Author: admin

Membership Efforts

 

The OSSCC membership is the heart of our club. Every member is a valuable asset which is why we want everyone to stay safe and healthy as we hunker down for this crisis. We recognize that things will be different this year and no one can predict the future so we will move forward as we always have and hope that we can still have a canoe season.

covid-19 impact on membership

I posted a “Membership Update“ on March 23rd. Our Membership Drive and now our Training schedule have already been impacted with the closure of facilities in the cities of Waterloo and Kitchener, and now the Region of Waterloo has declared  a “state of emergency“, so we will have to take things on a daily basis as this COVID-19 crisis unfolds to see how the rest of  this season goes.  Luckily, our first canoe trip is planned for May 5th, which is still over a month away and there is still lots of wiggle room to reschedule some trips as we approach May and June.  Check out the rest of the Schedule to see what we have to look forward to!!

In spite of the set backs, we will still move forward with our “Membership Drive” as outlined in the Membership Update.  With Wing 404 closed until further notice, we don’t have access to our mailbox, so please send your renewals to the address below (mine). Either mail it or drop off in the mailbox.

OSSCC
C/O 132 Kesselring Court
Kitchener, ON  N2E 2P2

Please remember that the form consists of 2 parts: the member information portion and the waivers portion.  Both parts have to be completed, signed and dated to be complete. We ask that you let us know you are renewing your membership, so we not only know to expect your renewal, but keep you connected to the blog and the club!

We hope you all plan on renewing to support the Club and that we will see you on the river and at the wonderful events the Social Committee has planned once we are able to gather again! So far, the response has been quite positive! Many thanks to those of you who have already sent in your registrations and who have responded that you plan on renewing. It is much appreciated.

Fingers crossed that all the precautions the various levels of government have put in place will get this thing under control sooner rather than later so we can get on the water!

I’d like to thank Bill Cutler and his Membership Committee for their hard work in promoting the Membership Drive.  We had 15 interested potential members who were planning to join at the Membership Drive.

Finally, please take the time to check out our Membership Resources.  If you have any questions or concerns, email: info@oldsaltsclub.com

Regards,

Carol Marion

Fall Bondi is Back!

This year, our club is going to try to make our northern adventure trip to Bondi Village Lodge and Cottages happen  for interested members. The Bondi lodge is located on Lake of Bays, just minutes from the Algonquin Park west gate. Traditionally, this has been one of the highlights of the canoeing year. 

This trip is tentatively scheduled for the 3rd week in September from Monday September 14th until Friday September 18th (5 days, 4 nights). 

We will be spending most of our days paddling various lakes and rivers in and around Algonquin Park, enjoying the rugged, scenic beauty of this region, the wildlife and the beginning of Autumn colours. The mid-September weather usually allows us to enjoy some late afternoon swimming on the Bondi Lodge beach, when we return each day. Outside evening activities may include: a wolf howl (led by one of our hosts), star gazing, or a campfire one night. While relaxing in the lodge, activities may include: a ping pong tournament or a game of pool in the lower rec area, working on a jig saw puzzle, or playing cards. As well, Bondi has Internet access, for those in need (… but no 5G network yet.) 

Each person who registers for this trip will participate in an information and planning meeting, in late August or early September. 

The cost is $288.15/ person (including HST) – about $72.00 per night – plus your share of the *food costs of your group. (Participants will be divided into *meal prep groups at our Aug./Sept. meeting.) 

A commitment to participate in this trip, including a $100 down-payment, will be necessary by early June. 

Before then, any questions may be directed to the trip organizer, Mark Zelinka. 

E-mail Contact: zelinkamd@gmail.com or Phone Contact: 519-651-3186 

This Fall Bondi adventure is meant as a semi-wilderness experience and a time to practise the canoeing skills learned over the summer. Also, it’s a time just to relax, breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the rugged northern Ontario scenery, as well as just a break away from our busy lives back home. 

Club members interested in participating in this trip, please, e-mail or phone Mark leaving your name and e-mail address/phone #, so more detailed information and updates may be sent out to you, as the canoeing season progresses. 

It’s in the Print!

I keep getting the same questions regarding forms and where to find things, etc., so I thought I’d address this separately, but before I get to that,  there are a couple of related items to talk about.

New club pamphlets & logo

In getting prepared for the Membership Drive, I was working very closely with our City of Waterloo advocate at Wing 404 on promoting our Club. The result of this is that new club pamphlets (tri-folds) were designed by the City of Waterloo graphics department (free of charge). The final draft of the pamphlet is a fresh new look that is both updated and very professional. A bonus is that the city also designed a new logo for us that looks modern, is easy to read and accurately captures the spirit of our club.  The actual pamphlets are stuck at Wing 404 until they open up again and were going to be used for the Membership Drive. However, the graphics department did provide me with a copy of the final draft that you can view below.

Front

 

Back

Old salts Seniors Canoe Club and Handbook

Last year, I talked about the club handbook that everyone is supposed to read before they sign the club waiver on the registration form. The final copy is now complete and is posted here.

