorial to the children of the community who have died. As each child's name was read, a balloon was released.

Robyn Todd, master of ceremonies for the event, noted that Saturday would have been Nathan Hornburg's 27th birthday. Hornburg was killed in action in Afghanistan in
2007. A memorial tree has been planted in his honour and each year on June 19th, flowers will be planted at its base. A soon to be built nearby skateboard park will be named in Nathan's honour.

Children participating in the event were each given balloons, which were released following the dedication.

The ribbon for the ribbon cutting was made up of paper hands, made by students at A.B. Daley School, and cut by Livingstone-Macleod MLA Evan Berger, Blake, and members of the Nanton Children Society.

For the full story see their video at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ltbk---nanton

Bake it Don't Fake It!!

2010-06-22T17:15:00.001-06:00

Check out this innovative project by Chestermere - one of our ACE Communities! "Bake It Don’t Fake It" is a fun, creative opportunity for everyone to come and learn an old fashioned skill in a new way! Bring your family, make up a baking team and learn how to bake a Red Ribbon Apple Pie—for FREE!

All you bring is your enthusiasm and a few kitchen tools. Chestermere Ag Society and ACE Communities will provide the ingredients & a videographer to record the successful pie making for a webcast.

Learn the skills of making FLAKY pastry for FREE and then enter the Chestermere Country Fair Red Ribbon Pie Contest in September 17^th for prizes and more!

This pie making workshop happens Friday August 20^th, 7 to 8 pm, doors open 6:30pm at Chestermere Regional Community Centre, 201 W Chestermere Drive, Chestermere, Alberta (Multi Purpose Room). Please Pre-register by Friday August 13^th, by phone or e-mail 403 272 7170 x 223 or accounting@chestermerecrca.com

Any questions call Grannie Jen ( Pie Coach) at 403 272 3764

Didsbury Finalizing Their ACE Initiatives

2010-06-16T13:20:00.004-06:00

Didsbury is leaping forward with the plans for their ACE initiative. Essentially, they will be focusing on three components:

-communication, which includes the two way communication between organizations and the community as well as communication and collaboration between organizations

-youth, which includes consistent and safe places, reliable mentorship and varied activities such as sports, arts, cooking, lifeskills, leadership, etc.

-volunteerism

Currently, they are developing a survey via survey monkey to determine what mechanisms the community is using to communicate and to discover if they are missing key mechanisms that the community would prefer, such as community event signage.

They also have a new collaboration between the town and a local youth serving organization. There are many exciting ideas and opportunities in this collaboration.

They also have a new commitment from the town to support a web based volunteer bank once it is established. They are proposing a contract position for the creation of the volunteer bank and for training town staff in the maintenance of the bank.

Way to go Didsbury! Can't wait to see how it unfolds....

Youth and Gardening in Sylvan Lake

2010-06-16T10:56:00.004-06:00

Gardeners come in all ages and abilities and that is proven in Sylvan Lake. The local ACE group approached the Youth Advisory Council on how to build volunteerism and leadership with youth. The Youth Advisory Council decided on the goal to build a garden in the high school court yard. After that, the garden concept has "blossomed" to other schools and the focus is building vegetable gardens on school grounds.

The vision for the school gardens is that students will care for the indoor garden pots and outdoor gardens during the school year. Students can continue to care for the gardens after the school year with the assistance of several community groups, including the Youth Advisory Council. The seed funding that Sylvan Lake will receive through the ACE Communities initiative will be divided amongst the participating schools for building supplies.

Coupled with an even wider vision, the school gardens project aligns with the Municipal Sustainability Plan of Sylvan Lake including sustainable agricultural practices and opportunities to grow and purchase local foods.

Students will learn how to plant, care for plants, weed and a whole host of other gardening skills. Becoming knowledgeable about food security is foundational to the process. The food will be used in a number of ways including the food bank, good food boxes, home economic classes, breakfast and lunch programs, and community dinners.

Aside from students being encouraged to volunteer and be leaders, both students and community members will be more actively engaged in the community in a very creative way.

