Opportunities to build meaningful connections and community contributions will abound for Ucluelet locals next week as Ucluelet’s Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans Club hosts its annual general meeting and board elections.
“We’re definitely looking for fresh blood on the board. There are small yet vital roles that need to be fulfilled and I’m sure there are some community members that have a skill set already that they can contribute to helping the organization tighten its ship a little bit and sail a little smoother,” club president Bronwyn Kelleher told the Westerly News.
The meeting will be held at the ANAF, 1708 Peninsula Road, on Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. and Kelleher hopes to see a large attendance show up, noting there will be a free game of bingo during the event sponsored by the Ucluelet Co-op.
“It’s really important to me for people to show up because we do so well and we, as Unit 293, have an excellent reputation within the Army and Navy and Air Force Veterans Club as a shining example of success and getting pulled back from the brink of disaster into a well-running successful unit,” she said.
Kelleher was a key driver behind the resurrection of the local unit when it faced shutting down in 2014 due to roughly $18,000 in debt and has since overseen that debt being paid off and the club blossoming into a valued community resource with a “solid team of volunteers.”
She said the club is now financially healthy and is at the forefront of ANAFs across Canada becoming more interactive with their communities.
“We’re making ourselves both viable and relevant by being open to different demographics participating in the club,” she said.
She added she was thrilled to collaborate with the Ucluelet and Area Historical Society on displays presented inside the club on Remembrance Day
“Hopefully that’s the beginning of the historical society having a place to be able to show all of their amazing items and artifacts and information that they have in a public forum,” she said. “We’re excited about that.”
