Hi All Abbotsford Curlers,
Our AGM held Sept. 22, summarized a roller coaster 2020/21 season. Marked by a flurry of unique rules and a series of Covid 19 openings and closures, we finally shut down early last fall, resulting in a shortened but safe season for our members. We were all grateful to our Covid safety committee for their hard work, leadership, and timely advice to the Board as we all felt our way through the pandemic.
By cancelling a major part of our season and many potentially profitable events, we suffered a financial loss last year of about $40,000. However, the losses were mitigated by the club initiating an early spending freeze, our sponsors not asking for refunds, many members donating their partial fee refunds to the club and Kent willingly accepting only two-thirds of his salary for five months of the year. We should all be very thankful to Kent and Della for their generosity on the club’s behalf. Kent explained that he wants to continue to be part of the club’s success and future and last year he put his money on the line. Our completed upper washroom renovations used targeted funds from a New Horizon Grant. We still have money in the bank to repay the $40,000 CERB loans due in December 2022, about $40,000 in term deposits and the contingency fund remains untouched.
This year started out looking bleak. Then the PHO mandated vaccinations and things got easier, for most of us. The rules for curling became clearer; masks when walking around in the building; vaccination passports to come in and curl; no masks necessary on the ice; common sense distancing. People were enthusiastic again. People were having fun. It is not 100% safe, but it is livable and acceptable. There are still some curlers who have not yet joined us but hopefully they will soon.
We still have challenges. Our membership numbers are down at least 30%. Some leagues have been cancelled, moved, or amalgamated. Junior programs are under prescribed. We cannot get enough coaches for school programs where we do not know if kids are vaccinated or not. Rental groups are down. The rink is still dark on too many nights and underutilized on too many days. Covid is still playing havoc with our bottom line. The way things stand now our budget is projecting another significant loss of about $30,000. The Board wants to mitigate our losses as much as possible, hopefully even finish the season in the black. We cannot rely on the generosities of last year. Consequently, the Board is striking two committees to look at strategies around rebuilding our membership and exploring fund raising opportunities. We will need the help and support of all members. Nothing is off the table.
I realize our Board is reduced this year. We are going to need your help with these committees and with the individual events and activities planned for this year. I know that you will support our initiatives and help ensure the success of the club. This is a fun club with a great future. We have come a long way in the last few years. Let us make the hiccup of last year be exactly that, a speed bump on the road to excellence. Here’s to our continued success.
Our thanks to those people who have left the Board this year: Geoff Beulens, Karen Copeland, Brenda Giesbrecht, Mike Descente, Art Heppner, and Roy Huston. We all appreciated their efforts on our behalf. A special welcome to Tina Hinds and Rick Lang, newly elected to the Board.
Finally, we are hosting the BC Senior Men’s and Ladies’ Championships next week from Tuesday to Sunday. There will be some great curling. Plan to cheer on Kent and the Abbotsford men’s team. Best of luck to all the teams from around the province. Big Thanks to all our Volunteers.
Gord Wallington; President ACC
