Presidents Message – Fall 2019
The Kerrisdale Community Centre Society starts the Fall Season with great expectations. Besides having a full line up of our regular and new recreational and social activities for patrons of the Centre we are encouraged with the growth of the Kerrisdale Earthquake Emergency Preparedness (KEEP) initiative. You will find more information on KEEP on our new web site and on notices posted in the Centre.
The Society has been working hard during the past spring and summer to revise and renew our Society logo, brochure and web site. The Board expresses profound thanks to the members of the Communications Committee who guided this renewal process. We expect the new web site will be in place by October. Please visit www.kerrisdalecc.com to view the new interactive web site.
Many of you may recall that between 2016 and 2018 the Society conducted a community needs assessment/demographic analysis (from Canada census data) to identify recreational and social needs of Society members and other users of the Centre, and related demographic changes. More than 750 members and patrons helped by completing surveys. Much data was collected; however, it was set aside as we became deeply involved in finalizing negotiations with the Park Board to create a new Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) for the Centre. With the signing of the JOA in June 2018 the Needs Assessment report has now been completed and is available to all community centre patrons on our web site.
People can contribute to the work of the Society and the needs of the Community in many ways: you can volunteer to help in the seniors’ kitchen or other program area, you can join the Board of Directors, the Seniors’ Council, or a Board committee and use your expertise and experience to guide the direction of the Society and programming at the Centre, or you can make contributions in kind or in cash to help meet the needs of the Centre.
We are near completion of a new strategic plan for the Society. This project has been successful thanks to the knowledge contribution offered by a Society member, who contributed experience in strategic planning to the Society. Plan development included interviewing a number of Board members, staff representatives, and other stakeholders to identify key directions, followed by a workshop with this group to highlight actions for the Board to implement. Incorporating guidance from the Society’s 2015 Vision, Mission and Values, and the Community Needs Assessment Report the strategic plan will guide the actions of the Society over the next 3-5 years.
We expect that the strategic plan will be approved by the Board of Directors this fall; after which it will be posted on our web site, www.kerrisdalecc.com.
Strategic directions of highest importance are as follows:
Strategic Direction #1: Programming Meet the needs of the changing demographics (cultural, aging, single parent, young families, teens, preteens). Reach into the community to create programs for those individuals and families who are not using the Centre.
Strategic Direction #2: Communications / Marketing Develop a comprehensive communications / marketing plan that will include strategies and tactics to reach current participants and non-participants at all levels.
Strategic Direction #3: Succession Planning: Implement specific activities to recruit new Board members and support them to be active and productive. Make Board membership manageable, fun, and sought after.
Strategic Direction #4: External Relations (Park Board & CC Network, Stakeholders) Create a productive partnership with Park Board. KCCS has significant governance, management and organization capabilities and can play a leadership role in the Community Centre Network.
Strategic Direction #5: Facility Redevelopment: Work with Park Board Planning to develop a comprehensive plan for Centre redevelopment including a thorough assessment of existing space, feasibility study, geotechnical assessment, and concept plan.
Thank you for making this community centre one of the best in Vancouver.
I hope you will enjoy the recreational, social and artistic activities that are offered. This fall, the Society will again be promoting participation in the Society as an elected Board member (or Seniors’ Council member). Please take some time to chat with current Directors or read Board nomination materials that will be available at the same time the fall program brochure is published. We look forward to your participation in providing many of the vital recreational and social needs of the Kerrisdale community.
Robert Lockhart, President
Kerrisdale Community Centre Society