Lots of Action in Innisfail

2010-05-27T20:48:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday, June 15th Innisfail will launch Envision Innisfail
Reflecting true ACE values, local community leaders have integrated a number of planning initiatives to generate a community driven vision and action plan.
On Saturday June 5th, the community will pick up their shovels for the Dr. Greg Ritson-Bennett Park redevelopment (with assistance from Let Them Be Kids). One of the features of the new park is an “Art Wall”. They have installed a four foot concrete retaining wall on one side of the park and are hoping the kids will use it as a public art wall. Check out their website at www.innisfail.ltbk.ca.

Upcoming Kitscoty Election

2010-05-25T18:23:00.000-06:00

Municipal elections are fast approaching this October and Council has asked me to encourage Kitscoty residents to considering putting their name forward for Kitscoty Village Council. Municipal elections are democracy at the level closest to people. Municipal governance is residents building their community, their neighbourhood and their lives.

Governance is a difficult topic to define because it has many grey boundaries. If you look up the definition you will find a wide variety of descriptions all which cover the business part in different ways (adhering to regulations, Acts, bylaws, etc) but the common overarching theme is always leadership. Through elections, residents choose Council members they want for their leaders and look to them for leadership. Good Leaders make a difference.

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Leaders have expertise and experience in many varied areas ranging from just graduated high school to just finished a masters degree; from just married to 7^th grandchild just born; from business owner to home maker; from single to married; from 18 years old to 85 years young, you name it!

Leaders are everywhere and a good Council has leaders from different backgrounds and experience. Varied leaders enables Council to look at decisions from all angles before making a final decision – how will this decision affect pre-schoolers; how will this decision affect Seniors; how will this decision affect business owners; how will this decision affect young families – and so on. Kitscoty needs leaders from all walks of life – that means you.

Governance Best Practices - some of the important skills you will need as a Councillor:

A Willingness to Lead -- Listen, Learn, Decide
Integrity; Focus on the Issues and Results – don’t get down in the mud
Seeing the Big Picture and Staying on Track
Staying Close to and Engaging the People Being Served – Community of Kitscoty
Respect for Role Differences
Understanding the Partnership with Administration
Understanding the Value of Priorities
Commitment to Openness and Transparency
Respect for Limitations of Power – Council’s power comes only from motions it passes; Individual Councillors do not have individual power
Clarity of Accountability; Willingness to Share Responsibility
Commitment to Sharing Ideas and Authority

Kitscoty needs you – think about it; consider running for Kitscoty Village Council.

Lois Byers, ACE Community Coach for Kitscoty

Smiling LB Consulting

New Art Co-op in Irricana

2010-05-25T11:34:00.000-06:00

It looks like there is a lot of arts and cultural-related activity in Irricana! A brand new art co-op has been established in the community thanks, partially, to funds received from the Canadian Badlands.

The co-op is hoping to open their doors June 5th with plans for a grand opening on July 10th. Included in the space is the Grasshopper Gallery as well as two classrooms that will hopefully be offering a wide variety of classes for the public. This co-op is run by its membership with the goal of attracting more artists from the surrounding Irricana-area.

If you would like any more info on this please feel free to contact Brenda Campbell: bcampbell@irricana.com

Get up and go, WOOD BUFFALO!

2010-05-16T18:35:00.001-06:00

A shout goes out to WOOD BUFFALO for the success with their 'Get Up and Go Wood Buffalo' event! The event attracted over 1000 people and a significant number of agencies collaborated in the hosting. This is a fabulous example of how a larger community can build trusted networks while working toward getting their citizens active, creative, and engaged. Congratulations to one of our Flight 1 communities for leading the way!

Entwistle in the news!

2010-05-05T16:35:00.000-06:00

Entwistle's skateboard park initiative made the news recently. The hopes of some young Entwistle residents for a new skateboard park in the hamlet grew on Tuesday as the possibility of a finished product some time in July became more of a reality. The Grove Examiner highlighted the village's youth engagement activities as it was related to the proposed project.

