Do you miss gatherings, big and small? Surinderjit, aka Stan, does too.
This past year, you have probably realized, more than before, the value of connections.
Have you ever thought to yourself that you wish there was a beautiful place nearby to host monthly meetings for your community group, or maybe wondered where you can plan for a big gathering for an event?
Well, Stan, a volunteer and very involved member of the community, has had these thoughts many times.
Stan and his seniors’ group from the North Calgary Cultural Association (NCCA) have been renting a small room at Vivo for years to make valuable connections through their monthly meetings. However, one thing NCCA has been challenged with over the years is where to host events for the larger South Asian community. They wished they could use Vivo for these gatherings because of Vivo’s perfect location and because they love the facility.
Sadly, Vivo just couldn’t accommodate these types of large gatherings, so the North Calgary Cultural Association has had to have their events outside north-central Calgary – often having to drive 20 minutes or more. One day about ten years ago, Stan was excited to learn that Vivo was making plans to expand; he was thrilled:
“When I heard about Vivo’s future expansion I thought ‘what better way to combine community forces with a well-run organization that serves as the hub of the community to achieve our goals.’”
Along with many others in north-central Calgary, Vivo asked Stan for his input on what should be incorporated in the design of the new expansion. Some of Stan’s, and your, valuable ideas have now been being included in the new design and will be perfect for groups of many sizes to gather for various types of celebrations, including events for over 1000. Post pandemic restrictions of course!
Now, thanks to input from many diverse, involved, and collaborative folks from this area of Calgary, Vivo will soon have some amazing new spaces for play, recreation, and for making priceless connections.
The expansion is for Stan, for you and for all of us. Vivo will be inclusive, accessible, and sustainable. One of the architect’s contributing to the Vivo’s expansion explains how special this project is:
“Vivo uniquely weaves sustainable design into every aspect of the building: you can see, feel and hear it, from birds singing in the shrubs specially planted to attract them, to a breeze blowing gently through the Indoor Park to mimic an outdoor space. It’s in the forms and colours in the facility. It’s rare to find this kind of integration, all in the service of enhancing the occupant experience at Vivo―inside and outside the building.” - Andrée Iffrig, M.E.D. (Arch) ISSP-CSP LEED® AP BD+C, SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIST | SUSTAINABLE DESIGN, Dialog
STAN IS ALL IN.
He is so committed to seeing this massive project come to life that he is volunteering as a core member of a committee to help fundraise the final 10% of funds needed to complete the massive project.
We, at Vivo, know these times are still uncertain, but there is hope. Hope for vaccines. Hope for summer festivals. Hope for going back to normal. And hope for our community to have spaces for connections that we will all use for years to come!
This massive project is 90% funded. Even with shovels in the ground this spring, we will need you and Stan and the rest of the community to rally to raise just 10% more. You can be All In too. You have the power to bring this dream to life.
As Stan puts it: “When a community is striving for wellness, they need that shining star or lighthouse that they can look to as a guide – Vivo is that guide providing a common bond for all of us.”
Are you All In? Get involved today and become a 10% Change Maker.
