Thank you so much for the Neighbourhood Small Grant (NGS) that allowed me to put on “The Adams Family Picnic”. The weather report said that it was not going to rain until late in the afternoon. We went ahead and people showed up! Connections were made and people want to do it again next year. Despite the rain, we had fun!
There has been a desire from the residents on Adams Road (both from the single-family dwellings, as well as the condos), to connect for a variety of reasons, including getting to know each other and making our community more safe. We provided name tags with a comment portion that said, “Ask me about….” This encouraged some great conversations and story-telling. When the rain started in earnest, even more people came out with their umbrellas! They were so happy to connect and sat in their seats, wandered about, ate and talked with people they didn’t know, but perhaps had a connection via another person or a shared, similar experience.
The feedback I got was wonderful. Some people didn’t even know that they had an acquaintance living just down the street. Others connected through their career in education. People were thrilled with the raffle prizes that supported the local community. Ravensong donated items for doorprizes and other door prizes were purchased from several Willow Point shops and restaurants.
This grant enabled us to do this for the very first time and there is a clear desire to do this again. I hope to apply for the grant again and do it next year (with a sunny warm day).
In closing, It was successful and we are grateful to Neighbourhood Small Grants and The Campbell River Foundation for this wonderful opportunity!