To read this article in full see: http://www.sprucegroveexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2558772

Boogie-ing down for the ARTS in Longview

2010-05-05T15:53:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Longview and their entrepreneurial spirit. This past Saturday, a fantastic volunteer crew put together their "Blast from the Past" Dance with the aim of raising funds for their upcoming ACE ARTS Tour in June.

The hall was packed and jumping to tunes from the 50,60,70's and most people dressed the part. And it was even reported that this initiative was the first public dance since 1988! After all expenses were paid out, Longview raised enough money to cover their ARTS Tour costs. Leftover funds will go towards the rental of the sound system for Little New York Daze and the August Music festival. Fine work, Longview!

Vulcan welcomes Leonard Nimoy

2010-04-28T16:40:00.001-06:00

The world's eyes turned to VULCAN this month and their much anticipated visit by Leonard Nimoy. Over 2500 people attend the festivities in Vulcan this month which included Mr. Nimoy's visit, a town parade, the unveiling of a bust of Nimoy's Star Trek character Spock, as well as a hand print of Nimoy's famous 'Live long and prosper' salut. These items will be added to the memorabilia collection that makes Vulcan a tourist destination for many sci-fi enthusiasts. Way to go Vulcan for meeting your long-anticipated goal of bringing Spock back to Vulcan.

Image from Reuters UK

Capitalizing on Rural Assets

2010-04-23T10:38:00.000-06:00

There are several perceptions about rural communities and one community has learned to capitalize on those perceptions: Irricana. Irricana has turned community assets into the "Top Ten Reasons to Visit Irricana".

10. Our gas station washroom is the cleanest gas station washroom in Alberta. (Go ahead and check).

9. You never have to wait at a stop light (we don't have any stop lights!)

8. If you forget the return address on your mail the post master will probably recognize your writing.

7. We actually have "slow races".

6. The neighbours are still "your" best form of security.

5. An acceptable vehicle, to drive into town to pick something up, is still a tractor.

4. Who needs billboards when you have round bales to paint on?

3. The Fire Department knows the fire hydrants by their character names (our fire hydrants are painted like cartoon characters).

2. You can still turn a combine or wagon around on main street.

1. We are a "one horse town"... and proud of it. (www.irricana.com)

You will notice that the numbers count down. On the leaflet where these reasons are listed the number one reason is listed on the bottom, rather than the top. I believe this is because the message is to showcase community pride.

What a wonderful way to monopolize on rural assets and influence those perceptions about rural communities. Sometimes these lists of 'what to do' or 'why you should visit' a community often list activities and places. Whereas Irricana has listed more intangible activities which are very attractive in rural communities.

Irricana has demonstrated community pride and a method to capitalize on the rural assets that exist in the community. The extra step taken was to publicize the information, or, tell the story. What a great exercise to go through with a community to focus on the rural assets and share that information with others.

Eckville Launches Recreation Plan

2010-04-21T10:55:00.000-06:00

Planning has been the focus for Eckville over the last few months. Eckville has just released a Community Recreation Plan at a community wide event. The community had previously identified the need to bring together volunteers, residents, and leisure in a more effective way and recognized the need for a recreation director to aide in that process.

The Eckville Community Development Association and Recreation Board has conducted extensive research both within and outside of the community and with communities of similar size. Out of that research it was evident to have a recreation director work with a plan to meet the recreation needs of the area. Over the last four months the two groups have worked with an ACE contractor to formalize a recreation plan with all the research and community input that had already been gathered.

The recreation plan is fantastic because the process was driven by the community. The community identified the priorities, goals, vision and outcomes and now the plan is in print. One of their first steps is to hire recreation director on a two year pilot project. There is little doubt whether the plan will be used or not. This plan will not become dusty on a shelf because the community has been involved from the start and the accountability is held there. This document is "living" because it is "flexible, accessible to community members, and will be continually reviewed".

Eckville is in a position of growth and opportunity in terms of recreation opportunities and now they have the plan to reach those opportunities. Way to go Eckville!

