Sue Coatham SMCA President – Messages – Sandstone MacEwan Community Association

01Feb

Sue Coatham SMCA President – Messages

By: Sue Coatham On: February 01, 2023 In: Community Comments: 0

FEBRUARY 2023

Happy New Year!

Congratulations to former Counsellor, Gael McLeod, for winning the 50/50 raffle draw which was the first initiative in our efforts to raise funds to support the rebuild of the hockey rink.

We need volunteers to assist with the hockey rink ice. This rink is available to all individuals, regardless of age, so whether you play hockey or not, please consider volunteering. It typically works best to clean and flood in the evening; however, a flood can happen during the day if there are individuals available.

The new building at the Pleasure Rink on Sandstone Drive is complete. Unfortunately, we were unable to have our official opening, due to cold temperatures in December. The Ribbon Cutting Celebration has been rescheduled to Saturday, February 25^th at 1pm, when we hope the weather will be milder. Join us early for free hotdogs and cake; stay afterwards for hot chocolate and skating!

As we head into 2023, I provide a brief recap of the past year’s activities for our communities. It was an incredibly busy year for the Board Members, and I want to thank them, once again, for the many hours they tirelessly dedicated to Sandstone and MacEwan Communities.

On May 7, we shovelled yards of compost into the buckets and bins of hundreds of eager gardeners who had lined up. Thanks again to Wayne Watson for organizing this event and to Nick Bencsik from Big Man Landscaping.

On May 14, a group of volunteers transformed the old playground at the Berkshire Citadel Church into the Sandstone MacEwan Community Gardens. Director Karen Lessard was the primary individual who helped us realize this excellent and now well-used initiative. Please contact us if you are interested in renting a garden bed for the price of a membership.

Yoga was held in the Berkshire Citadel Church this past Spring and at MacEwan Park this Summer. It was very popular at both locations. The Yoga (Winter session) started at the Berkshire Church on January 14 and will be held every Saturday, starting at 9:30 am, until March 25th.

Those living near Sandstone Park would have seen the demolition of the small brown shed that had been there for over 25 years. In its place is a building that will house our skate exchange program. Currently we have roughly 30 pairs of skates, in assorted sizes (including figure skates), and are looking to increase the inventory.

In June we hosted the community clean-up that was well received. Tons of garbage and items for recycling were removed from our communities.

Sabey Landscaping were hired to place and plant our permanent planters in seven different locations. We hope you are enjoying both the Summer and Winter displays.

Our Annual General Meeting was held November 17, 2022, and the list of new Board Members are as follows:

Sue Coatham-President
Trevor Bacon-Vice-President and Newsletter Director
Phil Nantais-2nd Vice-President
Willa Wu-Secretary
Sharon Mazurkewich-Treasurer
Jennifer Bidlake-Schroeder-Director at Large
Carolyn Gomez-Membership Director
Pinky Nantais-Casino Director
Colin May-Director at Large
Karen Lessard-Garden Director

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Look for our occasional emails with our updates and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

DECEMBER 2022

Here we are in December already! My apologies for missing October and November notes; it has been a busy time for us on the SMCA Board. Our Annual General Meeting was held November 17, 2022, and the list of new Board Members will be forwarded to you in the January notes.

The new building at the Pleasure Rink on Sandstone Drive is complete. Join us for a family skate and a hotdog on December 17, 2022, from 700pm-900pm to celebrate the official opening!

We have been doing repairs on our hockey rink for several years and are finally positioned to proceed with a complete rebuild. As you can imagine this is an expensive venture, however necessary given its popularity year-round for hockey and basketball, two of our most popular activities. On November 1, 2022, we initiated our fundraising campaign to raise funds to support the rebuild of the hockey rink. Our goal is to raise $200,000 and we are on our way with $20,000 raised already! Please consider purchasing 50/50 raffle tickets at www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/smca. We will announce the winner of the 50/50 raffle on December 17, 2022, at the Pleasure Rink Building official opening.

We plan to have the skate exchange program in our new building and are looking for skate sizes 6 and up. If you need skates, or have skates you would like to donate, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink. This rink is available to all individuals, regardless of age, so whether you play hockey or not, please consider volunteering. It typically works best to clean and flood in the evening; however, a flood can happen during the day if there are individuals available.

We are looking for Casino volunteers for January 19 and 20, 2023, at Cowboys Casino. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to raise funds for our community through our volunteer work at casinos and rely on you to help us. The funds we raise this year will assist with the costs of the hockey rink rebuild. Please send an email to casino@sandstonemacewan.com.

Yoga has become one our more popular activities both in the summer and winter. Yoga classes are going to start again on Saturday, January 14, 2023, from 0930-1030 in the Berkshire Citadel Church gym and will be held weekly until June. Beginners are encouraged to attend as the classes are geared to all levels of experience. We are fortunate to have Judy from Ying/Yang Yoga as our returning instructor.

Thank you for the continued support of your membership purchases! To mention two of our most popular features: our yearly operating costs to manage the Christmas lights at the Sandstone Drive rink are over $2,000.00 and our planter program, with seven planters, is over $5000.00. We hope to have more planters in our two communities, but we need your help.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

SEPTEMBER 2022

It’s hard to believe we are in September already. I hope you had a restful and fun summer and are excited to get back to the routine of school, sports, and other activities. Please ensure you are paying attention to the speed limit signs, especially on Sandarac Drive where there are two elementary schools.

Construction is well underway for the new building at the Pleasure Rink on Sandstone Drive! We look forward to starting our skate exchange program in this new building. If you need skates, or have skates you would like to donate, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com

We had a great response to the SMCA yoga classes at MacEwan Park. Our classes were every Tuesday, and the weather was excellent throughout. A special thanks to our instructor, Wendy. Look forward to winter yoga classes that will be held in the Berkshire Citadel Church.

Did you happen to see the article on basketball coach, Angel Martinez, regarding his commitment to teaching kids how to play basketball? We are very proud to support Angel’s efforts and look forward to seeing him at the hockey rink several times a week. Check out the article: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-youth-basketball-coach-helping-costs-1.6522908

The community garden group had a productive year and the response from the community has been wonderful. The gardens are located on the property of the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Dr. If you would like a garden spot next year or would like to volunteer, please send us an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

We had a very good season with our community planters and would like to thank Sabey Landscaping for their care of the planters. There has been minor vandalism throughout the summer and not only is it frustrating, but it is also costly to replace plants. Please let us know if you see anyone vandalizing these planters.

We continue to work through the process to have our hockey rink replaced. You may have seen a Geotech company testing the ground under the rink looking for the best drainage options. This rink is over 20 years old and with crumbling asphalt and rusted framing, it is clear it has run its course. This is an incredibly expensive initiative we are undertaking, and we will be looking at fundraising opportunities, including corporate sponsorships. More information will be made available to you in the upcoming months.

The SMCA Board meetings will resume after the summer break. Our next meeting will be held on September 22, 2022, at the Berkshire Citadel Church. Board Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00pm and you are invited to attend.

We have over 1000 Facebook followers, 500 Twitter followers and over 200 Instagram followers! Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Look for our occasional emails and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

JULY 2022

Happy Canada Day!

I am happy to report June was a very busy month for our community.

Before I provide the update, I want to send out a sincere Thank You to all of you who purchased community memberships! Our projects, including the skate and maintenance building on Sandstone Drive, as well as the rink rebuild, will require significant funds and your membership fees will help us enormously.

For those who drive on Sandstone Drive you may notice the small brown shed, that had been there for 25 years, is gone! With the help of SMCA volunteers it was torn down and the area cleaned up within 50 minutes! The long-awaited new building will be constructed throughout the summer. There will be a snow fence around the trees and a construction fence around the area for safety. Please ensure you stay clear of this work site.

We had a great response to the SMCA yoga classes at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Saturday mornings and look forward to Yoga in the Park starting in July! Classes will be held in MacEwan Park near the tennis courts again. Please check our social media sites for more information and start dates.

Free drop in basketball lessons for kids 7-13 continue at the hockey rink. The lessons run Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 5:30-6:30 pm (weather permitting).

The community planters have been planted and we are already seeing positive comments posted on our social media sites.

Make sure you stop by the Broxburn’s Mobile Market that is being supported by both the SMCA and Beddington Heights Community Associations. You can find this vendor on Wednesdays from10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the parking lot of the Beddington Theatre Arts Centre, 375 Bermuda Dr NW.

I hope you were able to either have a garage sale or at least get out shopping on June 4 & 5. Thanks very much to Willa Wu SMCA, Director, and Jennifer Curley, Beddington Heights Community Association President, for all their work to make this a successful event.

We had an excellent turn out of volunteers to build our 12 community garden beds. The community garden is doing well, and everything is growing nicely. These are located on the property of the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Dr. If you would like a garden spot or would like to volunteer, please send us an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

I received an email from community members concerned about the disrepair of a community sign. When I informed them the SMCA Board did not have the resources at this time to do anything about it they took it upon themselves to clean it up and it looks fantastic! Thank you. That is the Sandstone and MacEwan Community Spirit, and it feels like it is spreading.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

JUNE 2022

Happy Father’s Day!

Here we are already into June and it is going to be a busy month for the SMCA!

The community compost day on May 7, 2022, was a huge success thanks to the many volunteers including Big Man Landscaping who delivered two truckloads of compost to the rink area. We extend a special thanks to the students from Sir Winston Churchill High School, who shoveled compost all day. Minister Josephine Pon stopped by to say ‘hello’ and purchased a pizza lunch. Councillor Jasmine Mian also took time to visit. The 224 Scout Troop was on hand to assist and they were successful in selling their coffee as a fundraiser. Finally, we wish to thank Wayne Watson for coordinating the event.

The SMCA yoga classes continue at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Saturday mornings from 09:30-10:30 until the last weekend in June.

Free drop in basketball lessons continue for kids 11-13 at the hockey rink. The lessons run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 (weather dependent).

Make sure you stop by the Broxburn’s Mobile Market that is being supported by SMCA and Beddington Heights Community Association. You can find this vendor on Wednesdays from 1000-100pm at the parking lot of the Beddington Theatre Arts Centre, 375 Bermuda Dr NW.

Don’t forget about the June 4^th and 5^th Parade of Garage Sales, which the SMCA is again partnering with the Beddington Heights Community Association to make it happen. Please send us an email if you wish to participate in this very popular event. We will be selling spots for $10.00 and you can set up inside the Sandstone Hockey Rink. There will also be food trucks on site.

Want to purchase a garden spot for the price of a $20.00 SMCA membership? These are located on the property of the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Dr. If you would like a garden spot or would like to volunteer please send us an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

After you host our garage sale make sure to bring your remaining goods to the Community Clean Up on June 12th. The Women in Need Society (WINS) will be available to accept all donations. We will be accepting any items that will be going in the garbage, metals and electronics. PLEASE DO NOT bring organic material, as it will not be accepted by the City Garbage Collectors.

Congratulations to our volunteer of the month William Murray! Bill has lived in Sandstone for many years and his two daughters attended Simons Valley Elementary School. Bill has helped flood and sweep the outdoor rink for the past three years. When asked why he does this, he states: “It is a great way, in the middle of a cold winter when people are stuck inside, to get out of the house, be active and get some fresh air. Hanging out with other volunteers after a good flood is also a lot of fun.” Thank you Bill for being a Rink Rat Volunteer!

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

MAY 2022

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m excited to let you know about several great events the SMCA has planned for the next few months. If you wish to volunteer for any of the events, send us an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

The SMCA is sponsoring yoga classes at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Saturday mornings from 09:30-10:30. A series of 10 classes are being offered until June 18, for a $10.00 drop in fee per class and classes are free for SMCA Members. We will be there to sign up new members.

Mark your calendar for the community compost day on May 7, 2022. Big Man Landscaping will be delivering 12 yards of compost to the rink area. This is an extremely popular event and this year those with a $20.00 SMCA membership can line up at 10:00 to have access to the compost. All others will be able to access the compost after 10:30. Volunteers will be available to assist those who wish to purchase a membership and we are happy to discuss subsidizing a membership for you.

We are excited to announce free drop in basketball lessons again this year for kids 11-13 at the hockey rink. The lessons will be starting April 25 and will run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 (weather dependent).

The long-awaited community gardens will be built this spring at the back of the Berkshire Citadel Church property. Please let us know if you wish to rent a garden plot for the price of a $20.00 SMCA membership. We are only providing 10 garden spots this year so let us know soon. This is a several year project and we are looking for volunteers to help us beautify the area.

After a two year hiatus we are planning the Parade of Garage Sales on June 4th and 5th with the Beddington Heights Community Association. Please send us an email if you wish to register for this very popular event.

If you have any goods remaining from your garage sale make sure you attend the Community Clean Up on June 12th. The Women in Need Society (WINS) will be available to accept all donations.

Congratulations to our Treasurer, Sharon Mazurkewich, for being our ‘Volunteer of the Month’. Sharon moved to Sandstone with her husband, Darcy, in 1999. They raised three children here who are now all in university. Their son and two daughters went to Monsignor Neville Anderson School in Sandstone and their daughters played MSB soccer. They have a barbet dog named Lucy who keeps Sharon and Darcy active with her twice daily walks. Sharon is an outdoor enthusiast mainly for cross-country skiing, canoeing and camping. She enjoys painting and took up curling at Huntington Hills a couple of years ago. We cannot thank Sharon enough for her tireless dedication towards managing the books and assisting with community activities.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

APRIL 2022

Happy Easter!

No matter what the weather is doing, here’s an opportunity right in our community to exercise – the Berkshire Citadel Church is opening their gym every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 10:00-12:00. You can also enjoy a drink of water, tea, and coffee, at no charge, in their foyer where they have café style tables.

Congratulations to a long standing SMCA volunteer Joe Tofani! Joe moved to MacEwan in 1991 and has volunteered with SMCA since 1996 because he wanted to help at the skating rink. When the rink was installed in 1996, it was an arduous task to clean and flood the ice because there was no heated shed, no heated water pipe, no powered machines, but Joe says thankfully there was beer! We have come a long way since then. He has met many dedicated and talented people while volunteering with the SMCA that has the interests of the community members at heart. Joe feels that volunteers make the community a much better place to live in, and we thank Joe for making SMCA an extraordinary community association.

The SMCA is going to sponsor yoga classes at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Saturday mornings from 09:30-10:30. There will be a series of 10 classes offered in the Spring for $10.00 drop in per class and free for SMCA Members. We will be there to sign up new members. Stay tuned for the start date.

We are hosting our community compost day on May 7, 2022. Big Man Landscaping has agreed to sponsor this event once again and we cannot thank them enough. This is an extremely popular event with individuals lining up prior to our 10:00 am start. This year, we will allow those with a SMCA $20.00 membership the opportunity to have access to the compost until 11:00 am. Volunteers will be available to assist those who wish to purchase a membership.

Thank you to those who continue to volunteer for the Gardening Project! Please join the Facebook group Sandstone MacEwan Community Gardeners to get more information or email info@sandstonemacewan.com.

We are excited to let you know we are closer to having our development permit application approved for our shed replacement on Sandstone Drive. Our goal is to have a larger building so we can officially operate our Skating Program next Fall. The direct area will be considered a construction zone adjacent to the soccer field.

Don’t forget to submit your photos for the SMCA Newsletter at info@sandstonemacewan.com. Photos must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

MARCH 2022

March is Community Association Awareness Month.

The Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) Board consists of ten Board Members, who manage community initiatives such as the Community Clean-Up, free Compost Day, planter program, rink management and so on. We are currently finalizing plans for our community gardens project in partnership with the Berkshire Citadel Church. Look for volunteering opportunities at one of our events.

The initiatives we undertake are made possible by proceeds from casino funds, limited grants, and your membership contributions. Your memberships fees support our regular programs and this year we will have the community garden and rink building that will be significant ‘add ons’.

The Berkshire Citadel Church will be opening their doors every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 10:00-12:00 where you are welcome to use their gym to walk, stretch, or even sit and have a coffee. If you are tired of trying to navigate slippery sidewalks, then stop by for some exercise. You can sit in their foyer where they have café style tables; water, tea and coffee will be available free of charge!

Thank you to those who responded to our survey we sent out regarding us offering online versus in person classes, such as yoga. As a result, we are looking at partnering with the Berkshire Citadel Church to offer in-person yoga classes on Saturday mornings. More information regarding these classes and potentially others will soon be made available.

The community compost day will be back in May! Big Man Landscaping has agreed to sponsor this event once again and we cannot thank them enough. This is an extremely popular event with individuals lining up prior to our 10:00 am start. For the first time, we are going to allow those with a SMCA $20.00 memberships the opportunity to have access to the compost for the first hour. Volunteers will be available to assist those who wish to purchase a membership. If you would like to purchase a membership but do not have the funds available, please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please join the Facebook group Sandstone MacEwan Community Gardeners to get more information or email info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

FEBRUARY 2022

Happy Chinese New Year – the Year of the Black Tiger.

