On Friday May 10th, Roxanne Goodman held a benefit concert to help support the Sunset Singers, a seniors choir and the Manordale Community Building. It was a truly amazing concert. I was asked to make a short speech to those in attendance about my experiences. I have decided to post it below for those that were not in attendance.
“Thank you to everyone that came out tonight to support the Manordale Community. A special thank you to Roxanne and all of the wonderful entertainers that she has brought us tonight. My name is Myles and I am currently the president of the Manordale-Woodvale Community Association. I have been asked to give a short speech about my experiences with the community association.
So I want to take you on a journey that started 10 years ago this September. I was at a crossroads in my life and things weren’t going quite as planned. It was a Saturday night in September and the Annual Community Corn Roast was taking place. I was sitting alone on my deck and I could hear the music coming from the corn roast. I decided to venture out to see what was going on and to grab a fresh cob of corn. I did not know at the time that my decision would have an impact on both my life and the life of the Manordale Community. As I was leaning against the rink boards eating my corn and drinking a beer, Carol Millar stopped by and talked to me. By the end of our conversation she had me convinced to come out to the next monthly meeting of the MWCA. By the end of the meeting she had convinced me to run for a position on the executive at the AGM in November. Now ten years later and several elections, I am still on the executive and the same sweet talk that Carol gave to me I have given to many others as I continue to grow the association and support the community that I have been part of for over a quarter century and more importantly that I love.
For those of you that are not part of the Association or do not take part in our activities you are missing out on a lot. We have a wide range of activities that cater to all ages and all walks of life. However, that is not the most important part of the association. The most important part is that we are a family! We care about each other and more importantly we care about you and all of the residents of Manordale. We do what we do because it makes Manordale a better community for all of us.
My journey over the last 10 years has given me the opportunity to get to know many of you. I have sat and talked to many of you at our Corn Roast or July 1st activities. I have shared a drink with you at our monthly euchre or on our Annual Boat Cruise. I have seen your children tell Santa what they want at our Christmas party. I have seen you volunteer your time on clean up day to make our parks and bike paths free of garbage. Most importantly my journey has allowed me with your help make Manordale a welcoming community that once you move here you don’t want to leave!
In closing, the MWCA needs your support so that we can keep doing what we do best — serving you. So please come out to our events, volunteer your time and see what we are all about; I promise we won’t disappoint you. Come join me on my journey.”
