| Canadian Progress Club Progression On-line |
November 2002 |
Convention 2002 |
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A Look Back at Convention Submitted by Denise Blakely Moving Mountains in 2002 Officially the Convention began on Wednesday, September 25th, but for many it had its unofficial kick-off on Tuesday evening when early arrivals met for an informal get together at the Drake Bar. By Wednesday, the Registration Room was open for business. Thanks to great organization by Registrar Darrell Stelmack, registration ran very smoothly. Delegates signed in, received their complimentary gift bags and Convention information packets and were quickly on their way. The CPCF Silent Auction also opened on Wednesday. While the National Board and the CPCF Board were having their meetings, Progressians who had registered for the golf tournament at Silver Tip Golf Course were praying for a break in the weather. Fortunately, the golf gods came through and the tournament went ahead as planned with only a slight delay in tee-off. Golfers enjoyed a terrific day on the links and a post-tournament dinner that held a few surprises for the tournament winners. Unique prizes included a live chicken and rooster for the ladies and men's long drive; a goat awarded to the individual low gross; and the presentation of piglets to the low gross foursome. Unfortunately, the helicopter tour, also scheduled for Wednesday, wasn't so lucky. The heli-tours had to be cancelled due to the Registrar's inability to disperse the cloud cover. Thursday was a busy day with regional meetings held in the morning, followed by the "Birthday Bash" lunch hosted by the ladies of the Calgary Eves commemorating the Eves' and Bow River's 25th anniversaries in Progress. With Bow River's Jim McNeil acting as Bob Barker and the Eves' Jean Ellis standing in for Vana White, "contestants" were selected from each zodiac sign to come up and compete for prizes. Fun was had by all—even Brent Smith who was unsuccessful in his bid for a hair dryer. In the afternoon, futurist Ruben Nelson of Square One Management and the Alliance for Capitalizing on Change addressed the general assembly on the topic of "21st Century Trends: Impacts on Volunteerism." The afternoon continued with education seminars presented by Sherry Ferronato of Ex Animo Consulting, National Education Chair Brenda Mahoney and Sandy Penrose of the Banff Centre. Attendance at the seminars exceeded expectations and extra seating had to be brought in. The highlight of Thursday evening's dinner was guest speaker Christina Smith. Christina is Canada's most successful female bobsleigh pilot. She won her first World Cup medal in the 1999/2000 season placing third at an event in Igls, Austria, and in 2001 repeated the same Bronze medal standing. Off the track she is an equine therapist—an occupation that required a two-year apprenticeship in Europe. She is also a joint founder of the motivational speaking organization "Partners on Ice". During dinner, her message to Progressians was "never give up on the dream." She shared her personal experience of setbacks and eventual success in Europe, bouncing back to take third place. "Regardless of where you are," she told Progressians, "it's up to you to make a success of the situation." Post-dinner entertainment was provided by Chicago-style blues band "The Mocking Shadows". A perfect follow-up to Christina Smith—the music was lively, the band members pumped and energetic—as were the dancers after hearing Christina's motivational talk! Friday was the day for the Special Olympians. They arrived in Canmore full of spunk and enthusiasm. Fern Bremault, one of the Special Olympians seated at the head table, gave an inspiring and touching address. As lunch concluded, Janey Davies presented The Canadian Special Olympics with a cheque for $65,000. In the early afternoon, sign-ups for the Spousal Program ventured out into the wilds of Canmore. Before embarking on their walking tour, they were asked to review a "Release of Liability Waiver". Among the clauses therein were:
"But I thought we were just going for a stroll around town!" exclaimed one suddenly nervous participant. Many thanks to Cathy Jones of "Celebrations in the Rockies" for a very interesting historical tour of Canmore. And then it was off to Boundary Ranch. As the buses departed from the hotel, the weather was not co-operating. It was cool and damp and grey—although that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the delegates, who managed to turn a simple bus ride into an event of its own. As luck would have it, by the time everyone was arriving at the Ranch, the sky cleared and the weather ended up perfect for an afternoon of outdoor fun. Activities included trail rides, nature walks and hayrides, as well as some friendly athletic competition. Mitch Richardson of St. Albert won the horseshoe-throwing contest. However, it might be necessary for the Convention chairman to make an official ruling on who won the volleyball match—apparently the debate is still going on! The Boundary Ranch experience was capped off with an old-fashioned ranch-style barbecue and barn social. Then it was back to Canmore and a hospitality suite hosted by next year's Convention hosts, CPC Sherbrooke. Saturday started early (too early, according to some delegates) with an 8:00 a.m. breakfast bus to Banff for the Annual General Meeting. Items on the agenda included attendance, budget, and future Convention hosts. Those who attended found the AGM informative and useful. Sherbrooke in particular derived great value from the discussions on early registration. Saturday's Awards Luncheon saw the passing of the gavel from President Al Gordon to new President C.J. MacMullin. Congratulations, C.J., and best of luck in the coming year. The Convention culminated with the President's Ball on Saturday night. The evening began with the traditional piping in of the head table and the flag ceremony. Not too many dry eyes in the crowd as the Special Olympians marched in procession bearing flags from Canada's provinces and territories while everyone joined in the rousing chorus of traditional folk songs. Emotional highlights continued, as National President, C.J. MacMullin, gave a warm and heartfelt address and later Dr. Art Piercy delivered a moving speech on the importance of fellowship. After dinner, the delegates retired for a breather then came back to party at the beach. The celebration continued into the night with dancing, limbo contests, and the usual Convention hi-jinks. On Sunday, it was all over for another year and Bow River should be commended on a job well done. —Denise Blakely
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