It has been nearly two years since the world was introduced to the COVID-19 virus and, despite vaccinations we continue to deal with variants. At a time when most people are extremely tired of their lives being affected by the virus, the latest variant, Omicron, is the most contagious.

Please take good care and be sure to follow all health measures to keep you and your family safe.

When Calgarians were first impacted by the virus in 2020, we saw more people skating, walking, biking, etc. than we ever had. I hope you have continued these activities, because there is nothing like getting out in the fresh air to give you a better perspective on life.

If you interested in skating at one of our rinks but don’t have skates, please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and we’ll be happy to help you out. We are also gladly accepting donations of skates and helmets.

As you may have read in last month’s newsletter, despite all the pandemic restrictions of the past year, the SMCA Board continued to support our communities through managing the rinks, offering compost, having permanent planters placed throughout the community, running Yoga in the Park and so on. We have great plans for this year and are always looking for individuals to join us. Please consider becoming more involved in your community.

In previous newsletters I have mentioned the community garden project Director Karen Lessard is managing. Karen has been working with the City of Calgary to find a location and, although one site had been approved in principle, we have decided not to pursue it. Rather, we are working on a partnership with Captains Ian and Debbie Scott at the Berkshire Citadel Church to use a parcel of land to convert to a community garden. Karen has been seeking assistance with the design of the proposed garden. Please join the Facebook group Sandstone MacEwan Community Gardeners to get more information or email info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Speaking of the Berkshire Citadel Church, did you know they offer rentals for their gym, classrooms, and boardroom? As well, in their foyer, they have an abundance of café style tables where you could host a gathering while maintaining a safe social distance. They are looking to fill daytime rentals that may appeal to seniors or kids’ groups. Contact Captain Scott at Ian.Scott@salvationarmy.ca for more information.

Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

JANUARY 2022

Happy New Year!

As we head into 2022 it is worth looking back at 2021. I want to let you know what your Community Association has done for you.

In 2021 we proudly celebrated 35 years as a community and, while we were unable to plan a large function, we had many smaller events throughout the spring and summer and volunteers were each presented with a ‘celebrating 35-year toque’.

On May 1, we shoveled 12 yards of compost into buckets and bins to hundreds of eager gardeners who lined up. Thanks to Wayne Watson for organizing this and to Nick Bencsik from Big Man Landscaping.

Yoga in the Park returned and despite changing the location to the MacEwan Park, Yogi’s returned in full force making it a very popular event again.

Karen Lessard and Carolyn Gomez assisted Sabey Landscaping to place and plant our permanent planters in seven different locations. Thank you for all your kind comments regarding both the summer and winter displays.

We also received many emails complimenting the Board for the refurbished signs in Sandstone and MacEwan and we can thank Karen Lessard and Tim Huston for their hard work!

Thanks to Sharon Mazurkewich, we have initiated a volunteer recognition program highlighting the hard work of our volunteers and Board Members.

In September, a special thanks to Willa Wu for managing the logistics of our event. we hosted the community clean-up that was well received. Tons of garbage and items for recycling were removed from our communities

We continue to offer a skate exchange program and have roughly 30 pairs of skates in assorted sizes (including figure skates) to give away.

Behind the scenes, Colin May has overhauled our information management system that will result in hundreds of dollars in savings each year.

Karen Lessard continues to work on the community garden project and gardeners can look forward to hearing very good news in the spring!

The work continues with the shed replacement initiative on Sandstone Drive. We hope to have it replaced in the late spring.

As well, our capital project to replace the hockey rink continues and Colin May has been busy working on grant applications.

We were fortunate to have been able to hold our annual general meeting in person on November 23, 2021.

Our 2021-22 Executive and Board are as follows:

Sue Coatham-President
Trevor Bacon-Vice-President and Newsletter Director
Phil Nantais-2nd Vice-President
Willa Wu-Secretary
Sharon Mazurkewich-Treasurer
Jennifer Bidlake-Schroeder-Director at Large
Carolyn Gomez-Membership Director
Pinky Nantais-Casino Director
Colin May-Director at Large
Karen Lessard-Director at Large

Don’t forget to submit your photos to the SMCA Newsletter at info@sandstonemacewan.com. Photos must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

DECEMBER 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope you have been able to get out and enjoy the Christmas Lights and other festive activities. Did you notice the winter arrangements in our planters? Please let us know what you think!

Don’t forget to get some exercise on the hockey and pleasure rinks along with the toboggan hills in and around our neighborhoods. There is nothing better than free entertainment especially at a time when money could be tight.

We continue to offer a skate exchange program and have roughly 30 pairs of skates in assorted sizes (including figure skates). Please let us know if you have skates you can donate. To request skates, or to donate, please email us at info@sandstonemaewan.com.

We have many seniors in our communities who struggle to keep their walks shoveled and can’t afford to pay a company to do it for them. Please look around and consider becoming a ‘Snow Angel’ in your immediate area.

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting was held on November 23, 2021, and I will provide a list of the names of the new SMCA Board in the next newsletter. We also held our budget meeting in November, and I will also provide an update on the projects the Board is working on next month.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink. This rink is available to all individuals, regardless of age, so whether you play hockey or not, please consider assisting when you can. It typically works best to clean and flood in the evening; however, a flood can happen during the day if there are individuals available.

Gardening in the winter? Director Karen Lessard continues to work on the SMCA community gardening project and is always looking for volunteers.

Who knew we had the wildlife we do in our neighborhoods? We have received photos of owls, bobcats, and coyotes. Please keep it up! Every month we select one photo for the cover page of our SMCA Newsletter and include several others for inside the newsletter that showcase our great community. Submit photos to info@sandstonemacewan.com. Photos must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Thank you for the continued support of membership purchases! Your contributions assist us in paying for two of our most popular features, the Christmas lights at the Sandstone Drive rink ($1600.00) and our planter program, with seven planters ($5000.00). We hope to purchase more planters in our two communities, but we need your help.

Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Those who purchase a three-year membership ($50.00) will receive a SMCA go mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

We have over 1000 Facebook followers 500 Twitter followers and over 200 Instagram followers! Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Facebook SMCA, Twitter or Instagram. Look for our occasional emails and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

NOVEMBER 2021

Remembrance Day is November 11^th, and it is likely most events will be held virtually. Don’t forget to honor all of those who fought and those who lost their lives fighting for their country with two minutes of silence at 11:00 am on this day.

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021 at the Berkshire Citadel Church Gym at 222 Sandarac Drive, please consider getting involved.

Our volunteer for October is Jennifer Bidlake-Schroeder who has been a Board Member since 2017. Amongst other things, Jenn has been tirelessly working with the city and engineers on two major projects – the shed rebuild at Sandstone Park and the rink rebuild on Sandarac Drive. Jenn and her husband, Jeff, (also a longstanding SMCA volunteer) have lived in MacEwan since 2005 and their kids, Nate, and Cali, attended Simons Valley Elementary and have taken advantage of the amenities in our community over the years. Jenn understands the value and importance of volunteering and is always one of the first to contribute to her community, as well as the schools and activities for her kids. The SMCA Board cannot thank you enough for your continued support!

As you may recall, the SMCA Board informally initiated a skate exchange program. If you have skates to donate or need skates, please email us at info@sandstonemaewan.com.

Thanks to those who are submitting amazing photos of the landscape and animals in our neighborhood! Every month we select one photo for the cover page of our SMCA Newsletter and include several others for inside the newsletter that showcase our great community. Submit photos to info@sandstonemacewan.com. Photos must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Thank you for the continued support of your membership purchases! To mention two of our most popular features: our yearly operating costs to manage the Christmas lights at the Sandstone Drive rink are over $1600.00 and our planter program, with seven planters, is over $5000.00. We hope to have more planters in our two communities, but we need your help.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Facebook SMCA, Twitter @sandstonemac or instagram.com/sandstonemacewan. Look for our occasional emails and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

OCTOBER 2021

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you were able to take advantage of our community clean up in September. The Board would like to thank the 224 Scouts, Joe Tofani, Jeff Schroeder, Dale Struckness, Kevin Sawby, Tina and Jessica Wu and Kayla Nagorski for all their hard work!

Welcome Captains Ian and Deanna Scott who have recently replaced Peter and Amanda Robinson at the Berkshire Citadel Church. They are from Alberta and have worked with the Salvation Army in PEI, MB, ON and AB. Captains Ian and Deanna are excited to be back in Alberta after completing four years in inner-city Toronto. They are looking forward to getting to know the community and developing and renewing partnerships and relationships. The SMCA Board looks forward to continued partnerships with the Berkshire Citadel Church. They are available at Ian.scott@salvationarmy.ca; Deanna.scott@salvationarmy.ca.

The background work continues with the community garden as we work with the City of Calgary to secure land. We appreciate your willingness to get involved!

The Municipal Election is October 18, 2021, with advance polling from October 4-10. Please check this address for where you can vote: calgary.ca/election. You may be aware of the change in electoral boundaries and the Sandstone and MacEwan Communities have been moved into ward 3.

This summer we hired Sabey Landscaping to place 7 large planters around our communities. We’ve received excellent comments throughout the summer from long time residents. We hope to increase the amount of planters, although it does not come without a cost. Our current budget for this planter program is $5000.00 per year so please continue to support your communities!

To purchase your membership by cheque our address is 300, 8120 Beddington Blvd NW T3K 2A8 or online go to sandstonemacewan.com/membership or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug and one-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

Do you have photos you would like to share? Every month we select one picture for the cover page of our SMCA Newsletter and include several other pictures for inside the newsletter that showcase our great community. Submit photos to info@sandstonemacewan.com. Pictures must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

As usual, we will be looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink this year. Last year we were fortunate to have a great core group of volunteers who kept our busy rinks in great shape! We have our pleasure rink at 99 Sandstone Dr and our hockey rink that is between the two elementary schools on Sandarac Dr. It typically works to clean and flood in the evening, however, it can certainly happen during the day if there are individuals available.

Please look for more information on the date of our AGM in November. We are anticipating our auditor will have completed our bi-annual financial audit by then.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Facebook SMCA, Twitter @sandstonemac or .instagram.com/sandstonemacewan. Look for our occasional emails and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

On behalf of the Board, I wish you a fun and safe Halloween.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

SEPTEMBER 2021

Don’t forget the Community Clean Up September 4, 2021, 0900-130pm. Please check our social media posts for a list of accepted items.

We have a Federal Election September 20, 2021, with advance polling from September 10-13. Please check this address for where you can vote: www.elections.ca.

Congratulations to Dale Struckness who was our Sandstone MacEwan volunteer of the month for August. Dale and his wife Debbie moved to MacEwan in 1991 and have enjoyed living in the community ever since. They have two adult daughters who grew up going to Simons Valley elementary and playing sports in the community.

Dale’s main role over the past couple of years has been assisting with the Rink Rats, a dedicated team of volunteers who maintain the two outdoor community skating rinks in Sandstone during the winter. Dale and the rest of the rink volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure the rink was in the excellent shape for all the extra families who took advantage of skating during the pandemic.

A special thanks to Tim Huston, Karen Lessard and Deb Sabey for refurbishing the Sandstone Estates sign and garden area on Sandstone Dr. It has been an eyesore for years and it looks great now!

Speaking of eyesores, we have received many emails from frustrated community members wondering what is happening to the fencing on the southwest side of Berkshire Blvd and Sandstone Dr. The City of Calgary has advised us recently they have secured a contractor who will be repairing the area and building a fence. I think we all agree it took far too long to clean up that area.

The background work continues with the community garden as we work with the City of Calgary to secure land. We appreciate your willingness to get involved!

The Municipal Election is October 18, 2021, with advance polling from October 4-10. Please check this address for where you can vote: www.calgary.ca/election. You may be aware of the change in electoral boundaries and the Sandstone and MacEwan Communities have been moved into ward 3.

Thanks to all of you who continue to purchase community memberships! Your funds assist in the maintenance of our rinks, equipment, and sheds, along with the several initiatives we offer every year. One-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies and three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

AUGUST 2021

I hope you are enjoying the last official month of the summer.

We had a fantastic turnout this year for our free drop in Yoga-in-the-Park that started in June and finished August 4^th. A special thanks to the Calgary Foundation for the Stepping Stones Grant, Sharon Mazurkewich for organizing this event and the Yoga Instructor, Krystal Scott.

The board would like to send a big thanks to Angel for offering free basketball lessons to kids 10-12 years old at the hockey rink. Angel relocated to MacEwan two years ago from Mexico with his family. He was a teacher in Mexico and that included working in schools as a gym teacher and more specifically a basketball coach. Angel is offering lessons Monday/Wednesday/Friday between 6:00-7:30 pm until August 30, 2021, and he recently painted official lines for the basketball nets. More info at – www.sandstonemacewan.com/event/free-drop-in-kids-basketball-lessons-m-w-f

The City of Calgary Parks are offering Park n’ Play August 16 – 20th 10:00 am – 3:30 pm at Simons Valley School (375 Sandarac Dr. NW). FREE safe supervised outdoor program in your community for 6-12 years. For more info and to register visit – www.sandstonemacewan.com/event/park-n-play-2

On behalf of the board, we would like to send a big thanks to Tim Huston and Director Karen Lessard for the refurbishment of the MacEwan Sign on 14 Street and MacEwan Drive.

Mark your calendars for our Community Clean Up September 4, 2021, 0900-130pm. It has been a couple of years since we hosted the last one so be sure to line up early. We will post a list of what can be dropped off (no toxic chemicals will be accepted).

The Municipal Election is October 18, 2021, and the Sandstone and MacEwan Communities have been moved into ward 3. As such Sean Chu will no longer be the councilor for our area and we say a fond farewell to him. Councilor Chu has been an avid supporter of Sandstone and MacEwan and we will miss him. We are hoping to partner with other communities to host an evening to meet candidates running for council as well as Mayor. Stay tuned for more details.

Thanks to all who continue to purchase community memberships! Your funds assist in the maintenance of our rinks, equipment, and sheds, along with the several initiatives we offer every year. One-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies and three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

JULY 2021

Happy Canada Day!

Have you seen the seven new permanent planters around our community? It is thanks to Carolyn Gomez, Karen Lessard and Sabey Landscaping that we have these beautiful planters to enjoy. As funds become available, the SMCA Board hopes to purchase more. Please let us know how you feel about them.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Community Garden Initiative. The Garden Committee is tasked with developing plans and working with the SMCA Board and City of Calgary to secure a location in MacEwan – we are hoping for MacEwan Glen Park. Check the group out on Facebook at Sandstone MacEwan Community Gardeners.

Free drop in Yoga-in-the-Park commenced June 23 and will be held weekly until August 4, 2021, from 6:30-7:30pm. This year we will be at MacEwan Glen Park at 32 MacEwan Drive NW (on the other side of the tennis courts and playground). A special thanks to the Calgary Foundation for the Stepping Stones Grant, Sharon Mazurkewich for organizing this event and the Yoga Instructor, Krystal Scott. No pre-registration is required. Social distancing will be expected. Hope to see you there!

Willa Wu is our ‘Volunteer of the Month’ for June. Willa has been on the SMCA Board since 2012 and is an invaluable member. She is currently our Secretary and manages the community clean-up as well. She is also ‘back up’ to the Treasurer and Casino Director. Willa participates in all our community activities as do her daughters, Jessica and Tina.

Some of you may have noticed the MacEwan Sign on 14 Street and MacEwan Drive is showing signs of deterioration and we are hoping to have repairs completed during the summer.

The SMCA Board does not have formal board meetings in July and August, however we remain available through email and social media sites. We are always looking for volunteers and have exciting upcoming projects, including building a shed and porch area for the pleasure rink on Sandstone Drive, as well as replacing the hockey rink on Sandarac Drive. Please email me for more information.

Mark your calendars for our Community Clean Up September 4, 2021 0900-130pm. It has been a couple of years since we hosted the last one so make sure you line up early. We will have a list of what can be dropped off but no toxic chemicals will be accepted.

Thanks to all who continue to purchase community memberships! Your funds assist in the maintenance of our rinks, equipment, and sheds, along with the several initiatives we offer every year.

One-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies and three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug.

We have over 1060 Facebook followers, 450 Twitter followers @sandstonemac, over 160 Instagram followers instagram.com/sandstonemacewan and 200 for email distribution! Do not forget to check out our website at www.sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

JUNE 2021

Happy Father’s Day!

The SMCA Board would like to say a fond farewell to Captain Peter and Amanda Robinson who have been at the Berkshire Citadel Church for several years. We have been fortunate to partner with many initiatives to support those in need in our communities. Congratulations on your new adventure!

