When: Weds, March 22 7-9pm

Where: at the Hall (12015 39A Ave

Why: Because we have lots going on and we want to tell you about it!

Everyone who attends the AGM will be entered for a free give-away just for showing up! These items (pictured below) were donated by several businesses at the Fairway Mall in support of our League’s efforts to promote the Legacy Project - the collection of goodies includes these great donations: 

- Studio YEG Art (coffee mug/coffee/$25 gift card), 

- Square1 (2 bags of coffee/sweatshirt that can be exchanged for size), 

- Stone & Wheel ($50 gift card), 

- Westbrook Veterinary Clinic (various dog & cat treats). 

There will be beverages and snacks available too - if you plan to attend please email [email protected] so we can have a rough head count.

You can find additional AGM info (ie. agenda, past meeting minutes) on our website:

www.aspengardens.ca/league/

This is an exciting year for the Aspen Gardens Community League as we are

finally ready to proceed with the longterm goal of renovating and revitalizing our Hall! The intention has always been to develop an inviting, multipurpose space which can both enhance the programs and services provided by the League, as well as offer space that community league members can access for their own personal use. With Little Aspen Playschool leaving the premises, we now have an opportunity to develop a more robust rental program that will play a significant role in generating revenue for our League. This will be an important aspect of League function, as this additional revenue will not only subsidize basic operating costs, but will also create seed funds for future League projects. While we don’t anticipate the space being ready for rentals until early 2024, we would like someone to come on board now to build the program in advance of actual rentals taking place, so we are ready to go when construction is complete. Like all other Board positions, a 2 year term is preferable. To that end, the Board would like to add a Rentals Director position to our current Board roster.

The Rentals Director responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• assist in creating the rental program from the ground up. Working with other

Board members, the Rentals Director will take the lead to create a rental

process (ie. bookings, referrals) that is streamlined for both the League and

the public

• to ensure adherence to the rental policy which includes the rental rates, rental

agreement and rental insurance, including adherence to the EFCL/City of

Edmonton Tripartite Agreement.

• to create advertisements to promote public rentals and inform of the

availability for our newly created space.

• to collaborate with other Directors on the Board to potentially coordinate join

amenity rentals (seasonally).

• collection and tracking of rental income in collaboration with the Treasurer

**It should be noted that while we are restructuring our rental program, there are significant supports, guidelines and templates available from the City of

Edmonton that will greatly facilitate this work. Additionally, our Board currently

has a Director with experience in this area, who is willing to provide support and guidance with program development - you will not be on your own! :)

The Vice-President:

• presides at meetings in the President’s absence. If the Vice-President is

absent, the Directors elect a Chairperson for the meeting;

• replaces the President at various functions when asked to do so by the

President or the Board;

• is a signing authority;

• is responsible for the annual review of the Bylaws, Policies and Procedures;

• is a member of the Executive Committee; and carries out other duties assigned by the Board.

The Inside Scoop:

The Vice-President would work closely with the President to assist with specific

tasks and work items that are required for the overall Board operations that the

President oversees. The Bylaws were last reviewed and revised in 2015, and

while they are currently serving us well, they could likely use a review in the next year or two to ensure any relevant updates are included. Ideally, someone taking on the Vice-President position would gain knowledge and experience as to the function of the Board, and would be willing to step into the President’s role to help ensure consistency and stability as Board transitions over terms.

**The Board is in need of someone interested and willing to come into the Vice President role with the intention of growing into the President position in 2024. This is an ideal time to learn the ropes through 2023 and be ready to carry things forward.

Your AGCL is also holding a raffle draw in support of our Hall revitalization! With the assistance of some generous donations we have secured two prize packages that will be up for grabs, each with 2 game tickets & 2 Oilers jerseys.

Each raffle ticket purchased gives you two chances to win! To get your tickets, you can call/text any of these volunteer ticket sellers:

Heather - 780-974-8815

Jessie - 587-433-5858

Terri - 780-887-1897

Lisa - 780-862-6858

Darryl - 780-217-2506

Only 1000 tickets printed, and we think they will go fast! Cash & e-transfers will be accepted. Draw date is April 7, 2023.

*picture below is sample raffle ticket and arena map showing location of seats.

'Hello neighbours! My name is Jessie Keough. My family (husband Michael and daughters Sloane, 5, and Fiona, 2) and I moved to Aspen Gardens in 2018. We were interested in the area because it’s close to where I grew up, and my parents (Audrey and Darcy Trufyn) still live here. From the day we moved in, we felt very welcomed. I think we had at least 15 neighbours approach and introduce themselves to us on the first day! Shortly after, I joined the community league board to help plan and execute social events. 

