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Pumpkins Pumpkins + AGM Save the Date

Another Successful Pumpkin Parade

Did you go to East Lynn Park on Friday night for the Pumpkin Parade?  Whether you did or not, here are some beautiful shots from a blog reader, Christopher Ringland, to give you a sense of how spectacular it was.  It is truly amazing to see what some of you are able to create with your pumpkins.  (Especially for people like me, who was impressed with myself for doing a round nose instead of a triangle nose this year.)

Many thanks to DECA volunteer and east end blogger Sarah Kiriliuk for organizing this year’s Pumpkin Parade (check out her blog at http://eastendpioneer.ca), and to Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon and her office for sponsoring the event and helping us navigate the City requirements.  Also, thanks to the many volunteers who did the heavy lifting at the end of the night to clean up the pumpkins and to the Parks team who came and picked up the bins-o-jack-o-lanterns this morning (in the rain!).

Last but not least, thanks to the many, many, many people who gave up a Friday evening to come to the park with their pumpkins.  The place was hopping, and it was a great reminder that a chilly, damp, dark park can come alive just like that when the community comes to together to light it up.

Save the Date!

DECA’s next event will be our Cocktail Party and Annual General Meeting, which will be at Hirut on November 18, 2013 from 6:30-9:30pm.  More details to come soon.

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Movie stars in our ‘hood, Silly toy drive, and 2012 wrap-up

Hollywood has come to us

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is our pleasure to inform you that our neighbourhood is part of the set of the latest Robocop instalment.  Are you jumping up and down with excitement?  Yeah, we thought so.  You’re welcome.

Fake stores constitute part of the set of latest Robocop movie

Silly Goose Partners with Woodgreen Community Services

Our friends at Silly Goose Kids are up to their usual awesomeness.  In addition to wrapping gifts for $1 donations to Woodgreen, they are also helping with Woodgreen’s annual toy drive.  See below for the details:

And last but not least, a few words from DECA’s fearless leader (Anita, our Chair) as we prepare to bring 2012 to a close:

DECA is a fairly unique residents association, in that we came together because we wanted to build something, not fight it. Five years ago, we banded together to help make our neighbourhood more vibrant, walkable, safe and fun.  We’ve come a long way since that initial meeting and this past year was our busiest ever.
The list of our projects for 2012 is impressive:
  • a weekly Farmer’s Market,
  • the bigger-than-ever Danforth East Arts Fair,
  • a hugely successful Harvest Moon Festival,
  • the third annual DECA Pumpkin Parade,
  • first-ever Kids Gear Sale,
  • the painting of neighbourhood Bell utility boxes,
  • new pop-up shop initiative along the Danforth (now called Renew East Danforth),
  • a new historical mural at Main and Stephenson,
  • beautification of the Stephenson Park area,
  • the forming of a new DECA Trees group,
  • first-ever DECA pub crawl,
  • expanding of the ever-popular DECA Diaries blog to a team approach
…and so much more! We like to think DECA is having an impact. And to continue, we need your help. How, you’re wondering? I was hoping you would ask!
Membership
An annual membership to DECA is just $10 per household. This $10 gives us a small budget for our projects, but more importantly, it gives us credibility and clout when dealing with city hall and other groups. And, let’s face it, with all the neighbourhood events and projects it gives you access to, $10 is a steal!

Please, if you live in our borders and you haven’t renewed or paid for your DECA membership yet, please take a minute now to do so by signing up here: http://danfortheastcommunityassociation.com/membership

Volunteers
All of DECA’s accomplishments have been due to the dedication of some AMAZING volunteers.  Thank you to everyone who pitched in to lend a hand this year!  Needless to say, our neighbourhood is so much better because of it.
We need more of you though!  We’re a relatively small group of volunteers for the number of project we have going.  So if you can spare even just a couple of hours a month, we need your help!  Send us a note to see how you can pitch in, by clicking here.  If these projects doesn’t grab you, but you have an idea for another one, please speak to us!  All of our projects started off as just a small idea in someone’s head…
Before I sign off …
It needs to be said that most of our biggest volunteers sit on the DECA Board.  I want to personally thank the members of this past year’s team, every one of whom has committed countless hours to improving our little pocket.  I am perpetually in awe of your energy and drive to make things happen.
Looking ahead, I am excited to work with the 2013 Board and other volunteers, and to see what successes the coming year will bring to our community.
-Anita
 
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DECA’s 2013 Board and a new Constitution

