Here is a look at the various activities of the McCauley Community League (MCL) over the past year. A version of this report was presented at our AGM on June 28th.

With the help of employees Dan Glugosh and Albert Bernard, we ran the rink’s drop-in skating program. The connections that were made and relationships built at the rink are very important to our community.

We successfully ran our casino and look forward to utilizing the funding we will be receiving. Thank you to our volunteers and to Colleen Chapman for organizing.

Here is a report on the soccer program, prepared by Suzan Gluko:

The McCauley Soccer Program has had a bustling past year, hosting both an indoor and outdoor season. The McCauley Community League, under the leadership of Allan Suarez (the head coach) and parent volunteers, had kids from age 4 up to age 11 receive training in soccer along with fundamental physical skills and fun games.

This program is so much more than soccer itself. It facilitates community and connections to families. The program is premised on being accessible to all The program is premised on being accessible to all. It does not charge fees for participation and welcomes all families within McCauley and beyond.

During the past year we held a few successful events, including Community League Day where we heard many bands play and saw demonstrations of martial arts. At the event we handed out 450 hot dogs and served other refreshments. We hosted a holiday skating party with hot chocolate and hot dogs. There was a sleigh ride, food, and the music of Dana Wylie at our Family Day party, and we hosted a very successful New Year’s Eve bonfire and skating party with hot chocolate and other refreshments.

Our largest and most successful annual event almost didn’t happen this time around. We were told last minute by the Edmonton Police Service that they would not be co-hosting the McCauley Cup, the annual hockey game between EPS and community kids. However, our rink manager Dan Glugosh got on the phone and made a few calls to ensure that the event went on. The weather was beautiful. With over 356 cops, kids, and community members in total, the event was a wonderful success. It is confirmed that we will be hosting the McCauley Cup in December of 2024.

This year the League made the difficult choice to appeal the move of Boyle Street Community Services to our neighbourhood due to lack of community engagement on the part of Boyle Street Community Services. With support from other individuals and organizations, the appeal was successful. Please see the cover story in this issue for more details.

With the help of Reach Edmonton, we executed the “Light Up McCauley” initiative, in which we gave out lights to community members.

We plan to do another round of “Light Up McCauley” in the future, with the support of Reach Edmonton. We will continue to work toward securing a building for our neighbourhood. We plan to have another New Year’s Eve Skating party. The McCauley Cup, and parties for Family Day and Community League Day are also on the schedule. In addition, we plan to develop programming for seniors and families who live in the neighbourhood.

Sarah Pearson, John Gee, and I, Corine Demas, joined the board in 2022. Also remaining on the board are Rickard Enstroem and Kevin Jones. Joining the board this year are: David Williamson, Ruth Sorochan, Imai Welch, Dale Johnson, Beth Storheim, Crista Ferland, and Misty Wells.

We wish to thank supporters of the League including Sports Central, Bijou, Zocalo, the Italian Centre, Boyle McCauley News, E4C, Reach Edmonton, City of Edmonton, Edmonton Police Service, the Pagnotta and Mannarino families, and Canadian Tire. On behalf of the board, I would also like to thank all of our stellar volunteers.

Corine Demas is the Interim President of the McCauley Community League.