Season’s Greetings from Symons Valley Park,
Hello everyone, I hope your families have been healthy and happy. This year the volunteer board of Symons Valley Park focused our efforts on developing relationships with community groups and prospective partners. The board also moved forward with applying for an LOC or License of Occupation, which is the legal expression of the relationship between social recreation organizations with The City of Calgary. This arrangement will give us the ability to move closer to applying for a development permit for construction.
One of our proudest moments this year was hosting the Movie in the Park event, a wonderful evening where families, friends, and neighbours gathered to enjoy a movie under the stars. This event was more than just a movie screening—it was a celebration of our shared community and the spirit of togetherness that makes Symons Valley so special. We couldn’t have made the Movie in the Park a reality without the support of our dedicated volunteers, community members, and generous local business sponsors. Your support allowed us to create a memorable evening, and we’re so grateful for your involvement in making events like these possible. A big thank you to our sponsors:
• Calgary Blizzard Soccer (Platinum Sponsor)
• Fresh Air Cinema (Gold Sponsor)
• Calgary Foundation (Gold Sponsor)
• Servus Credit Union (Gold Sponsor)
• The City of Calgary (Silver Sponsor)
• Cottage Care North (Silver Sponsor)
• The Kincora Community Association (Silver Sponsor).
This year also saw two reputable studies done to highlight the current and future state of parks in North-Central Calgary. The first one, Place Matters: A North Calgary Project, was co-authored by Vivo for Healthy Generations and Parks Foundation Calgary. The study set out to discover what creates a sense of belonging in North-Central Calgary, and also helped to build tools for organizations like ours to use, along with generating a list of priorities of community-driven outdoor space projects for the future. The Symons Valley area was at the top of the list of communities with potential projects.
The second document is Connect: Calgary’s Parks Plan. The City of Calgary’s Parks and Open Spaces is creating a 20-year plan on how the city will develop, redevelop, and manage parks to connect Calgarians with nature, wellness, and each other. This plan has commitments to important priorities like inclusive parks, sustainable community funding, tree (canopy) coverage, and climate resilient landscaping and water use. Our project is aligned with what the City of Calgary is planning and would suggest that we are the perfect candidate for the City to partner with to achieve their goals of building parks and promoting volunteerism.
As the year draws to a close, now is a great time to maximize your tax credit through charitable giving. If you believe that we need more recreational amenities in our neighbourhood that bring our community together, please consider making a donation to Symons Valley Park. Every contribution helps us build toward our goals and bring more vibrant experiences to the area. Find a link to donate at www.symonsvalleypark.ca/donate.
At Symons Valley Park, we believe in creating spaces that bring people together, foster friendships, and strengthen our local bonds. The Movie in the Park event highlighted the importance of these connections, helping everyone feel part of something greater. These gatherings align with our vision of Symons Valley Park as a welcoming, vibrant hub for all. We’re excited to bring even more events, programs, and improvements to the Symons Valley area in 2025. Our commitment to building an outdoor destination for our community remains at the heart of everything we do, and we can’t wait to create more opportunities for us all to connect, celebrate, and grow together.
Thank you for being a part of our journey this year. We look forward to everything we’ll accomplish together in the year ahead. Have a very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025!
Kris McPherson
President, Symons Valley Leisure and Amenities Society
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