A note by Sheri, on behalf of the Board

DECA Board – who’s coming, who’s going

Many of you joined us at Relish last Monday to celebrate this year’s many accomplishments, to elect our new Board, and to pass a motion on a new governance document known as DECA’s “Constitution”. Here are the highlights of that night, for those of you who missed it:

2013 Board, including three brand new members:

Anita Schretlen – Chair
Alison McMurray – Secretary
Lorraine Cheng – Treasurer
Paul Haines – Membership Manager
Catherine Porter
Natasha Granatstein
Melissa Peretti
Shelley Darling
Sheri Hebdon
Stephen Wickens
Tak Bui
Susan Bates
Anne Howatt (new)
Darcy Fedorchuk (new)
Jane Davis-Munro (new)
It was with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to the following departing Board members, who have decided to take their energies on to other projects:
  • Sarah Kiriliuk was DECA’s PR person for the last few years, who also forged DECA’s relationship with the Danforth Mosiac BIA. We will miss her honesty and twittering! (She may still twitter, or tweet, or whatever you call it, and we may still call on her for a press release now and again, whether she realizes that or not!)
  • Mary Cowan has been known to say that she “helps out with the Arts Fair”, but truth be told, Mary started the Arts Fair and has successfully run it for the past four years. The best way to describe Mary’s monumental contribution to this beloved event is to say that when they divided Mary’s work among the amazing team of Arts Fair volunteers, it took six people to fill the void left by her absence. We are so grateful that she has generously agreed to consult as needed.
  • Angela Matich stepped off the Board part way through last year, but her savvy advice has helped to establish our DECA ‘brand’. She continues to help with the Business Revitalization Team, and she runs the DECA website.
  • Tara Shelton was appointed mid-year to replace Angela, and made her mark in that short time. As a committed volunteer on the Renew East Danforth team, also gave existing businesses a boost when she co-organized the first ever DECA pub crawl.

Thank you all so much, and remember that Board meetings are open to all members so we’ll hope to see you whenever you are able to come!

We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the many, many years that Natasha Granatstein acted as Chair of DECA, and the keeper of our main communique, decadiaries. Natasha stepped down as Co-Chair part way through last year, and retired her master-blogger hat over the summer. We are so glad that she is able to focus her efforts on the projects most near and dear to her, and you will be too when you are shopping in December at one of the multiple pop-up shops that Natasha has been instrumental in setting up.
Last but not least, thank you to Anita. Anita got a little bit more than she bargained for last year when she went from Co-Chair to Chair in the flash of an eye, but she has risen to the occasion exquisitely. DECA is very lucky to have this lady at the helm!
New Constitution
On November 12, the DECA membership approved a new governing document titled “Constitution”. This document is meant to replace the previous documents, which were titled “Charter” and “Bylaws”. The rationale for the change was to improve clarity and transparency, and for ease of reference. Our original documents were drawn up before anyone knew what DECA was really going to be. Now we know who we are, and we think we will benefit from a governing document that reflects this!In order to make sure that DECA members have a chance to review the Constitution before it comes into effect, we’re posting it for a review period of 21 days, as per the rules of our current “Charter”. Here is where you will find all of the documents for review: http://danfortheastcommunityassociation.com/aboutus/

If you are a DECA member and have any concerns about the new Constitution, please provide them in writing to this email address by no later than December 14, 2012.

(By the way, to be a DECA member you need to be up to date with your fees. Did you pay your $10 this year? If not, you can pay online on our website through this link: http://danfortheastcommunityassociation.com/membership/)
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DECA 101, Cocktail Party Invite, and Seniors Consultation Tomorrow!

Are you a long-time DECA Diaries subscriber who knows all about DECA but can’t figure out what the BIA is?  Did your spouse sign you up for this blog and you don’t know what DECA is or what it even stands for?  Perhaps you have just joined and are keen to learn more?  Regardless of the reason for your thirst for DECA knowledge, we are here to quench that thirst.

Here are some answers to some of the most common questions we hear, and some details about this year’s AGM/Cocktail Party.

What is DECA?

The Danforth East Community Association (DECA) is a residents’ association that was formed in 2007 by a group of people who were looking to focus on building something, as oppose to fighting something.  DECA’s goal is to make our neighbourhood a more vibrant, walkable and safe place.

What are our boundaries?

Our boundaries are Monarch Park Ave. in the west to Main St., Mortimer/Lumsden in the north, to the Go Train tracks south of Danforth.

Why do we need paying members?

To give us clout and legitimacy, and also to raise revenue. The $10 contributions allow us to put on so many events and activities each year.  Stay tuned for more info about membership renewals.