For those of you who took advantage of the community compost day on May 1, 2021, thank you for your patience as we shovelled 12 yards of compost into buckets and bins. The event started at 10:00 am and many people were lining up at 9:30 am. The compost was completely gone by 1:00 pm. Once again, a sincere thanks to Wayne Watson for organizing this and to Nick Bencsik from Big Man Landscaping who generously agreed to pick-up and deliver the compost to our event. Thank you to Boy Scout Troop 224 and to Director Karen Lessard who had numerous indoor and outdoor plants to give away.

Thanks to all who purchased memberships at the compost day as well as many of you who are sending cheques or ordering your memberships online. Your funds will assist the SMCA Board in maintaining our rinks, equipment, and sheds, along with the several initiatives we offer every year.

One-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies and three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug.

We send out a special thanks to the 44 Pathfinders from the Deerfoot Girl Guides who cleaned up the pathways through our community on April 20^th!

Brad Beckett, who has lived in Sandstone with his family since 2000, is our ‘Volunteer of the Month’. Brad has been the Rink Manager for the Pleasure Rink since 2015. Brad (and Joe Wesnik) have been the stalwarts of the rink and you will have seen them out late at night or early in the morning clearing and flooding the rink. I have heard so many individuals comment on Brad’s commitment to the community rink. The regular ringette senior skaters especially appreciate Brad’s efforts to ensure the rink is in great shape by the time they get there for their morning skate!

We have received lots of email interest in the Community Garden Initiative and a survey will be sent out shortly through our social media accounts. The Garden Committee is tasked with developing plans and working with the SMCA Board and City of Calgary to secure a location in MacEwan. To ensure the success of this initiative, there is a significant amount of work to be done, including applying for grants, and I ask you to please consider volunteering with the Garden Committee. If there is sufficient community support and enough volunteers, we hope to have the project approved in time to get the garden beds built and ready for the 2022 growing season.

We have over 1060 Facebook followers, 450 Twitter followers @sandstonemac , over 160 Instagram followers instagram.com/sandstonemacewan and 200 for email distribution! Do not forget to check out our website at sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

MAY 2021

Happy Mother’s Day!

On May 1, 2021, from 10:00am – 2:00pm we invite you to join us at 351 Sandarac Drive (next to the SMCA hockey rink) to get FREE compost from The Calgary Composting Facility. The facility produces high quality compost collected from the green cart program and the biosolids program. Big Man Landscaping has generously agreed to pick up and deliver the compost to our neighbourhood. Please be patient with potential line ups as we need to follow Covid-19 safety protocols. We will not be supplying containers for compost so be sure to bring something to have filled. This is an extremely popular event so quantities may be limited.

The benefits of using compost in your garden are numerous. Check out the SMCA website to see the full benefits of composting courtesy of Nick Bencsik from Big Man Landscaping.

As I mentioned last month, on May 6, 1986, the Sandstone Valley Community Association was officially incorporated. The MacEwan Community joined Sandstone to become the Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA). Sandstone and MacEwan are the communities with pride 35 years and beyond!

Several years ago, the SMCA invested a significant amount of money to rebuild the pleasure rink island and natural skating area that many of you enjoy. The SMCA Board has been working on two other major capital projects. Our first project is to replace the shed beside the pleasure rink, and our second project is our aging hockey rink. We are working with engineers to determine whether our hockey rink requires a complete rebuild or significant upgrades. I want to send a special thanks to our Directors, Jennifer Bidlake Schroeder, and Colin May, who have been patiently working through the complex and sometimes frustrating processes with the City and engineers.

Please help us continue to enhance our programs and rink areas by purchasing a SMCA membership online or by cheque. One-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies and three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug.

We would like to thank the 224 Scout Troop who have adopted two planter areas beneath the signs on Sandstone Drive, near the soccer field. Their plans to develop the area north of the bus loop on Sandstone Drive were suspended last year due to the pandemic. Please give them a honk and a wave when you see them working hard to beautify our gardens.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

APRIL 2021

Happy 35^th Anniversary SMCA!

On May 6, 1986, the Sandstone Valley Community Association was officially incorporated. The MacEwan Community joined Sandstone to become the Sandstone MacEwan Community Association.

Spring is here and the days are longer, warmer, and brighter. The extra light and higher temperatures bring a bit of a lighter step to many of us. We are fortunate in Sandstone and MacEwan to have numerous pathways to take advantage of, not to mention Nose Hill Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America.

With the melting of snow comes litter that has been accumulating throughout the winter. We have more and more people walking in our neighborhoods and I would like to encourage you to pick up litter while walking. There has been a population boom in dogs since last year which is great, but please ensure you clean up after your pets! There are small bags available on the pathways to use but equally important is finding a trash can in which to deposit the bag. We have clean-up kits available with long grabbers, masks, gloves, and bags for anyone who is interested. Please send us an email if you would like to get a kit.

In 2019 we were fortunate to have Big Man Landscaping sponsor the SMCA City of Calgary Compost Day and over 12 yards of compost was delivered beside the hockey rink on Sandarac Drive NW. We are happy to let you know Big Man Landscaping has agreed to sponsor a Compost Day on May 1, 2021. Thanks to Wayne Watson for organizing the event, as well as Les, Alan and Nick from Big Man Landscaping for offering this great resource to the community. Please follow our social media sites for instructions to safely collect compost on May 1.

More great news, the SMCA Board is pleased to announce the City of Calgary has selected us to host the community clean-up on September 4, 2021. This will be held between the two schools (Simons Valley and Monsignor Neville Anderson) on Sandarac Dr. NW. We will be looking for volunteers to assist on this date so please consider helping us out.

We continue to look for volunteers to assist with the development of a community garden. It will depend on the response we get from you as to whether this project can be moved forward. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

To purchase your membership by cheque our address is 300, 8120 Beddington Blvd NW T3K 2A8 or online go to sandstonemacewan.com or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug and one-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

As always, a special thanks to Trevor Bacon our Social Media Director! We have over 960 Facebook followers, 450 Twitter followers @sandstonemac, over 160 Instagram followers www.instagram.com/sandstonemacewan and 200 for email distribution! Do not forget to check out our website at sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

MARCH 2021

March is Community Association Awareness Month. Throughout the month of March, the City of Calgary and the Federation of Calgary Communities encourages residents to “be part of it” and think about what your community association can do for you and what you can do for your community association.

As you know, it will be a year this March since our lives were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, the SMCA Board, in compliance with Government regulations, had to cancel all regular activities like the community clean up, Music in the Park (Sandstock), and in-person meetings to name a few. We were able to arrange Yoga in the Park, which was extremely popular. This is a program we plan to offer again this spring/summer. Please continue to watch our social media sites, including our website, for more information, and let’s be optimistic that we will be able to enjoy all these activities again soon.

We are looking for more volunteers to assist with the development of a community garden. It will depend on the response we get from you as to whether this project can be moved forward. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

As I have highlighted every month, our two rinks have been extremely busy this winter, and I cannot thank the rink volunteers enough for their ongoing dedication and commitment to ensuring the rinks are cleared and flooded.

A lot of people have expressed their surprise that we rely on volunteers to maintain these rinks, as well as the equipment required. Volunteers are the backbone of any community and we have amazing volunteers who consistently come out and help us.

The SMCA Board wants to thank the many citizens who have sent emails and responded on social media to express their appreciation for these rinks, especially since the start of the pandemic. Please keep the positive comments coming and consider purchasing a community membership to help offset the costs of maintaining both rinks.

The SMCA continues to support the skate exchange program and is incredibly grateful for the donations received. If you require skates, or have skates or helmets to donate, please contact us at iinfo@sandstonemacewan.com.

Graffiti is a form of vandalism that has a significant cost attached to cleaning it. Over the years, the SMCA has spent thousands of dollars cleaning up the areas we are responsible for. We ask that when you see graffiti, you please take a photo and forward it to the 311 website. If caught, the perpetrators will be charged.

To purchase your membership by cheque our address is 300, 8120 Beddington Blvd NW T3K 2A8 or online go to sandstonemacewan.com, or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA to-go mug, and one-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

May the luck of the Irish be with you on St. Paddy’s Day!

Sue Coatham, President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

FEBRUARY 2021

According to folklore, the groundhog is seen as a sort of weather predictor on February 2 each year. Tradition tells us that, if the day is a sunny one and the groundhog sees his shadow, he will be scared and will retreat into his burrow which means the winter weather will last at least another six weeks. Calgarians have been fortunate with the weather this winter and the large amount of snow we received just before Christmas allowed for winter sports, like tobogganing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Hope you were able to enjoy time outdoors.

Chinese New Year is Friday, February 12. This year the horoscope animal sign is the Ox. Chinese New Year is the first day of the New Year in the Chinese lunisolar calendar (Chinese traditional calendar). It is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. Happy New Year!

Alberta’s Family Day is February 15. This is the first break since Christmas and, for those who have kids in school, the break is extended with Teachers’ Convention that occurs the Thursday and Friday immediately before.

As I mentioned in my January note, this year we will be celebrating 35 years as a Community Association. While the original Board decided not to construct a community building, they did build a hockey rink on the location of the current pleasure rink. Ultimately it was determined the hockey rink was best suited between the two schools where it is presently, and an island was constructed to make the pleasure rink an oval. We would love to hear stories about your experiences watching Sandstone and MacEwan grow into mature communities. If you have something to share, please send an email to info@sandstonemacewan.com.

We receive emails every month letting us know that residents appreciate the work that is done on both rinks, the Christmas lights, and the planters. We also receive emails, with the opposite message, indicating we do not measure up to other communities with our planters, Christmas lights, signage and so on. The Sandstone MacEwan Community Association does not receive Homeowners Association Fees (HOA), which are variable fees collected through City taxes and redistributed to the Community Associations to pay for community enhancements. Rather, aside from casino funds we receive approximately every 18 months, we rely on residents to purchase memberships to offset our costs. We typically sell memberships at our community clean up, annual Music in the Park (Sandstock) and other planned events. As you know, all our activities were cancelled this past year, and our memberships are considerably less than in previous years. We have considered a volunteer user pay system for our rinks to offset the costs but do not want to do anything that could impact those who cannot afford to pay. Instead, we are asking those who have been enjoying our rinks to please purchase a membership and show us you support our efforts.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

JANUARY 2021

Happy New Year!

With families staying close to home this year, we have seen more activity in our communities. It looked like we were going to have a brown Christmas until Calgary received an early gift of about 30 cm of snow. Many of you would have had difficulty trying to navigate through the maze of Calgary Transit buses that were stuck on Sandarac Drive for nearly two days.

While the snow was a challenge for those who had to drive, it was a pleasant surprise for parents who could keep their kids entertained building snowmen, forts or going to the toboggan hills. A special thanks to all the snow angels who helped their neighbours with snow removal and pushed vehicles that were stuck.

Our rinks are being used day and night and this would not be possible without the excellent efforts of our many dedicated rink volunteers. We have hired a company to clean our rinks with their Zamboni. We extend our thanks to Chris Yenna at Porta Ice for doing such a great job!

We were fortunate to have been able to hold our annual general meeting in person on November 14, 2020. We said ‘goodbye’ to Shayne Chidlaw, a long-time Board Member, who has been an integral part of the SMCA Board. Shayne is a community-minded individual who has been actively involved in her kids’ activities and education.

Our 2020-21 Executive and Board are as follows:

Sue Coatham-President
Trevor Bacon-Vice-President and Newsletter Director
Phil Nantais-2nd Vice-President
Willa Wu-Secretary
Sharon Mazurkewich-Treasurer
Jennifer Bidlake-Schroeder-Director at Large
Carolyn Gomez-Membership Director
Pinky Nantais-Casino Director
Colin May-Director at Large
Karen Lessard-Director at Large

We welcome our newest Director, Karen Lessard, a regular volunteer who has been assisting with the planter program. Karen is exploring a potential community garden program for Sandstone/MacEwan and if you are interested please send us an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

2021 is going to be a big year for the SMCA Board as we celebrate our 35^th anniversary as a Community Association. We are hopeful that we will be able to plan our regular activities, including a composting day, community clean-up, planters, Yoga in the Park and Sandstock.

The SMCA Board collected many pairs of skates over the past year. If you know of kids who need skates please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and we will be happy to assist. If you have skates you wish to donate, please contact us.

Thank you for submitting your photo entries for our SMCA newsletter. Our goal is to continue to personalize our Newsletter. You can forward your photos to newsletter@sandstonemacewan.com.

We thank all those who have purchased their SMCA memberships! To purchase your membership online go to sandstonemacewan.com or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Three-year memberships ($50.00) qualify for a SMCA go mug and one-year memberships ($20.00) receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

Sue Coatham
President, SMCA
Celebrating 35 years of SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

DECEMBER 2020

Merry Christmas and I hope this letter finds you in the festive spirit as the holiday season is upon us.

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting was held on November 12, 2020 and I will indicate the new SMCA Board in the next letter.

We have seen an increase in graffiti in and around our hockey rink. This is a crime and a costly endeavor for us to pay to clean up. Through our security cameras, we were fortunate to catch the last culprits and they were charged. Please take a photo of any graffiti you come across and report through the 311-City website.

Last Spring the SMCA Board informally initiated a skate exchange program and, in the little time we operated, we were able to collect about 30 pairs of skates, all in good condition. We anticipate a busy season so please let us know if you have skates you can donate. To request skates or to donate, please email us at info@sandstonemaewan.com.

If you know of a family in need of any type of sports equipment, please let them know they can apply for assistance through Comrie’s Sports Bank www.comriessportsequipmentbank.org/.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink. With families staying closer to home this year, we expect both our hockey and pleasure rinks will be busier than usual. Last year we were extremely fortunate to often have two shifts (day and evening) for flooding and the rink was kept in excellent shape. This rink is available to all individuals, regardless of age, so whether you play hockey or not, please consider assisting when you can. It typically works best to clean and flood in the evening, however, a flood can happen during the day if there are individuals available.

I hope you re enjoying the Christmas lights at both rinks and the occasional fire going to encourage skaters to come out while maintaining a safe distance from others. Please watch our social media pages for information regarding any planned activities.

We have many seniors in our communities, please look around and consider becoming a snow angel in your immediate area.

Thanks to those who have sent in photos for the SMCA Photo Contest. Every month we select one picture for the cover page of our SMCA Newsletter and include several other pictures for inside the newsletter that showcase our great community. Submit photos to info@sandstonemacewan.com. Pictures must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com

SMCA Facebook (1008 followers) @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter (433 followers) @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram (147 followers) @sandstonemacewan

Look for our occasional emails and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Sue Coatham
President SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

NOVEMBER 2020

Remembrance Day is November 11^th, and it is likely events this year will be held virtually. Hopefully, your family will be able to watch one of the many ceremonies that will take place in and around Calgary to recognize this important date. The First World War formally ended at the 11th hour, on the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918. Please take the time for two minutes of silence at 11:00 am in honor of all those who fought and those who lost their lives fighting for their country.

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting is on November 12, 2020, at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive at 7:00 pm. Please contact us for more information if you are interested in becoming a Board Member or a volunteer for one of the programs we operate (hockey rink maintenance, planters, music in the park, etc.). For those planning to attend, masks and hand sanitizer will be available for you before you enter the room.

Last Spring the SMCA Board informally initiated a skate exchange program and, in the little time we operated, we were able to collect about 30 pairs of skates, which were all in good condition. While we are not yet operational, if you have skates to donate or are in need of skates, please email us at info@sandstonemaewan.com.

If you know of a family in need of equipment, please let them know they can apply for assistance through Comrie’s Sports Bank www.comriessportsequipmentbank.org/.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink. Last year we were extremely fortunate to often have two shifts (day and evening) for flooding and the rink was kept in excellent shape. This rink is available to all individuals, regardless of age, so whether you play hockey or not, please consider assisting when you can. It typically works best to clean and flood in the evening, however, a flood can happen during the day if there are individuals available.

We expect our two rinks are going to be busy this year because of families staying closer to home. The Christmas lights will be put up at both rinks and we hope to have the occasional fire going to encourage skaters to come out while maintaining a safe distance from others.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook (997 followers) @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter (429 followers) @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram (139 followers) @sandstonemacewan

Please go to sandstonemacewan.com/membership to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Those who purchase a three-year membership ($50.00) will receive a SMCA go mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

Sue Coatham
President SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

OCTOBER 2020

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Fall is a great time of year as the trees start to turn, leaves fall, and gardeners harvest the last of their yields. Farmers have worked nonstop getting the crops off the field. Thanksgiving is steeped in Canadian tradition and is a time for family and friends to come together in appreciation for what they have. Families and friends have had months to practice safe social distancing because of COVID-19 and it is critical to continue to plan gatherings with a small cohort.

