Good day fellow members,
It’s been a while since my last message, and not surprisingly, there’s much to share with you and the news is mostly consisting of the Provincial Games updates.
With regards to the Summer Games slated for August 2021 in Peace River, I can share the following:
The folks in Peace River are still very interested in hosting the Games but they, as we all, have an appreciation for the level of difficulty we might encounter as a result of the current pandemic. There has been talk about canceling the Games altogether and there has been talk about postponing the Games until 2022. As of the writing of this letter, the difficult, but wise decision has been made by both the Alberta55 Board and the Peace River Games Committee to postpone the Summer Games and reschedule them for June of 2022. There will be an official announcement coming out soon so watch your emails and our own website for that.
With regards to the Winter Games potentially being hosted by Cochrane, and in around Zone 2, I can share this news:
The respective councils have decried that under the current pandemic situation, they do not have the proper funding in place nor will they have time to raise the capital necessary to host the Games. The folks from Zone 2 are still investigating other possibilities for a host community but there are currently no expressions of interest on the table. Your Provincial Board is in discussion to see if one of the larger zones (3 or 6) would be in a position to host the winter games. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
Please know that we are searching and vetting every option that we can to ensure that the Provincial Games get played. It will take an immense amount of creativity and dedication to make it so, and we will be trying our best for you.
As you all are aware, we chose to postpone our AGM several times and it is now planned as a virtual AGM on Monday, January 18th at 10:00 am. All paid up members from 2020/2021 will receive an email invite to this meeting. Don’t forget that elections for the Board will be taking place during this meeting, and only paid members can attend and vote on any motions or the elections.
Our new database and website are up and running, and from all reports are working very well. As expected with new technology, we are experiencing a few glitches but thankfully nothing too serious. Our new Provincial Coordinator, Kevin Worth, has got things running quite smoothly and we are certainly appreciative of his efforts with implementing this new system.
This pandemic has caused numerous if not most of our planned activities to be cancelled or postponed across the entire province. It is to be sure, a very difficult and trying time right now. I understand that many of you are feeling alone, locked down, and isolated from your friends and family. We can only hope for an end to this pandemic before too long. Perhaps with a soon-to-be readily available vaccine, we can return to some sense of normalcy.
During this Christmas season, take the time to reach out (virtually) and spend some face time with family and friends. Do your best to fight back against this situation and ensure you’re staying vigilant.
Christmas will not look or feel the same this year, or as it has in the past. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. Make the best of this time to let people know you care about them and that they have not been forgotten. Share new and old stories, share a coffee or a glass of eggnog (rum optional) most importantly, share your time.
From my house to yours, myself and Wendy are wishing you a Merry Christmas and a healthy, Happy New Year…
Dave
