Our local politicians are hosting their annual New Year’s events this weekend on Saturday and Sunday – see you there!
A new year, a new Board
Happy New Year!
At our recent Annual General Meeting, the DECA membership elected a stellar Board for 2018:
Gay Stephenson & Loreen Barbour (Co-Chairs)
Audrey Kvedaras (Vice Chair)
Anita Schretlen (Treasurer)
Nicole Bergot-Browning (Secretary)
Alison McMurray
Jennifer Scott
Amanda Olsen
Melissa Peretti
Rebecca Green
Brad Bradford
Lorraine Cheng
Audrey Kvedaras (Vice Chair)
Anita Schretlen (Treasurer)
Nicole Bergot-Browning (Secretary)
Alison McMurray
Jennifer Scott
Amanda Olsen
Melissa Peretti
Rebecca Green
Brad Bradford
Lorraine Cheng
Here is a message from incoming co-Chairs Gay & Loreen:
One of the many things to love when you get involved in our neighbourhood is that it makes the world feel like a brighter place. Gathering with neighbours to work on local happenings or projects has a way of harnessing good energy and comes with the benefit of getting to know more of the people who live across the street, around the corner, or down the block.
In the coming year, DECA would like to build even more opportunities for us to connect with one another. We’d like to meet you! We’re will be continuing to host “meet and greets” before Board meetings, building on this initiative from the past couple of years. Half an hour before the meeting begins, come chat with us! Watch this blog and Facebook for meet and greet dates and times for the new year. (Hopefully you are reading this because you are a blog subscriber!) Better yet, if you haven’t already, join DECA as a member. It’s only $10 per/family per year and you can do it online here.
Did you know that everything DECA does began as someone’s idea? From vision to reality with the support, energy and dedication of many others! Initiatives like the Farmers’ Market, the Danforth East Arts Fair, Pumpkin Parade, Festival of Lights, DECA Pride, Visioning Committee, DECA Connects, Business Revitalization Team, Pop-up Shops, Laneway Crawl and more- they all started as an idea in someone’s head.
So as we go forward into 2018, we look forward to meeting with you, sharing time and inspiration. Perhaps you, or one of your neighbours have the next big (or small) idea for our neighbourhood? We want to hear them all so let’s get to know one another in the new year! And don’t forget to let us know if you’re hosting an event in the ‘hood and we’ll help spread the word. We are entirely volunteer run so the easiest way to alert us is by tagging us on social media.
More good things happening
My blogging break is hard to maintain when I see so much happening! Read to the end so that you don’t miss info about the upcoming public consultation for the Danforth Avenue planning study.
Oh, and a quick update to a previous post – DECA Connects discussion on empathy has been a postponed to the new year – stay tuned for details.
“Adopt a Family” Holiday Hamper Program
At this time of year, we always remind you to shop local and support local businesses. But we also have neighbours who are in need, and what better way to support them than through helping to fulfill their wish lists?
Three ways to help: make a cash donation, (get a tax receipt for anything over $25) volunteer during the week of Dec 17 to help pack or deliver the hampers, or “adopt” a family – get their wish list and shop for gifts for them (get a group together with friends, family or colleagues to make it easier!). Keisha, the coordinator, is aiming to “adopt” 100 local families this year. If you can help, here’s how to get in touch:
Keisha Cooke
Family Resource Coordinator
Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, 91 Barrington Avenue
416-698-1626, ext. 204
kcooke@accessalliance.ca
www.accessalliance.ca
Holiday in the Hood
Today from 10am-3pm! Check out Holiday in the Hood, Earl Beatty’s annual holiday craft and bake sale – this event is fun for everyone (even if you are not part of the EB community).
Little Robot Friends at Silly Goose
Come see for yourself what Little Robot Friends are all about. Sunday, December 10 from 2-5pm. 
Old’s Cool Tree Lighting
December 9 from 5-8pm – check out the poster for the details of the festivities!
Planning Study Consultation, Monday Dec 11, 6:30-9:30pm
The City is holding the 4th Community Consultation Meeting on the Danforth Avenue Planning Study on Monday, December 11th at Hope United Church, 2550 Danforth Avenue, from 6:30-9:30pm.
The objective of the meeting is to review and obtain feedback from the community on the built form (building height, scale, and massing) analysis and engage in discussion about future development along our stretch of the Danforth.
DECA’s Visioning group has been working to prepare for the study for many years leading up to its launch and we continue to be a strong voice. Strong and vibrant communities have active participants. We encourage you to come out and participate and help shape the future of our neighbourhood.
For more info click here
Artisans at Work – Dec sales and events
Owner Tara Shelton has announced that she’s closing her shop at Woodbine & Danforth at the end of January. Stop on before then to pick up something lovely. Events and sales are happening too – check out the poster!
Something for everyone happening in December
There is so much happening in the next few weeks. Us bloggers will be slowing down over the holidays, but before we do, here is a run-down of what we found.