Anyone who has a printer can print it if they want to.  However, several members have told me that they have no access to a printer. To accommodate everyone, we were able to have the handbook professionally printed (complete with colour pictures) and bound and are offering it to our members at a cost of $10. per book. This is a comprehensive handbook filled with good information and is something every member should read and have available to refer to either through this blog, or via hard copy. Every dollar raised from the purchase of the handbook will be kept for our Shed Relocation Project. Send an email to info@oldsaltsclub.com to reserve your copy. We only have 30 available, so it will be first come first serve!

other Printable materials

I am constantly asked where you can find certain forms. Hard copies of some forms can be found in the “blue binder” in the shed during the canoe season and includes:

    • Waiver for Non-Members – for members who bring guests on a canoe outing
    • Towing/Mileage Expense Form – for Towers to get reimbursed for their mileage
    • OSSCC Trip Sheet – for Trip Organizers

On the Blog under “Resources” you will find a section called “Club Documents (Printable)”
Here is what you will find in this section:

Please check out this section if you are wondering where anything is. Please note that what is on the blog is separate than what is on the web site. The only form available on the web site is the Registration Form for new members!

Communication is Key!

Ever since the club was formed over 20 years ago, much has changed in the way we communicate and how we present and store information as we continue our move into the technology age.

Today, we have a comprehensive web site that tells people who we are and what we are about. We also have a unique, membership driven communication and resource hub that is continually evolving . There was some initial grumbling about the changes, but making use of technology makes our work smarter, not harder for the benefit of our entire club and its future. Here is an update on our progression:

The Blog

Since the “Blog” was first introduced to the club 2 years ago, it has evolved into an efficient communication and resource hub. However, we can do better with everyone’s help!

      • Email Notifications
        These notifications are to let members know that there is a new post on the blog.  It is not the blog post itself. Videos, photos, links, etc. will not work in these emails, so you have to read the blog post. To read the entire post, click on the “post title” or the “continue reading on the OSSCC Blog” button to access the announcement on the Blog. (You will either go directly to the post (if you are logged in) or to the login (if you aren’t logged in) page. Please take the time to read these blog posts!!
      • Blog Issues
        For anyone who has issues signing into the blog, password problems, or is wondering how to navigate the blog, there is a great “how to” on the “Welcome” page.  If you forget your password, there are also instructions on how to reset it. Please choose something simple that you will remember!

There have also been improvements made to the blog to make it a better resource for our members so pertinent information is always stored in one place and you don’t have to keep searching for things. Whether you are viewing from your tablet, phone or desktop, take the time to explore our content and see what’s new!

Also on the Blog, you will find photo slideshows of our trips, as well as instruction videos to help reinforce skills taught in our training sessions. We are slowly posting more resources with the idea that the Blog will continue being the information repository for our Club.

The OSSCC Web Site

The website has had no significant changes, just updates.  However, there still seems to be some confusion regarding the difference between the “blog” and the “web site”.  The web site is available for everyone to view. It’s how we make our presence known to the public and let people know what we are about. The Blog is just for registered members. No one can access anything on the blog without logging in.

Keeping the lines of communication open and keeping our membership informed  is a priority for OSSCC and we will continue to move forward and improve as we grow. Direct questions and concerns to the club email address at  info@oldsaltsclub.com and provide feedback on blog posts using the “Leave a Reply” option.

Regards,

Carol Marion, Web Admin

WING 404 CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Hello all,

We were previously notified that Waterloo facilities would be closed until April 6th. The City of Waterloo has now updated their website to state that all city facilities will be closed until further notice, which means that Wing 404 will  be closed as well. We don’t know when they will reopen.

Therefore, please DO NOT send membership registrations to Wing 404 as we will not be able to pick up mail. We are waiting to hear back from Jaye Kuntz to find out what is being done with mail sent to Wing 404.

In the meantime, please follow the instructions in my previous post:

Membership Update

Please send any questions or concerns to info@oldsaltsclub.com

Carol Marion
Web Admin

RESOURCES FOR COVID-19

Government of Canada
City of Waterloo
City of Kitchener
City of Cambridge
Region of Waterloo

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

 

Hello Members,

Hope this post finds everyone in continued good health and weathering this COVID-19 outbreak in safety, and good humour!

Unfortunately, no one knows how this pandemic is going to play out or how long it will take to get back to “normal” (whatever that will be). To that end, we will proceed as best we can.  One thing we do know is that our Old Salts community is pretty tight knit and will make it through this!

I’m sure you’ll all agree that much has happened in the last few weeks that we never could have anticipated.  As a club, we are in uncharted territory since we’ve never experienced something like this before.  After all, we are also a social club and enjoy getting together, be it for our canoe outings, hiking, bowling, etc., so we will take things as they come and carry on accordingly.

To that end, since we weren’t able to have our Membership Drive, we will have to do things very differently this season to keep the club functioning.

Membership Renewal

If you do plan on renewing your membership, please let us know your intention either by email: info@oldsaltsclub.com, or in the “Leave a Reply” section below this post by April 1st, which is when the new season actually starts. We would like to get an idea of what our membership will be so we can plan accordingly.