October 4-10, 2020 is Fire Prevention week and this year’s theme is “Fire Safety in the Kitchen”. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in most provinces. Use the week to educate your family and friends on cooking hazards, the dangers of unattended cooking, and precautions they can take to prevent cooking-related fires.

Our SMCA Casino scheduled for July was postponed due to COVID-19. Recently the Casinos have opened again and the SMCA Board is anxious to receive our rescheduled date. Every eighteen months approximately, we are fortunate to benefit from a Casino event that generate the operating funds to support our many community initiatives including rink maintenance, music in the park, community clean up and so on. As we have mentioned, we have a major capital project we are working on to replace the hockey rink and replace the sheds with one building.

The SMCA Board monthly meetings are held at the Berkshire Citadel Church, on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00pm. Given social-distancing guidelines, we ask guests to contact us in advance to arrange to attend in person or call into the meeting.

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting is being held on November 12, 2020, at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive at 7:00pm. We have vacant positions on the Board and are looking for volunteers to consider joining the Board. Our Board Members contribute to the planning of all SMCA events, maintenance of the rinks, websites, social media pages and the monthly newsletter. Please contact us for more information in terms of the scope of the vacant positions as well as the level of commitment required.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook (983 followers) @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter (428 followers) @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram (132 followers) @sandstonemacewan

Sue Coatham
President SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

SEPTEMBER 2020

I hope everyone enjoyed Labour Day!

As we head into the Fall, our lives continue to be impacted by COVID-19 with masks, social-distancing and cancelled, reduced or adjusted activities.

I am sure students, who have been away from schools since the middle of March, are feeling tentative but eager to get back into a regular routine, whether it be online learning or in the classrooms. While there may be fewer students attending Simon’s Valley and Monsignor Neville Anderson elementary schools, please be aware of the increased activity on the roads in front of these schools.

The SMCA Board was impressed with the number of participants who attended Yoga in the Park that started July 8 and ran every Wednesday until the end of August. The instructor was excellent and ran the class so beginners as well as experienced yogis had a fulfilling experience. Thank you to those who provided such positive feedback. We will certainly consider running this program again next summer.

As we put the planters away for another year, the Board would like to thank Sandstone MacEwan residents who assisted in watering the plants throughout the two communities. Each year the Board receives emails from residents asking why our planters do not match the size or quality of those in the Hamptons, Panorama or Edgemont communities for example. Quite simply, those Associations use funds obtained from each community household through yearly fees to pay professional landscaping companies several thousands of dollars a month to plant and maintain their flowers. The SMCA Board relies entirely on community membership funds as well as revenue as a result of volunteers ‘working’ at an occasional Casino event, for all the programs we operate, including the planter program. Further, we rely on volunteers to purchase, plant, place and water our planters every year. Board Member, Carolyn Gomez, has managed this initiative for years and is always looking for residents to assist her.

The SMCA Board is going to hold our monthly meetings, after a summer break, at the Berkshire Citadel Church, on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00pm. Our next meeting will be held on September 10, 2020. However, given social-distancing guidelines, we ask guests to contact us in advance to arrange to call into the meeting.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram @sandstonemacewan

Please consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

AUGUST 2020

Happy Heritage Day!

The pandemic has been difficult in so many ways, including product shortages. We moved past the panic of temporarily not being able to buy toilet paper and hand sanitizer, then faced the challenge of everyone wanting to grow a garden, plant flowers, build a deck and so on. Fortunately, it seems that has lessened, and shelves have been restocked.

So many people have taken to biking and, while it is fantastic to see, individuals needing to have their bike fixed or tuned realized they were looking at long wait times to get their bikes in. A MacEwan resident, Sven Stuwe, an avid bike enthusiast, made a very generous offer to fix and tune-up bikes for the price of a donation to Two Wheel View. Sven is one of the primary individuals involved in the promotion of Bike to School that occurs the first Tuesday in June. It is community-focused individuals, like Sven, who make Sandstone and MacEwan great communities. Sven works very closely with Two Wheel View which is a non-profit organization that runs youth development programs through refurbishing & reselling donated used bikes. Please check out their website and consider donating a bike or funds to this very worthy cause.

Have you planned ‘staycations’ this year and are you exploring the Province? It is impressive to hear so many people talk about areas they have not seen since they were kids and new places they have visited. When was the last time you were at Franks Slide or Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump or the Columbia Icefield? Check out the Travel Alberta website.

The SMCA Board sponsored Yoga in the Park, that started July 8 and runs every Wednesday, 700-800pm, until August 26, 2020, at Sandstone Park. The instructors are excellent and run the class so beginners, as well as experienced yogis, have a fulfilling experience. Please provide us with feedback and let us know if you would like us to continue to offer this as a summer program. A special thanks to our Treasurer, Sharon Mazurkewich, who worked closely with the City of Calgary and the yoga instructor to ensure all COVID-19 safety regulations were met. Thanks to Outdoor Yoga by Krystal and her team.

The brown bag lunch program, sponsored through Food Finder YYC, was discontinued in July as the need for bagged lunches dropped. Catrina Gomez and Calin Chidlaw were our volunteers, who took care of this program, and the SMCA Board wants to say ‘a big thanks’ for their work.

Don’t forget the SMCA Photo Contest – Every month we select one picture for the cover page of our SMCA Newsletter and also include several other pictures for inside the newsletter that showcase our great community. Submit photos to info@sandstonemacewan.com. Pictures must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram @sandstonemacewan

Look for our emails that we send out occasionally and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Please consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JULY 2020

Happy Canada Day!

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to significantly impact our lives and, as we head into warmer weather and vacation season, we need to remain vigilant in following recommendations from health and government officials. The great news is our parks, playgrounds and outdoor hockey rink are all open for use using safe distancing practices.

The pandemic has resulted in more people getting outside and walking the pathways and enjoying the parks. We are so fortunate to have Nose Hill right next to us and can feel like we have left the city walking through the treed areas.

When out, why not do two great things at the same time and consider “PLALKing”? Picking up litter while walking is a fantastic way to get exercise while cleaning up your neighborhood. The SMCA Board has bags, gloves, masks and extender grabbers that are available upon request.

The Berkshire Citadel Church continues to be extremely busy supporting nearby families through their weekly food hamper program. The SMCA Board was proud to provide a donation towards this much–needed program.

The SMCA Board continues to support the brown bag lunch program sponsored through Food Finder YYC. Each day between 11:00 am to1:00 pm volunteers are handing out bagged lunches to kids in need.

Once again, our volunteer group planted planters which are strategically placed throughout Sandstone and MacEwan. If you can offer to water the plants close to your home that would be extremely helpful. A special thanks to Carolyn Gomez who manages this initiative. You can send her an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sadly, we have had to cancel Sandstock (music in the park) this year, however, will plan to be bigger and better next year! We are trying to arrange for some activities in the community honoring social distancing in the near future.

As I mentioned last month, once the City of Calgary opens the compost site, Big Man Landscaping will drop off compost for you to pick up near the Sandstone Hockey Rink. Please keep an eye on our website and social media sites for information.

Great News Publishing continues to provide our newsletter in a digital format only.

The SMCA Board does not have formal board meetings through July and August, however we remain available through email and social media sites. We are looking for board members and have exciting projects we will be managing in the future, including building a shed and porch area for the pleasure rink on Sandstone Dr., as well as replacing the hockey rink on Sandarac Dr. Please email me for more information.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including:

Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram @sandstonemacewan

Look for our emails that we send out occasionally and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Please consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JUNE 2020

Happy Father’s Day!

I must apologize for not sending Happy Mother’s Day wishes last month. I hope your family were able to be creative in recognizing your special day.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to significantly impact our lives and, as we head into warmer weather and vacation season, we need to remain vigilant in following recommendations from health and government officials. As you know, Calgary continues to lead the numbers throughout the province of those testing positive so Calgarians need to be extra cautious.

There are excellent initiatives throughout the City to support families in need and I would like to highlight three in our communities.

Firstly, I would like to thank Simons Valley School (SVS) parents for their excellent efforts with a food drive. On April 15th, baskets of food were collected and over $700.00 was raised to donate to the Berkshire Citadel Church Hamper Program. They plan to do the same in May.

Secondly, the Berkshire Citadel Church are extremely busy supporting nearby families through their weekly food hamper program. The SMCA Board was proud to provide a donation towards this much–needed program.

Finally, the SMCA Board is supporting the brown bag lunch program sponsored through Food Finder YYC. Each day between 11:00am-1:00pm volunteers are handing out bagged lunches to kids in need. Please consider joining them at the sheds near the hockey rink at 355 Sandarac Dr.

We will be getting the planters out soon. This program is quite popular in our communities and we get excellent feedback from you for our efforts. If you can offer to water the plants close to your home that would be extremely helpful. A special thanks to Carolyn Gomez who manages this initiative and you can send her an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

The bike to school day is typically the first Tuesday of June and encourages kids and parents to ride to school. Although schools are closed, why not get the bikes out and go for a bike ride with the kids anyway. Take a photo and send it to us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

While the community clean up is cancelled this year, the SMCA Board is arranging a day for you to pick up compost. Like last year, Big Man Landscaping has offered to collect the compost from the south of Calgary and drop it near the Sandstone Hockey Rink. We will let you know the date soon.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Great News Publishing has advised us that they will not be mailing our newsletter – only a digital copy will be available.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including:

Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram @sandstonemacewan

Look for our emails that we send out occasionally and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Please consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

MAY 2020

I started writing April’s message before COVID-19 hit Canada and the rest of the world with a vengeance. My proposed message about the optimism of Spring and the rush to get outdoors and start activities seems a bit silly and naïve reading it now.

Some of us are working too much, some not enough and sadly, some not at all. We are stressed out trying to make sure we have enough supplies, figuring out if we have the funds to do this, and being brave enough to line up at the grocery stores. Our kids’ lives have been turned upside down as they have lost their routine of school, activities and friends, while parents have suddenly become their teachers, friends, coaches, IT support and so on.

We are worried about our parents and other older relatives who we can only support from afar. Our routines, which kept us sane, are ‘out the window’. The stress of all this and so much more may even be keeping some of us awake at night.

We are inundated with information coming from three levels of government and wondering if we qualify for support and if ‘yes’, how much? I would like to offer a special thanks to Michelle Rempel Gardner for her continued communication with the SMCA Board and her willingness to assist where she can.

Attached are important links for you to refer to:

https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/cema/Pages/Support-for-Individual.aspx
https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-supports-for-albertans.aspx
https://mprempel.ca/information-on-covid-19
https://www.sandstonemacewancommunityassociation

I’m hoping by the time this letter is published, the incidences of those testing positive with COVID-19 will have decreased and we can celebrate that our social distancing practices have been successful.

As a result of COVID-19 Great News Publishing has advised they will not be mailing our newsletter only a digital copy will be released. We would like to hear from those of you who you read a hard copy of our newsletter – do you think we should continue our efforts to have it mailed. As an Association we struggle to communicate with residents who are not on social media and invite any ideas you may have for us to improve in this area.

Please continue to get outside and ride, run or walk; it is critical for your mind and body and very easy to practice social distancing. Take a photo of what you are doing to respect social distancing and send it to us at info@sandstonemacewan.com

We invite you to share your ideas and stories of acts of kindness you and people you know are experiencing using any of the listed sites below.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites including:

Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) www.sandstonemacewan.com
SMCA Facebook @sandstonemacewan
SMCA Twitter @sandstonemac
SMCA Instagram @sandstonemacewan

Look for our emails that we send out occasionally and email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com to be included in this distribution list.

Please consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to www.sandstonemacewan.com/membership to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham
President SMCA
president@sandstonemacewan.com

APRIL 2020

Happy Easter!

Who does not love Spring? It is the season of new growth as green patches and budding flowers replace the snow. The days are longer, warmer and brighter and the extra light and warm temperatures bring a bit of a lighter step for many of us. We feel more energetic, social and have an urge to be outdoors. We are fortunate in Sandstone and MacEwan to have numerous pathways and parks to take advantage of, not to mention Nose Hill Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America.

The downside of Spring is we have a lot of litter that has been blown around and buried under the snow. Why not do two great things at the same time and consider “PLALKing”? Picking up litter while walking is a fantastic way to get exercise while cleaning-up your neighborhood. Get the kids or a friend out and send us a photo showing us your support of this great initiative.

The SMCA Board would like to put out a very special ‘thank you’ to Alan Margulies, Brett Dawson, Butch Hogan, Colin May, Dale Struksnes, Jeff Schroeder, Joe Tofani, Kevin Swaby, Luke Janetzki, Rod Pennoyer, Travis Brouwer, Trevor Bacon, Trevor Marr, Tyler McDonald and William Murray for the countless hours they spent clearing and flooding the hockey rink. A special ‘thank you’ also goes to Tim Huston, our “fix-it guy”, who kept the machines going despite all the pucks that were ‘eaten’ after heavy snow falls! It was awesome to see new volunteers at the rinks. Please consider volunteering a few hours a week next year.

The pleasure rink was very popular again this year. The Board thanks Brad Beckett and Joe Wensink for consistently clearing and flooding the rink.

As you may recall, we asked for your feedback via an online survey regarding the use and potential placement of the hockey rink. Over 100 people responded in favor of the SMCA Board replacing the rink. We will provide more of a breakdown of the feedback next month.

Unfortunately, for the second year in three years, our communities were not chosen by the City of Calgary, for the community clean up. Due to cost reductions, the City indicated that they are reducing clean-ups from 100 to 84. The SMCA Board looks forward to hosting the community clean up, so we have reached out to neighboring communities to inquire about joining their community clean-ups. We will let you know the outcome of our inquiries.

Our board meetings are held in the boardroom at the Berkshire Citadel Church on the first Thursday of every month at 700pm. If you are interested in becoming a board member, send me an email or attend one of our meetings to learn about the operations.

Please consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to sandstonemacewan.com/membership to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Thank you so much for checking us out on our website and our social media sites. We have over 900 Facebook followers, 400 Twitter followers, nearly 100 Instagram followers and 200 for email distribution! Follow us at instagram.com/sandstonemacewan/

Sue Coatham
President SMCA president@sandstonemacewan.com

MARCH 2020

Throughout the month of March, the City of Calgary and the Federation of Calgary Communities encourages residents to “be part of it” and think about what your Community Associations (CA’s) can do for you and what you can do for your CA’s.

I would like to point out a few things that make me feel proud as a resident and President of the SMCA.

Volunteers are the backbone in any community, and we have so many amazing volunteers who consistently come out and help us maintain two outdoor rinks, despite the weather and their busy lives. We have a volunteer who spends hours maintaining our equipment and is our ‘go to’ guy for anything that needs to be built or fixed. The SMCA Board consists of eleven very committed and busy volunteers, who also contribute to the maintenance of the rinks, websites, social media pages and the monthly newsletter. They organize the community clean-up, casino, ‘Music in the Park’ and the planters, as well as responding to all concerns and complaints brought forth.

This winter the SMCA Board put out a call for used skates for kids who wanted to skate but didn’t have skates. The response has been great. Along with that, we’ve had other families offer to manage a skate exchange program, sharpen skates and teach kids how to skate. If you would like to donate skates or helmets, or if your kids need either, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com or Bradley Beckett at yeldarbis@shaw.ca for more information.

There are community members who organize block parties year after year, families who watch out for their neighbors and kids who make sure walkways are shoveled for individuals who can’t do it themselves.

That is what community means to me and I know I have only scratched the surface in providing examples of the kindness that flows through the Sandstone and MacEwan communities.

We are fortunate to have two elementary schools in our community and this year both Monsignor Neville Anderson (MNA) and the Simons Valley School (SVS) were able to utilize the hockey rink for scheduled school activities. With the support of the KidSport Skate Shack program skates and helmets were made available to all those who needed them, including those who had never previously put on a pair of skates.

As you read this message please think about getting involved with your community and consider purchasing a SMCA membership. You can go to www.sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

FEBRUARY 2020

Welcome to February! Did Balzac Billy see his shadow on Groundhog Day? A sunny day that allows the groundhog to see his shadow will send him scurrying back into his burrow, a sign of six more weeks of winter. A cloudy and therefore shadow less day is a sign of spring encouraging the groundhog to stay above ground.

The Calgary teacher’s convention always aligns with Alberta’s Family Day weekend. For many, this is an opportunity to get away, the first since the Christmas break and for others this is a day to reflect on the value of family and take advantage of the events that are held throughout Calgary.

Thank you for submitting your photo entries for our SMCA Christmas light contest. The 2019 Winners: 1^st place: 120 MacEwan Ridge Cl 2^nd place: 56 Sandringham Cl 3^rd place: 47 Sandringham Way and honorable mention: 51 MacEwan Meadow Way and 36 MacEwan Meadow Rise. We look forward to seeing more entries next year!

