CRAIK COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members” – Coretta Scott King
Glenn Hymers Craik Communities in Bloom
Craik Communities in Bloom - for Development of Community Recreational Areas - winner of the Saskatchewan Communities in Bloom CiB Spirit Award by SPRA!
Craik Communities in Bloom began the work with these goals: ■ Support Public Health Orders, social distancing, and the
health of the community ■ Reduce the impact of the loss of routine and normal Craik Communities in Bloom began in 2001 and was rein activities vigorated in 2013. Since this time, the Craik Communities in ■ Encourage participation in outdoor activities and the Bloom Committee and been working in partnership and with benefits they provide – appreciation of nature, physical support of the local government, to improve the look and func- exercise, education, entertainment and overall mental tion of our community. It has been a great initiative that has health encouraged the community to work together and make Craik ■ Provide colourful, cheerful areas for folks to visit at safe the ‘Friendliest Place By A Dam Site!’ distances ■ Inspire community spirit In 2020, The Craik CiB committee identified a need for recreational areas within the Town of Craik. We mobilized the “Thank you to all those who spent so much leadership, volunteer base, support of local business and time brightening up our childhood playground. government to develop four projects – Cornerstone Park, the It was so wonderful to watch our kids enjoy the Pollinator Garden, Waterway Park and the Story Trail. These newly-renovated Waterway Park as much as we projects involved great partnerships. For example, the Story did when we were their age.” – Jinelle Goller Trail was completed in collaboration with the Craik branch of the Palliser Regional Library. Everyone recognized that access to quality recreational spaces was very important and that the needs for this space was only growing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our CiB program has pulled together diverse groups of people in our community. It has been nice to see folks bringing forward innovative ideas and blending their goals to the improvement of our community’s appearance. People are keen to present ideas that might build on existing sites and plan for future projects in various corners of town.” – Gwen Eyre
“People comment on how nice and inviting Cornerstone Park is. A story I have is connecting younger kids to elderly as they sit there. I have seen a few conversations take place that would not have in the past.” - Charla Edwards
“It’s a united effort for community pride. Areas originally abandoned now look great.” – Gladys Gartner
“The Story Trail has been a great asset to the Craik Library particularly in this time of Covid but previous to that as well. Children really look forward to every new story. It offers an enjoyable opportunity for learning and movement as they travel from one phase of the story to the next.” – Jo McAlpine By all accounts, the efforts of Craik Communities in Bloom have had a huge impact on the quality of life for our citizens.■ 08
