Community centre gives back to residents

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This article was published 20/08/2021 (1670 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sandeep Singh is helping the Whyte Ridge community grow.

Singh, director of fundraising for the Whyte Ridge Community Centre, hand-delivered 129 plants to residents this month.

“We thought it was a nice gesture to give back,” Singh said. “Times have been tough, and we wanted to put smiles on peoples’ faces.”

Residents were grateful and surprised, Singh said. The plants were collected from Jensen Nursery and Garden Centre and Ron Paul Garden Centre.

As the Whyte Ridge Community Centre’s new director of fundraising, Singh’s goal is to come up with interesting ideas that will engage local businesses directly with the centre.

“I want to make it easy for organizations to be showcased and brought into the spotlight, ensuring our sponsors receive maximum exposure in the community,” Singh said.

He describes this effort as a “win-win scenario” for local businesses and the neighbourhood. After speaking with residents, Singh found that the once lively and passionate neighbourhood has become somewhat “dormant” in recent years.

“It’s one thing to have a board of directors and people volunteering with the Whyte Ridge Community Centre, but I wanted to get myself exposed to the community,” Singh said.

Singh has lived in the neighbourhood for the past 13 years. He believes the community takes pride in its events and programming but, with COVID-19 lockdowns, a lot of the community centre’s usual initiatives have been stalled.

As a result, the board is currently preparing a number of facility updates they plan to make in the next few years.

“We are looking to get a spray park or splash pad,” Singh said. “This is actively being worked on with the city.”

There will be new programming in collaboration with Pembina Active Living 55-plus, and the community centre itself will see accessbility upgrades and interior renovations.

There is also talk of site expansion and growing its garden location.

“We also want to better use what we have, and a big push of that is our community ice rinks that are used all year,” Singh said. “It’s a big priority for us to fix and repair our rinks.”

Singh takes pride in being a part of the Whyte Ridge Community Centre, and encourages other residents to join their local board associations.

“I wanted to make a difference,” he said. “A lot of community centres now, in the pandemic, might not have as much interest or members.

“It would be a shame to see not only the Whyte Ridge Community Centre but any community centre fold and get taken over by the municipality.”

Singh encourages any local businesses and individuals interested in collaborating to reach out to the Whyte Ridge Community Centre.

More information can be found at www.whyteridge.ca