We hope you are to take advantage of our rinks throughout the winter. Each year it seems like the younger kids are becoming regular users of the hockey rink.

Many individuals have donated skates to the SMCA Board, and we would like to pass them on to individuals who would like to skate. If you don’t know how to skate, we have a lifelong hockey family living in Sandstone more than willing to provide a few skating lessons for free at either the pleasure rink or the hockey rink. Contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com for more information.

As I mentioned previously, our hockey rink/outdoor sports surface (355 Sandarac Drive NW) needs replacement. Currently, it is used by community members of all ages, local sports teams, local schools, and members of neighbouring communities. We have a dedicated crew of rink volunteers in the winter months. We host various winter and summer events and have the potential to host more throughout the year.

We are looking for your input. Do you use the rink/surface? Do you have any thoughts on the replacement? Please go to the online questionnaire at www.sandstonemacewan.com/rink-survey and add your comments.

One of our SMCA sheds being used by the Scouts had the lock cut off by vandals who stole some equipment. The 224 Scouts collect bottles throughout the year to purchase equipment for the kids and this is a loss for them. Please report any suspicious activity you see in your neighbourhood to either 311 or 911. Your call could stop a crime in progress.

We thank all those who have purchased their SMCA memberships! Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Thank you so much for helping us grow our social media sites! We have over 830 Facebook likes, 400 Twitter followers and over 220 for email distribution! Thanks to Trevor, we are now on Instagram; so far, we have 62 followers! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/sandstonemacewan/

Happy Valentines Day!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JANUARY 2020

Happy New Year! Chinese New Year is January 25, 2020 and this is the year of the White Metal Rat.

We hope you were able to take advantage of our rinks throughout the Christmas break. Many families have experienced ongoing hardships through the downturn in Alberta and no longer able to replace skates and other equipment for the kids. If you have kids who are in need of equipment please consider applying for assistance through Comrie’s Sports Bank www.comriessportsequipmentbank.org/.

If you have skates you no longer use or need, please send an email to info@sandstonemacewan.com and we will be happy to find a home for them.

The SMCA board elections were in November our executive and board are as follows:

Sue Coatham-President
Trevor Bacon-Vice-president
Phil Nantais-2nd Vice-president
Willa Wu-Secretary
Sharon Mazurkewich-Treasurer
Jennifer Bidlake-Schroeder-Director at Large
Carolyn Gomez-Membership Director
Sarah Meagher-Bromley-on leave
Pinky Nantais-Casino Director
Colin May-Director at Large
Shayne Chidlaw-Director at Large

Welcome to our newest Director Colin May, a long-standing volunteer at the hockey rink. Thanks Colin, we look forward to working with you and hearing your ideas. You can look forward to seeing the many events the Board will be hosting in the new year.

I have mentioned the amount of work that has gone into rebuilding the pleasure rink over the past several years and have attached photos.

We have had an excellent response for volunteers at our skating rinks over the past several months. A special thanks to Trevor for highlighting our dedicated volunteers through social media and asking the community to ‘be like them’. If you have a few hours to volunteer at our rinks either at night or through the daytime, please contact us info@sandstonemacewan.com

The SMCA Board is seeking community input. Our hockey rink/outdoor sports surface (355 Sandarac Drive NW) is nearing the end of its lifecycle needs replacement.

Please see the online questionnaire at www.sandstonemacewan.com/rink-survey and add your comments.

Thank you for submitting your photo entries for our SMCA newsletter. Our goal is to move away from stock photos as much as possible and personalize our Newsletter. Trevor Bacon is our Newsletter Director and you can forward these to newsletter@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please report any suspicious activity you see to either 311 or 911, your efforts could stop a crime in process!

Our membership list continues to grow, and we thank those who have purchased their SMCA memberships! Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your membership online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Those who purchase a three-year membership ($50.00) will receive a SMCA go mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

Thank you so much for checking us out on our web site and our social media sites, we are over 800 likes on Facebook, 380 followers on Twitter @sandstonemac and 200 for email distribution! SMCA is now on Instagram thanks to Trevor! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/sandstonemacewan/ so far we have 55 followers!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

DECEMBER 2019

Merry Christmas!

Typically, by this time in December we all know friends and family who have their house decorated, presents bought and wrapped and the baking safely hidden in the freezer. Then, there are the rest of us who are still in the “planning stage” and think we still have lots of time to get everything done.

As organized as you are (or not), please take time to support those who are not as fortunate as you may be. The level of unemployment in Calgary continues at an unprecedented rate and many families are dealing with the stress of not having enough money to pay the bills not to mention having any extra money for Christmas. A plate of Christmas baking to the neighbor or adding more food to your food bank contribution goes a long way.

Challenge your family to think of activities that don’t cost money like skating at one of our rinks or tobogganing at one of the hills in the neighborhood. The board has had Christmas lights put up on the trees on the Island at the Sandstone Park as well as the hockey rink again to help get you in the Christmas spirit! The rink volunteers dedicate hours to maintaining the rinks and their greatest pay back is seeing them used.

The SMCA board was successful in securing a grant through the Enmax sponsored Energizing Spaces Fund. Our very old and costly rink flood lights will be replaced with the energy efficient LED lights that will save the Community Association hundreds of dollars a year to light up both the hockey and pleasure rink. A special thanks to former SMCA board member Wayne Watson for completing the application on behalf of the board.

Please continue to submit your photo entries so our SMCA newsletter continues with the personal touch! Our goal is to move away from stock photos as much as possible and personalize our Newsletter. Trevor Bacon is our Newsletter Director and you can forward these to newsletter@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please contact us if you can offer a few hours a week to assist with flooding the hockey rink.

Sue Coatham, President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

NOVEMBER 2019

The SMCA Annual General Meeting will be held November 14, 2019 at the Berkshire Citadel Church boardroom. The current board consists of 12 volunteers who are responsible for two rinks, the community clean up, music in the park, ride your bike to school, the planter program, the Christmas light program, managing the casino fundraiser, memberships, as well as managing a budget and providing financial support to a variety of clubs in Sandstone and MacEwan. Each one of us are proud to contribute and look forward to the positive feedback we receive from community members. Hope to see you at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive at 7:00pm and our regular monthly meeting will follow.

For the third year, the SMCA board partnered with the Berkshire Citadel Church to provide backpacks and school supplies to kids in our community. We also provided funds for the hamper program operated by the Church to provide food to families in need throughout the summer months. The SMCA board was happy to work with the Berkshire Citadel Church to assist those in need in our communities.

Did you notice the photo on the front page of Octobers newsletter? How about the honorable mentioned photos inside? These are photos that are submitted by Sandstone MacEwan community members. Please continue to submit your photo entries so our SMCA newsletter continues with the personal touch! Our goal is to move away from stock photos as much as possible and personalize our newsletter. Wayne Watson is our Newsletter Director and will continue to introduce different themes in the newsletter and our social media sites. You can forward these to newsletter@sandstonemacewan.com.

We are heading into winter and the volunteers who maintain the two rinks throughout the winter are busy preparing for another skating season! Please contact us if you can o?er a few hours a week to assist with flooding the hockey rink.

Remembrance Day is November 11th, commemorating the first world war formally ending at the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. There are many events taking place in and around Calgary that will be highlighted on various Calgary websites, including our social media pages. Please take the time for two minutes of silence at 1100 am in honor of all those who fought and lost their lives fighting for their country.

Please report any suspicious activity you see to either 311 or 911, your e?orts could stop a crime in process!

Our membership list is growing! Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com. Those who purchase a three year membership ($50.00) will receive a SMCA go mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

SMCA is now on Instagram thanks to Trevor! Follow us at www.instagram.com/sandstonemacewan so far, we have 26 followers!

Thank you so much for connecting with our social media sites, we are over 800 likes on Facebook, 380 followers on Twitter and 200 for email distribution!

Sue Coatham, President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

OCTOBER 2019

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sandstock 2019 was a great success thanks to the Corazones Band and the vendors. A very special thanks to the following sponsors: City of Calgary, Councillor Sean Chu and MP Michelle Rempel. We had more volunteers than ever to help us run the event, including the 224 Scouts. Once again, our event Director Trevor Bacon pulled out all the stops to ensure the day ran smoothly. Phil Nantais, one of our Directors, managed the composting, recycling and garbage and reported there was only one regular bag of garbage at the end of the day. Carolyn Gomez, our membership Director reports she sold hundreds of dollars in new memberships and the funds will go back into this and other events.

Many of you have participated in our Sandstone MacEwan newsletter photo contest with the winner’s photo on the front page and honorable mention photos within the newsletter. Our goal is to move away from stock photos as much as possible and personalize our newsletter. Wayne Watson has stepped in as our Newsletter Director while Sarah Meagher-Bromley is away on extended leave. Wayne will continue to introduce different themes in the newsletter and our social media sites. You can forward these to newsletter@sandstonemacewan.com.

We will be bringing in the planters soon and we want to give a big thanks to the many volunteers who offered to water the plants throughout the summer! This continues to be one the initiatives where the community provides the most positive feedback to us on the Board. A special thanks to the individual who made a sign thanking us!

Our auditor is backed up so we will be moving our Annual General Meeting to November. We are moving our monthly meeting dates so the actual date will be posted later.

We are very frustrated to report kids continue to climb on the shed roof at the pleasure rink creating damage to the shingles. Lately we have received reports that kids are climbing on our sheds at the hockey rink and upon inspection they have broken through the membrane causing significant water damage to one shed as well as the contents. Not only is this a considerable safety issue, it is costing the SMCA a significant amount of time and money to repair. We believe the ones who created the damage are the same ones who sprayed graffiti on the side of the shed. We have secured photos and understand they are in grade 12 at a high school in Huntington and once they properly identifed we will be turning the information over to the Calgary Police Service. The charges can range from vandalism to trespassing on private property. Please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com if you are witness to this type of behaviour.

Thank you so much for connecting with our social media sites, we are over 800 likes on Facebook, 380 followers on Twitter and 200 for email distribution! Trevor tells me we are going live on Instagram soon!

Happy Halloween!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

SEPTEMBER 2019

Our seemingly very short summer is ending, and it is time to get back to work, school and other regular activities.

We hope you were able to take advantage of some of the events we sponsored throughout the spring and summer including the community clean up, compost, neighbor day, parade of garage sales, theatre in the park, park and play as well as Sandstock.

Mark your calendars for August 30, 2019 from 500-900pm. Vivo and SMCA will be having a fire pit at Sandstone Park on 99 Sandstone Drive. Bring a chair and there will be marshmallows and hot chocolate provided.

The school buses are going to be in full force in Sandstone and MacEwan especially at both elementary schools so please pay attention to kids who may be running to or from these buses. The school and playground zones are strictly enforced but if you notice people speeding, please register a concern through 311 or 911 if it is an emergency.

I wanted to send a thank you to the 224 Scout troop who maintain planters around the pleasure rink as well as the great work they are doing on the sign area across from the park on Sandstone Drive.

We continue to receive feedback regarding the overgrown bushes around the sign on the northwest corner of the Calgary Transit bus loop. The area is the responsibility of Calgary Transit and they have committed to cleaning this up. Once this has been completed the SMCA has agreed to maintain the area. This has been a long-standing issue and we hope Calgary Transit has the area cleaned up within the next month or two. If there is an area that you have noted has been neglected, please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and we will be happy to review the concern with you

Thank you to those who entered the SMCA September Photo Contest! The winner’s photos are in this newsletter.

As I mentioned previously, the SMCA board had booked the Mobile Skateboard Park for our hockey rink the first two weeks of September. Due to budgetary concerns, the City of Calgary has suspended this program indefinitely.

Please think about attending our Annual General Meeting 700pm October 2, 2019 at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive. We keep active throughout the year and always welcome newcomers.

The goal of upgrading Sandstone Park is complete and we will be starting to work on the hockey rink upgrade that is going to be time consuming and costly but necessary given it is over 15 years old and heavily utilized. Look forward to updates regarding this project.

We are nearing 800 likes on Facebook, 300 followers on Twitter and 200 for email distribution, please keep it up!

Your membership contributions go towards the upkeep of our equipment and rinks and allow us to offer community engagement activities. Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

AUGUST 2019

Happy August to you!

Although the weather was a bit uncooperative, the 7th annual Beddington Heights-Sandstone MacEwan Parade of Garage Sales held on June 22nd was a success. A special thanks to Beddington Heights President Jessica Martin as well as SMCA Director Willa Wu for managing this.

August 5th is Heritage Day in Alberta and while it is not a formal statutory holiday, many businesses close on this day. If you are lucky enough to have the day off, make sure you check out what’s happening in Calgary. Monsignor Neville Anderson starts classes for year-round school August 6, 2019 on Sandarac Drive. PLEASE pay attention when you are driving on Sandarac Drive and do not hesitate to report erratic driving either through calling 311 or 911 if it is an emergency.

Please enter our SMCA Monthly Photo Contest! Submit your Landscape, Activities, Nature, Pets, Garden, Community Events, Kids Playing and Weather photos to info@sandstonemacewan.com for a chance to be on the cover of our September newsletter! Deadline is August 8th.

SANDSTOCK returns for a 7th year at Sandstone Park Sunday, August 25th from 1 – 5pm! Enjoy a FREE family fun filled afternoon with activities for the kids, an artisan market with arts & crafts and great live music from the band Corazones! Check them out at www.dascorazones.com. We have sold lots of Artisan tables and as usual we will have a bouncy house for the kids as well as raffle draws and 50/50 draws. Please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com if you are interested in helping us out.

The SMCA board is happy to say we have booked the Mobile Skateboard Park to be installed in our hockey rink for the first two weeks of September. This is an event the board likes to sponsor given the popularity of the event. Get the kids out to blow off some steam before they need to head back to school.

Over a year ago, the SMCA board sent email requests to individuals requesting that you opt into our email distribution list in line with Canada’s anti-spam laws. Thank you to those who have contributed to our distribution list and for those who have not, please consider opting into this list as it is one more way for us to communicate important information to you.

We are nearing 800 likes on Facebook, 300 followers on Twitter and 200 for email distribution, please keep it up! A special thanks to Trevor Bacon for his excellent and timely posts on Facebook as well as Twitter @sandstonemac.

Thanks to Willa Wu who sends out excellent and timely email distributions. Check out the website at www.sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JULY 2019

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

The SMCA Board would like to give a special thanks to the excellent feedback we have been receiving regarding the planters, the free compost day, the bike to school day as well as the community clean up. Please keep it up!

The Bike to School Day was Tuesday June 4, 2019, at various Calgary schools including Monsignor Neville Anderson (MNA) and Simons Valley School (SVS). Volunteers, members of the board as well as Sean Chu and Andrew Chan were at both the MNA and SVS schools handing out goodies to the kids wearing helmets. Once again Sven Stuwe did an excellent job organizing and communicating with both schools in preparation of this day. The Berkshire Citadel Church was on site with their disaster response kitchen at the SVS handing out water and snack bars.

The SMCA Board hosted the community clean up on June 9, 2019 and it was a great success thanks to the awesome volunteers including the 224 Scout Group. As usual it was an extremely popular event and people were very patient with the long wait lines.

We have had a great response with our planter program and residents offering to water the SMCA planters in their area. If you would like to assist with watering, please contact Carolyn Gomez at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Thanks so much for your response to our landscape/gardening photo contest. It was very difficult to select the winner however we have voted on the bee pictures taken by Amy Lahoda and her entry is on this month’s front page. We will be having another contest so please continue to submit your photos as requested.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 25th as SANDSTOCK (music in the park) returns for a 7th year at Sandstone Park. Local band Das Corazones, with members residing in MacEwan, are scheduled to play two sets of originals and select covers in the afternoon. We are always looking for volunteers to help us out on this day so please consider giving us a hand. Hope to see you there!

Are you a person who is proud of your community and like to give back? The SMCA board is looking for individuals who have an interest becoming an SMCA Director. Past board experience is an asset but not required and duties include attending monthly meetings as well as contributing to the mandate of the board. If you would like to receive more information, please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online. When you purchase a three-year membership ($50.00) you will receive a SMCA go mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

Follow us on Facebook (over 750 followers) and Twitter @sandstonemac (over 350 followers) and over 200 email addresses. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Happy Stampeding!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

JUNE 2019

Happy Father’s Day!

The SMCA board partnered with Big Man Landscaping to bring compost collected through the City of Calgary Compost Program to the Sandstone Rink area. On May 4^th volunteers shoveled more than 12 yards of compost to residents of Sandstone and MacEwan. It was a cold and snowy day but that did not stop folks from lining up with wheelbarrows, pails and bags to collect premium compost. A special thanks to Wayne for organizing the event as well as Les, Alan and Nick from Big Man Landscaping for offering this great resource to the community.

