Well a good chunk of our paddling programs are winding down this week and a lot of our paddlers are away at Nationals. We wish them all the best, but we really miss them. Maskwa gets very quiet without the normal throng of close to 300 paddlers here every day. This week we finished our pre-order foods with Booster Juice, Subway and Little Caesar's Pizza and raised close to $400 for Maskwa through this health-eating fundraiser.
With the season closing that does not mean Maskwa is closed. We are working on year-round programming and our spaces, Heritage Hall and the gym are available for rentals either per hour or on a daily basis. Our rates are very competitive so please if you or your business or organization you work for are interested in checking Maskwa out send them to either the website at www.maskwa.ca or email me at manager.maskwa@gmail.com.
Many of you have asked if I'm continuing on throughout the year at Maskwa and yes, but my hours go to half-time starting Sept 3 (picture me doing my happy dance here). That being said some members who have been using our gym have expressed interest in using it on a daily basis. While I'm not ready to commit my hours in stone yet as we're working on the schedule, I'm sure I'll be in some mornings and if you are interested in setting regular hours for gym use please drop me an email - I'm sure we can work something out.
The exciting news is Mike Haley has taken on the job of overseeing our Maskwa War Canoe fundraiser. I know the timing is tight with back to school and like many of you I have many children using Maskwa equipment but honestly paying in installments is a great idea. Nothing can beat that war canoe experience. I hope many of you, like me, will make a donation.
Our next big event I'd like everyone to have on their radar is our Maskwa Bingo, Friday, October 15 7pm-9pm - this will be our first fundraiser for Nationals next year. What that will mean is that if your son/daughter gets picked to go to Nationals next year Maskwa will be able to help off-set the costs. I know going to Nationals is a big thing for our club but it can also be very expensive for families so that's why we're raising money for Nationals in 2011. This will also mean I will need donated items from families for our prize packages. We will be creating themed baskets (much the way the elementary schools do), ie: gaming basket, coffee basket, cooking basket, gardening basket, knitting basket, book basket, movie basket, gift certificate basket etc. I'm basically open to anything. Please feel free to drop off your donations at the club or my house - 46 Nightingale Drive. I will be sending out emails with pleas for this.
So what have I learned as the Club Manager you might wonder? The first thing that stands out for me is that without volunteers Maskwa would not be the same. I can't thank enough all the volunteers who stepped up to help with the Friday BBQ, the men who took time out of their day and vacation to build our new playground (which I can't stress enough is a huge hit with the children), the women who came forward to help with our Monday Parent Afternoon Tea and everyone who helped me with the Bantam Regatta. I also learned that I've been spelling the Dugie's last name wrong all year - I'm so sorry about that!!! Sorry Anna - she kept crossing it out on the canteen list but honestly it didn't dawn on me until Dan mentioned it. Again sorry.
I'd welcome any feedback. Let me know what you thought of our year in our new club!
