A Message from Your Friends
The Covid-19 pandemic has presented us all with life-changing challenges as the world as we know it has been flipped upside down. The Friends of Fish Creek would like to express our sincere thanks to all of the first-responders, medical staff, health care workers, government officials, store clerks, transport personnel, other essential service providers, and everyone on the front lines, who have been working so hard during this crisis.
For a community-focused people organization like the Friends of Fish Creek, the pandemic quickly and significantly changed our daily operations, including the planning of program and event delivery. We are fortunate to have Fish Creek Provincial Park as part of our city, and the Friends greatly appreciate our role in helping you, the community member, to stay connected to us and to the park we all love. During this challenging and uncertain time, we will strive to keep you informed about our operations and how we are moving forward.
Although this situation is far from ideal, it has presented opportunities for personal and professional development, and taught us new ways of reaching out, connecting with others, expressing ourselves, and strengthening our ties as a community.
Our staff is mainly working from home and the office is being used occasionally by one staff member present at a time in order to adhere to physical distancing guidelines. It is because of our excellent IT support that we can work remotely, access our network, and keep in touch with volunteers, members, supporters and other community members.
Our diverse funding sources and the continuous support of community members have enabled us to maintain our full staff and continue with daily operations. Fiscal responsibility by our administration staff and Board of Directors in recent years have prepared us for the financial challenges and economic disruption caused by Covid-19.
While we have cancelled some programs, others are going ahead, such as the annual Capture Nature Photo Contest , that will take place starting in May. The City Nature Challenge happened near the end of April, and delivered Fish Creek Speaker Series presentations and the AGM through Zoom Video Conferencing Technology.
We have also reached out to community members through regular email communications to raise awareness about local businesses who have supported us in the past. This is a new approach for the Friends and one way we can give back to the Fish Creek community and help support the local economy.
These times are challenging for everyone and taking care of your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health are essential to helping alleviate stress and boosting immunity. The Friends encourage you to exercise within your home and outside if possible – while maintaining a safe physical distance. Now is a great time to visit Fish Creek Provincial Park and take advantage of the endless trails and pathways here. Please note that vehicle access to the park is not permitted and all facilities – including washrooms – are temporarily closed in the interest of public health and safety.
Thank you to everyone who is staying home as much as possible to help keep us all safe. The Friends continue to plan this year’s programs and events so that we will be prepared to run them when it is deemed safe to do so.
We wish you and your families the best of health and look forward to a time when we can open our doors and welcome you back to the Cookhouse!