What does DECA do?

Business Revitalization Team (did you like the pop-up shops the past couple of weekends?), East Lynn Farmers’ Market, Danforth East Arts Fair, safety walks, political debates, and more recently, the kids stuff sale and pub crawls.

What’s the difference between DECA and the BIA?

The short answer is that DECA represents the residents of the neighbourhood, and the BIA represents the business owners.

The Business Improvement Area (BIA) is run by a voluntary board of property owners and tenants, with an aim to stimulate business in the area.  BIAs are regulated by the City, and are funded partially by the City, and partially by levies paid by each business.

On the other hand, DECA is funded entirely by membership fees and fundraising, and we get no funding from the City.

We are fortunate in our area that our BIA, the Danforth Mosaic BIA, is currently very supportive of DECA and both groups are working to foster a good working relationship, which is good because it makes sense to keep good lines of communication open.

What does our BIA do?

The Danforth Mosaic BIA  was established in 2008 and covers a larger stretch of the Danforth than DECA’s borders cover, from Jones to Westlake.  There are actually 400 shops in this BIA – one of the geographically larger BIAs in the city.  The BIA puts on some events, and they pay for the flowers that are put in along the stretch each spring, which we at DECA know is something that many residents really appreciate and enjoy.

When is your Annual General Meeting (a.k.a. the neighbourhood cocktail party)?

If you want to learn more about DECA or just have a drink and tappas with your neighbours, mark November 12th in your calendar.  We’ll be hosting the 4th annual DECA AGM & Cocktail Party  – this year at a new location – Relish Bar & Grill.

If you want to get more involved, this is your time to speak up!  If you are interested in becoming a Board Member of DECA or want to volunteer in other ways, please let us know ahead of time by emailing here.

And if you want to stay in touch in other ways, follow us on  facebook or twitter, or our website.

___

And one more thing that DECA does is keep you all updated about neighbourhood news and events – like posting this invitation from Councillor Janet Davis about a Senior’s Strategy Consultation taking place tomorrow, October 29, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.:

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Feel The Love Baby

Well, thanks to all of you who joined us at the Community Cocktail Party last night. Melanie of  Melanie’s Bistro was a wonderfully gracious hostess, as always and it was a treat to meet some new people in the neighbourhood.

Sugar Moon

We were extremely pleased to announce a very generous donation from one of our local businesses. Sugar Moon Body Sugaring and Esthetics Boutique has donated $1000 to DECA this year. Owner, Paola Girotti, is incredibly community-minded and an ardent supporter of the work our community association is doing to make our neighbourhood more vibrant, walkable and safe.  Paola was a bit of a pioneer in this neighbourhood by opening her gorgeous little salon first just east of Coxwell and now just west of Coxwell. She’s a big believer in shopping local and supporting local businesses and just as a big a believer in community. Thank you Sugar Moon.

Woodgreen Child Care Centres 

Woodgreen Community Services is one of the largest social service agencies in Toronto -operating almost exclusively out of the east end. It provides service to 37,000 people every year. It runs 10 child care programs in east Toronto serving 820 children and their families. Why am I telling you all this? Because Woodgreen provides a lot of services in our neighbourhood and as the Christmas season starts sneaking up on us, there is a toy drive to support the Woodgreen child care centres.

The fabulous new toy store – Silly Goose Kids – is helping out this year by:

  • selling donation gift cards in $10 denominations
  • giving customers the opportunity to donate their ‘golden egg’ points to the toy drive
  • charging $1 for gift wrapping with all profits going to the toy drive

The event is being sponsored by realtors Duncan Fremlin and Karen Laing.  Local residents supporting local toy store and local real estate agents and all helping local social services agency.  Love it.

Art & Craft Show At LucSculpture

T’is the season to really show your support for your local businesses by shop shop shopping local. It’s getting easier and easier to do it every year. First stop? the LucSculpture sale featuring sculpture, paintings, drawings, photography, post cards, pottery, jewellery and crafts from local artisans. The sale is on now, but the official opening reception day is Saturday, December 3rd from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more info visit www.lucsculpture.com.

And – hey – I want to know what how you are shopping local.  What are you buying and where?  Post it on the blog or e-mail me and I’ll post it! natasha.granatstein(at)gmail.com

Local Arts Services Organization

There is a move afoot to look at the feasibility of starting a local arts service organization in East York. There is a public meeting to discuss it on Tuesday, December 6th from 3 – 5 p.m. at 3079 Danforth (near Victoria Park subway). To find out more, contact Liz Swan at eswan(at)toronto.ca.