Cold Lake Spearheads Unique Pilot Program

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!