March is Community Association Membership Month

During the month of March, Calgary celebrates awareness of its community associations and the value of memberships to those associations. Proclaimed by Mayor Naheed Nenshi, every year we celebrate Community Association Membership Month.

There are many benefits to being part of a community association, such as volunteer opportunities and the chance to be part of educational and recreational initiatives and social events.

There are 150 community associations in Calgary that are run by your neighbours. In fact, more than 20,000 volunteers are involved in community associations here in Calgary, making it the LARGEST collective volunteer movement in the city! — Federation of Calgary Communities

Collectively, the community association network in Calgary has over 20,000 volunteers, who contribute 2.4 million hours of public service each year in our city. Those volunteers operate, manage and maintain facilities and amenities with a value of over $200 million.

Some of the opportunities and services offered by community associations are:

• Sports
• Community gardens
• Fitness classes
• Arts and culture programs
• Community-wide events
• Youth programs
• Farmer’s markets and craft fairs
• Language services
• Seniors’ clubs
• Community/committee work

During March Membership Month, the Federation of Calgary Communities is providing resources and outreach suggestions to Calgarians on the benefits of community association membership. A great way to support your community association is to purchase a membership or to volunteer. To find out more about Community Association Membership Month you can:

• On Twitter, follow @fedyyc and #MarchMembershipYYC
• There are lots of helpful videos on YouTube such as: “Why Residents Buy In”
• Find your community association here

For more resources on community associations, find the Federation of Calgary Communities online.