Stick It!

2010-03-29T15:19:00.000-06:00

Community residents in Chestermere had an opportunity to stick it! Sticking "it" translates into posting a sticky note on to a community map to determine what is important in the community.

A community wide gathering was held where people could fill out a scanning tool to identify some key areas of quality of life in Chestermere. Group discussions created much focus on the strengths and celebrations that Chestermere has to offer its residents.

Some of the key areas that residents focused on as strengths and assets were: events; organizations, programs, facilities, and services; nature and natural appreciation; atmosphere and people.

If you take apart those headings it is easy to see that the pipes and pavement were not necessarily what the residents were looking at. While those aspects of a community are important, the residents were looking deeper into the quality of life. Residents were actually reflecting upon what makes Chestermere an active, creative, and engaged community.

A facilitator, the community development coach, took the group through a process to determine community priorities. This overall process helped the community determine how to best focus time and energy. The process also helped the community gain ownership on how to move forward with the priorities.

Creating a meaningful and significant, yet fun process to determine what is important to people helps to set the stage for community empowerment. Take time to "stick it" and gain an understanding of what is important to your organization or community. It works!

Accolades in High Level

2010-03-22T15:56:00.000-06:00

Here are some positive reflections on how ACE is developing leaders in communities. ACE leaders Carrie Demkiw and Adam Clarkson have recently won the Chamber of Commerce’s 'Volunteer of the Year Award' for their work in High Level. They were co-nominated primarily due to the work they have done with ACE Communities. Amazing work Carrie and Adam!

Parks are Growing in Alberta

2010-03-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

It is amazing what transpires when a group of local citizens have input into the renewal of a local park. The Town of Killam has a group of local leaders working along side town staff and council to renew the local heritage park. All citizens, including youth, will equally be involved in the planning and decision making process.

The planning group has amazing foresight to the park details. The design team is looking for ways to enhance the cultural and heritage aspects of the Heritage Park. Much attention is being spent on the cultural potential of the park. This means even benches and signage would incorporate the cultural side of Killam.

It seems that the park will not be unused in any shape or form as the focus is to renew the park for all year use. This could include features of a toboggan and ice surface area to fitness and tennis space and theatre potential.

The best part of the Killam Heritage Park renewal is not the product, but the process. Involving citizens in creating, planning, and decision making processes will help create a public space that is reflective of the community.

Sylvan Lake's MSP Youth Forum

2010-02-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

Sylvan Lake has just completed their Youth Forum regarding youth input into the town's upcoming Municipal Sustainability Plan. The Sylvan Lake ACE committee also used the forum to tap into what the youth think about in terms of a potential ACE initiative in their community.

The youth who attended the forum expressed a need for items like: better transportation, an embracing of their lake culture, mentorship opportunities, multi-cultural events, and more youth engagement in the realm of arts, culture, and recreation.

They also expressed pride in their activities to promote an active and healthy approach to maintaining the Lake through greener activities and advocacy. Great work, Sylvan Lake! We are excited to see what your youth leaders will accomplish.

Didsbury's Community Cafe

2010-02-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Didsbury had a coffee and dessert Community Cafe this month as part of their ACE Scanning Tool activities. 32 participants showing very broad representation of the population attended including a range from new residents, long time residents, volunteers with lots of experience and people new to volunteering as well as youth and seniors.

The purpose of the Community Cafe was to use the ACE Community Scanning Tool to gain residents’ opinions on the strengths of the community, areas to work upon, and initiatives that the Didsbury ACE Committee could undertake.

By the end of the workshop, participants had:

· Indicated what direction they as citizens of Didsbury and District want the ACE initiative to take

· Identified some of the community’s strengths and areas that need improvement

· Expressed ideas for the top three priorities for the ACE community to work upon

· Indicated their interest in contributing and being involved with ACE.

Good work, Didsbury! We can't wait to see the results in action.

