Fall Highlights: October - December, 2025

ACRA’s free drop-in basketball programs continue to thrive. The 16+ basketball program has become so popular, it is at maximum capacity. The youth basketball program for ages 11-15 continues to grow. This fall, there were 345 instances of drop-in participation across the two age groups. Facilitators Michael and Isabella have fostered a vibrant community of basketball enthusiasts while serving as excellent role models and mentors. 

During the week of October 6th – 12th, ACRA offered Karate, Bodyweight Strength & Balance, and Sole Sisters all free of charge. This initiative gave older adults a chance to expand both their social circles and build physical literacy by trying activities that may have been new to them. All three programs welcomed multiple new participants, with several individuals subsequently signing up for the class. Many people were pleased to learn about the range of programming ACRA offers in their community.

This fall, ACRA intended to expand its Errington guitar program to three levels: Beginner, Beyond Beginner, and Intermediate. The Beginner class filled quickly and had a number of people waitlisted. Beyond Beginner Guitar and Intermediate Guitar were both half full, with not enough to run either. Fortunately, Instructor Sterling was able to adapt the curriculum of the program so that the two upper-level classes could be combined to form one functional class. 

This new program was led by extremely experienced Sensei Brian Purves. Karate was open to a very wide age group that consisted of children as young as 8 to those well into their golden years. It was incredible to see an inter-generational program in action. It offered a chance for parents, grandparents and children to get active together and learn some new skills. 

Bodyweight Strength & Balance continues to see growth. This session had nine registered participants with one or two people consistently using the drop-in option. Participants have commented that the program is just what they need to challenge their bodies and that it is nice to have an exercise class in their neighbourhood.

For five weeks in October and November, ACRA piloted a new program called the Mid Island Computer Programming Club. Participants were guided through data base management, code creation, and a number of other semi-advanced computer skills. Knowing that for many young adults and teens, computers are not just a tool, but an interest; it was hoped that this program would represent a modern form of recreation than ACRA has not previously engaged in. Five participants registered in the fall. Moving into the 2026, this program will shift to a workshop model which allows participants to sign up for individual topics. 

The Intermediate marimba group has been playing together for several years, which means that it is somewhat difficult for new players to join unless that have prior experience elsewhere. The ladies were quite delighted to have a new member this fall. This brings their ensemble up to five people. They were also very excited to be able to schedule a number of workshops with Instructor Caitlin, who had been on maternity leave. 

ACRA was fortunate to partner with Expressive Arts therapist Dr. Bonnie Nish, who travelled in from the Lower Mainland to bring her expertise to the Meadowood community, following the summer fires. Bonnie worked closely with two diverse groups, women and youth, to offer fun in a creative and supportive space. These two workshops blended solo reflection and group connection, offering a sense of community while reminding participants they are not alone.

Community Meetings

The recreation coordinators attended many community meetings including: 

· ACRA Team Meetings 

· Facilitator Meetings 

· Early Learning Coalition Meetings

· YouthLINK Meetings

· Instructor Interviews 

Recreation Coordinators Kristine and Tracy enjoyed attending a quarterly meeting with the RDN and Gabriola Recreation Team to discuss trends in recreation and tour Cedar Heritage Hall. 

In December, the Family Day Planning Committee met to begin planning for the 2026 event, which will be goose themed.

Promotion and Registration

The Recreation Team is incredibly proud of the breadth of its program offerings this fall and moving into Winter 2026. This means more administrative and advertising work has been needed, and the team has been very busy updating the website, social media pages, creating posters, managing registration, and replying to emails and phone calls about programs. 

On December 15th, ACRA launched the Winter edition of its quarterly newsletter, which was quickly followed by a flurry of registrations. The newsletter now has over 300 subscribers and has proved to be a very helpful way to keep local people informed about ACRA’s upcoming activities.

Community Cupboard

ACRA was pleased to support Errington Hall’s seniors’ marimba program by providing rental instruments for home practice. This program was extremely popular, and there was a point where there were no rental instruments in the Cupboard. 

ACRA also supported the Silver Spur Riding Club annual Toy Drive fundraiser by providing traffic equipment. 

The Arrowsmith Agricultural Association also used tents and traffic equipment at the Coombs Christmas Market.

Grants

As much as possible, ACRA is trying to keep the cost of programs affordable and has been seeking grants to do this. 

This fall, ACRA applied to: 

- Decoda Literacy to support Family Move + Connect in Coombs, a physical fitness program for homeschoolers

- 500 Miles for Mental Health to support Youth Expressive Arts in Meadowood