CCRA PRESIDENT Gay Cowbourne: May 1999   City award for CCRA   Several months ago I received a phone call from a member of the City's Recreation and Parks Department. They had heard that we are celebrating our half-century this year and asked me to complete a form and send them a brief outline of the CCRA's activities. The form was easy but 'a brief outline'? This was indeed a challenge. How can a 'brief outline' even scratch the surface of 50 continuous years of community involvement and achievement? After much thought, this was my response:- Enclosed is the completed Citation Nomination Form for Outstanding Volunteer Service. It nominates the Centennial Community and Recreation Association (the CCRA). This CCRA represents over 3,500 homes in the Centennial Community. The Centennial area is bounded by Highway 2A to the north and Lake Ontario to the south, Port Union Road to the east and the Highland Creek River to the west. This year the CCRA is celebrating its 50th anniversary, certainly the oldest continuously active community association in Toronto, if not in Ontario. The Association was formed in 1949 by members of the Centennial Road School's Home and School Association. One of those founding members, Mr. William Dempsey, is still involved and extremely active as an Executive Member of this Association. Throughout those 50 years the CCRA has been at the forefront of all planning, environmental and recreational issues in this community. Adams Park and the Port Union Community Centre are just two examples of community facilities which were instigated by the CCRA. Members of this Association are presently working with City staff and the Conservation Authority in the planning of the Port Union Village Common and the Lakeshore Trail from the Highland Creek to the Rouge River. As I write this letter, the CCRA is actively involved in an Ontario Municipal Board Hearing where we are striving to prevent a large developer from encroaching on land which was long ago allocated to public park space. Part of this same OMB Hearing will, at a later date, involve the asbestos laden Manson lands at the base of Port Union Road. The CCRA will actively monitor the demolition process of the old Manson factory and the clean up of the land around the factory. The democratically elected Executive Committee has, for many years, kept the community informed of our actions and intentions through a monthly Newsletter, the CCRA News, which is distributed by a huge team of volunteer carriers to every home in our community. More recently, with the help of a community volunteer, we established our own web site which has received several very favourable press reviews. We see this web site as yet another tool for two-way communication between the Executive and the members. The web site is updated regularly and publishes correspondence from the community as well as feature articles and regular reports from the CCRA Executive and our elected politicians. We believe in, and try to nurture, the "sense of community" which is very apparent in the Centennial area. CCRA organized community events have been frequent over the years and continue to be an important part of our mandate. Each January we host a Winterfest celebration at the local community centre. It features outdoor sports, skating, face painting, story telling, entertainment, barbecue and many more activities to appeal to all ages. Every Spring we have a fundraising 1950's dance. Last Summer we began a new weekend Jazzfest event, featuring local jazz bands in an open air evening setting. We help co-ordinate the annual Earth Day celebrations within the community. We assist in the organization of the Highland Creek Heritage Day celebrations. We are part of the planning team for the Year 2000 celebrations for this area. We are funded mainly by annual family membership fees which are collected during the spring and summer months by the Membership Team - a huge number of volunteers. We also have fundraising events such as the Spring Dance. Our revenues are used for the printing of the Newsletter and are donated to local groups. The Guides and Scouts have benefited regularly from us over the years. We sent a donation to the West Rouge Canoe Club when it lost everything to a recent fire. We assisted a local school with a trip to the southern United States for entry to a prestigious competition. Thanks to a donation from the CCRA, a neighbourhhood school was able to set up a Marching Band which performs at many of the community events listed above. Throughout the 50 years of this organization there have been, and continue to be, literally hundreds of people who have given their time and their expertise to the CCRA and to making the Centennial Community a better place. It is for all of those people, and for this community, that I submit this application. I truly believe that this organization is extraordinary and is deserving of public recognition. I hope you will give us consideration. Respectfully yours, etc. Well ... they did give the letter the consideration that I asked for. Several weeks later, I received another phone call from the Recreation and Parks Department to tell me that the CCRA was to receive a specially created City of Toronto award to recognize and celebrate our 50 years of community service. The Awards Ceremony will take place later this month. Thanks to Councillor Moeser for his generously worded endorsement of our application.   Other News   50s Dance - Those of us who were at the 50s dance on April 10 know it was a great success. Those of you who weren't there missed out on a fun-filled evening of 50s music, good food and good company. Thanks to Tony Lamanna for once again organizing this annual CCRA event. Demolition of Manson Factory - We have a tentative date for a meeting with Councillor Moeser and representatives of the City's Planning Department to discuss this issue. The CCRA has insisted on being involved in the preliminary stages of any negotiations around this potentially dangerous project. We know that the factory has to come down, but we also know that the demolition has to be done in such a way that the health and safety of this community is not jeopardised in any way whatsoever. Be assured that the CCRA will accept nothing less than the fullest guarantees for the safety for this community during the demolition. Welcome to the Community - The CCRA Executive recently spoke to a meeting of residents new to the area. We had a chance to introduce the CCRA and ourselves and also to address some concerns, which may be of interest to the wider community. We were asked whether the CCRA receives any funding from the Provincial Government. The answer is a very definite "NO". We operate solely on money raised within this community through our annual membership campaign and fundraising activities. We were also asked about the CCRA's position regarding the two schools which are planned on the Manson factory lands. The CCRA's answer was that, while we recognise the need for schools on the south side of Lawrence, we will actively oppose ANY development, including schools, homes or commercial properties on the Manson property, until we are sure that the land is safe to build on. The CCRA's policy regarding this site has always been, and will always be, that the Manson property must be safe for everybody - old, new and future neighbours alike. Highland Creek Heritage Day and Parade - Saturday June 19 - Mark your calendars and plan to enjoy the all day entertainment, kids activities, barbecue and beer tent. CCRA's 50th Anniversary Logo - Watch out for the winning entry in next month's CCRA NEWS. Summer Jazzfest Concert Series - Will be back by popular demand. The details are still being finalized. We'll keep you informed.