About

Mission & Board of Directors

Mission of the TGCA

Our mission is to provide a variety of community amenities combined with an array of programs and year-round events and activities to promote and support our members and residents who come to share and use our facilities. We will be an advocate for our residents, a partner with local businesses and a liaison to our city’s various departments. The development of our community requires that we recognize the diversity among us in order to achieve social, economic, cultural and environmental goals.

Our community association was started on the belief that neighbours working together can create a place to come together for the betterment of all. A place to unite members and focus their combined energy on activities, events and facilities that help to improve the health, safety, education and welfare of our neighbours and friends.

 

Guiding Principles and Values

  • Initiated and supported by members and other users
  • Inclusive, equitable and respectful
  • Sustainable, pro-active and forward thinking
  • Well planned and organized
  • Accountable and fiscally responsible
  • Adherence to:
    • the terms of our organizational bylaws;
    • our legal obligations with the City of Calgary;
    • the Societies Act and the Province of Alberta; and
    • the related land use legislation and grant and funding regulations.

About the Board

TGCA board of directors
Alison Abbott, TGCA VP Public Service, receives the Queen Elizabeth ll’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for public service in 2023

The TGCA community operates under the direction of an elected volunteer board of directors, who are elected at the TGCA annual general meeting. The board consists of an Executive and a group of willing volunteers who stand as directors at large to oversee the community needs and involve themselves in the workings of the complex business when needed. This board sets the roles and responsibilities of members (voting and non-voting) and ensures the complex’s business structure is one that meets the needs of the building and the people who use it. The board works in conjunction with the General Manager to set goals and work toward meeting said goals for the complex and community alike.

The TGCA board exists, in part, to hear the concerns of any of its members, and tries to make themselves available as needed. If you have a concern about infrastructure, crime, traffic, development, social services and the like, our board can assess your concerns and present them to our City Councillor. So, you can think of them as a direct conduit to your City of Calgary elected representatives. If you have civic concerns, please contact kkromm@tgcacalgary.com.

If there is a project or initiative that you would like to discuss and organize, our board can give you the resources and network to make your project a reality. If you’d like to lead a committee or find out more about what you can do to contribute to the community, please contact Kevin, kkromm@tgcacalgary.com.

The Current TGCA Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Title

Name

 

President

Leslie DeGagne

 

Treasurer

Brad Giddings

 

Secretary

Michelle Starzynski 

Vice President

Mary Lacoste

 

Vice President

Derek Livingston

 

Vice President

Alison Abbott

 

Directors at Large

Travis Dickie

Grant Symon

Stacey McDade

Patrick Saunders

Sandi Hegland

Chris Migallo

Meetings & Elections

Under the bylaws set out by the community the board meets once a month, except July & December, and holds three general meetings per year one being the AGM in October. Committees formed by elected members may meet more than this to ensure that goals are accomplished. This board has an executive formed by a President, Treasurer, Secretary and three Vice Presidents. The people who sit on the executive must have experience as Directors before they can sit on the board in any of these roles. Our group of Directors at Large consists of voting members who are community minded and spirited and the number will vary as needs dictate.

Any voting member of the TGCA may nominate another to the executive committee leading up to the AGM (given that the member has been in public service to the community association in some way) the nomination will then be put to a vote at the AGM, and, should the member be voted in, the new role will then be integrated in as needed. The TGCA AGM takes place once a year, usually in October, and all current voting members are invited and encouraged to take part.

 

Board Roles & Organization

Role of the President

As the face of the community, the President will:

  • Work directly with the TGCA General Manager and the Treasurer to understand the needs of the business end of the community complex.
  • The President is relied on to give advice and direction regarding staffing, programing and works with the treasurer to oversee the day to day spending of the various areas of the complex.
  • The president works with the treasurer and executive putting proper budgets in place for future maintenance and programing for the complex. This budgeting process includes setting employee roles and wages based on recommendations from the General Manager.
  • Ensure the Board and staff follow the policies and procedures set out in the policy and procedure guide of the community.
  • The President chairs all board meetings and when unable to attend assigns the role to a Vice President.
  • Assemble committees, (when needed), as dictated by community and complex needs.
  • It is the role of the President to act as mentor to community directors by ensuring a vice president is in position to help directors.
  • Sit on committees as needed. (The president is a member of every committee formed to deal with community needs.)
  • The president, in conjunction with the executive, will act as the conduit between the business and community activities of the complex.
  • The President will communicate with membership once per month by using the newsletter message. If unable to fulfill this obligation, then a member of the executive will take on the responsibility as directed.

