President's Note

A month or so ago, my neighbor phoned me out of the blue on a Saturday morning, and asked me if I knew where my daughter was. My first thought was “What? Of course I do.. wait, do I?” It took me a second to realize, yes, I knew where my daughter was, she was skipping down the road to her friend’s house (still in her pyjamas and carrying a box of timbits, but let’s move right passed my parenting choices).

My neighbor had seen her running out of the house and heading down to the street on her own and phoned me to check up on her. I thought about getting annoyed – why wouldn’t I know where my child was? But… then I thought: my neighbor knows my name, my children’s names and has my phone number. He paid attention when he saw her on her own and cared enough about her to make that phone call to make sure she was safe. And the follow on thought was, what a wonderful community I live in, where not only do I feel safe enough for her to walk to a friend’s house, but I feel safer knower that there is a wide safety net ready to catch her.

So, as we move out of a long, lazy, rainy summer and into another busy fall, keep an eye out for each other Greenfield. Let’s reach out and connect, share recipes and stay in each other’s lives.

A great opportunity for connection is the Community League Day BBQ on September 21st, starting at 11am. Come join us for a free hot dog, share some extra garden produce, talk to our community garden planners and chat with your community board about ideas you’d like to see for the fall. We will also be unveiling our 50th Anniversary mural on the east side of the hall!

​As always, don’t forget to purchase your Community League Membership for 2019/20. Your membership gives you a vote at our AGM and other great benefits. Memberships are $30 for individuals, $15 for seniors, $25 for senior couples and $50 for families. Memberships can be purchased online or at our AGM in January. 

When I was growing up in a small rural community in central Alberta, I never would have guessed that years later I would feel planted in the city enjoying some of the benefits of a small town community right in the midst of a city. Growing up on a farm in Alberta had lots of benefits but some of the richest were the many ways that we ended up building connections together with our neighbours. We gathered together for functions. My parents lent equipment or a hand to each other, called each other if something of question was going on on their land, drove each other’s kids around, coached each other’s kids, laughed together, and even shed the occasional tear together. I never would have dreamed that this same sense of community, belonging & support could develop in the city.

My husband and I have lived in our little corner of Greenfield now for nearly 17 years and we have benefited immeasurably through the community that surrounds us. We enjoy connections with neighbours of various different talents, often sharing skills with each other. We shared toys, tools, food, and great conversations. We keep an eye open for each other’s homes, kids and pets. We have adopted grandparents for our kids and dog. We gather to celebrate. We gather to grieve.

When I reflect back to the very beginning, I recognize that one of the keys to these connections developing was that we moved onto a block where there was already a traditional block party booked for each June. I remember the first summer as we timidly walked down the street to join the party. The street was blocked off, kids were riding their decorated biked all over and BBQ’s, tables and chairs were pulled into the street. Within minutes I had this immediate feel of “small town community”. Kids were playing on the street, adults were introducing themselves to each and many others were reminiscing of the years of old. We were included and belonged!

Our block continues to host a block party every summer, rain or shine...over 30 years running! It isn’t super fancy as we gather a few BBQ’s, share food, fire pit and games. Through it all there is a sense that we can belong and care for each other making our little town in the midst of the city a thriving place to growth and connect.

If you would like to start a legacy of block parties on your block or in your alley these websites might be helpful resources for you. The sites are also rich with fresh ideas if your block party has already been going for a while now. The city recognizes the importance of connections like this and are happy to help with resources. Feel free to connect with us on the Greenfield board too if you would like more stories and ideas for how to coordinate your party.

Cheers to your “small town” in the city!
- Loretta James 

BlockParties:https://www.edmonton.ca/ residential_neighbourhoods/neighbourhoods/blockparties.aspx
​Play Streets: https://www.edmonton.ca/ residential_neighbourhoods/neighbourhoods/playstreets.aspx

Happy New Years Greenfield!

What an amazing New Years Eve we had. Thanks to everyone who made the time and joined us for the unveiling of our 50th anniversary mural – I hope you were all as awed and inspired as I am. We hope to be mounting our mural in the spring on the wall facing the playground so that all our community artists can enjoy their contribution to our community for many years to come. I have to give a huge thank you to Matt, Ashley and the whole No Frills family who sponsored our New Years Eve party and all their support in planning and making it happy. We are so lucky to have you in our community!

Despite the end of the holiday season, there are still lots of fun things happening around our community this winter including Shinny Hockey on Saturday mornings at 10am at the Greenfield rink. Come on out and skate with us and remember that all players under 18 require a helmet and a waiver. Outdoor soccer registration runs from January 15 – February 28th, more information can be found on the Community webpage. And stay tuned and join us for a glass at our Saint Patrick’s Day Event in March.

As many of you are aware, Greenfield has recently experienced a spike in random thefts and suspicious activities. In response to these events, the Community League Board has added a Neighbourhood Watch position who will be leading our community’s engagement on keeping our neighbourhood safe and welcoming. We are thrilled to have Kenny Wurtak on board and to encourage everyone who has questions or concerns to join us as at our January 31st AGM at the Community Hall. Our community becomes safer when we come together, when we get to know our neighbours and continue to take pride in and to participate in our community. So, despite the cold weather, despite the end of the holidays, I encourage you all to get out, come skating, walk to Petrolia, meet your neighbours and continue to share the warmth of community.

