2019 Bridge River Valley Community Association
Director’s Report
By President Andre Kuerbis
October 12, 2019
It is hard to believe that another year already went by – it is safe to say that 2019 was a great year in many ways.
I’d like to start again with thanking the outgoing board (Michelle Nortje, Debbie Demare, Anna Driehuyzen, Steve Oakley, Scott McKenzie, Pat Dahle, and John Courchesne) for their commitment, involvement, volunteer time and healthy discussions that continuously keep us moving forward. Particularly Debbie and Michelle need to be named as the solid foundation of our community association.
I’m thrilled that once again the community association was able to provide employment to several community members throughout the summer. Employment in the valley, this means more local spending, and this means sustainability in the long run. We are very blessed to have such an amazing group of people working in the valley.
My kudos go also to all the members of our committees that invested a fair amount of time to keep the ball rolling. It is the passion for the Bridge River Valley that keeps us all going. The committees are the part where things are happening, they are the operational center. The BRVCA board of directors acts as a governance board and only engages in operational decisions if there is a legal or financial risk.
A lot happened over the last year – we had an incredible number of events throughout the year, starting with our record breaking 10th Winterfest, a huge Canada Day celebration and the very successful Bralorne Day. We also saw an increased number of visitors to our Haylmore site and could also facilitate a variety of events at this historic place.
As I look at my comments from a previous report, I’d like to renew my statement from then:
Sometimes the bus we built tries to run us over and we should remind us to look back and realize how much we got done. And sometimes we need to shift down a gear which means we might not get things done as quick as we want. As a volunteer organization we need more people to get involved – talk to the committee chairs how you can help, since this is where operational decisions are made. As more shoulders we have carrying the load, the lighter the pack becomes for everybody.
I’m proud of what got done over the last years and I’m excited about the future. I’m certain we can keep developing great things without losing what we have. We might not agree on everything and all the time, but we’ll find a compromise that will benefit us as a community.
Thank you.
Andre Kuerbis
President
Bridge River Valley Community Association
