by Shelly Smith
Rhonda Smith has served on the Springbank Hill Community Association (SBHCA) board since January 2020. She recently stepped down from her role as Vice President to pursue other commitments and open a spot for new community members to join our Board of Directors. Board members would like to take this opportunity to thank Rhonda for everything she has done for the board and, most importantly, the Springbank Hill community.
Rhonda is passionate about her community and put her career skills to work by volunteering. She is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Trace Associates Inc., a midsized environmental consulting and engineering advisory firm here in Calgary. Rhonda first joined the SBHCA board as Secretary. In late 2019, she connected with our SBHCA president, who was looking for a board secretary and Rhonda’s skills (organizational and communications) were a perfect fit for this position. She not only took on the role of secretary but also managed our community newsletter and website. Rhonda later passed those responsibilities to a new board member and moved to the SBHCA Vice President role.
Volunteering in her SBHCA board capacity, Rhonda says she has welcomed being informed about what is happening in our community, along with meeting new like-minded people, and bringing great programs and events to our association members. As well, she has appreciated the diversity of ideas from our board and community members. She also feels that it is very important to inform our community members about activities and projects within our community.
Rhonda’s contribution to the SBHCA board and our community has been significant, including:
• In partnership with the Signal Hill and Discovery Ridge community associations, leading the Annual Community Cleanup in April 2022 and 2023.
• Working with the City of Calgary to install three picnic tables at the Springbank Hill Community Park. They have just been installed near the beautiful mural along the pathway.
• Hosting and volunteering for the annual (October) SBHCA Pumpkin Hunt and the Montreux community Movie in the Park events.
• Establishing and chairing the quarterly SBHCA Officer leadership meetings and process.
• Implementing processes, tools, and templates relating to the SBHCA governance, including updating our Bylaws.
• Being our SBHCA newsletter editor for many years.
Volunteering is not new to Rhonda. She has been the Treasurer and Vice President for the Canadian Land Reclamation Association’s Alberta Chapter, as well, has volunteered at her children’s schools, the Mustard Seed, and The Children’s Cottage, to name a few. She also volunteered as an environmental subject matter expert guest for a Grade 5 class sharing about wetland ecosystems.
When asked why she volunteers, Rhonda says “I want to give back and contribute in a meaningful way. I also want to be a role model for my children.” Rhonda truly believes that you can make a difference by volunteering and enjoys seeing the results directly.
Rhonda would like to give a huge shout-out to everyone who volunteers for the SBHCA for everything they do – they are a fantastic group of people!
We will miss you, Rhonda! Thank you for your volunteerism and making our community a better place.
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