 

Role of the Vice President(s)

According to the bylaws of the community, we will have three elected vice presidents who fulfill roles as community need dictates. Each VP will:

  • Attend the once per month meetings.
  • Work with the president and treasurer to set community direction.
  • Take on the president’s role when the president is otherwise committed.
  • Work directly with directors at large to form and chair committees.
  • Act as mentors to the directors making sure they are comfortable with the workings of the complex.
  • Act as the voice of the programs at meetings when the director is unavailable.

 

Role of the Treasurer – TGCA seeking a volunteer for this position

The treasure is in charge of overseeing the fiscal aspect of the complex and community programs. These responsibilities include:

  • Overseeing budgets of the complex and community programs ensuring they meet the standards set out by the Executive of the community with input from the general manager.
  • Work with the president to oversee complex spending. (once a week check signing)
  • Set up committees when needed to create maintenance programs and budgets for the building.
  • Communicate to the board once monthly the state of expenses and revenues as it pertains to the complex and programs.
  • Work with groups to set up attainable financial goals.
  • Work with the GM and Bookkeeper to ensure proper accounting procedures.
  • Oversee community investments, maximizing investments without jeopardizing the integrity of the members.
  • Set up a finance committee when needed to plan for large maintenance projects. This includes creating a total financial plan involving grants, fundraising and scope of work. The committee must include the GM, President and at least one other Vice President.
  • Oversee the TGCA business plan.
  • Have an understanding of the ALCB bingo license as it pertains to spending guidelines.
  • Appoint an Auditor for the yearly audit of financial statements.

 

Role of the Secretary – TGCA seeking a volunteer for this position

This person must be able to:

  • Attend monthly meetings.
  • Assist the chair of the meeting by keeping the meeting on task.
  • Record minutes of both executive and board meetings.
  • Maintain a copy of all motions and reports submitting a copy to the complex manager for filing on site.
  • Write communications when requested to fulfill board needs.
  • Set out a consistent protocol for committee meeting minutes as to maintain standardized minutes for all complex business.
  • Maintain professional objectivity and respect the privacy of the meeting when recording minutes.

 

Role of a Director at Large

This person must be willing to:

  • Attend all monthly board and General meetings or if unable to send a report to their VP communicating their activities for the month.
  • Act as a liaison with the youth and service groups of the community. At times, this will mean attending committee meetings representing the TGCA point of view.
  • Work with a VP ensuring TGCA policy applies when dealing with community program needs. This includes producing budgets, keeping proper minutes of meetings, booking rooms and setting up meetings with outside entities
  • The executive based on community need, will assign the director’s role. Communities are fluid so we need directors to be able to fill position as dictated by need. The past saw static defined roles but we have found that the changing face of the community has allowed us to create a more dynamic use of the volunteer director. With the youth groups amalgamated within a zone or regional group the job of overseeing and meeting their needs according to TGCA policy has fallen on the General Manager of the community and his/her staff.

 

Committees

The Craft Fair Committee

The TGCA Craft Fair Committee was formed in 2023 in response to the disbanding of the Thorncliffe Greenview Women’s League, who made the Craft Fair the beloved annual market that it is today.

A number of roles were created within the structure of the committee and all but one role was filled by volunteers within the community when the committee began meeting in August.

 

Name

Committee Role

1.        

Vanessa Gillard

Committee chair, registration & design lead

2.        

Cindy Johnston

Floorplan/table coordinator

3.        

Louise Wells

Event volunteer and setup coordinators

4.        

Marj Bell

Event volunteer and setup coordinators

5.        

Lynn McLaughlin

Vendor Relations Director

6.        

Alissa Huybers

Bake Sale Coordinator

7.        

Vanessa Gillard – interim

Marketing Coordinator

The TGCA Craft Fair Committee’s mandate is to organise this yearly event with all proceeds going to benefit the Thorncliffe Greenview Community Association. This includes but is not limited to: establishing facility parameters for the event (spaces to be used, budget, dates/time, etc.), date and details of table registration for vendors, marketing details, coordination of volunteers.

The committee currently has one role open, Marketing Coordinator. If you’re interested, please visit our Volunteer With Us page here.