On behalf of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors for the Hidden Valley Community Association (HVCA), welcome to August, and the beginning of a new term for the Board of Directors.
During a successful Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June 2021, HVCA membership elected two members into formerly vacant Director positions to help the Board deliver on its mission for members and residents. As one of two Executive Board members continuing their two-year terms, I would like to welcome Deb M. (Director at Large) and Christina C. (Programs and Events Director) to the Board. We expect (following our August Board Meeting) to confirm a third member who stood for election at the AGM to our Schools Liaison Director position, pending clarification of the role and its responsibilities. I would also like to congratulate and welcome back the Directors returning to the Board for another annual term. A special welcome back, and thank you, is warranted for Karla W. who was elected to a two-year term on the Executive as Secretary.
While a certain amount of Board stability is vital to deliver our mission year after year, members joining or rejoining as Directors helps to keep the Board connected and informed: connected to the people who make Hidden Valley and Hanson Ranch their home; and informed of their perspectives and experiences as part of the community. Even if you were not able to join us at the AGM, we are looking forward to holding more events, gathering more volunteers, and reconnecting with you over the next year.
As part of reconnecting, we have launched a Community Needs Assessment Survey to gather and analyze resident and member feedback. We will send this out by email to members who have consented to receive email from the HVCA, but the survey will also be posted online, with a few paper copies available at events. Details can be found at www.hiddenhut.org/survey2021.
While we use the survey to think about the future, it is also time to look back. As an Association founded in 1995, our twenty-fifth anniversary was in 2020. But, with everything going on (and not able to go on, due to COVID-19) we were not able to properly recognize and celebrate that anniversary. Instead of rushing to try to pull something together for Alberta Culture Days in September 2021, the 2020-2021 Board created a project so that through the remainder of 2021 and 2022 we will prepare for a celebration of our shared history during Alberta Culture Days 2022. You can check out what our volunteers have learned so far on our website (www.hiddenhut.org/history) and keep up to date on our progress, or even volunteer to help us out.
And, in the present, since Alberta began Stage 3 of its Open for Summer Plan in July, the Board continued its experiment with YYC Food Trucks and their Community Pop-Up program. In this program, the attending trucks are only confirmed the night before, so check our Facebook and Twitter feeds for confirmation ahead of our August event. This experiment has been helping to raise funds for our parkspace revitalization program (H2Spaces, and the specific park at Hidden Hills Way); and attendance at, and feedback from, the Pop-ups helps us determine whether to continue this type of program for ongoing fundraising. We also are looking for feedback to determine whether our community has favourite trucks that they might want to see again at our larger events in the fall and winter. Our next planned Food Truck Pop-up will be Thursday, September 3, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm on Hidden Valley Drive, in front of Valley Creek School. We hope to see you there!
