Greetings from the Thistleoaks Board of Directors!
While the weather may not always act like it, spring is well underway and our 2nd Annual Spring Revitalization this past weekend not only took advantage of the sunshine to work on the backyard, we took on the additional and ambitious challenge of painting the entire Centre.
On behalf of all of us on the Board, thank you to everyone who contributed their time and efforts for this grandiose project. This past Saturday saw over 80 volunteers including parents, a large number of staff, and members of the community - including Appleby College - participate in updating both the inside and outside of the building to create an even greater place for the children to learn and play. In seeing so many people giving their time and talents to help, it reminds me of what a great sense of community and family we have at Thistleoaks, and something I am thankful for, not only as Chair of the Board, but as a parent whose children attend the Centre.
As with any project of this size, there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into preparing for the day - from patching, mudding, sanding, and priming the walls, to organizing materials, plans, and volunteers. Thank you to Cheryl and Mindy for all your efforts in helping this idea become a reality.
It has been a long time since the Centre has been painted, and will bring a new brightness and look to both current and potential future families of Thistleoaks. Combined with our previous updates over the past 24 months (new windows, blinds, lights, computers, servers, telephones, washrooms, outdoor signs, kitchen appliances, website, etc.), our 30th anniversary of Thistleoaks will be remembered as a time of transformation and rebirth.
As you come into the Centre you will see that our work is ongoing- there remains a number of areas that require more painting, the trim and doors are still to paint, and a serious cleanup once the work is complete will need to be done. I would ask for your patience and understanding as we work through the remaining tasks, and if anyone is available and interested in joining us in the evenings to continue the work please let Cheryl or Mindy know as we would be happy and thankful to have you. Plans have been made with our cleaning company on cleaning the floors to remove any errant paint, and we are confident that the result of all of this work will be a beautiful Centre that will be a great backdrop for the colourful, artistic creations of your children.
Thank you again for all of your support and we are excited to continue this path at Thistleoaks with each of you.
Jason Leitch
Chair, Board of Directors