WELCA 2010/11 Annual Report 1

ADDRESS: 12504 Fox Drive, Edmonton, AB MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 4271 Stn S Edmonton, AB T6E 4T3 P:780-435-3597 F:780-430-9527

www.welca.ca

Annual ReportJuly 1, 2010—June 30, 2011

2 WELCA 2010/11 Annual Report

WELCA 2010/11 Annual Report 3

The VisionWELCA will become a world-class equine

learning centre at the heart of our community

The MissionWELCA will continue building a strong community

through our equine-related activitieswhile actively preserving our river valley heritage.

WELCAA stable community. Growing.

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Strategic Plan 2010 – 2013The strategic plan provides a hands-on way forthe Board, Management and Members to im-prove our ability as an organization to anticipateand respond to changing political, economic andsocial conditions. It solidifies how we envisionour future and develops tactical approaches formoving forward.

The strategic plan also helps to:

• Relate our mission, goals, strengths,opportunities, priorities in a manner thatimproves decision-making• Provide strategic direction for theorganization• Link budgeting and planning processes tomaximize an effective use of our resources• Bring a common purpose and effectivecoordination to the organization• Improve our ability to present WELCA’sneeds effectively to achieve success.

For the 2010/11 year, the WELCA Board agreedto focus on two majority priorities: The Renewal Project Raise funds and awareness for the

Renewal Project

Renewal ProjectIn December 2010, representatives from the Cityof Edmonton Parks Planning and CommunityServices presented their preliminary review ofWELCA’s renewal project business case toWELCA Board members and Mike Pankiw fromIBI Group. The review requested a number ofclarifications and responses to issues raised byvarious City departments.

Using input and feedback from Board membersand staff, IBI Group revised sections of the busi-ness case as required, clarified some of thebudget figures (cost of demolition, etc.) andadded information about general public use ofthe site. On March 4, WELCA delivered the re-vised draft to the Parks Planning Branch . Therevised draft was once again circulated through-out City departments for review.

On July 12, Gord Blinston, Mike Pankiw andDiane David met again with City officials for fi-nal revisions. At that meeting, it was confirmedthat a capital budget profile on the renewal planwill be submitted in October 2011 for inclusionin the City’s 3-year Capital Budget Fund 2012-15. The project will be submitted to competewith other recreation facility projects. As part ofthis process, the updated Business Plan will besubmitted to City Council.

Fundraising CommitteeThe fundraising committee:

plans and implements fundraising activi-ties to assist with operations

identifies, recruits and manages volun-teers for their fundraising activities

helps identify, cultivate, and solicit fund-ing prospects

In 2011, the WELCA Board agreed to concen-trate volunteer efforts on two major fundraisers:

Casino – May 19 & 20, 2011 Gala Fundraiser – Fall 2011

The Board subsequently approved a plan to holda gala fundraiser to raise funds and awarenessfor the renewal project. Devon Craig and SheilaEdmonds agreed to co-chair the organizing com-mittee.

Planning and managing WELCA’s first-evermajor fundraising event has been a challenge,which committee members have embraced withhard work and enthusiasm. Their efforts havebeen complemented by WELCA’s rebrandingcampaign designed to expand communityawareness and support — essential requisites forCity of Edmonton partner projects.

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AT THE SHOW GROUNDSEvents at the Show Grounds such as horseshows and corporate challenge are free forspectators and provide WELCA with theopportunity to showcase the site withcitizens of Edmonton and surroundingcommunities.

The grand prix grass rings are second tonone in the province and garner high praisefrom competitors.

Unfortunately, the temporary show stablingis not as popular, as it offers no respite fromrain or snow. This can be a stumbling blockfor show organizers looking to bookfacilities for horse shows.

Horse shows and other events accounted for14% of WELCA’s gross revenues in 2010/11.This is a decrease from 2009/10 whenevents at the show grounds accounted for21% of gross revenues.

The decrease is attributable in part to theloss of the Caledonia Horse Show.

2010/11 Events

1. River Valley Horse Show - July

2. Canadian Association of Chiefs ofPolice (RCMP Musical Ride) - August

3. Canadian Pony Club Show – August

4. Edmonton Police Services Half-Marathon - May

5. Edmonton Classic Horse Show – May

6. Corporate Challenge – Bunnock -June

7. International Bunnock Tournament -June

8. ABC Tech Annual General Meeting -June

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LESSONS AND EDUCATIONALPROGRAMMINGAn average of 30 equines are WELCA-owned or fully-leased. The horses and onemini-donkey work in the lesson programs,therapeutic riding programs, field trips,school programs as well as animal-assistedtherapy, clinics and tours. The horses in theWELCA program are evaluated on a regularbasis for their mental and physical suitabil-ity and their work schedules are adjusted asrequired. A horse may work on average 12riding hours per week depending on thelease agreement and versatility of the horse.

Since 2006, seventy-seven (77) horses haveworked for WELCA in some capacity.