June is one of the busier months for the SMCA Board and we hope to see you at one of our events (community clean up, bike to school, or supporting a Neighbor Day event).

The Bike to School Day is Tuesday June 4, 2019, at various Calgary schools including Monsignor Neville Anderson (MNA) and Simons Valley School (SVS). Members of the board and volunteers will be at SVS and MNA schools handing out goodies to the kids wearing helmets. A special thanks for Sven Stuwe who is the leader of bike to school for our neighborhood!

The SMCA Board will be hosting the community clean up on June 9, 2019 at 355 Sandarac Dr NW from 0900-200pm. This is an extremely popular event and there can be long wait times so please plan to be there early. We will cut off the line at 130pm to ensure everyone gets through. Look for the “leave it/take it” area for goods you want to donate. Bikes were very popular so please bring any unused bikes you may have to drop off. Why don’t you volunteer and give us a hand? We have had some of you offer to volunteer, however could always use more. Please send us an email to info@sandstonemacewan.com if you are able to assist.

Saturday June 15, 2019 is Neighbor Day in Calgary and is a great excuse for neighbors to come together. This could be in the form of a front yard barbeque, garden party, picnic, and so on to celebrate community spirit. If you are interested in hosting an event on this date, or any date, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and the SMCA board will be happy to support you with advertising, organizing, and a bit of cash as well.

Congratulations to Josephine Pon Alberta’s newly elected Minister of Seniors and Housing for Calgary-Beddington we look forward to working with you.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

MAY 2019

At the time of this letter, our provincial election will be over and the Premier will be forming the government with the MLAs of their party. Let’s hope whoever was elected takes Albertans’ interests to heart and we continue to improve economically. I hope you were able to attend the candidates’ forum we co-hosted with the Huntington Hills Community Association.

We received an excellent response to our first ever photo contest in the winter so we are going to have another one. Please consider entering our contest and send in photos of gardening or landscaping. Feel free to add people (with their permission) and/or pets if you like. Our preference is to personalize the front cover of our newsletter with photos from residents of Sandstone and MacEwan. The deadline is June 1^st so we have time to get it into July’s newsletter.

Our hockey rink is usually pretty active throughout the summer with people playing ball hockey and basketball. As a way to encourage more activity we are going to start drop-in ball hockey and basketball evenings once a week. We will choose one night a week at a certain time for each sport and hope that residents get off the couch and try it out. We will supply hockey nets but please bring a basketball, stick and ball just in case. More information to follow.

A reminder, the SMCA Board will host a community clean up on June 9, 2019 at 355 Sandarac Dr NW from 0900-200pm. This is an extremely popular event and there can be long wait times so please plan to be there early. We will cut off the line at 130pm to ensure everyone gets through. Look for the “leave it/take it” area for goods you want to donate. Bikes were very popular so please bring any unused bikes you may have to drop off. Why don’t you volunteer and give us a hand? We have had some of you offer to volunteer, however could always use more. Please send us an email to info@sandstonemacewan.com if you are able to assist.

Our SMCA community memberships have reduced significantly over the past year or so. As a board we are continually trying to improve our Sandstone and MacEwan communities and really look to the residents to get involved and support their community. Your membership contributions go towards the upkeep of our equipment and rinks and allow us to offer community engagement activities.

Happy Mother’s Day!

APRIL 2019

Great news, the SMCA Board was successful in our application to host a community clean up June 9, 2019 at 355 Sandarac Dr NW from 0900-200pm. This is an extremely popular event and there can be long wait times so please plan to be there early. We will cut off the line at 130pm to ensure everyone gets through. Look for the “leave it/take it” area for goods you want to donate. Bikes were very popular so please bring any unused bikes you may have to drop off. Do you have a few hours to spare? Why don’t you volunteer to give us a hand? It’s a great way to meet board members as well as community families. Send us an email if you are interested.

With the skating season over, it’s time to thank the pleasure rink managers Brad Beckett and Joe Wensink, who consistently cleared and flooded the rink throughout the winter. The hockey rink volunteers included Colin May, Jeff Schroeder, Mark Golem and Trevor Bacon to name a few and we want to thank them for the countless hours they spent clearing and flooding the hockey rink. The SMCA board invested in a tractor this winter that was put to good use, especially on the bitterly cold days. A special thanks to Brad Beckett for driving the tractor and maintaining all the machines.

MLA Karen McPherson recently announced that she will not run for re-election this spring and the SMCA Board would like to express our gratitude for your years of service. As demanding as her schedule was, Karen was always very responsive to the needs of the community. We will miss her enthusiasm and dedication to her role.

With the provincial election upon us, it is important to note the SMCA Board is non-partisan and will not endorse any one candidate or party. However, if provided the opportunity, we may sponsor a candidate’s forum. Ultimately, make sure you take advantage of your democratic right, and get out and vote. Whatever your political stripe, it is important remember these individuals are performing a public service by running for office and deserve an opportunity to present their platforms without being personally attacked or abused.

Have you been watching the progress of the new CO-OP gas station in the MacEwan mall on 14^th Street? It has been several years since we have had a gas station in that area and let’s hope it is a viable business for CO-OP.

Follow us on Facebook (over 700 followers) and Twitter @sandstonemac (over 350 followers). Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Happy Easter!

MARCH 2019

Thank you to those who volunteered at the SMCA Casino January 25 and 26! Not only did our casino director Willa manage to fill all the spaces, she had volunteers on a waitlist. We know it is a big ask for you to take time out of your busy lives to volunteer and we hope you will enjoy the events and improvements we will be sponsoring in Sandstone and MacEwan through the funds we receive.

Those who thought we had escaped winter with above normal temperatures through the winter months were rudely awakened when the polar vortex spread from the eastern half of Canada and settled in for much of February. Normally the Pacific Jetstream keeps the Artic air north of us but not this year and Calgarians were not prepared for below normal temperatures that lasted weeks. Simons Valley Elementary had scheduled a week of daily periods of outdoor skating for all their classes at our hockey rink that had to be postponed much to the disappointment of all the kids.

We are not necessarily out of the woods now that February is behind us, however. Did you know that we typically get more snowfall in March than other months? If you recall, last year Calgary broke a one-day record for the most snowfall on March 2, 2018 with 13 cm of snow. Don’t put your snow shovels away quite yet!

Thanks very much to those of you who entered your photos for our contest to have the winning photo on the cover of this newsletter. The winning photo was very difficult to choose amongst the entries, however, we have selected Krista McDonald’s photo at the rink (Flames fans). Honorable mentions go to Carolyn Houston (greenspace behind MacEwan Glen Drive). Jamie Lamb (nighttime sky), and H. DePatie (winter twig). Keep an eye on the newsletter and our social media sites, we will be having contests in the future given the talent and interest this generated.

March is Community Association Membership Awareness Month in Calgary.

Throughout the month of March, the City of Calgary and the Federation of Calgary Communities encourages residents to “be part of it” and think about what your community associations can do for you and what you can do for your community associations.

Do you feel proud of your neighborhood and community? Why or why not? When you talk about where you live, what do you tell people? Do you enjoy driving by the rinks and seeing the lights through the Christmas season? Are you able to make use of the ice rinks, community clean up, music in the park, mobile skatepark? Do you access the SMCA website, twitter or facebook for information? Please consider providing us feedback of what you feel the SMCA does right and where you think we can improve. Most importantly, please renew or purchase your SMCA membership either on our website or at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

FEBRUARY 2019

February 5^th marks Chinese New Year and is the most important annually recurring festival for people of Chinese ancestry all over the world. It has been celebrated for over 1,000 years – possibly much longer, and the traditions involved are deeply ingrained in Chinese culture. For many, it is also a religious holiday, full of prayers, offerings, and other acts of devotion. 2019 is the year of the Pig, the last of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac which is recognized as a time to bring things to completion. Because it is the end of a twelve-year cycle, it is time to experience joy and reflect on the past in order to prepare for the new cycle which will be the Year of the Metal Rat 2020.

We have been fortunate with our winter temperatures this year and most of the snow has been in the mountain areas. Skating has been consistent at the oval on Sandstone Drive because Joe and Brad were able to get a great base built up. The hockey rink suffers when we have above zero temperatures given we are unable to build up much of a base due to the design of the rink. Regardless, the rink guys have done a fantastic job of flooding when the weather cooperates. Gauging by the consistent number of individuals at both rinks I would say we had a banner year for skating this year. Thanks very much to those of you who reached out to assist with the rinks, every person helps.

The SMCA board purchased a tractor this winter to assist with clearing the rinks and we hope to have a small Zamboni built to smooth out the rinks for the next season. The board is also happy to have the tractor to mow the areas we are responsible to maintain (parameters around both rinks).

As I mentioned we have not had a significant amount of snow this year but when we do, please consider shoving sidewalks for the neighbors who are unable to get out themselves.

The SMCA board has applied to host a community clean up and we will be providing more information in future newsletters.

Our email distribution list continues to grow thanks to many of you opting in. Check us out on Facebook, we have over 725 likes; see us on Twitter @sandstonemac, with over 370 followers; the website at sandstonemacewan.com; or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Trevor Bacon to post a special event or provide feedback.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online or contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com

Happy Valentines and Family Day!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JANUARY 2019

Happy New Year! I hope you had a festive (and restful) Christmas break. Have you made a resolution to get more exercise? Why not take advantage of what we have in the northwest and hike Nose Hill, ski COP, walk the pathways, skate on our rinks or cross-country ski at the tracked runs at Confederation Park? What about a resolution to get more involved in activities and maybe volunteer? The SMCA is always in need of eager individuals wanting to get involved in our communities.

The SMCA board developed goals and priorities for 2018-19. You can look forward to the Community Clean Up, Neighbor Day, Ride to School (MNA and SVS), Sandstock and the mobile Skate Park. We will continue to support our community partners, Vivo, 224 Scouts, McKnight Hockey, and MSB soccer. Of course, we will continue manage the community planter program, and the Christmas lights at Sandstone Park as well as the Sandarac Hockey Rink.

Rink flooding started the first week of December and there were skate marks on the very thin layers of ice which was evidence of the eagerness of people wanting to get out. We are extremely fortunate to have two large rinks in Sandstone that get constant use and we know we are the envy of many communities. If you are not a hockey player, then head over to the skating oval at Sandstone Park. If you want to help maintain them even better just send us an email.

We hope to organize family fun skates, however, because of our changing weather conditions there may not be significant notice. Please keep an eye on social media (facebook, website and twitter) for events we will be planning this winter.

We have many aging individuals or those with physical disabilities in our communities that are struggling to keep their walks shoveled and can’t afford to pay a company to clean their walks. Please look around and consider becoming a snow angel in your immediate area.

Our SMCA Casino is January 25 and 26, 2019 at the Calgary Casino and there are still a few spots to be filled. The SMCA is very fortunate to benefit from Casino fundraisers roughly every 18 months that allow us the operating funds to support our many community initiatives including rink maintenance, music in the park, community clean up and so on. Please contact Willa Wu, our interim Casino Director at willawyh@gmail.com who can provide a list of remaining shifts.

Our email distribution list continues to grow thanks to many of you opting in. Check us out on Facebook, we have over 700 likes; see us on Twitter @sandstonemac, with over 350 followers; the website at sandstonemacewan.com; or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Trevor Bacon if you want to post a special event or provide feedback.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online or contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com

A very prosperous New Year!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

DECEMBER 2018

Merry Christmas and I hope this letter finds you in the festive spirit as the Christmas season is upon us.

The Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) Annual General Meeting and elections were held October 18, 2018 and our executive and board are as follows: Sue Coatham-President, Trevor Bacon-Vice-president, Phil Nantais- 2^nd Vice-president, Willa Wu-Secretary and Sharon Mazurkewich-Treasurer.

The following are Directors: Wayne Watson (General), Carolyn Gomez (Memberships), Sarah Meagher-Bromley (Newsletter), Pinky Nantais (Casino), Shayne Chidlaw (Vivo Liaison), Jenn Bidlake-Schroeder (General), Trevor Bacon (Sandstock, Airport Liaison) and Joy Zimmerman (General). Thanks to all of you for continuing to volunteer your time towards our communities. A welcome to Wayne Watson who is our newest board member.

The board will be developing our goals and priorities for 2018-19 in the month to come.

Our hockey rink was vandalized by graffiti again last month and I’ve noticed other communities have been hit as well. This is a crime and a costly endeavor for us to pay to clean up. We were fortunate to catch the last culprits through our security cameras and they were charged with these crimes. Please report graffiti through the 311-city website.

As usual, we will be looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink this year. Last year there were evenings with only a couple of volunteers cleaning and flooding the rink and it’s too much work. This rink is available to all individuals, regardless of age, so whether you play hockey or not, please consider assisting when you can.

We plan to have family fun skates and will be posting notices for this at our Sandstone Park Oval.

We have many aging seniors in our communities that are struggling to keep their walks shoveled and can’t afford to pay a company to clean their walks. Please look around and consider becoming a snow angel in your immediate area.

We have had a good response for our call out for volunteers to fill the dates for our SMCA Casino January 25 and 26, 2019 at the Calgary Casino however there are still a few spots to be filled. The SMCA is very fortunate to benefit from Casino fundraisers roughly every 18 months that allow us the operating funds to support our many community initiatives including rink maintenance, music in the park, community clean up and so on. Please contact Willa Wu our interim Casino Director at willawyh@gmail.com who can provide a list of remaining shifts.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online or contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com

On behalf of the SMCA board have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

NOVEMBER 2018

As you read this note, the Sandstone Community Association Annual General Meeting would have taken place and members on the Board would have changed slightly. I will post a list of your new Board of Directors in next month’s newsletter.

Remembrance Day is November 11^th and because it is on a Sunday this year more families will be able attend one of the many ceremonies that will take place in and around Calgary to recognize this important date. The first world war formally ended at the 11th hour, of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918. Please take the time for two minutes of silence at 11:00am in honor of all those who fought and lost their lives fighting for their country.

We will be putting up Christmas lights again at the hockey rink and would be happy to have a few volunteers to assist us in doing this.

We completed the work at Sandstone Park this spring and look forward to seeing you skating around the oval this winter. We want to give a special thank you to Nicola and the 224 Scout Group for planting and maintaining the beautiful planters around the oval! The Christmas lights will be installed again and lit up throughout the Christmas season. We had many skaters come out last season thanks to the hard work of rink volunteers Brad Beckett and Joe Wensink.

We are actively trying to fill the dates for our SMCA Casino January 25 and 26, 2019 at the Calgary Casino. The SMCA is very fortunate to benefit from Casino fundraisers roughly every 18 months that allow us the operating funds to support our many community initiatives including rink maintenance, music in the park, community clean up and so on. Thanks to those who have already signed up, we really appreciate your assistance. There are many volunteer positions as well as shifts during the day or evening and you will be trained when you get there. Willa Wu is our interim Casino Director and can be reached at willawyh@gmail.com.

Check us out on Facebook, we have over 700 likes; see us on Twitter @sandstonemac, with over 350 followers; the website at sandstonemacewan.com; or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Trevor Bacon if you want to post a special event or provide feedback.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online or contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

OCTOBER 2018

Thankfully the smoky skies dissipated on August 19^th and Sandstock 2018 was our most successful event to date. The band Home by Midnight was well received, and the kids were entertained by the Vivo ambassadors, mini-golf and the bouncy house!

A very special thanks to the following sponsors: City of Calgary, Vivo, Councillor Sean Chu, MLA Karen McPherson and MP Michelle Rempel. Thanks to the volunteers, board members and in particular Trevor Bacon (Director of Sandstock). We look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s event.

The Mobile Skateboard Park was at our hockey rink for the first two weeks of September and was as popular as ever. If you or your kids played at the park, please send us some feedback on the experience.

For the second year, the SMCA board partnered with the Berkshire Citadel Church to provide backpacks and school supplies to over 100 kids in our community. Overall the church provided backpacks to 500 kids in the NW area of Calgary!

The Church also opened an emergency food bank this summer and assisted roughly 35 families from the community who accessed the food bank monthly. The SMCA board was happy to contribute funds towards this very important initiative.

If you have little ones aged 0-5 take the time to stop by the Play Café at the Berkshire Church on Sandarac Drive Tuesdays from 0930-1130 in the gymnasium. There are toys, snacks, crafts, etc for the kids and coffee and snacks for the adults. It’s a great way to meet other parents in our communities.