One hurdle that we found when organizing community events is that we were always limited to the outdoor space, making them weather dependent and unpredictable. The current setup also restricts the community from hosting certain events like wine tastings, dance lessons and paint nights. My eldest daughter attended Little Aspen Playschool in the building and it was very apparent that although the organization was excellent, the limited indoor space wasn’t ideal for a playschool either. 

Having a larger, functional structure for a variety of events and gatherings would be a huge win for our thriving community. When I joined the board in 2018, I stepped into a group of highly determined people already 5 years into tireless efforts to secure provincial and municipal funds to improve the community league. Five years later, this group is still volunteering their time to see this come to fruition. We are at the final stage now, the Legacy Project, where we can all work together and sprint to the finish line. Please consider donating so we can reach the $25,000 goal for league items that will not be covered by grant money.'

Jessie Keough

1) Plan to attend our AGM March 22nd, 7pm at the Community Hall (12015 39A Ave); find out all about the plans and construction timelines, and bring your cheque or cash donations to be collected in person.

 2) Drop your donation (in an envelope) in the League mailbox located on the door of the Community Hall (12015 39A Ave). Make sure to   include your name & contact info so we can record your contribution. 

3) Email [email protected] and your Board President will come by your home and personally pick up your donation. 

4) EFT to [email protected] - include your full name, email & phone number in the message section. All EFT’s received will receive a   response to confirm the donation was received and recorded.

 *While we are a non-profit society, we are not a registered charity, so we can’t give out tax receipts. But 100% of your donations will go straight to the project! 

The volunteer gardeners at the Green Camp; Gold Community Garden, on the University of Alberta South Campus, are making plans for our fifteenth gardening season! The garden is an initiative of the University’s School of Public Health and Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences. The garden is totally volunteer run and we have benefitted from the generosity of many supporters through donations.

The vegetables, herbs and flowers are “spray-free” (no pesticides or artificial fertilizers are used). Anyone is welcome to ‘purchase’ their vegetables at the garden and all the money raised goes to the Tubahumurize Association, a non-profit organization in Rwanda that provides socially and economically marginalized women with vocational training, counselling, life-skills coaching, health care education, and opportunities for sustainable income generating activities. Most individuals who benefit from Tubahumurize are genocide survivors and many are widows or orphans, HIV infected, and survivors of

physical and sexual violence. To date, the garden has raised over $450,000 for the Tubahumurize project (includes donations and garden/craft sales).

In recent years, we have been making the transition to alternative gardening methods to grow our vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Some of these methods include low-till gardening, creation of permanent beds with pathways between them to avoid compaction, use of cover crops, alternative mulching, composting and weed management techniques, and succession planting. The amendments we have made to our soil in recent years has improved the production and quality of our produce, created habitat for bees, worms and and other beneficial insects, and reduced the human labour required to control unwanted weed production over more traditional gardening methods. This has freed up valuable time for our volunteers to learn about planting, managing crops, and focusing on community building activities in the garden.

We are now gearing up for the 2023 gardening season, and are looking for new volunteers to join us at the garden. Both novice & experienced gardeners are welcome. If you aren’t interested in gardening, but would like to help in other ways (distributing produce, promoting the garden, donating seeds or garden tools) please contact us at:

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: www.greengoldgarden.com

PETROLIA SENIORS GROUP (55+)

Invites you to COME to Enjoy LUNCH and a PROGRAM ($25) at Greenfield Community Hall--3804 -114 Street 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please be seated no later than 11:40!

March 21st -- Bruce Reith, Ex Director, Hope Mission - Stories of Edmonton’s Inner City

April 18th — Josh Classen – CTV Meteorologist – Our Weather and Climate Change

May 16th -- Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani

For more information or to CONFIRM your attendance PLEASE CALL:

Claire - 780-435-3051 or Betty - 780-434-0711

An additional “outing” is offered each month for your enjoyment

For information call Joyce - 780-435-6388

All Seniors are very Welcome

Babysitters:

Brooke Tyson: Aged 15. She has completed the Red Cross babysitting course. She is very good with children and can do housework (e.g., dishes, cleaning, cooking) when kids are asleep. Contact Brooke @ 780-720-9067

Maddy Dublenko: Aged 15. Maddy has completed her babysitting course and lives in Aspen Gardens. Contact her at 780-233-3890

Matthew Herd: Age 14. Lives in Aspen Gardens (west half). Matthew has completed Babysitting and Home Alone courses and has prior babysitting experience (references available). Keen interest in basketball, Lego, and all things Star Wars. Please contact via Emily @ 780-655-7508

