April 2016

Griesbach 2016 Spring Fling
Saturday, May 7, 7 pm
Crown & Anchor Pub – $10

This year’s Spring Fling is a tribute to Edmonton hybrid Country/Rock landmark, Esmereldas. So dress western… or whatever look you rocked out when you went out on the town back in the day. There will be music, a silent auction, liquor basket draw and more. All proceeds support the playground.

Get your tickets now. Email GCL Social Director, Jen, for tickets. Hurry, only a limited number available.

Griesbach Introduction to Baseball
Fridays, beginning April 22, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Griesbach Ball Diamond
$50/ player

Griesbach Community League is starting up an introductory baseball program for boys and girls aged 7-10. The first registration date and play session will take place on Friday, April 22nd.  It will run until the end of June and take place at the Griesbach Ball Diamond, by the playground and soccer fields.

Our program will follow the structure of the RALLY CAP Initiation Program created by baseball Canada and will serve as a fun introduction to the sport. Kids will split up into groups to learn the basics of catching, hitting and fielding. We’ll also have scrimmage sessions. Children must bring their own glove: all other equipment will be provided.

To register, email Clint or show up at the first session on April 22nd.

In addition to the $50 fee, your household will require a current Griesbach Community League Membership. $25/year/household + online fee. Available online.

Goals

• Develop motor skills, teach baseball and basic rules of baseball
• Encourage fun through sports rather than electronics

Time & Session Structure

This program is scheduled for Friday nights at 630 pm.  The 1 hour practice will consist of 10 minutes of physical activity (ie. stretching), 5 minutes of basic baseball knowledge and 45 minutes of baseball drills. Depending on how the year goes we may look at increasing practice length. We will try to have a scrimmage at the end of each practice.

Program

The program will follow the structure of the RALLY CAP Initiation program created by Baseball Canada. The Rally Cap program helps to introduce basics of baseball and development of skills. The core goals of the Rally Cap program are:

1. Create a fun environment in which children and adults are actively engaged together in the game of baseball
2. Develop fundamental motor skills, teach baseball skills, and basic rules to our players
3. Experience success with an emphasis on good sportsmanship
4. Promote increased self-esteem among Rally Cap children and adults
5. Recruiting new coaches and volunteers

Ages

The age range for this program will be 7 – 10 year olds. Birth year will be 2006 – 2009.  This will assist in keeping development of skills in line with all players.

Coaching

We are hoping to have a ratio of one coach per six players. If you are interested in helping out, join us on the 22nd!

April 26 to May 21, 2016

Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Saturdays: 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Based on the overwhelming attendance last summer, Griesbach has been awarded a Year Round Green Shack Program. It will be held at the existing playground site, off Kinross Road by the soccer and baseball diamonds (south of Major General Griesbach School).

It’s a FREE, supervised Community Drop-In Recreation Program run by the City of Edmonton. Children ages 6 – 12 can experience a variety of activities, crafts, cooking and more!

Families are welcome! All activities are outside so please ensure that you come dressed for the weather. Children under the age of 6 must be supervised by a parent or guardian.

Join the leader on Saturday May 14 for a 1 hour Bike Safety Program! See the leader for more details!

An expanded program will continue 5-days/week throughout the summer. Dates and times to be announced.

We have fantastic news to report on the recent fundraising push for the Griesbach Playground (Maple Leaf Park). The campaign exceeded our wildest expectations, raising $31,500 (and the numbers are still changing).

So what does this mean?

We needed to add $16,800 to our bank account by April 1st in order to qualify to build the bulk of the proposed playground this year. So a 2016 build is still possible.

The Playground Committee will be reviewing community feedback it received on the proposed design, and will also be seeking input from the children of Major General Griesbach School. Once feedback has been taken into consideration, the City of Edmonton will need to complete their design approval.

We still have a few outstanding fundraising goals to reach. An additional $7,140 will be required to put  in all of the benches designated in the plan. Another $25,000 is needed to complete the full landscape design and $28,500 will be needed to build the proposed Gazebo.

We hope you can help us hit these goals by contributing to our upcoming BOTTLE DRIVE on April 9th (this coming weekend) and at our Spring Fling Social and Fundraiser. We’ll also be continuing to accept personal donations through our GoFundMe site.

Achieving this initial goal would not have been possible without the determined efforts and generousity of a number of individuals and groups. We owe our gratitude to the following:

The residents of Griesbach who have stepped forward to support this project. In particular, a number of anonymous donors who have made sizeable personal contributions.

• Damion van’t Kruis for setting up the GoFundMe page
• Canada Lands Company
• Principal Lynch and the Staff at Major General Griesbach School
• Our Corporate Sponsors: Homes by Avi, Pringle Chivers Sparks Teskey, Skuba Dental, Coventry Homes, Rosslyn Inn and Suites, Dream Homes by Krisner and Lucky Supermarket
• The Major General Griesbach School
• MGG School Fundraising Society and Parent Council
• The Griesbach Playground Committee (Jim Chronopoulos, Kara Kempin, Joylyn Teskey) and Playground Fundraising Committee, (Brad Tilley and Stacy Felkar)
• Griesbach Community League and all our community volunteers

Thanks for hep putting us over the top. We’ll keep you informed as we learn more .