Communicating via Blogging

2010-02-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

A Kitscoty leader took the challenge and started to blog for the community of Kitscoty. What Diane uses the blog for is a communication tool. The focus is having a calendar of events so residents can look at a glance to discover what is happening in the community. Or, residents can look ahead to find out future events. If you look at the site you will notice that there is a lot happening! Check it out at kitscoty.blogspot.com Rural communities are busy!

I actually went on-line to find out the definition of a blog. It is one of those words that I know what it means, but where does it come from? Blog stems from "web log" and is a blend of the two words. In essence, it is a website where a person can add content in the form of a calendar, stories, pictures, and other relevant material. What a fantastic way to share what is happening in a community!

Blogging- what a creative, yet practical way to communicate to others in a community.

Newsworthy Vulcan

2010-02-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this article in the Vulcan Advocate about the Ignite Event in Vulcan. Vulcan had an amazing day where the ACE team spent time in the high school as well as with the public at large. The Vulcan ACE Committee has already followed up with their scanning tool workshop so Vulcan is well on their way in their planning as an ACE Community. We are also in the midst of working with both the Vulcan Advocate and the local high school on our new Youth Reporter Initiative.

See this link for more info on the news in Vulcan: http://www.vulcanadvocate.com/

And here is the article links: http://docs.google.com/a/aceleaders.ca/fileview?id=0B3pKQajHE5jJY2NlZmVjMGMtNmUzYi00YzZkLTljZTQtYjM1ZGYwZmUyYTZl&hl=en

and

http://docs.google.com/a/aceleaders.ca/fileview?id=0B3pKQajHE5jJZWQ4YTdhNDEtZmI1Ni00MWY2LTgzOWMtNWZiYzA4MDk0OWVk&hl=en

The Olympic Spirit in Irricana

2010-02-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's the Olympic Spirit in Irricana! Irricana was one of the lucky communities to have the Olympic torch to come through on its way to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics. Attached is a photo of the torch bearer, Jake Parker. Jake was a member of SOGO and had a successful year with the group as a youth volunteer. Great job Irricana!

Igniting Longview

2010-01-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Igniting seems like a strong word, doesn't? But in Longview and other ACE Communities it is about using a positive event to move communities forward, rather than a catastrophe to bring people together.

Longview had Ian Hill, ACE Ambassador, speak to key groups and the community at large in mid-January.

Local leaders reflected on the day's events and one shared "what an incredible and productive day we all had!!...It has been smouldering but you managed to spark it into a pretty substantial fire! If I had to put it in a picture, this was Longview after you all left" And Michelle Geistlinger provided the fireworks picture.

Michelle continues and shares that "the feedback we have been getting has been excellent with many expressing their extreme gratitude for the opportunity to hear your message and many more wanting to know when you can come back! The very next morning Mayor McCorquindale had an email from a resident offering his carpentry skills free of charge for any main street merchants wishing to spruce up their store front and this person also hopes your message spreads as do we all who were at the meeting."

Michelle added the many residents indicated that they want to be involved in the local ACE group and others saying they will participate when a project is started. Michelle added that "one resident has enlisted a sound engineer to donate a 24 channel mixer and his skills for our Music Tour in June and his design skills for the proposed stage in the park." The Music Tour is the ACE Arts Tour that is being held in rural Alberta starting later this winter.

Needless to say, a community can pull together and focus on working collaboratively without a crisis. That is what rural Alberta communities are doing today.

Celebration for Active Communities!

2010-01-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Late in 2009, leaders from ten communities celebrated the conclusion of their two year commitment as partners in the Alberta Active Communities initiative, and also celebrated their progress in getting more people, more active, more often in their individual communities.

Since the initiative received funding in April 2006, tremendous capacity has been created to support communities in becoming more active. Relationships have been built, networks created, and plans developed to change communities for the better. Projects that range from communication schemes and trail connections, to greenhouses and youth leadership groups, were created by citizens to promote health and quality of life in their communities.

Alberta Active Communities ultimately inspired a funding proposal to Rural Alberta's Development Fund to build upon the initiative's success. With corporate support from EnCana and CanWest Media ARPA received the funding, and as a result, ACE Communities has taken off, now supporting over 50 communities in the province.