We ask that you review the current membership list found here and let us know if there are any updates to your information. At least this way we can get started on a new membership list for the 2020-2021 season and stay in touch. For privacy reasons, the current list will be taken down April 2nd. When you are able, send in or drop off your membership renewals in the mailbox at the following address: (to maintain social distancing protocols)

OSSCC
C/O 132 Kesselring Court
Kitchener, ON  N2E 2P2

**Wing 404 is closed until further notice so we can’t pick up mail.

Non Renewal

If you don’t plan on renewing your membership (we will really hate to lose you 😥 ), please let us know by either unsubscribing from receiving further emails  (see the footer at the bottom of the email notification)  or let the Membership Chair know via info@oldsaltsclub.com  by March 31st so you won’t continue receiving unwanted email notifications regarding club news. Please note that this will also stop your access to the blog. If you think you may want to rejoin next year, let us know and we can place you on a mailing list for next year. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Eugene Marion, President at 519-579-1360

Privacy

To comply with privacy concerns, if we don’t hear from you either way, we will assume that you are not interested or unavailable and will suspend your account until you let us know your intentions.

New Members

Of course the COVID-19  crisis will impact our new member registration. To date, no registrations for new members have been received and considering the uncertainty we are facing, this is not unexpected.  We are taking a wait & see approach.

Conclusion

The reports for the Membership Drive are being compiled and should be posted soon. We will update you as required!

Stay safe!

RESOURCES FOR COVID-19

Government of Canada
City of Waterloo
City of Kitchener
City of Cambridge
Region of Waterloo

 

 

 

 

 

TUES MORNING WALKS TO RESUME AT A LATER DATE

Hello OSSCC member,

In keeping with recommendations with the Waterloo Region Public Health and Health Canada, we will be suspending “organized” Tuesday morning club walks until further notice.

Members who wish to continue walking can use their own discretion to organize walks amongst themselves. Please stay safe and healthy by following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations:  Stay home if unwell (coughing, sore throat or fever), or if you have been travelling and been in an airport in the past 14 days.  Maintain a safe distance with the other walkers (at least one metre is recommended and no physical contact).

These are interesting times we live in now. Take care!

In case you missed it:

COVID-19 / MEMBERSHIP DRIVE UPDATE **IMPORTANT-MUST READ**

COVID-19 / MEMBERSHIP DRIVE UPDATE **IMPORTANT-MUST READ**

Hello members,

In light of the current global COVID-19 situation we have all been experiencing, we are cancelling this year’s Membership Drive to keep in line with the protocols our various levels of governments have set out. Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge have all closed their Municipal buildings and facilities (pools, libraries, meeting rooms, etc.) until April 5th.

What does that mean for us?

This also includes Wing 404. The building will be closed as of midnight tonight, so no meetings and we won’t be able to pick up mail or leave/pick up registration forms as we have done in the past.

Membership Drive

Although the membership drive is cancelled, that doesn’t mean we are cancelling memberships (without memberships, we cease as a club). On the contrary, we ask that for those of you who have printers, please print out and complete membership forms (remember, it is a 2-pager) and mail (or drop off) along with fees to:

OSSCC
C/O 132 Kesselring Court
Kitchener, ON  N2E 2P2

You can find the form here.  If you don’t have a printer, please have someone print out the form for you.

Even though we can’t have the actual membership drive, we will be having a “virtual” meeting where the presentations that were going to be made will be made available on the blog some time later this week. Please be sure to read through the materials.

Training

Since Wing 404 will be closed until April 5th, this also means that our Dryland Training will be cancelled, and if the dates are extended, possibly our pool training.  This will certainly impact our new members the most, so we hope our current, more experienced members will assist and mentor our new members should the need arise.

To date, our training with Beth Jones is not impacted, so we encourage you to sign up for training to update and refresh your skills if you haven’t done so in a while. The costs are listed on the membership form. If you have any questions or concerns about training, please contact Lynn Warmington at lynnwarmington1@gmail.com or 519-846-9243

membership

Our Membership is our most valuable asset, which is why we want all of you to stay safe and healthy as we weather this crisis. Without you, our club wouldn’t exist, so thank you for your continuing support.

To that end, we look forward to the start of the new season and hope you all renew your memberships so we can continue to enjoy the many benefits our club extends.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly.

Eugene Marion, President
Old Salts Seniors Canoe Club
519-579-1360
eugene.marion@gmail.com

resources for covid-19

Government of Canada
City of Waterloo
City of Kitchener
City of Cambridge
Region of Waterloo

Tuesday, March 10th walk

For the walk on Tuesday please meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot for the Walter Bean Grand River Trail near the corner of Shirley Drive and Victoria St. N., Kitchener. The trail follows the Grand River towards Bingeman Park. We’ll walk for approximately 30-45 minutes and at that point we can continue or turn around and return to the parking lot. Afterwards there are a myriad of restaurants on Victoria North for anyone who wants to go for lunch!
Doug Arthur
519-741-8641