General News

Headwaters Communities in Action holds AGM

October 17, 2019   ·   0 Comments

Written By MARNI WALSH

Headwaters Communities in Action (HCIA) held its Annual General Meeting at the Lord Dufferin Centre in Orangeville on October 8th. The theme this year was “Building Community,” with a focus on citizen engagement, accessible volunteering, and the local food movement. 

Funded by the County of Dufferin and Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin United Way, HCIA provides citizens with information about emerging issues and opportunities and  supports the start-up of collaborative projects that enhance community well-being. “Our AGM is an opportunity for us to thank and recognize the coordinators who manage the project areas, as well as the numerous volunteers that support a variety of activities,” says HCIA Executive Director, Shirley Boxem. 

Volunteer Dufferin Coordinator Lisa Post spoke to attendees about volunteerism and highlighted upgrades and changes to the Volunteer Dufferin website which will now make it more accessible and user-friendly for high school kids needing their 40 community service hours. The new features will be promoted in local schools this fall.

Other speakers for the evening included, Orangeville Mayor Sandy Brown and  Dorothy Mazeau. Mayor Brown spoke about what building community looks like from his perspective, and Ms. Mazeau gave an overview of the Golden Girls’ initiative – “seniors re-imagining living arrangements to stay in their homes, or find an alternative to standard residences.”

“We always like to do something a little different to tickle the crowd,” said Shirley Boxem, “and this year it was inviting the attendees to participate in packing a food bag for our Farm to School Food Club program.”  Attendees were invited to support  the  program and take their bag home for $25.

“The board of HCIA represents a fantastic cross-section of our community and allows us to provide the project support that we do,” said Ms. Boxem. 

HCIA Board Directors include: Diana Morris (Co-Chair), Trish Keachie (Co-Chair), Andrew James (Vice-Chair), Gord Gallaugher (Past Chair), Jeff Sedgwick (Treasurer), Jeremy Bullock, Lynn Codd, Madeline Gibson, Jennifer Hamilton, and Darren White.  

Ms. Boxem noted that Ken Topping and Sylvia Cheuy will be stepping down from the Board this year. “We would like to thank them for the time, expertise and passion they have given to the HCIA organization over their many years on our Board.”



         

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