Although the Alberta Active Communities project is at an end, the philosophies and strategies carry on through ACE Communities. ARPA would like to congratulate the first ten partner communities: Calling Lake, Camrose, Drayton Valley, High Level, Hinton, Irricana, Lethbridge, Paddle Prairie, Wainright, and Wood Buffalo. They have taken great action to strengthen and broaden leadership, and to get more people engaged and active in their communities.

Leduc County Moving Forward

2010-01-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Leduc County has three villages that it has been working with in conjunction with its partnership with ACE Communities: New Sarepta, Thorsby, and Warburg. Community leaders have worked with local residents determining priorities and it is clear that action has been taken by recent activity.

New Sarepta is now hosting a Community Kitchen. People are able to cook together to create low cost, healthy meals for their families. What an opportunity to learn about some meal planning and have fun at the same time! Food is always an attraction for community building!

Thorsby is focusing on recreation with creating a more up-to-date recreation complex. Likewise, Warburg is focusing on adding needed equipment to their facility.

A county wide event is the "Get Up and Go Girl" workshop being held later in February. All the communities in the county will be included. Young women will have the opportunity to learn about healthy living, sport, and recreation.

Way to go Leduc County!

Lethbridge's journey to a healthier 2010

2010-01-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Lethbridge is a very busy and healthy city in 2010. Not only will it be partnering with Alberta Centre for Active Living (ACAL) to host a presentation on barriers and solutions to physical activity in February 2010, they will also be co-hosting a Physical Activity forum with ACAL in June to promote active transportation.

Also on the plate, is an event with the 'Urban Farmer" Ron Berezan from Edmonton to do a presentation in Lethbridge around edible landscaping and community gardening.

Congrats to Lethbridge for making their city not only active but more environmentally aware!

Healthy Workplace Awards

2010-01-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

Kathyrn Badry in Camrose, with the help of her colleagues, has completed an outline for a Healthy Workplace Recognition Award program.

This program will see businesses being presented with support, resources and recognition for contributing to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle in the workplace. The initial lauch of the program was held December 3rd at the annual Christmas social for the Chamber of Commerce.

Way to go Camrose for your hard work at keeping your community active, creative, and engaged!

Youth Training in Calling Lake

2010-01-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Calling Lake's community leader Angela Lightning and 43 residents successfully completed the Handling Food Safely Training provided by Health Services. At least 20 of those involved were youth from Team ACE.

Team ACE will also be operating the concession at the rink in Calling Lake beginning immediately! This is a project designed to help youth find ways of contributing positively to the community while learning a skill and making some money.

Kudos to Calling Lake and their efforts at successfully engaging and training the next generation of ACE leaders!

Nanton's in the news!

2009-12-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Nanton for their amazing ACE Ignite event on December 3rd! Just out of the gate and they have already received coverage in their local paper, the Nanton News. ACE Communities was proud to have been the cover story. Please see these links to follow the coverage of Nanton's activities:

http://www.nantonnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2210310

http://www.nantonnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2210317

http://www.nantonnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2199821

http://www.nantonnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2199824

Active Okotoks

2009-12-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Okotoks is excited to be furthering the "active" component of ACE Communities and was chosen as one of six 'Canada Gets Active' pilot communities.

The Town of Okotoks has been selected by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) as one of six communities to participatein the "Canada Gets Active" pilot project. As a project participant, the Town has received $15,000 for their implementation of various physical activity programs for local grade 5 students, in addition to providing them with Recreation Centre facility passes. The project is designed to increase physical activity involvement of grade 5 students across Canada by increasing their access to participation in community recreation facilities.

Over the next eight months, the Town will be establishing partnershipswith key organizations in the community to achieve pilot projectoutcomes (ie: school boards and public health officials). As the project lead, Janette Messer, Community Programs Team leader will beproviding reports and evaluations to the CPRA with project updates and successes through the next months.

