Who is EVCA and what is this project about?

The East Vista's Community Association (EVCA) was established in 2019 with a vision to: "Inspire a better community by connecting families to each other"

The Executive is a group of volunteers that are actively involved and are committed members, leaders and stakeholders of our community.

• We are located in the East Vistas area of Leduc County, bounded by TWP 510, Range Roads 243/244 and HWY 625.
• We are a fast growing multi-generational community where you see folks of all ages enjoying our greenspaces. But those greenspaces have few benches and no other amenities.
• The EVCA, in partnership with Leduc County Administration, has been working together to define park spaces for our fast-growing community.
• We identified the Diamond Park Green space as the ideal location to build a new community park playground and gazebo. This plan also includes adding a new small gazebo and bench at the Royal Oaks Park.
• These amenities will help foster a sense of unity, provide a space where children can play, families can meet in a social and recreation environment and overall contribute to the vibrancy of the East Vistas community.

Donation Options: ​

1. Credit and debit are accepted through stripe. Click the button on top of the page or via Donorbox link
2. E-transfer is welcome to [email protected]
3. We welcome cheques. Please reach out to our e-mail [email protected] and we can arrange pick up.

FAQs ​

When is the playground going to be built?

We are targeting Spring/Summer 2025. Projects of this size take time to raise all the funding, so we are grateful to any and all financial support from yourselves, your places of work, family and friends, grandparents or other corporate sponsors. We need the community to pull together, make your donations, reach out to your network, and talk to your companies. It takes a village!!

Typical playground projects take around 5 years from idea conception to construction, and we are working on accelerated timelines as we understand how dire of a need there is for a playground in our area.

With so many young families living and moving here, we do not have ANY playground that is within walking distance. The closest playgrounds are in Beaumont currently and we must drive to get there.

When should I make my donation?

Please donate before December 31,2024 as our main CFEP grant application success is dependent upon our ability to personally fundraise a minimum amount ourselves. We have been advised to have as much funding in place as possible so that we are "shovel ready" when the grant is awarded. In order to build in Spring/Summer 2025 we need this grant. Please don't wait until we are closer to the build date. We will have a better chance of building next year if we secure the majority of our funding before September.

How much do we still need to raise?

Assuming we get the CFEP grant mentioned above we still need a MINIMUM of around $50K in order to build a playground of any size or substance.

Why wasn't a playground built earlier? Why are we doing this now?

The East Vistas Community Association (EVCA) was formed in 2019 after Leduc County recognized a sizable and growing community here that would benefit from a community led association. We have been working diligently since our inception on a number of other issues and have focused on growing community participation and awareness through our annual events and initiatives.

The need for a playground was echoed loudly throughout our events as there is currently no place for children, and the community to gather. Leduc County Parks and Recreation Services has been instrumental in helping us prepare for the grant application and lead us through this massive undertaking.

Please keep in mind… we are all volunteers and do this for the benefit of our community only. We are your friends and neighbours, and so this project can only progress as quickly as we are able to get volunteers and meet our fundraising goal.

Will I get a charitable tax receipt if I donate?

We are a nonprofit organization, NOT a charitable organization however we are able to issue donation receipts for all donations made greater than $50. This will be sufficient for any deductions for your personal or corporate tax needs.

Will I get anything else if I donate?

Yes! All our donors will be recognized. After all, it is with the gracious support of YOU that we are able to make this playground and gazebo project a reality for our community.

Please refer to our donation perks above for a comprehensive list, however:

• For donations over $1000 your name, family name or corporate logo will be on the donor board. See below for a mock-up of the board. A sign similar to this will be permanently installed at the playground.
  • The donation amount will result in a larger and more prominent area for you on the donor board.

Can I get my money back if the project is cancelled?

This project will not be cancelled. We will do our best to fundraise as much as possible until our end date of December 31, 2024. Assuming we are awarded the CFEP grant, the money we have collected through fundraising and the kind contribution of Leduc County will form the budget which we will use to build out whatever is possible within those constraints.

The playground and gazebo has been designed in phases, so whatever is built will be dependent on which phases the final fundraised amount can cover.

My company does community outreach - how can they help?

Most companies in Edmonton and area offer a community outreach program for its employees. Reach out to your company's HR or marketing department to see if they have such a program. If so, the playground committee is more than happy to help fill out the necessary paperwork to make a donation happen.

Do you need volunteers to build the playground?

We are not planning a volunteer build at this time as it is highly volunteer intensive (both time and number of volunteers required over a short period of time). We do not want to delay the playground build due to insufficient volunteer hours.

How else can I help?

We are hoping to grow our small committee and need to fill the following positions as we continue our fundraising efforts:

• Fundraising Coordinator
• Fundraising Volunteers
• Grant Researchers and Application Writers

If you are able to volunteer for an event, have an event idea, or something else please get in touch with our Playground Committee Lead Megan Hewson at [email protected]

We hope this helps answer any questions you might have and can count on your support in this worthwhile community investment. If you have any other questions we would be more than happy to answer them.