BVI History

Summary of the HISTORY of BVI PROJECT:

• 2002 Needs assessment identified that existing volunteer groups and other service organizations were struggling with recruitment and retention of volunteers
• 2003 Funding received through Calgary Foundation Community Grants Program and Community Mobilization for a project coordinator; BVI Steering Committee is established, program is developed and a documentary video: “Bowness, Calgary’s Best Kept Secret” is produced

• 2004 Data base is created; “The Bowmont Volunteer” newsletter is produced; website for BowWest Community Support Services Society (umbrella agency for the project) is created; “Bridging the Bow” community event organized to launch the data base and website. The event attracts over 250 community residents

• 2005 Montgomery Legacy Arts Project is proposed to generate community volunteerism and engage community residents

• 2006-2007 Hidden Treasures is proposed to generate community volunteerism and engage community residents by hosting a number of different community events -scavenger hunt, round dance, Community Dance, and Idea Cafe

Our overall History:

2002
• March: Surveyed Interagency to determine if there was enough interest for a group of stakeholders to work together to develop a plan for creating a community coordinator ‘volunteer’ position
• Nov: Visioning Session: Created goals but not a vision
Goal: To educate and create awareness about volunteering to community residents and groups in Bowness and Montgomery

2003
• Jan. to June: focused on “slick” marketing to pique people’s interest about volunteering
• Feb: applied for STEP funding for the video project
• May to Aug: received STEP funding, hired video project coordinator, struck a resident steering committee for the video documentary: “Bowness: Calgary’s Best Kept Secret”
• Sept: Bowness video launch: over 250 people attended; over 500 videos sold
• First newsletter published

2004
• Jan: reviewed our direction. Decided we needed to continue creating awareness about BVI in the broader community (continued with more submissions to community newsletters about volunteering etc.) Begin developing a form that groups/agencies could complete that describe their various volunteer positions
• Feb: Forms for agencies completed and we ‘pilot’ them by having the agencies represented on BVI complete them; Submit a STEP funding application for summer staff to develop a data base that lists volunteer opportunities in the community and to create a website for Bowwest (where the data base will be housed); Discuss the possibility of having Bowness High School students design a logo for BVI
• March: start planning for two May events with the theme of “travel” - Explore your own backyard
Logo designed by high school students
• April: Logo completed; prizes awarded to student for chosen logo; Continue planning for Community Café in Bowness and Family Fun Fair/Resource Fair in Montgomery; to advertise BVI
creates BVI folders with information on BVI, volunteering, coupons, bookmarks, volunteer opportunities, and a volunteer story specific to each community to distribute at the community events in May; Bowness Community Café: 40 people attend; Montgomery Fair: 150 people attend
• June: focus is on developing all aspects of the newsletter
• July: first newsletter is distributed (200 copies), pamphlet for BVI created, data base started, hold the Montgomery event “Chillin’ with your Neighbor”, begin planning for “Bridging the Bow” event
• Aug: data base developed—15 volunteer opportunities entered, website for Bowwest up and running, Bowwest to maintain both, sills inventory forms to be distributed at Bridging the Bow, continue planning for this event
• Sept: Bridging the Bow event a big success; begin planning for our follow up event at MCC, purpose of this event to take volunteering info to a more personal level to include skills inventory
• Oct: 4 people attend the MCC event; we decide to stick to the one time “visible” events; volunteer newsletter editor joins BVI (Jann); we decide to form sub-committees: newsletter, website/database, communications, connecting to organizations, mural project for summer of 2005; discussed creating volunteer positions for these sub-committees and posting them on our website and including them in our newsletter
• Nov: Revisited the need to make sure we continue getting information about BVI to the organizations looking for volunteers, info packets are created for this purpose; we decide that we can promote BVI by having our information at various scheduled events in the community; 1700 newsletters are printed and inserted in the Montgomery Messenger; “Bownesians” band are creating a song for Bowness/Montgomery
Dec: We ordered 50 BVI tee shirts with our logo on them

2005
• Feb: 1950 newsletters distributed in Montgomery; 1st open house for summer arts project is held
• Apr: 2nd open house is held; 4 main art project ideas emerge; plan for next open house in May
• May: 61 volunteer opportunities on BowWest data base; 19 agencies currently have their info on the BowWest website; 5 to 7 people calling about volunteer opportunities after BVI newsletter goes out
• June: call out for artist; begin to plan for summer youth art camp
• August: 20 youth & 6 adults in total participate; 4 signs are completed
• Sept: Community Celebration takes place; finished signs are viewed; community evaluation of BVI begins
• Oct: 2 of the 4 signs are installed

2006
still more to come