It’s hard to believe that summer is winding down and families are adjusting to back-to-school.
Although we couldn’t host our traditional summer events this year, we were happy to keep moving Reimagine Beddington projects forward. The planters were a beautiful addition to our community, we are assessing possible pollinator areas, and we are busy gathering info on gardens and green spaces in our neighhourhood to become Alberta’s first Butterflyway. Thank you to the dedicated Reimagine Beddington Committee, including resident beekeeper and pollinator aficionado David. They weren’t going to let anything get in the way of their vision.
Although the doors were closed for a short period of time, the incredible staff at our Before and After School Program (BASP) opened for Summer Camps under new protocols and have been able to adjust programs to meet ever-changing criteria as schools opened back up. We want to thank them for their hard work and dedication to providing safe, quality care to children in our community.
While we couldn’t host events during these incredibly tough times, we had the privilege and pleasure to take some time to identify community organizations that make a difference in the lives of individuals and families in Beddington. After some thoughtful discussion, the Board decided to make donations to these four incredible organizations:
- Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids who provide meals to hungry kids, even throughout the pandemic
- Distress Centre who have seen an increase in demand for their resources, counselling and their 24/7 crisis line (403-266-HELP)
- Calgary Food Bank which continues to be the first line of emergency food support for families and individuals facing crisis; and
- Closer to Home Community Services which recently opened a new Family Resource Network right in our neighbourhood.
We want to thank these and the many other community organizations that have had to navigate new waters while continuing to provide crucial resources to enhance the wellbeing of Calgary communities, including our own.
Planning is now underway for what will likely be our first virtual Annual General Meeting. We will take the opportunity to chat about the crazy year we had, but also the many successes experienced along the way. We hope to welcome new board members (we always need more helping hands!) and plan for the year ahead.
We are a small dedicated group of volunteers and need new community-minded people to join the BHCA Board and Reimagine Beddington Committee. If you (or someone you know) have a few hours to give each month to volunteer with the board or ideas for projects to enhance our community, please email [email protected] so we can connect with you.
Take care,
Jessica Martin-Thompson
President, BHCA
