Manor Park Community Association (MPCA) will continue our tradition of holding a winter Dinner Dance in 2013!

While this announcement may seem like a foregone conclusion, the Board was a hairsbreadth away from cancelling the event.

Manor Park has enjoyed years of successful dinner dances and 2013 will be no exception. But, as with any neighbourhood event, it takes volunteers to come forward and contribute their expertise and enthusiasm.  The MPCA would like to thank Alison Reed, our new Dinner Dance Chair, for stepping forward. Alison is busy crafting a magical dinner dance in conjunction with our board representative, Christine Ivory. Alison will have the expertise of Andrea Poole who returns to the role of Treasurer of the dinner dance. Several volunteers have also emailed or spoken to Alison about their interest in the dance. Careful attention has been given to implementing the suggestions of previous attendees, last year’s committee and  members of the community at large.   As a result, we are pleased to announce that  this year’s dinner dance will take place on February 9, 2013 at an exciting new venue, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier . A wonderful DJ has been reserved and you can purchase your tickets conveniently on-line.  Details and tickets will be available as of December 1 at:  www.manorparkdinnerdance.com , where you will also be able to follow-up after the dance to see photos of your neighbours dancing the night away.   

Last year was the first year that the dinner dance was a fundraiser. The addition of a fundraising aspect to the dinner dance raised questions from residents about the difference between the roles of the Manor Park Community Association (MPCA) and the Manor Park Community Council (MPCC). I have taken the following text from our community website to help illustrate the primary differences:

"The MPCC has been providing recreational programs in our community for over 35 years! The MPCC aims to help build a strong and livable community by providing residents with activities that develop their minds, bodies and community spirit. The MPCC provides recreational programs to participants in the greater community. The MPCC manages the Community Centre and takes pride in our parks and sports sites. As co-publisher of the Manor Park Chronicle and www.manorpark.ca , the MPCC supports the exchange of ideas in a well-connected community. The MPCC operates year-round as a not-for-profit organization with a team of employees under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors. "

" The MPCA exists to serve residents of Manor Park. It is concerned with political and civic issues which could affect the quality of our lives and creates a venue for citizen action in the interest of the community. Annually, the Board of Directors initiates a membership drive to canvass residents for financial support and to create an opportunity to engage them about their community concerns. The association's business is run through 17 volunteer Directors, five of whom constitute the Executive Officers of this not-for-profit organization. Each year, at the Annual General Meeting, members have an opportunity to vote for a slate of members including the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Directors have taken on, "portfolios", by attaching themselves to issues that interest them and concern the community. We have, for instance, members who follow transportation, development, environment, neighbourhood watch/public safety and more. The MPCA is a co-publisher of the Manor Park Chronicle and www.manorpark.ca ."

The MPCA has no paid staff members; our work is accomplished by the 17 people who come from all different professions and circumstances. Our Board comes together once a month to discuss and make decisions in the best interests of current and future residents. I would like to highlight the fact that the 2013 dinner dance will be a fundraiser. Keeping residents interests in mind, the MPCA needs to continue to raise funds to address political and civic issues, such as our laborious and expensive fight against the threat of a new interprovincial bridge.

The dinner dance will be a magical night at “Ottawa’s castle”, the Chateau Laurier. Be prepared to dance; we can stay on the dance floor until 2 a.m.!  
The MPCA is  grateful to returning sponsors Natalie Belovic of RE/MAX Metro-City Reality Ltd., Christopher Barker of  Coldwell Banker Rhodes & Company and Binda DeAmorim from the Rockcliffe Retirement Residence.

Stay tuned for further sponsor announcements and dance updates on our community web page. The dance cannot be a success without you and your friends, so the MPCA Board members hope to see you on February 9!