The CPRA is the national voice for parks and recreation professionals and volunteers across Canada. It is a not-for-profit, registered charitable organization with over 2600 members who are directly or indirectly in the provision of programming for the parks and recreation sector.

ACE Communities Bloom

2009-12-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Blooms, blooms, blooms across rural Alberta!

Whitecourt has received provincial recognition for its participation in Communities in Bloom and won the 2009 title in the 6,001 to 12,000 population category. Whitecourt actually won FIVE blooms- the highest number awarded.

Other ACE Communities that received bloom recognition include: Warburg, Thorsby, Trochu, Wainwright, Sylvan Lake, and Sangudo.

Communities in Bloom is a provincial program hosted by Alberta Recreation and Parks Assocation and is also a national program http://www.cib.arpaonline.ca/.

Communities who enter and participate in the contest focus on more than blooms. "Communities in Bloom promotes involvement and action by citizens of all ages, the municipal government, local organizations, and businesses. The program strives to improve the tidiness, appearance, and visual appeal of Canada's neighbourhoods, parks, open spaces, and streets through the imaginative use of flowers, plants, and trees. A focus on environmental awareness preservation of heritage and culture is also an integral part of its success, resulting in improved quality of life."

When people take more pride in their community and focus on beautification and environmental programs such as this, the outcomes are more than the blooms. The outcomes are about collaboration, decreased crime rates, cultural and heritage awareness, and increased local economic benefits. When people's quality of life is increased community flourish... and bloom!

Keep up the dedication to making ACE Communities and rural Alberta beautiful!

Okotoks' Fall Festival a Hit

2009-12-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Jelly bean dancing, talent, scrabble, baking, charity, and neighbours all rolled into one event during a weekend! Sounds interesting!

Okotoks recently had a Fall Festival that featured a Jelly Bean dance where all ages could participate. Over 150 people danced and jiggled and I would imagine ate jelly beans! What a super way to have a family event. A few children were brave and stood up for the "Okotoks' Got Talent" portion of the event.

The following day a Scrabble tournament was held with around 150 participants facing each other over a friendly competition of word crafting. A food collection was taken for the food bank to help others. Of course, food is always part of festivities so a bake off was held with delicious goodies.

Last but not least, a section of Okotoks was named "the most neighbourly ACE place to live". The ACE steering committee has been working at creating neighbourhood awareness and during the fall festival the winner was announced.

Okotoks residents are saying the loved the festivities and they want more. To me, that shows that people do want to be more neighbourly. When festivals like this are created then opportunities to be neighbourly flourish. Way to go Okotoks!

Involve, involve, involve

2009-11-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Drayton Valley residents were recently involved in the development of the Municipal Sustainability Plan. While the involvement piece may not seem new, engaging people throughout the process can be challenging and new for some.

Can you imagine the setting? Co-residents, city staff, and council sitting together and engaging in dialogue about the goals and aspirations of the community and how those goals are incorporated in the pillars of sustainability. What an opportunity to really hear from one another about what is important to residents and how the community can be shaped.

With such community involvement the goals that were developed will not be forgotten or put on a shelf to collect dust. Residents will be more aware of how the Municipal Sustainability Plan unfolds in the community because they have been an integral part of the process.

Hinton Moving Forward

2009-11-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Hinton for the great progress being made on their community garden and greenhouse initiative. Spearheaded by the Hinton Community Garden Society, the project has three goals in place: to increase Hinton’s food security, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and bring the community together in a central hub.
 
Two greenhouses have been donated by Kinder Morgan canada that will be available to anyone in town to grow their own food, with a small portion of it going back into the community. Along with the grant from ACE Communities, the society was also the recipient of a $22,000 Quality of Life grant from the Town of Hinton earlier this year. More recently, they were a beneficiary of the Skid and Steer Rodeo, held on Sept. 26. The goal is have an outdoor garden planted by the spring of 2010, and to have a public greenhouse ready for planting by 2011.

For more info on this project you can go to: http://www.hintonvoice.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=186&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=3041&hn=hintonvoice&he=.com