Jan 19

Newsletter – January 2018

Happy New Year!

Community outdoor rink – behind Convent Glen Catholic School

A message from our amazing community rink volunteer:

The outdoor rink is in great shape, and is being well-used by kids and adults of all ages in this wonderful winter weather!

All participants at the rink are reminded to follow some simple rules:

  1. Put garbage in the garbage can.
  2. When the ice needs shoveling, and someone starts, do not keep skating – put sticks and pucks aside, and help out.
  3. Please control behaviour and language – this is a public rink.
  4. After shoveling, please return shovels to the exterior of the shed.
  5. Please do not leave anything on the ice which could endanger the volunteers who are clearing the ice – pop cans or bottles, hockey sticks, pucks, etc. can be a danger to those working on behalf of the participants, using the snow blower.
  6. Lastly, the lights go out at 11 pm, and we are trying to water every night, weather permitting. If you are one of the last groups on the ice, please scrape the ice and remove any snow. This will improve the quality of the ice for the next day. Also, the nets should be taken off the ice surface.

I am enjoying my first year as the rink operator, and with the cooperation of all participants, hope to be able to continue in the role for a few more years – volunteers always welcome!

George Jamieson

 

Update on the Ski Heritage East Trail

The Ski Heritage East Trail is a go!  With funding of $15k from the City, community support through our GoFundMe page and a generous contribution from the CGOWCA, we have been able to begin grooming. Negotiations are underway to bring a major private sector sponsor on board soon. We will also have an on-line raffle, with cross country skis donated by Giant Orléans, as well as other goodies from local merchants, as the prizes.

The Trail, which runs from Green’s Creek in the west to Trim Road in the east, was groomed last Thursday and is scheduled for more grooming this week. Despite the recent frigid temperatures, local residents have been flocking to the Trail on skis, snowshoes and fatbikes, as well as the usual hardy contingent of dog walkers.

Please join us at the Official Launch of the Trail on Wednesday, January 17th at 1 pm. We will be joined at Cairine Wilson HS by Mayor Jim Watson, Bob Monette, the Ski Heritage East Team and others associated with the Trail. Watch our Facebook page for updates, as well as for trail conditions.  Please send us your photos from the Trail so we may post them to our page.

 

Upcoming event – Winter Carnival

Come one, come all to the Convent Glen Orleans Woods Community Association’s Winter Carnival! The Carnival will be taking place on Family day (Monday, February 19) between 10am and 2pm behind Convent Glen Catholic School. There will be games and activities that will be fun for the whole family! There will be events both on and off the ice so make sure to bring your skates (if you’d like to enjoy the rink).  As well, we will be offering free maple snow taffy (while quantities last), hot chocolate and coffee.  This is a great opportunity to get out, have some fun, and meet some members from your community and community association.

Dec 08

Newsletter – December 2017

Would you like to help make someone’s Christmas merry and bright?

…and you’d like to make a difference in your community:

  • The Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre has a Christmas Program that looks for people to sponsor a family; to host an “Angel Tree” at their office, business, or with friends and family; to donate new unwrapped gifts or gift cards; and to donate food. If you are interested, contact them quickly! There are deadlines for some types of help. You can see the full write up on their website or you can contact Cindy MacKay at 613-830-4357 ext. 305 or at cmackay@crcoc.ca.
  • The Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre also has a Christmas program to sponsor a family; Tuques for Tots, donations of winter accessories; Teen Angel, donations of gift cards; and Food for the Holidays. You can find more details on their website or call Chantal or Najwa at 613-741-6025.
  • Other ideas: Visit with your neighbours! Lend a helping hand after a heavy snowfall!

…and you’d like a broader impact:

  • The Ottawa Food Bank helps over 40,000 people per month and looks for community members just like you to organize Holiday Food Drives. You can get information and materials on their website to organize your own drive. You can also leave donations at bins around the city such as the one found just inside the doors at the Metro at the Convent Glen Plaza. Also, please consider donating money instead of food; the food bank can stretch 1$ into 5$ worth of food!
  • The Caring and Sharing Exchange was started in 1915 and provides food hampers and gift cards to families during the holiday season. In 2016, over 14000 households in Ottawa received help through the Caring and Sharing Exchange. Find out more on their website or call them at 613-226-6434.
  • You can donate money to most charitable organizations through canadahelps.org if you have a cause that is close to your heart. Even though Giving Tuesday has passed, it’s not too late to make an impact in 2017.
  • If you would rather donate your time, you could check out volunteerottawa.ca and search through hundreds of opportunities around the city. You can filter results by neighbourhood if you would like to stay close to home. You can also filter by when you are available – days, evenings, weekends, etc.

