Build Day Schedule

Let Them Be Kids – Innisfail
Dr. Greg Ritson-Bennett Park Build

Schedule of Events: Saturday June 5, 2010

6:00 a.m. Set up.

7:00a.m. Registration opens. Coffee and muffins are available for morning volunteers.

REGISTRATION TABLE The registration table will be in the Back Alley on the east side of the park will have the registration tables where you can sign in, complete your waivers and get your t-shirt

PARKING We have allocated 49th Street and the CO-OP parking lot for parking your car. There will be NO access to 46th Ave. as it will be closed for construction equipment and materials.

FOOD: We are planning to feed you right! Please bring your own coffee mug as we are trying to be ‘green’. Water will be provided. Food and first aid booths will be located in the Heartland Funeral Home parking lot.

7:30 a.m. Childcare registration open.

CHILDCARE REGISTRATION TABLE will be in the United Church Hall. Childcare waiver forms will be supplied. Parents are required to sign-in and sign-out their children.

8:00 a.m. Build Day Begins.

REMINDER: all volunteers must check in at the registration table.
If you have not registered on the website yet, please do so at www.innisfail.ltbk.ca

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lunch is served for volunteers and children.

LUNCH will be served in the Heartland Funeral Home parking lot. Children in childcare will be fed at the United Church Hall

3:00 p.m. Childcare ends.

PICK UP: Children can be picked up to make their way to the park for the opening ceremonies. Children are welcomed to stay and play after the ceremonies are complete.

3:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies, Dedication and Ribbon Cutting is set to begin.

4:00 p.m. Take-down.

We look forward to meeting all of you! Thank you again for your support, your participation and the opportunity to help create a better place for our children, families, friends and community.

Additional Information

· WHAT TO WEAR: Dress for activity, although none of the work is overly strenuous, you should be dressed for working around the “yard”... you are going to get dirty and want to dress for it...please no open toe shoes or sandals. Please bring work gloves if you have them!

· FIRST AID and PORT-A-POTTIES: First aid booths and port-a-potties will be located in the Heartland Funeral Home/Pem-Co parking lot

Art Space Created

When it rains.... we pour!!!

Pictured here are workers preparing the site by pouring cement for the retaining wall on the south side of the park.

Interestingly, this wall when dry and ready, will be Innisfail's newest art space which will allow impermanent, ongoing free expression. Bring wall paint and be the first to make a mark.

Park Redesign

Our equipment dimensions caused us to reshape the look of the park. Here is the new layout to be put in place in 8 days from today!

13 days left - Stories of Hope

There are few remaining days before the park build, and there has been many people step forward in wonderful and surprising ways to show their heart and support for the spirit of the project. Here are a few stories we have cherished and we hope to post more:

Recently, a woman who had been a teacher for many years and is now retired stepped forward out of the blue with her financial contribution. She had witnessed over the years benefits children receive when given a safe place to play. She wanted us to know that our work was good and in the right place for building a stronger community foundation. Also, she had been a patient of Greg's for many years and thought if he were still alive he would be very involved in the project. She shared her memories of Greg and then wished us well.

Quite awhile back, when we were going door-to-door for dotmocracy day one of the volunteers encountered a man that was astonished and pleased to be invited an opportunity to be part of a neighborhood grassroots venture. He commented that he had been living in Innisfail for quite some time and had NEVER been invited to share his thoughts about the place he lived in or asked to contribute. He offered his support.

A large service group was meeting after being approached for a donation. While the group went back and forth on their decision and became divided, a small strong voice countered all opinion and struck a chord. She quietly stated that they were a service group, and what more where they there for? Children need a place to play. How could they help?
The cheque to the park committee came in the next day.

These stories are not news headliners but they are examples of how people, when their heart and mind is in the right place, can make a difference.

We have heard people complain, make excuses and criticise. Do these things ever help?

Like Ian Hill said while visiting for Envision Innisfail, "You can't talk community, you have to DO community." He also said, "If we always do what is always done, then we'll always get what we've already got."

What challenging thoughts!!!

How can you make your community thrive?

How can you make your contribution and make a change?

The Final Push

There are 18 days left before build day!!
The park committee is getting excited because we have been anticipating Build Day since Christmas!
Did you sign-up to volunteer? We hope so.
It's going to be a noteable day for everyone who comes to help. Other towns that have done this describe it as AMAZING! Be sure to check out the LTBK website if you want to view other park build days and it will help you to dream a little bit about our big day that will be arriving so soon.

Old Playground Goes Down

I don't know what is harder to believe - that we had this much snow on May 5th, or that we are really going forward with building this new playground!  The crew moved in on Wednesday morning to take out the old playground and begin the landscaping and site preparation necessary for our big build day - JUNE 5th....which is only 31 days away!
Over the next couple of days, more work will be done on the site to get it ready and the local organizing committee is really getting excited about this playground, and we hope you are, too.

Please be sure to sign up as a volunteer (if you have not already done so).  And if you already signed up - have all of your friends, too?  We need many hands to help and many people to celebrate with.

Join the Effort!  Get Involved!

Service Above Self

Today the park committee met for another session. We keep our group together by moving forward with preparation plans and sharing stories of how the people of Innisfail truly shine when given an opportunity to contribute to their home and neighborhoods.

So many families and businesses are stepping forward to contribute and it is a great encouragement. We now have approx. 70 volunteers signed up and $27,000 dollars contributed. The goal of creating an awesome place for families and children to play and create community will be met if people of this town continue to provide with their service above self.

Let's keep it going! We will make a change!