St. Andrews Community Partnership As in other communities in Nova Scotia, there are many vibrant volunteer based organizations functioning in St. Andrews. The umbrella group, St. Andrews Community Partnership, includes many informal community groups, as well as these 14 formal community organizations:
St. Andrews District Community Center St. Andrews District Volunteer Fire Dept & Auxiliary St. Andrews Seniors’ Housing Association St. Andrews Parish Highlander Curling Club Oak & Owl Seniors Club St. Andrews Softball Association St. Andrews Gaelic Society St. Andrews 4-H Club Lower South River 4-H Club Wishing Wells Society Catholic Women’s League Knights of Columbus St. Andrews Home & School Association St. Andrews Ceilidh Step-Dancers
Community Spirit Continues
In 2008, inspired by a documentary film about St. Andrews produced by Seabright Productions, community members gathered in the community centre to reflect on their accomplishments to date, and to discuss possible new initiatives. Community members voted on which ideas they wanted to work on, and formed study groups to move these ideas forward. Newcomers and seasoned residents alike have been drawn to these new and diverse project ideas:
St. Andrews Community Partnership ~ St. Andrews community organizations agreed to become partners in a new formal organization (under the Registry of Joint Stock Companies) called the St. Andrews Community Partnership. Acting as an apex level “association of associations” it currently has 11 organizations as members. This has enabled better communication and increased cooperation and collaboration among member organizations. Collectively, they are hiring two summer students to be shared among the organizations over the summer. Also, the Partnership has initiated a community website, which is proving to be an excellent communication tool. Partnership members include: Catholic Women’s League, Highlander Curling Club, Knights of Columbus, Oak & Owl Seniors Club, St. Andrews District Community Center, St. Andrews District Fire Dept & Auxiliary, St. Andrews Gaelic Society, St. Andrews Home & School Assoc, St. Andrews Senior’s Housing Assoc, St. Andrews Softball Assoc, Wishing Wells Society Associate members include: Lower South River 4-H Club, St. Andrews 4-H Club, St. Andrews Parish Council, School Advisory Committee, St. Andrews Ceilidh Step Dancers, Fitness Centre Study Group, Website Committee, Trails Group, Organic Gardening Discussion Group, Energy/Transportation Study Group, Funeral Co-op Study Group.
Website ~ A St. Andrews community website www.standrewscommunity.ca
Community Trails ~ A trail network was desired in St Andrews community to benefit the health and fitness of residents and visitors. This project will take place in several phases. The first phase (completed) was to construct a loop trail behind the community center in St. Andrews on parish land. It has been used many times by people walking, skiing and snowshoeing. The K of C, 4-H members and general volunteers planned, constructed and will see to the maintenance of this trail. In the future, with permission granted from land owners it is hoped to build a stacking loop of trails in the vicinity of and leading to, the banks of the South River. These trails will be intended for walking and cross-country skiing/or snowshoeing when conditions allow. Recently the Great Outdoors Project of the St. Andrews 4-H Club planted trees in the open areas along the existing trail.
Organic Gardening Discussion Group ~ This group’s focus is on sharing their knowledge and learning from each other. Organic farmers and an organic inspector, and folks who want to learn more about organic gardening, have been attending the kitchen table discussions and a lot of sharing of information and experience is taking place. They meet once a month.
Energy and Transportation Study Group ~ This group will invite speakers to share knowledge of alternative energy topics that the community wants to learn about. Due to the rapid drop in energy prices last year this group has been slower getting off the ground, but members have been sharing information with the community electronically.
Fitness / Cultural Centre Study Group ~ In collaboration with two St. F. X. students, a community survey was conducted in St. Andrews to gauge the interest in establishing a fitness centre/daycare/cultural centre in St. Andrews. Results were favourable for a fitness centre, cultural theatre and health centre combined in one new building. This study group meet once a month and are currently developing a footprint for the proposed new facility.
Funeral Co-operative Study Group ~ The St. Andrews funeral cooperative study group began by researching models of funeral cooperatives in other parts of the province. The group was able to connect with a St.F.X. business student who was willing to help the research effort as part of her major senior year project. The study group also visited the Sunset Valley Funeral Home in the Margaree Valley, which agreed to share its business plan with the group. Members of the study group also met with the two local funeral homes in Antigonish to further their research. This group plans to begin as a vehicle for education on topics around death and burial, as well as possibly negotiating with local funeral homes on behalf of their members. They are currently writing a series of articles on death and burial to be published in the Antigonish weekly newspaper.
Partnerships
One of the reasons St. Andrews enjoys ongoing success is partnerships that have formed over the years. The Fire Department works with Ground Search & Rescue and the Emergency Measures Organization. In the early 1990s they helped the St. Andrews Softball Assoc. to raise $20,000 to put lights on the ball field. St. Andrews Community Partnership is a good example of a formal partnership. Our community organizations are now under one umbrella, enabling more cooperation. Previous to this, one group wouldn’t know what another was planning, so there were occasional overlaps in scheduling of events. This is a good solution to one community challenge.
Something to be proud of is an ongoing informal partnership between the St. Andrews community and the Coady International Institute. The Coady has been bringing their “Mobilizing Assets for Citizen-Driven Development” course participants to St. Andrews to show them real examples of how a community has driven its own development. Community success stories are shared and minds and hearts are opened.