2024 Community Outreach Survey
The Community Association is working on new and improved ways to connect with the neighbourhood, and big events like our annual Moonlight XC Ski and Winter Carnival are coming up in early 2025 (stay tuned for details).
As part of an increased focus on outreach, we want to hear from you what you want from us and from this community. We’ve prepared a survey, and we’d really appreciate if you took a few minutes to fill it out:
If you are working on the survey and have thoughts that don’t fit under any of the questions, we’d love to hear as much as you’re willing to share with us via email ([email protected]) or on the Community Forum.
In thinking about this community and helping it to flourish, I personally had some thoughts I wanted to share with all of you as the editor of this newsletter. I do hope you’ll take some time this month to give it a read:
Rob Attrell, Outreach Committee
Another thing I’ll add here as part of our outreach initiatives is that we would like to take the opportunity in our newsletter to highlight interesting people, groups, and organizations that are active in the community. If you know any such individual or group and want to ‘nominate’ them to be featured in our newsletter, please reach out to [email protected] and share the story with us. Thanks so much in advance!
Third places in Convent Glen Orléans Wood
Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President
The Pumpkin Alley organized by my fellow community association board member, Arnold van den Hoeven, made me realize two important things, our neighbours are generally awesome and we need more of these types of things. The highlight of the event to me was how casual it was. The park, on a regular Friday night, is a non-place devoid of people. That Friday night, it was a great place for kids to hang out. The key ingredient to this enjoyable event was, not to detract from Arnold’s preparation, people.
My family generally spends our evenings by ourselves in our house like most people. While this is enjoyable most evenings, it would be nice to have more opportunities to have more evenings such as the Pumpkin Alley. My question coming out of the event was how to make them happen. Preferably with little to no effort and no cost. How do we get enough people to leave their house during their free time for a good time to happen.
Taffy Lane
Christmas decorations along Taffy Lane are a highlight for lots of families in December. We encourage you to avoid driving to or on Taffy Lane if you can avoid it, opting instead to leave your car behind and get there on foot or by transit or bike (if you’re prepared for that) where possible. The Orleans United Church has asked us to remind people they should not be using the church parking lot to access or walk to Taffy Lane and will be setting up traffic control to that effect.
Having fewer cars on Taffy Lane in December helps keep those who are walking much safer. It also lets residents who live on the street access their homes more easily and reduces emissions and noise from idling cars. Getting out of the car also allows you to chat with your neighbours as you enjoy the lights, getting to know other people in the community better. Please consider leaving your vehicle off Taffy Lane this year if you can.
My First Time Winter Sowing
Gillian Cantello, Environment Committee
I have always loved gardens, but I am far from being an accomplished gardener. I had never grown anything from seed. That changed when I became part of the Convent Glen Orleans Wood Community Association’s Environment Committee and got to know some of the members, who are wonderful gardeners.
One of the first projects the Environment Committee undertook was to plant a pollinator garden at Orleans Wood Elementary School. This took place in spring 2023 and, at the time, I didn’t know the first thing about native plants or why they might be a better gardening option. That project, which was funded by Ecology Ottawa, taught me so much about gardening with native plants.
CGOW Photo Contest
The photo contest theme for December is Holidays, so keep an eye out for nice decorations or festive imagery.
In November, the Community Association’s Outreach Committee ran its first monthly photo contest, and we had some beautiful entries to kick things off.
Eligible photos were taken inside the catchment area of the CA and were all posted in the Community Forum. Here are the guidelines for entering the contest: Photo Contest Guidelines.
November’s theme was Fall, and the winning photo was taken by Jen. Congratulations, and we will be in touch with your prize!
Pumpkin Alley Event Recap
The first Convent Glen Pumpkin Alley event, held on November 1, 2024, was a resounding success, with approximately 100-150 people in attendance. The event featured 113 creatively carved pumpkins displayed at Voyageur Park, creating a magical atmosphere enhanced by the use of glow sticks. Despite some challenges with lighting, the event was well-received, with activities such as pumpkin judging, hot chocolate, and informal kids’ games adding to the fun. The event also facilitated community engagement, with many attendees learning about the Community Association for the first time.
The location at Voyageur Park proved ideal, allowing children to play on the structure while enjoying the event. The lack of lighting added to the ambiance, with glow sticks creating a magical sight, although it posed some challenges for organizers. The pumpkin judging was a highlight, with winners receiving gift cards and seltzers. The event wrapped up earlier than planned, but the timing worked well overall, with most attendees staying for the majority of the evening.
Local community events like Pumpkin Alley are vital as they foster a sense of belonging and strengthen neighborhood bonds. They provide opportunities for residents to connect, collaborate, and create shared memories, enhancing the overall quality of life in the community.
Miscellaneous
Here are a few new things to check from the Community Association and in the community. Get in touch at [email protected] to tell us things about the community we might have missed.
- The Community Association website is changing. As of December 1st, we will be located at cgow.ca!
- The CA is also launching an Events Calendar on our updated website: Events Calendar. We will keep this updated with our own hosted events and can add community events as well.
- The Ski Heritage East group is currently fundraising through Go Fund Me to purchase a new snowmobile.
1 Comment
been aware of your group for maybe 2 yrs. might have attended one event. email is generally best way to contact me. i did not/could not imagine a location like “3rd places orleans wood. but living on Fortune near jean d’arc….it is likely a long way away. yeah. as a kid i would walk 2 miles(one way) a night visiting friends and what not. at age 73…i am doing good to walk the dozen houses up to convent glen elementary at jean darc – fortune.
as it is Dec 1 630pm…i will test whether your cgow.ca is up and running. 🙂