And remember to shop and dine local this holiday season. If we want nice places to go to in our neighbourhood, we gotta show them some love! ❤️
Carevillage Holiday Drive
Drop off items to be part of Carevillage’s efforts to support local households in need, until Dec 8 at The Rock Oasis,Elevated Health Associates, Old’s Cool General Store or Silly Goose Kids.
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Earl Haig Hullaballoo!
Dec 1 from 7:30pm
Support this great local school and have a fun night!
Book Reading, Dec 2 at 2pm
Join Old’s Cool General Store (250 Westlake) for a reading by author Kai Cheng Thom from her children’s book, From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea.
A magical gender variant child brings transformation and change to the world around them thanks to their mother’s enduring love.< em>In this captivating, beautifully imagined picture book about gender, identity, and the acceptance of the differences between us, Miu Lan faces many questions about who they are and who they may be. But one thing’s for sure: no matter who this child becomes, their mother will love them just the same. For more information, click here
DECA Connects discussion on building empathy, (UPDATE: date tbd in Jan)
Come with your thoughts on how to build empathy in our community with DECA Connects, our social issues group. They are always looking for more people and ideas to help make our community a better place for everyone. No rsvp – just show up!
Contact us if you would like more info
Holiday Market at the Nooks
2005 Danforth, Dec 2 & 9 from 11-6
Check out their Facebook event for all the details.
A few more local events to add to your calendar:
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Festival of Lights, Shop Local, and Your Pictures Wanted!
Festival of Lights, THIS Saturday, 5-6 pm
Join us for singing, dancing, and visits from Santa before we turn on the lights in East Lynn Park this Saturday from 5 to 6 pm. And don’t forget your donation for Centre 55 (non-perishable food or cash) to be entered to win a fantastic prize.
Shop Local Saturday
Also happening in the neighbourhood this Saturday, the Danny BIA is hosting Shop Local Saturday, with buskers moving through the neighbourhood between Jones & Westlake from 2-5 pm to entertain you while you explore our local businesses.
Calendar Pictures Wanted
MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith is asking for photo submissions of community events for his 2018 calendar. If you have a great photo from an event, or of the community, please send it to: nathaniel.erskine-smith@parl.gc.ca. Please send them in as soon as possible if you’d like your picture to be considered for the community calendar.
See you on Saturday, rain, snow or shine!
Are you the future of DECA?
Farewell from outgoing DECA Chair, Sheri Hebdon
I was first elected to the DECA Board in 2009, by accident. I showed up at a “neighbourhood cocktail party” with my wife and baby after seeing posters and hearing about it from a nice woman I met at baby-and-me yoga.
On arrival, my new friend Natasha (DECA’s founding Chair) welcomed us at the door and she casually asked me if I would be interested in joining the Board. I said I was interested in learning more and then we moved on to other conversations.
Later in the evening, I was discreetly nursing my baby when all of a sudden Natasha and another woman stood up on chairs and announced that the cocktail party was actually the AGM. They (and others) gave short pitches about their projects like the farmers’ market and the business revitalization team (who did store makeovers) and then I heard my name.
What?
Then everyone voted yes and I was on the Board. Just like that. While nursing my son.
Eight years later, at tomorrow’s AGM & Party (we’re a bit more up front about the AGM part now!), my time on the DECA Board, where I have been Chair for three years, will come to a close. While I am confident that the Board will be in excellent hands for next year, it’s hard not to worry about what the future will hold.
Though, the real question is not what, but who. DECA isn’t a thing – it’s the sum total of a group of people who all add what they (we) can to make our neighbourhood better. Bringing new people into the fold is critical, but it’s not easy. We have the things now that DECA has helped to build over the past decade and people may take it, and us, for granted. Or maybe they just don’t know? Or maybe they just can’t take on one more thing.
Whatever the reason is that you aren’t more involved, here is my pitch to you to get involved. Don’t think about what you’d put into it, think about what you will get out of it.
Volunteering for DECA has given me so much over the years. No matter what else is happening in my life or in the world, I have taken a lot of solace knowing that I’m doing something to make the world better, even if it’s just in my little corner of it. I find it energizing to help in big and small ways, and feeling so much more connected to my neighbours and local businesses positively impacts me on a daily basis. My children (there are three of them now) understand that volunteering is part of life, and each of them have legitimately volunteered for DECA too by doing things like putting up posters, helping to set up events, handing out cookies and candy canes at the Festival of Lights. Given that parenting is a long game, instilling this so early is important.
Start with one hour. One hour of involvement per year could mean helping at an event, putting up posters, tossing pumpkins or cooking for the farmers. Maybe you have two hours? Maybe five? What about one hour for every year you’ve lived here? If you have kids, get them involved and you won’t believe how proud they will be of themselves. Start with one hour and you may find that you that you’ll want to do more.
At the very least, join DECA as a member. Sign up online or in person tomorrow at Hirut. $10/household for the year.
If you don’t know where to start, come to the event tomorrow and ask me, or any of the other Board members. Meet your neighbours. Get involved.
Here’s the poster one more time:
Oh, and there will be door prizes!
Thanks for a great eight years, Danforth East! See you all around the neighbourhood.
-Sheri