Megan Tyson: Age 13 Megan is a very responsible babysitter 780-451-3095

Adrian McCurdy: Aged 19 - They love band, art and being creative. Adrian has a part time job at Build-A-Bear and is in their first year of a Bachelors of music. As well as a child development assistant certification, they have completed 2 babysitting courses. Contact Adrian @ 780-935-2803 or [email protected]

Jack Hamm: age 12 has completed his Red Cross babysitters training course and is interested in babysitting children aged four and older. He attends Vernon Barford junior high school and is offering to walk kids home from Westbrook school and babysit until parents are home from work as well. If interested please contact Lisa at [email protected]

Juliet Robertson: Age 12 has completed her Red Cross babysitters training course. She is a qualified babysitter with experience taking care of children of age 3 - 9. She has excellent communication skills, is enthusiastic, responsible, safe, and patient. She charges $10 an hour. If interested please contact 780-433-7972

Tutors:

Summer/ongoing weekend tutoring and mentoring available for grades 5-8 students. Teacher is one of the top students in Grade 9 at VB, headed for Grade 10 at Old Scona in Fall 2022. Contact Saras Agrawal [email protected], or phone 7802677298.

*If you wish to be added to the Youth For Hire please let us know.

Community Membership is available for purchase online and has it's benefits, including discounts at:

• 15% on multi-admission passes to City of Edmonton recreation centres
• 20% on annual passes to City of Edmonton recreation centres 
•  discounts at the following local retailers:
• 5% at Petrolia Liquor Store
• 10% at Square One Coffee
• 10% at Stone & Wheel Pizza
• 10% at Roma Pizza & Donair
• 10% at Anava Esthetics Studio
• Good Stock Restuarant & Catering
• 10% at REP Physio for Therapeutic Massage

Membership Fees

The 2022/2023 Membership Fees are $40 and include all of the benefits listed above, in addition to supporting your community.

How to Purchase a Membership

• On-line at https://efcl.org/membership/ (Note: There is a $5 administrative fee. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.)
• In-person at any AGCL event
• At any Servus Credit Union
• Email the AGCL Membership Director at [email protected]

WESTBROOK TUTORING SERVICES:

Nicole Gilbert, and her company Westbrook Tutoring, which holds a 30 year legacy of learning, is continuing to partner with families forming the next generation of leaders. Nicole and her team believe that every student possesses an innate level of genius which we nurture. We celebrate student success by encouraging a disciplined work ethic and a commitment to obtaining individual levels of excellence. We offer online and in-home tutoring and mentoring services. Please contact us at 780-218-1319 or [email protected]

BLUE SKY DOGS PROFESSIONAL DOG WALKING AND PET CARE:

Dog walking, Pet Sitting, and Pet Visits. Licensed, Insured and Bonded. Visit blueskydogs.ca, email [email protected] or call 780-903-8016.

MUSIC LESSONS:

Piano lessons in your own home, beginners a specialty. Evening, afternoon, daytime spots avail. Richard Van oosterom, B.Mus, [M. Mus (courses)] piano, theory, harmony, RCM, and university exam preparation. 780-437-2391 (home), 780-292-3489 (cell), [email protected] or www.mauranuimusic

JIM’S HOME MAINTENANCE SERVICE:

Experience with plumbing, painting, install and repair of toilets, faucet, drywall, cleaning roofs, gutters, grout and silicone bathtubs. $30/hr, 20% off AGCL members. [email protected]

HANDMADE CROCHET NECK COWLS, WRIST BANDS, & NECK WARMERS:

100% Alberta grown ALPACA wool. Eco-friendly, hypo-allergenic, soft & soothing. Great for gifts! See some of the Alpaca products on Kijiji, under the heading of Alpaca Cowls (buy and sell section).DOG / CAT PET BLANKETS, Handmade, Non-Shed Chenille, extremely comforting, soothing snuggle softness, Easy Care... Machine wash and Dry… Approximately 24 inches by 25 inches. Contact Monica, email please at [email protected] Thank you, have a healthy week!

HAPPINESS IS YOU PHOTOGRAPHY

Family, maternal, newborn and personal branding photography sessions offered. 10% off for all AGCL members. Please contact Tara Needham at 780-916-3294 or email [email protected]. Please visit Happiness is You Photography on Instagram or Facebook for more information.

MASSAGE THERAPY

Elena is a certified and licensed R.M.T offering mobile massage therapy in Aspen Gardens and the surrounding communities. Appointments available between the hours of 10 AM and 1:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Flexible hours available on the weekends. For bookings, please contact Elena via call or text at 780-655-1669.