What a party!
On July 5th, carya staff, volunteers, and community members celebrated the Official Grand Opening of Village Commons!
After a year of cautious operations during the pandemic, it was uplifting and inspiring to reconnect with so many friends, supporters and passionate community advocates from East Village and beyond.
As many of us have learned through the pandemic, connecting with others is an essential part of our overall health and wellbeing, and Village Commons is a place for all Calgarians to come together, support each other, and find resources to improve wellbeing and belonging.
We were thrilled to have our partners at CSV Midstream join us to support the event and lend a hand in the kitchen with food prep, event set up and serving over 320 breakfast plates!
Thank you as well to the Calgary Food Bank, Studio Bell, Central Library, Calgary Reads, University of Calgary and East Village Superstore for their support of the event.
“Our team has seen Village Commons become more vibrant every day. What used to be just a building is now an exciting hub where people of all ages come to share stories, build relationships, receive support or to just have a wonderful cup of coffee.” – Paula Telfer, carya‘s Chief Executive Officer
As East Village is a vibrant, rapidly growing neighborhood with several vulnerable population groups, carya strives to meet the needs of this community through the Village Commons community space.
The vision of Village Commons began in 2017 when carya partnered with Calgary Housing Company to redevelop the former Golden Age Club in East Village – offering a space that would serve area residents and the broader community. Calgary Municipal land Corporation signed on to lead construction, bringing their expertise and vision, and construction was completed in just 11 months, and during the pandemic.
“To play on a familiar saying – it takes a village to raise a child, I would also say it takes a village to build community and we have definitely had a village to build this space.” – Lisa Stebbins, carya‘s Chief Programs Officer
Capital Funding for Village Commons was provided by the City of Calgary, the Government of Alberta (Community Facility Enhancement Program), Calgary Foundation and many generous private donors. Construction, furnishing and design of the space was provided by Ellis Don, Mike Watson, Group 2 Architecture, Frank Architecture, McCrums Office Furnishings, Element Integrated Workplace Solutions, Calgary Reads, HESCO Foodservice Calgary and Trevor at Just Like Home Wood Working. Technological support provided by Evolution AV and MNP.
And of course, thank YOU all for joining us in celebration!
To learn more about what you can find at Village Commons, click here.
To support carya‘s work in building and strengthening communities, become a monthly donor and invest in a better Calgary for generations to come. Donate today!
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