Community outdoor ice rink

We at the Convent Glen Community Association are looking for volunteers to help in the cleaning and maintaining of the ice rink behind Convent Glen Catholic School.  We are looking for two levels of volunteers:

  • an “A team”, consisting of 4 people, who will be able to devote one or two nights or days a week to the regular maintenance of the rink. This team will need to be able to operate the blower and water the ice, and will have access to the storage bunker. Depending on conditions you will be at the rink for 1-2 hours.
  • a “B team”, consisting of 6+ people, who will be available as necessary, to assist in clearing the ice after significant snowfalls. The more individuals on the B team the better as it means the work can be done faster.

If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in being part of either of these teams please contact George Jameson via phone at 613-824-5536 or email him at g.jam (at) hotmail.com.

text saying Happy Holidays with coloured lights below the text

And last but not least, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us at the CGOWCA! May your holidays be filled with love, laughter and warmth!

Dec 03

Newsletter – November 2017

Get to know your Board of Directors

A new board was elected at the September 18, 2017 Annual General Meeting. The previous board hosted a social event to encourage community members who wanted to know more about the CGOWCA to come out and meet current board members and get more information. All 4 new board members came out to this session, so clearly it was a success! This year’s Board is made up of four returning members including Miranda Gray (President), Karen Chow, Nick Gadbois, and Christine Williams.  There are four new members including Gary Bradshaw (Vice President), Mireille Brownhill (Treasurer), Fran Childs (Secretary) and Louise McLaren. You can see board members’ bios here.

Mark your calendars

At the first board meeting, members discussed ideas for events the CGOWCA could organize or champion in the coming year. Watch out for more information on the upcoming events. The Community Association’s Facebook Group is one of the best ways to get news about events:

  • Carolling – December 2017 – spread some cheer to seniors living at Bruyère and other localseniors’ residences who may not have loved ones near by this season.
  • Winter Carnival – February 19, 2018 (Family Day) from 10am to 2pm – come meet your neighbours and take part in some fun winter games and activities.
  • Bike Rodeo – early spring 2018 –get some safety training while dusting off your bicycle for the season.
  • Dog walk-a- thon – April 28, 2018 – strut your stuff with your pooch and raise money for charity at the same time! Last year, participants walked the Voyageur loop.
  • Community Garage Sale – spring 2018 – why not make some money after that spring cleaning? We will aim to sync our date with other Orleans community associations.
  • Picnic in the park – summer 2018 – let’s enjoy one of the many green spaces in our backyard with some outdoor games and activities
  • Yoga in the park – summer 2018 – sun salutations anyone? Bring your yoga mat and enjoy an instructor led, outdoor yoga class.
  • Pumpkin parade – October 2018 – Carve those pumpkins and bring them out to be admired by your neighbours!

Help Groom the Trail

An exciting new recreational opportunity will soon be available to east-end Ottawa residents. An 8 km section of the Ottawa River pathway will be groomed from Green’s Creek in the west to Trim Road in the east. This will enable both classic and skate cross country skiers, as well as snowshoers, pedestrians and dog walkers to enjoy this scenic route along the Ottawa River.

A pilot project was launched in March 2017 with the full cooperation of the NCC, City of Ottawa and especially, Councillor Bob Monette. The pilot proved a great success and Convent Glen/Orléans Wood residents are keen to see the full roll-out this winter. Your Community Association has been an active supporter and will continue to work in partnership with Ski Heritage East to create a wealth of winter activity possibilities for carnivals, races and events. To make this project sustainable, organizers are seeking funding from the City and crowd-funding. You can donate through their GoFundMe campaign at: https://www.gofundme.com/help-groom-the-trail

You can also help by contacting Bob Monette (bob.monette@ottawa.ca) and Mayor Jim Watson (jim.watson@ottawa.ca) to express your support. Ask your friends and neighbours to do the same. Community support counts for a lot. Check out their new Facebook page at Ski Heritage East and give them a “Like”!

For more information or to ask about volunteer opportunities, please contact Ski Heritage East at skiheritage.east@gmail.com.