President’s Report – June 2024
Our annual “To Hell with the Bell” brunch celebrated the first day back at school without us. Special guests this year were two of our Life Members and one new retiree. The event was hosted by the Vermilion Golf Course staff and the brunch was delicious.
Next up was our second annual Fall Harrah. Bonnie and Stan hosted for a hot dog BBQ, along with potluck snacks. It was a wonderful way to bid farewell to summer, which lingered for another month.
ARTA celebrated 60 years of Looking Forward at the AGM held in Edmonton. Bonnie and I represented CERTA. Dean and Marilyn were present for the banquet as ARTA past presidents. The quilt made for 50th anniversary was on display.
In October interested members attended an InBody clinic, funded ARTA. It was held at the Training Center at J.R. School.
The Christmas Frolics Party in December was also held at the Vermilion Golf Course, where we enjoyed visiting, games and a delicious turkey dinner provided by Colleen’s Catering. Members brought items for the Food Bank, instead of gifts for a gift exchange. I really appreciated the executive helping with planning and implementation.
In February the travel presentations from Don and Karen were thoroughly enjoyed.
Bonnie and Marilyn attended the Endless Skies Teachers’ Convention in early February, hosting at the ARTA Café where they met with active teachers soon to be retired.
March featured CERTA Bowling. That was the first time I had bowled with adults, and it was even better than I had hoped – an afternoon of activity and laughter.
ARTA Wellness Walks were held province-wide in the month of April. CERTA hosted two Heart & Sole Walks, one at the trout pond in the Vermilion Provincial Park, and the other at the Bud Miller Park in Lloydminster. This was well attended across the province and will be repeated next year. Participating members who had registered were rewarded with a free t-shirt.
Members participating in the annual Greenhouse tour in May brought home a wonderful assortment of bedding plants. We met at the Seniors’ Center and headed off to Dutchaks, then Off the Beaten Path and lastly to the Spade to Spoon greenhouse. We stopped at a park along the way to eat our bagged lunches. All were lovely and we managed to fill all the vehicles with plants.
In May, Marilyn, Bonnie and I attended the ARTA Retreat in Kananaskis. It was wonderful to touch base with all the people we have met and worked with at ARTA. The speakers were excellent, and the focus was on engaged aging.
All of these were great opportunities to stay connected and we are hoping to continue with these and other activities.
Our executive, headed by Deb Gerow and Lorna McIlroy work hard in collaboration with our CEO Daniel Malloy and his teams, which continue to grow. He is passionate about ARTA and it results in a powerful organization.
We now have 6 scholarships of $5000 each available for students related to ARTA members.
Marilyn has recently accepted a position as Vice-President on ACER-CART, so we continue to be well presented provincially and nationally.
Our year concluded with our 2024 AGM and picnic, hosted by Leona and Gord.
Again, I want to thank everyone for putting their trust in me. The executive has been wonderful to work with and I’m enjoying getting to know everyone better.
Eileen Hines
