You may have noticed the CCRA’s new green and white membership signs around the community. From left, Membership Chair Denise Bacon and canvassers Jim Pickett, Zinta Erdmanis and her daughter Ava Erdmanis encourage you to “Join CCRA!”
By Denise Bacon
CCRA needs you! The Centennial Community and Recreation Association is asking for your membership this month. CCRA wants you to have a sense of belonging and enjoy the sustained value of this beautiful community. Collectively, we have a strong voice in what happens here.
Your CCRA Executive has decided that we need to get back to our roots and restart door-to-door canvassing. May is our membership drive month so please welcome neighbours who may knock on your door to ask you to join. The fee is only $15 a year for each household.
In recent times, a big decision that had a direct impact on Centennial was around the future of the sewage treatment plant. CCRA’s voice led to a positive decision for us and the environment. The option to transport sewage in trucks was shut down.
The future of the Highland Creek Branch Legion lands may soon be in question and CCRA will once again be a strong voice at the table to help ensure that the quality and nature of our community is preserved with whatever changes may take place.
There is great strength in numbers. The greater the number of members, the greater is our strength when dealing with city planners, developers and politicians at all levels.
Old timers, like me, may remember that CCRA volunteers used to go door-to-door to canvass for memberships. Gayle and June Gibson, residents in Centennial for 67 years, have been members every year since that time! June’s father was the third president of CCRA. Gayle has been Membership Chair and member of the CCRA Executive for several years over this time frame. He led door-to-door canvassing campaigns many years ago. Gayle says this is a “fantastic community.” His enthusiasm for CCRA is contagious and he enthusiastically displayed one of our new green and white signs on his lawn.
Betty Karsh, another long-time resident, member, ardent supporter and volunteer for CCRA was Membership Chair a few years ago. Betty, too, led door-to-door campaigns. She enjoyed canvassing with a friend. Betty really felt the value of community by meeting neighbours and she fondly remembers being invited in for blueberry pie and ice cream during one of their canvasses!
We need more volunteers to canvass for memberships. Right now we don’t have enough for every street. I would like to ask that you please contact me (membership@ccranews.com or 647-982-3561) if you can spare one or more evenings in May to help with achieving the big dream of getting all households to enjoy the privilege of being members of your community association.
If you are not yet a member and no one knocks on your door this month, please select the JOIN CCRA link on this website or see the back page of our May newspaper for the membership application form. And thank you to the many neighbours who joined in April!