“One daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures, then one is too few” ~ William Wordsworth

It’s National Volunteer Week…
We thought we would take some time to highlight the volunteers that make our club so strong, so vibrant, and so special.
But then we realized it would be almost impossible and would take many hours, and many photos and many words.

So we we say thank you to all of our volunteers , with our whole hearts.
For without your your time, your passion, your commitment …there would not be this community at 29 Cornwall Road.

A club that has weathered , as all has, a public health crisis that threatened to withhold that of which we cherish and need… that is community.
A community of those who exercise, socialize, take care of our mental and physical health, and take care do each other.

We teach new little curlers, and support and coach our experienced curlers, we run events and tournaments and games …we make up draws, we bake biscuits and wake up early to make cookies to share, we collect fees and donate door prizes, we put away furniture, and help make ice, we bring coffees and a warm smile, we make coffee for others and serve with charming conversation, we make beautiful handmade wood items and donate, or cinnomin rolls to share….we buy fundraising tickets, we grab a mop when there is a spill, we organize fundraisers, we give back to the game and participate, we update plaques for our curlers, we provide guidance and teach clinics, we pick thoughtful items, and we clean and count, we communicate all the goings on of a busy club to hundreds of people, we meet monthly to plan, and we reach out with a helping hand.

And all of this creates….that what we call community.
It is all of the musings and mummerings of lives brought together for purpose.

The purpose is different for everyone~ some for competition, some for physical health, some for mental health, some for social time, some for a break from all that is difficult , some for learning some new new, or revisiting something old.

But should any purpose be more important than another….of course not. It is that we know.

We cheer each other on, we check in on each other, we laugh together, and we curl together.
A system of souls tied by what we call curling, but the truth is … it’s deeper for many. It’s passion for whatever calls us to walk down those steps and onto that ice.

And that is what makes us ‘community’… an array of faces and hearts who meet at the same spot…right here at 29 Cornwall Road… and know how special it is to be called a member and a volunteer. To know that to volunteer is to give to another, but also to receive the gifts of such volunteerism.

So thank you members and volunteers. No matter how small your act or big your time… your presence contributes to a bigger, thriving, exciting, and heart warming community.

This years theme to National Volunteer Week ‘Volunteering Is Empathy In Action’ , an salute to the importance of this quality during very difficult and unusual times of a worldwide pandemic.

We can proudly say that empathy rolled through this clubhouse carried in the hearts of many … so that we could #keepcurling … and keep our community, facilities, and sport going when we needed it most.

Art by Laivi Pöder