Avenue Magazine conducted their ninth annual survey on Calgary’s best communities. The scores change pretty significantly year to year dependent on the responses of the participants. MacEwan Glen ranked 62^nd: Restaurant points: 0; Recreation facility points: 30; Engagement score: 67.04; Walk Score: 29 and Transit Score: 38. Sandstone Valley ranked 121^st: Restaurant points: 2; Recreation facility points: 18; Engagement score: 62.63; Walk Score: 35; Transit Score: 44. The SMCA board wanted to point this out for individuals to think about what they have in their respective community and to consider participating in the survey next year. I think we are fortunate to have three large parks, ball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, several playgrounds, extensive walkways, two skating rinks and Nose Hill available to us. What do our communities have to offer you?

Please think about attending our Annual General Meeting October 18, 2018 at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive and getting involved.

As usual, we will be looking for volunteers to assist with the hockey rink this year. Please email info@sandstonemacewan.com for further information.

Check us out on Facebook, we have 699 likes! See us on Twitter @sandstonemac, the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

We’ve had a great summer in Calgary but now it is time for the kids to head back to school and get ready for their fall activities. Adults get to take a deep breath and be happy the busy summer is behind them. Let’s hope we have an extended summer and mild fall and winter.

At the time of writing this letter, Sandstock 2018 (Music in the Park) was still in the planning changes so I will comment next month.

We have received several emails from folks concerned about the two brick signs on sandstone drive (one on the north side of the bus loop and the other across from Sandstone Park). There has been significant overgrowth on both areas for several years and we are happy to say the work has started on the sign across from the park. The SMCA board only recently learned the other sign is under the responsibility of Calgary Transit and we work with them to have the area cleaned up. Thanks very much to the folks who emailed volunteering to clean up the area. If there is an area that you have noted has been neglected, please email us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and we will be happy to review the concern with you.

The Mobile Skateboard Park is installed at our hockey rink for the first two weeks of September. While it is a bit costly, it is none the less one of the more popular events the SMCA board sponsors. Please feel free to provide us feedback if you or your kids have taken advantage of this.

Please think about attending our Annual General Meeting October 18, 2018 at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive and getting involved. We keep active throughout the year and always welcome newcomers.

The SMCA board sent email requests to individuals requesting that you opt into our email distribution list in line with Canada’s anti-spam laws. Our distribution list is growing fast so if you have not yet responded, please consider opting into this list as it is one more way for us to communicate important information to you.

Check us out on Facebook, Twitter @sandstonemac, the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

AUGUST 2018

I hope you are all having an enjoyable summer.

The SMCA supported three Neighbor Day parties in the Sandstone and MacEwan communities this June 16^th and we hope to continue to build on this initiative. If you want to host a neighbor or community event, the SMCA is happy to assist with sponsorship and support, just drop us an email.

Unfortunately, the Parade of Garage Sales was negatively impacted by winds and rain this year and I’m sure many hosts put away their goods for a better day.

Monsignor Neville Anderson starts classes for year-round school August 2nd, 2018 on Sandarac Drive. PLEASE pay attention when you are driving in our communities and do not hesitate to report erratic driving either through calling 311 or 911 if it is an emergency.

August 6^th is Heritage Day in Alberta and while it is not a formal statutory holiday, many businesses close on this day. In 1974 the Alberta Government declared the first Monday of August an annual holiday to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans.

The SMCA board is very excited to announce Home By Midnight will be playing at the 6^th Annual Sandstock (Music in the Park) on August 19^th from 200 pm-400 pm at the park on Sandstone Drive. This Blues and Rock band plays many of the favorite cover songs and was very popular when they played for us in 2013. We have sold more Artisan tables than ever and the Vivo play ambassadors will be on hand again getting the kids up and moving during music breaks. As usual we will have a bouncy house for the kids as well as raffle draws and 50/50 draws. Please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com if you are interested in volunteering for this event.

We have hit nearly 700 likes on Facebook! A special thanks to Trevor Bacon for his excellent and timely posts on Facebook @sandstonemacewan as well as Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at www.sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Please go to our website and purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JULY 2018

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

The SMCA board sent email requests to individuals requesting that you opt into our email distribution list in line with Canada’s anti-spam laws. Please consider opting into this email distribution list as it is one more way for us to communicate important information to you.

June 5^th was bike to school day and several SMCA board members along with Sean Chu, Andrew Chan, Megan Farrell, Dennise Roach and Annisa Lim were available handing out SMCA reflectors and snap bands to kids from MNA and SVS. A special thanks to Sean Chu for assisting in the sponsorship of the event, as well as community member Sven Stuwe for his leadership in Bike to School. Sven also coordinated a group of volunteers to ride with kids from the Kincora area. Finally, thanks to AP Gina Davidoff from SVS for her ongoing and very enthusiastic support of this event and other SMCA events.

In this month’s newsletter you will see there is special recognition for Peter Massier, a resident of MacEwan Glen. Peter goes above and beyond by working on the gardens and cleaning up garbage in and around his community. It is individuals like Peter who, through their quiet effort, make our communities a better place to live.

There will be additional work on the Sandstone Park island this summer. While we are not going to install snow fence again please respect it is a work site and avoid the direct area.

Darren Way, a former Sandstone resident and SMCA President, was chosen as the recipient of the 2018 Calgary Nose Hill Canada 150 Award. This award recognizes deserving individuals who offer a significant contribution to their community. As many of you who know Darren can attest, he worked tirelessly to make our community a better place to live and will receive this award July 1, 2018 at MP Michelle Rempel’s Canada Day Celebration.

The community flower pots have been placed at various Sandstone/MacEwan entrances again this year. We need individuals to adopt a pot and water for us as necessary. Please help us continue this initiative by helping water plants by your home. Please email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com if you can assist with watering.

We will be hosting Sandstock (Music in the Park) August 19, 2018 on Sandstone Drive from 200-500 pm. This will be our sixth year hosting this event and we hope you can stop by. Contact Trevor Bacon at info@sandstonemacewan.com if you would like to volunteer or purchase a vendor’s table at this event.

Follow us on Facebook @SandstoneMacEwan and Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at www.sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Happy Stampeding!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JUNE 2018

June is one of the busier months of the year. Kids are busy finishing up their activities and starting to say goodbye to their friends, teachers and another year of school. The SMCA board would like to send a big thank you to both the administration and kids from Monsignor Neville Anderson (MNA) and Simons Valley School (SVS) for cleaning up the garbage in and around their schools this past month. The 224 Scouts did an excellent job of cleaning up around the pleasure rink on Sandstone Drive and several kids from Sir John A McDonald (SJAM) Junior High helped clean up the pathways in our communities as part of their Leadership Program. Teaching kids to take pride in their communities starts at this age and parents should be proud of the kids who took part in the cleanup.

Did you know that June 5^th is World Environment Day? India is the global host of 2018 World Environment Day and “Beat Plastic Pollution” is the theme for this year’s edition. Please think of ways you can reduce the use of plastics in your home.

The Ride Your Bike to School Day is Tuesday June 5^th, at various Calgary schools including MNA and SVS. Members of the board and volunteers will be at the schools handing out goodies to the kids wearing helmets. Hey parents, why don’t you blow the dust off your bikes and ride to school with your kids?

I’ve received several emails from community members expressing their disappointment that we are unable to host a community clean up this year. I really appreciate the feedback and in particular the offer to volunteer to assist in future. The SMCA board relies on volunteers for everything we do and the numbers are definitely down which is forcing us reevaluate what we can realistically offer to the Sandstone MacEwan Communities in the next year.

Saturday June 16, 2018 is Neighbor Day in Calgary and is a great excuse for neighbors to come together. This could be in the form of a front yard barbeque, garden party, picnic, and so on to celebrate community spirit. If you are interested in hosting an event on this date, or any date, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and the SMCA board will be happy to support you with advertising, organizing, and a bit of cash as well.

Follow us on Facebook @sandstonemacewan and Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at www.sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Happy Father’s Day, we hope all you Dads get the attention you deserve!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

MAY 2018

Then came fair May, the fairest maid on ground,
Deck’d all with dainties of the season’s pride,
And throwing flowers out of her lap around.

Edmund Spenster

Welcome to May! I hope the cold weather and snow are far behind us and we are out enjoying warmer days. After this long winter of record breaking snow fall, we are starting to see our yards and gardens again. Get out and enjoy some well-deserved fresh air around our communities. Please consider picking up garbage around our neighborhoods that has collected over the winter.

The SMCA board will be supporting the planter program again this year given the excellent feedback we receive by residents. Depending on the weather, you will start to see the Planters being placed around the communities and once again we’ll be asking for volunteers to assist in watering the ones around your house. If you can assist, please contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

I want to skip ahead to June and provide the heads up for a couple of important dates.

Do your kids go to either Monsignor Neville Anderson (MNA) or Simons Valley Elementary (SVS)? The SMCA board will be supporting both schools for the 3^rd Ride Your Bike to School Day Tuesday June 5^th, 2018. We will be on site to provide goodies to kids wearing helmets who have come to school on wheels. Get on your bike and ride to school with your kids!

Happy Mother’s Day and I hope you enjoy the first long weekend of the season!

Follow us on Face book and Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at www.sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

APRIL 2018

I hope parents with kids in school enjoyed their Spring and Easter Breaks and were perhaps fortunate enough to get away for some rest and relaxation. The winter sports have wrapped up and we’ll soon be seeing the soccer and baseball teams filling up the fields. The kids from MNA and SVS will be more active and on bikes or scooters so please be mindful when driving around the school and playground areas.

What an amazing amount of snow we’ve seen in February and March! So much for out like a lamb. The SMCA board would like to put out a very special thanks to Colin May, Jeff Schroeder, Joe Tofani, Kevin Swaby, Pierre Donald, Terry Hutchins, Tim Huston and Trevor Bacon for the countless hours they spent clearing and flooding the hockey rink. Our cadre of rink volunteers has dropped drastically this year leaving many days when clearing or flooding did not happen. If not for these guys who were out more times than their families wanted, the rink would have been in rough shape. Please consider volunteering a few hours a week next year so we don’t face the prospect of losing our rink.

The pleasure rink was very popular this year thanks to Brad Beckett and Joe Wensink, who consistently cleared and flooded the rink. Some of you may have noticed a foul smell and uneven brown spots on the surface after a warm period? This a natural process that occurs when the surface warms allowing organic matter (leaves, grass) to decay and gases are released. This is a natural consequence of flooding an organic surface in a city where the weather goes through drastic changes throughout the winter months.

Do you recall the photos that were posted by Crime Stoppers several months ago of the two men spraying graffiti at our hockey rink? For reasons only they can explain, they created thousands of dollars damage to our rink as well as seven other areas in neighbouring communities. Thanks to the great photos captured by our security cameras these culprits were identified and charged! A very special thanks to Director Shayne Chidlaw for working diligently with the Calgary Police Service ensuring justice was served. We will continue to pass on information from our cameras when we see illegal activities in and around our rinks.

Unfortunately, the SMCA was not provided with a date to host a community clean up this year which is a significant disappointment given how popular this event is in our community. Hopefully this is an anomaly and we’ll be up and running again next year.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

MARCH 2018

What makes you feel proud of your home, your neighborhood and your community? When you talk about where you live, what do you tell people? Do you enjoy driving by the rinks and seeing Christmas lights? Are you able to make use of the ice rinks, community clean up, music in the park, mobile skatepark, etc.?

Do you access the community website, twitter or Facebook for information? Eleven volunteers sit on the Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) board and these are activities managed by the group. Throughout the month of March, the City of Calgary and the Federation of Calgary Communities encourages residents to “be part of it” and think about what your community associations can do for you and what you can do for your community associations. Please consider providing us feedback or offering to get involved.

In between bitterly cold then warm weather with poor ice conditions, we managed to organize a family skate night at our Sandstone rink in January. Thanks to a social media blitz we had many families come out for a skate and enjoy hot dogs and hot chocolate. Thanks Brad and Joe for doing a great job getting the rink ready.

Balzac Billy did not see his shadow February 2^nd, meaning, we are in for an early spring! For those not familiar with Groundhog Day, it is held every February 2^nd throughout various cities and towns and folklore indicates if the groundhog sees his shadow we are stuck with six more weeks of winter, if he doesn’t, we luck out with an early spring.

With the record snowfall we received in February I think more than a few of us are ready to see the end of winter. Having said that, I think all the snow gave people an excuse to stay in and cheer on the Olympic athletes competing in PyeongChang.

Families are going to get a long break at the end of March with the weeklong school breaks going into the Easter long weekend.

Neighbor Day, held on the 3^rd Saturday of June, is a time for Calgarians to celebrate our neighborliness and strong community spirit by organizing community events such as front yard barbecues or garden parties in a local park. If you are interested in celebrating Neighbor Day, the SMCA board will be happy to support you with advertising, organizing, and a bit of cash as well.

Thanks to you we have over 650 followers on Facebook and nearly 300 followers on Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. For questions contact Carolyn Gomez, Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

May the luck of the Irish be with you on St. Patrick’s Day!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

FEBRUARY 2018

Happy Valentines Day to you all! For all of you sports fans the long awaited winter Olympics are finally here and many of our home grown athletes are representing Canada.

January was a month of wacky weather not unlike November and December. The poor rink guys continued to make ice as soon as the temperature cooled, only to watch it melt away with the Chinook winds. Unfortunately, our planned Christmas family skate at the rink could not be arranged because of the cold weather. We have not given up hope to plan something before the skating season has ended.

The SMCA board is looking for a social media person to help us manage and grow our website. If you are skilled in this area and have an interest in becoming involved, please send me an email.

It has been a year since we implemented the paypal system to purchase your Sandstone MacEwan Community Association (SMCA) membership online and we have received positive feedback. Just a reminder that those who purchase a three-year membership ($50.00) will receive a SMCA go mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.

Last month I mentioned the graffiti problem and our frustration with the fact that the two individuals causing the damage likely lived locally and used the rink for recreation purposes. The Calgary Police Service created a Crime Stoppers poster with the photos of the vandals gathered from our video feed who sprayed the hockey rink with graffiti. The poster was put on our facebook page and website but unfortunately they have not yet been identified. Please take a look on our facebook page and website to see if you recognize these males.

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) have indicated there has been a rash of car thefts as a result of people warming their vehicles unattended. In essence, the CPS have indicated that you can count on having your vehicle stolen if you leave it idling given there are criminals who drive through neighborhoods looking for vehicles to steal.

Many prowlings and house break-ins occur during the day when most folks are either at work or in school. If you see something suspicious in your neighborhood, do not hesitate to contact the CPS on the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or call 911 if you are witnessing a crime in process.

Please consider your neighbors when shoveling your sidewalks, especially if they are unable to shovel their walks themselves. One small act of kindness is so meaningful.

For any questions about your community including volunteering, or information about purchasing a membership, please check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com. Don’t forget to like us on Face book and follow us on Twitter. You can also contact Carolyn Gomez the Director of memberships at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JANUARY 2018

Happy New Year! I hope you had a festive (and restful) Christmas break.

At the time of writing this letter the weather was unseasonably warm, balmy and without snow, making it difficult to keep the kids entertained. The rinks melted and froze many times since November and the rink volunteers were out as soon as it was cool enough to flood.

The SMCA elections were in November our executive and board are as follows: Sue Coatham-President

Trevor Bacon-Vice-president (Rink Management, Sandstock)
Phil Nantais-2nd Vice-president (Vivo Liaison)
Willa Wu-Secretary
Sharon Mazurkewich-Treasurer
Joy Zimmerman-Director at Large
Jennifer Bidlake-Schroeder-Director at Large
Carolyn Gomez-Memberships
Sarah Meagher-Bromley-Newsletter
Pinky Nantais-Casino
Shayne Chidlaw-Asset Management

Welcome to Joy, Jennifer and Sharon, we look forward to working with all of you and hearing your ideas.

The SMCA board will be finalizing goals and priorities for 2018 and I will report on that next month. Last year we supported two larger projects in the Sandstone and MacEwan communities. Our website was completely revamped and now has the infrastructure to become a creative and interactive website. The Sandstone Park upgrade was completed and quickly became a source of pride.

At the very least, you can look forward to Ride your Bike, Community Clean Up, Neighbor Day, and Music in the Park in 2018. The Christmas lights on the island are beautiful to look at and we will continue to support this initiative as well.

As previously mentioned, we hope to organize occasional family fun skates, however, because of our changing weather conditions there may not be significant notice. Please keep an eye on social media (facebook, website and twitter) for events we will be planning this winter.

The SMCA board is looking for a social media person to help us manage and grow our website. If you are skilled in this area and have an interest in becoming involved, please send me an email.

We will get snow so please consider your neighbors when shoveling your sidewalks, especially if they are unable to shovel their walks themselves. One small act of kindness is so meaningful.

Last month I mentioned the graffiti problem and our frustration with the fact that the individuals causing the damage may live locally and use the rink for recreation purposes. The Calgary Police Service have created a Crime Stoppers vignette of the crimes using our video feed. Once this is released, we will be posting photos and looking for information to pass on to police.

