Volunteer Week Event: 14 April’24
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” Elizabeth Andrew.
On 14th April, the league hosted an event to celebrate National Volunteer Week. During Volunteer Appreciation Week , our league showed appreciation for the hundreds of hours that our community collectively spends annually on activities they choose to animate, beautify and strengthen community in Windsor Park. We shared home made chilli con carne and vegetarian pizza and had a chance to chat with neighbours and community aquaintances. We also saw this as an opportunity to ask our attendees to imagine a broad vision for our neighbourhood and to brainstorm how we might get there as volunteers in a a volunteer organization.
The league also saw this as an opportunity to bring any new community members into the fold and encourage them to take an active role in the community and/ or the community league board.
The event took an unexpected turn with attendees expressing strong concerns about the community league’s stance and actions on civics and planning issues.
Thank you to those who came along. And for those who did not, here are the highlights of what was discussed at the event in envisioning the Windsor Park of the future and how we might get there.
“In envisioning the future of Windsor Park, we aim for a community characterized by safe streets, affordable housing, vibrant family life, excellent schools, and a strong sense of belonging and connection among residents. We envision a green, sunny neighbourhood where people are actively invested in community life, and short-term rentals are limited. To achieve this vision, the Windsor Park Community League must evolve to become a proactive, united, and representative body that listens to its members, builds relationships, and that strategically advocates for the community’s interests. This involves our community members engaging in regular meetings and committees, utilizing our resources to raise funds and employ experts, collaborating with other communities, and being politically active. Additionally, we must gather data on resident opinions and density to inform decision-making, recruit more volunteers, and advocate for a pause on up-zoning until community concerns are addressed.”
These discussions have been shared with the WPCL Board. We encourage anyone who want to add to this vision or to offer a little time to helping our community get there. To contact info@windsor-park.ca. #bethechange #communitymatters #volunteerappreciation