As always, don’t forget to purchase your Community League Membership for 2018/19. Your membership gives you a vote at our AGM and other great benefits. Memberships are $30 for individuals, $15 for seniors, $25 for senior couples and $50 for families. Memberships can be purchased online or at our AGM on the 31st.

I can be reached at president@greenfieldcommunityleague.com and look forward to seeing everyone at the AGM!

- Amanda

​Hello Greenfield!

Welcome to another beautiful fall in the neighbourhood. There so many exciting things to tell you about. First of all, I’d like to introduce myself.

The Board said a sad farewell to Sam Goertz this past May, who has led our community board for the last two years. Sam was an amazing, passionate contributor to our community and he will deeply missed for his vision and commitment to our community. My name is Amanda Barros and I will be taking the role of interim president until our AGM on January 31st. I am a long time Greenfield resident – my family moved to the community when I was in kindergarten, I attended Greenfield Elementary School and my family and I moved back to the neighbourhood about five years ago to be closer to family. I have been on the Board for the past two years and I feel privileged to step up into the presidency.

Enough of that! I am thrilled to announce that Greenfield Community has received a grant from the Alberta Foundation from the Arts to create a Mural Mosaic celebrating our 50 years as a community. This is an opportunity for us to come together and create a wall of art that celebrates where we have been as a community and where we are going over the next 50 years. We will be hosting a community painting session on November 17th at the Community Hall – come on down, show off your artistic skills and paint a piece of our history. And then stay tuned for our grand unveiling on New Years Eve where we show off our finished masterpiece.

Also this fall, we are hosting our third annual Craft Fair at the Community Hall on December 1st and 2nd. Come and down and support our artistic community members. And as always, Greenfield will host the most amazing New Years Eve fireworks – stop by the Hall for some hot chocolate, lace up your skates, see our Mural unveiled and cuddle close to your neighbours for fireworks at 9pm.

Thank you to everyone who showed up to our September Community League Day. Despite some last minute changes to the agenda (no one wants to be on a Bouncy castle in minus three weather!), it was a wonderful warm day to be in the Hall together as a community. And thank you so much to everyone who showed up on October 25th for our first ever Community League Wine Tasting Fundraiser. Nothing says civilized fundraising while sipping on prosecco. Stay tuned for a spring wine tasting in support of the Soccer program and the other fine work our community does.

As always, don’t forget to purchase your Community League Membership for 2018/19. Your membership gives you a vote at our AGM and other great benefits. Memberships are $30 for individuals, $15 for seniors, $25 for senior couples and $50 for families. Memberships can be purchased online or at our AGM in January.

I can be reached at president@greenfieldcommunityleague.com and look forward to seeing everyone on the playground!

Regards,
​Amanda Barros 

Thank you, Greenfield,

This will be my final President’s note, as I am officially stepping down this September. It is with mixed emotions that I write this; while I am excited about my new adventures I will deeply miss living in Greenfield and serving Greenfielders. Above all else, I am filled with a sincere gratitude for the opportunity to have been your President. The folks I met during my three years in the community (and two and a half as President) are some of the best that I have ever met. I have loved leading the community league and seeing through a wave of new projects from establishing games night as a regular event to the complete overhaul of our website in the summer of 2016.

When I was first considering running for President, I developed a “platform: and a “campaign” speech, little did I know neither would be needed! Upon becoming the President in April of 2016, I was firmly focused on bringing the three central initiatives from my “platform” to Greenfield in addition to continuing the great work of past Presidents. Those three initiatives were appointing a Seniors Liaison to the board, building a community garden, and establishing a 3 on 3 community hockey tournament. While the tournament had to be cancelled due to unexpectedly warm weather, I am proud to say the first two initiatives have been successes. 

We appointed our first Seniors Liaison, Nav Sharma, in June of 2016. From there, we earned the Age Friendly Edmonton Seniors Grant, due to Nav’s hard work, and have worked hard and successfully in better connecting Greenfield’s senior citizens. Dorris Lee continues Nav’s great work and I have no doubt that Greenfield will continue to serve seniors better and better.

The community garden project has been one of the hardest undertakings of my life, stretching over two and a half years and hundreds of hours of work. Happily, all of this work, by me and a team of dedicated volunteers has been a success. The project gained formal city approval in March and we will be pursuing a grant to fully fund the project and start gardening in 2019. I have immense confidence in my two successors as Chair, Tyler Shannon, and Sandi Lafleur.

Make sure to purchase your Community League membership for the 2018-2019 year to get a host of wonderful benefits, from community swims to discounted hall rental rates among many other benefits outlined on our website. Memberships can be purchased online or at the community hall. Email memberships@greenfieldcommunityleague.com for more!

I will be in Greenfield for the 50th Anniversary Community BBQ on September 15th, 2018, and I hope to see you all there. I can’t think of a better event at which to say goodbye to such a wonderful and warm community. Have a fantastic autumn and be sure to keep up with the latest community programs and events on our website, Facebook page, or by signing up for our email express. Serving you has been my utmost honour, thank you.

Sincerely,
Sam Goertz

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