As an aside, we received an incredible amount of feedback from individuals recommending various methods of punishment once the perpetrators are caught. Although highly entertaining many suggestions are not likely legal in Canada! Several people suggested just leaving the graffiti however, Calgary has a bylaw and we must have any graffiti removed within two weeks of finding it.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

DECEMBER 2017

Merry Christmas!

November came in like a lion with centimeters of snow and cold weather that lasted for some time. The rink volunteers took advantage of this weather and both the hockey and pleasure rinks were flooded in record time. Stop by and thank these individuals if you see them out flooding, I know they would appreciate it. Check out the flooding schedules on our website.

Just a reminder there are rules that must be followed, including no pucks on the hockey rink until 4:00pm during school days to ensure the safety of the kids walking back and forth. The pleasure rink on 99 Sandstone Drive is meant for recreational skating so please keep sticks off the rink.

Our hockey rink is extremely popular with 18-24 year olds and few are from our communities. We are happy people are out getting exercise but they need to make room for younger kids, especially on weekends and into the evening hours. The SMCA Board does not have the manpower to police this but have found these individuals to be good at sharing the ice. Our goal is to encourage families to come out and enjoy their community rinks. If you witness behaviour that is threatening or inappropriate, please contact the Calgary Police Service. We encourage their presence as a reminder to everyone that we are a law-abiding community and do not tolerate anything less.

The McKnight Hockey Association is the hockey club that supports Sandstone and MacEwan communities. We allow team practices on occasion however; teams must contact the SMCA board for permission and demonstrate they have community memberships. This allows the younger ones the opportunity to use the rink and get more comfortable going on their own. If you have time to help out at the rinks, and in particular during the holiday break please send us an email at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

We hope to organize occasional family fun skates however because of our changing weather conditions there may not be significant notice. Please keep an eye on social media (Facebook, website and Twitter) for events we will be planning this winter.

We are fortunate that Sandstone and MacEwan are very safe communities with low crime rates. However, the fall months were trying times for the SMCA board as we had to deal with persistent vandalism (graffiti) on our buildings and hockey rink boards. This has been an unexpected cost of thousands of dollars for the SMCA. Please contact the Calgary Police Service if you notice anything that looks suspicious in our neighborhoods and let’s keep our communities safe.

I am very pleased to note the light warning system at the intersection of Sandstone Dr. and Sandstone Hill has been operational since the beginning of November. I’m sure the individuals using the bus transportation must feel much safer getting across that intersection now that the warning lights are present.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

NOVEMBER 2017

The SMCA board postponed the AGM until November 21, so I will post the 2017-2018 board members next month. The current board consists of ten volunteers who are responsible for two rinks, the community clean up, music in the park, ride your bike to school day, the planter program, the Christmas light program, managing the casino fundraiser, memberships, as well as managing a budget and providing financial support to a variety of clubs in Sandstone and MacEwan. Each one of us are proud to contribute and look forward to the positive feedback we receive from community members. Hope to see you at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive at 7:00pm and our regular monthly meeting will follow.

The community planters have been put away for another year and we would like to thank the many folks who assisted by watering through this hot and dry summer. Thanks again to Carolyn Gomez for coordinating this for SMCA.

As I mentioned in April’s message, the City of Calgary would be installing a crosswalk light warning system at the intersection of Sandstone Dr. and Sandstone Hill. The construction has been completed and the timing is great given many of us will soon be traveling to and from work and school in the dark. In February 2013, Rachel Wong, a resident of Sandstone, was crossing the street at this intersection when she was struck and killed by a motorist.

Remembrance Day is November 11^th and because it is on a Saturday this year more families will be able attend one of the many ceremonies that will take place in and around Calgary to recognize this important date. The first world war formally ended at the 11th hour, of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918. Please take the time for two minutes of silence at 1100 am in honor of all those who fought and lost their lives fighting for their country.

We are heading into winter and the volunteers who maintain the two rinks throughout the winter will be busy preparing for another skating season! There will be a call out for volunteers to assist with the rinks so please consider offering a couple of hours a week to assist. We had a great turn out of young families using both rinks last year and hope to see more of you this year!

Given the great response we have had from the community we will be putting up Christmas lights at both rinks again this year.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

OCTOBER 2017

Sandstock 2017 was another great success thanks to the Bow River Band and the vendors. A very special thanks to the following sponsors: City of Calgary, Vivo, Councillor Sean Chu, MLA Karen McPherson and Purr Energy. It takes many volunteers to make the event a success, however one volunteer stands out. Trevor Bacon is the coordinator of Sandstock and he worked tirelessly to ensure everything was planned to perfection. The SMCA board would like to thank Trevor for his ongoing commitment to this event.

Fire Prevention week is from October 8-14, 2017 and the theme this year is ‘Every Second Counts, Plan 2 Ways Out’! Get your kids involved by helping test your smoke detectors and practice your fire escape plan so they learn to appreciate the importance of maintenance and safe planning. Check out the National Fire Prevention website at http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/campaigns/fire-prevention-week-2.

Did you happen to notice the posters for The Backpack Program this summer? The Berkshire Citadel Church was seeking donations to support 50 students in need with new backpacks, lunch kits and school supplies. The Sandstone MacEwan Community Association assisted with this program and they ultimately helped 86 students from low income families! Given the great support for this initiative, the Church plans to continue this program in 2018 and would like to help 100 students.

The Play Café started up again September 12 and is a fun, informal place for parents/caregivers to bring their children from ages 0-5 every Tuesday from 0930-1130. There are toys available for all ages, crafts and snacks and of course tea and coffee for the adults. The address is 222 Sandarac Drive NW.

Fall is a great time of year as the trees start to turn, leaves fall and gardeners harvest the last of their yields. This year we have the green carts to use for all our food, yard and pet waste. The City of Calgary will be selling compost to recover some costs for this program but also there will be a portion of free compost available community gardens and Calgarians starting in the spring of 2018.

Speaking of the green carts, are you having a hard time remembering which day they come to collect the black, blue and green carts? Do what I do and see what the neighbors are doing or download the Calgary Garbage Day app!

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting is on November 21, 2017 at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive at 7:00pm.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

The Sandstone MacEwan Community Association meets the third Tuesday of every month from 700-900 pm and would welcome any newcomers.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

SEPTEMBER 2017

Where did the summer go? September is an exciting month of new challenges. Kids dressed in their new garb anxiously head into their next grade and navigate their way around new schools, classrooms and of course teachers. Outside of the classrooms, they are busy trying out for their fall/winter activities and hoping they make “that team”. Adults come out of their vacation slumber and begin to execute projects and expectations.

The skating oval at the Sandstone Park has been redone and the grass is nearly grown. We have received many compliments on the improvements including folks honking and giving us the thumbs up as they see us watering. Having the community show their appreciation for our efforts is very much appreciated. As mentioned previously, Gary Habiak took care of flooding and clearing the oval for 30 years and this year he has decided to retire. Brad Beckett is a long time Sandstone resident who has graciously agreed to assume responsibility for the rink. The SMCA is always looking for volunteers to assist in watering the oval as well as the hockey rink so if you have time this winter please send us an email.

Vivo left a bin full of toys attached to the brown shed at the pleasure rink for kids to play with on their own this summer. We’ve seen many photos of kids playing with the toys but we would love to see more if you want to forward any photos of the kids playing.

I am writing this letter in preparation of Sandstock (Music in the Park) 2017 so you can anticipate hearing all about the event in next month’s letter.

I want to give you plenty of time to think about attending our Annual General Meeting October 17, 2017 at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive. We want to keep building on the beautification of our communities so if you have some practical ideas you think we could implement please let us know. I would love to hear from you if you have experience in writing grant proposals along with some time to dedicate towards this. As mentioned previously, Darren Way our Past President moved on so we will be looking to fill a Directors position on the SMCA board. Contact me in advance if you are interested in learning more about the board.

We have hit over 600 likes on Facebook! A special thanks to Trevor Bacon for his excellent and timely posts as well as keeping our community sign updated. Let’s keep that number growing so don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

AUGUST 2017

A special thanks to those who helped us out at the Casino June 28 and 29! The funds we earned will assist us in the many activities and initiatives we have that benefit Sandstone and MacEwan residents for the next 18 months.

I hope your kids got a chance to play at the mobile skate park we had at the rink for two weeks.

Thanks to those who have adopted a community flower pot to water. Our poor plants have taken a beating with the wild winds and we appreciate the extra watering that is required. A special thanks to Golden Acre Garden Centre for providing a discount to the SMCA for the purchase of the plants. Contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com if you can assist with watering.

The SMCA supported four Neighbor Day parties this year and we hope to continue to build on this initiative. If you want to host a neighbor or community event, the SMCA is happy to assist with sponsorship and support, just drop us an email.

Construction is near completion at the Sandstone Park on Sandstone Drive! Many people have taken the time to stop and thank us for the work we are doing and we really appreciate the feedback. The snow fence will remain around the oval to allow the grass seed to grow. Thanks Brad Beckett for watering the area consistently!

Don’t forget to take the kids to the Vivo Play Ambassador Program at Sandstone Park this summer every Tuesday and Friday from 11:00-2:00 and every other Thursday from 5:00-8:00 starting the week of July 2nd.

With the June and July activities behind us our focus is now on SANDSTOCK (Music in the Park) August 20, 2017 from 100pm-500pm at the park on Sandstone Drive. Plan to come out and be entertained by the very popular Bow River Band! The first one hundred families with community memberships (can also purchase them on site) will receive free burgers and a drink (maximum six per family) along with other goodies. We will have commemorative Sandstock/Canada 150 t-shirts for sale for a very nominal price. The Vivo play ambassadors will be on hand entertaining the kids during the show as well as at the intermission. Bring money because there will be an area for local craftspeople to sell their wares. If you are interested in renting a table or volunteering at our event, contact Trevor Bacon at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Monsignor Neville Anderson is a year round school and their classes start August 3, 2017 so please be on the lookout for kids heading back to school.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

See you at Sandstock!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JULY 2017

HAPPY CANADA 150 DAY TO YOU ALL!

What a crazy time June was for the SMCA. The Community Clean up on June 4^th was a huge success raising nearly $900.00 in cash and memberships! Thanks to all who volunteered including the scouts and Beddington community members. Sorry about the long line ups, we worked as fast as we could within the tight confines of the parking lot. The take it/leave it area was a success again and next year we hope to have more bikes dropped off given the apparent need for bikes in this community.

June 6^th was ride your bike to school day and we were at both elementary schools handing out SMCA reflectors and snap bands. This year Andrew came with his EMS vehicle and the kids were thrilled to walk through, that is, once they realized he was there for show. A special thanks to EMS, Sean Chu for assisting in the sponsorship of the event, as well as Sven Stuwe for his unending support of this initiative, including offering bike clinics prior to the event. Finally, thanks to the administration of both MNA and SVS for their hands-on support as well as the teachers from Simon Fraser for coming to Simons Valley to ride with the diehards to school!

Community flower pots have been placed at various Sandstone/MacEwan entrances. Email Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com if you can assist with watering.

Neighbor Day parties and our SMCA Casino had yet to occur at newsletter deadline so I will update you next month on this. Remember, if you want to host a community party, the SMCA is happy to assist with sponsorship and support, just drop us an email.

The Sandstone rink is a construction zone and once completed there will be a stone retaining wall surrounding the island and a new natural skating oval. We hope everything is completed for Sandstock (music in the park) August 20, 2017. The 5^th annual event will be bigger given we are celebrating CANADA 150. Plan to come out and be entertained by the very popular Bow River Band! There will be commemorative CANADA 150 t-shirts for SMCA members and volunteers along with other memorabilia. Contact Trevor Bacon at info@sandstonemacewan.com if you would like to volunteer or purchase a table at this event.

The SMCA is proud to sponsor the 1^st annual Gorrill Camp 3 on 3 ball hockey tournament at the hockey rink from July 8-9, 2017. For more information please look on our website, email Megan at gorrillscholarship@gmail.com or call 403-714-5612.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Have a safe and fun July!

Sue Coatham

President SMCA

president@sandstonemacewan.com

JUNE 2017

Happy belated Mother’s Day! I was so excited to highlight the events planned for June, I forgot about all of us moms! So, before I forget about Father’s Day, let me give a big shout out to all the dads out there!

The Ride Your Bike to School Day is Tuesday June 6 th , at various schools including Monsignor Neville Anderson and Simons Valley Elementary (SVE). We’ll be there handing out snap bands and reflectors to the kids wearing helmets. Last year SVE stored bikes in the gym as an overflow and for those who did not have bike locks. Sorry, I had the wrong date last month.

The Scouts have made great gains at the Pleasure Rink by cleaning up the island, removing old boards on the benches and picnic benches and spraying the frames. They are doing a fantastic job, and I’m sure by the next letter I will have excellent progress to report on.

I’m happy to announce a couple of neighborhoods in Sandstone and MacEwan have taken us up on the offer to sponsor their upcoming neighborhood party! If you are interested in hosting an event on Neighbor Day, June 17, or any date, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and the SMCA board will be happy to support you with advertising, organizing, and a bit of cash as well as CANADA 150 memorabilia.

Darren Way, past president of SMCA, who is a long time resident and stalwart supporter of the Sandstone MacEwan Community Association will be moving to another part of Calgary. As he describes in his goodbye note in this newsletter, he found these communities to be a great place to raise a family and give back to the community. Darren is the type of volunteer who gives it all and he worked tirelessly for these communities and we need two or three volunteers to make up for his efforts. Thanks again Darren, we are going to miss you!

Speaking of volunteering, what are you doing June 28 and 29? Come help us out at the Casino! The SMCA is very fortunate to benefit from Casino fundraisers roughly every 18 months that allow us the operating funds to support our many community initiatives. Pinky Nantais is our Casino Director and can be reached at nantais@telus.net .

You will start to see the Planters being placed around the communities and once again we’ll be asking for volunteers to assist in watering the ones around your house. If you can assist, please contact Carolyn Gomez at memberships@sandstonemacewan.com .

The SMCA is proud to sponsor the first annual Gorrill Camp 3 on 3 ball hockey tournament at the hockey rink from July 8-9, 2017. If you don’t play, make sure you stop by! For more information please look on our website, email gorrillscholarship@gmail.com or call 403-714-5612.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com .

See you at the Community Clean Up!

Sue Coatham

President

president@sandstonemacewan.com

MAY 2017

Happy May! I hope your Easter was enjoyable and the kids left some chocolate for you to sample!

We started an upgrade at the pleasure rink last fall by building up the berm around the oval and installing power for the Christmas lights that were aglow throughout the season. Throughout the spring and summer, we will be continuing to beautify the area, including cleaning up the island and installing a new shed with a sitting area. The #224 Scouts troop will be assisting us with some of the improvements at the rink so please give them a honk and a wave when you see them working hard on the rink.

June is a very busy month for us in Sandstone MacEwan and I want to give you the heads up on our upcoming events.

Our SMCA annual Community Clean up is Sunday, June 4^th, 2017 at 355 Sandarac Dr NW from 0900-200pm. We have secured collectors for waste and composting, electronics as well as metal recycling. We will not accept the following goods: chemicals, paints, tires, or appliances. Please show your appreciation for this convenience by offering cash donations that will be returned to the community.

We will have a “leave it/take it” area for goods you feel could be used by another family. Bikes were very popular so please bring any unused bikes you may have to drop off.

Do your kids go to either Monsignor Neville Anderson (MNA) or Simons Valley Elementary (SVS)? On Tuesday, June 6, 2017, the SMCA board will be supporting both schools for the 2^nd Ride Your Bike to School Day. We will be on site to provide goodies to kids wearing helmets who have come to school on wheels. Get on your bike and ride to school with your kids!

Saturday, June 17, 2017 is Neighbor Day in Calgary, a good excuse for neighbors to come together. This could be in the form of a front yard barbeque, garden party, picnic, and so on to celebrate community spirit. If you are interested in hosting an event on this date, or any date, please contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com and the SMCA board will be happy to support you with advertising, organizing, and a bit of cash as well as CANADA 150 memorabilia.

The SMCA is very fortunate to benefit from Casino fundraisers roughly every 18 months that allow us the operating funds to support our many community initiatives. The proceeds we receive pay for the rinks, provide funds for Christmas hampers, the Scouts, Community Clean up, Sandstock and so on. This is a call out for volunteers and there are a variety of positions and shifts Wednesday June 28^th and Thursday June 29^th. Please take the time to meet and work alongside your neighbors to benefit the Sandstone MacEwan Communities. Pinky Nantais is our Casino Director and can be reached at nantais@telus.net.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @sandstonemac. Check out the website at sandstonemacewan.com or contact us at info@sandstonemacewan.com.

Sue Coatham

President

president@sandstonemacewan.com

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