The variety and scope of WELCA’s program-ming would not be possible without ourwide range of horses (age, training, person-ality). Some of the lesson horses are spon-sored through donation (for the cost of vetbills, tack and special feed, etc.) by caringindividuals who understand the essentialrole these animals play at WELCA.

Core lesson programs include:1. Horsemanship – a 9-level program

based on Equine Canada Rider Levelcurriculum. Riders start at age nine orten, and continue through the 9 levels.Every rider progresses at their own rate,and it is not uncommon for individualsto stay in a level in order to strengthen aparticular skill.

2. Learn to Ride – Ages 8 to Adult3. Sundays at the Stable - Ages 6 to Adult4. Junior Rider – Ages 6-85. Summer Camps (City of Edmonton)6. Private & Semi-private lessons

Equine Canada Rider Levels:For the past three years, WELCA has incor-porated the Equine Canada Riding Levelprogram into our horsemanship curriculum.Instructors introduced unmounted sessionsto give students opportunities to develop awell-rounded knowledge. This has allowedWELCA to provide more varied program-ming.

In 2010/11, fifty-four (54) students of the 93enrolled in the Horsemanship programcompleted one or more rider levels:

Rider Level 1: 47Rider Level 2: 25Rider Level 3: 6Rider Level 4: 5Rider Level 5: 2Rider Level 6: 2

Each rider level consists of: a written test;stable management; riding test (flat and/orjump course depending on level).

With a passing grade of 70%, riders receivea certificate and badge from Equine Canada.

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Educational Programs1) Five (5) field trips throughout the year

including Girl Guides, Canadian MentalHealth Association, Aurora LearningCentre, and NAIT Animal Health AdminAssistants. Field trips include a ride andhorse care demonstrations which requirea number of volunteers to assist.

2) Kids Up Front: tour and ride for 15 teensfrom Bosco Homes

3) amiskwaciy academy: an eight-week pi-lot project where 15 high school studentsspent every Monday and Wednesday atthe stable performing regular school-work in addition to instruction on riding,horse care and stable management. Theteachers collaborated with WELCA staffto use the site and its proximity to theriver valley for teaching opportunities.In January 2012, this will become a full-year program leading to the develop-ment of a National Aboriginal Horse-manship program for Equine Canada.

Clinics, Seminars and WorkshopsFor these programs, WELCA provided theaccommodations (community room, stalls,pen, etc) and horses needed for the hands-on work.1. NAIT – September to November; March

to April2. Edmonton Equine Veterinary Clinic: 4

horses participated in an upgradingclinic at Edmonton Equine. Each horsereceived joint injections for improvedsoundness and comfort.

3. NCCP/AEF Coaching Theory (equine)4. Alberta Stables Initiative Regional Meet-

ing5. Horses 101 – March 14, 50 people at-

tended a 3-hour presentation from theHorse Industry Association of Alberta onhorse ownership.

6. Equine Rehab – Massage Therapy &Chiropractic – March and August

7. First Aid & CPR certification for staff –May

8. Equine Photography Workshop – June

BOARDING AND BOARDERSERVICESWELCA accommodates between 35-40horses in indoor and outdoor board com-bined. Boarders also contribute to WELCAby:

Taking riding lessons;

Donating equipment, services and mon-ies to assist operations;

Lending their horses for use in massagetherapy or other teaching clinics;

Lending their trailers for transportinghorses to clinics and to WELCA;

Leasing their horses to work in LittleBits and/or WELCA Lesson programs; andVolunteering for maintenance projects, spe-cial events and fundraising.

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Services and Accommodation forExternal Contractors1. Equine Assisted Therapy – provide horses

and environment for psychologist trained inEquine Assisted Therapy to use in individualand group counselling.

2. Wind Dancer – a work shadow program foraboriginal youth

3. Photography – provide setting for photogra-phers to bring clients for wedding, gradua-tion, retirement and family portraits, with orwithout a horse.

4. Spectrum Dog Agility training space

Little Bits Therapeutic Riding AssociationLittle Bits Therapeutic Riding Association is a non-profit, charitable organization providing recrea-tional horseback riding with therapeutic benefits for children and adults with disabilities. Eachyear, more than125 riders benefit from their programs. LBTRA has programs for pre-school agedchildren (Itty Bits), children aged five and a half to 18 (Little Bits) and adults (Big Bits). Once aweek, riders receive riding instruction by certified and experienced instructors assisted by a core ofvolunteers. The focus is on skill development, enjoyment and the unique therapeutic aspects ofhorseback riding. LBTRA and WELCA have enjoyed a special relationship for more than 35 years.It is more than a just a contractual agreement for facilities and horses - we believe that they are anintegral part of the Whitemud community. For 22 weeks of the year, Whitemud and Little Bitsshare space, resources, people and horses to ensure that the clients of each association get the mostout of their programs. We look forward to the day when Little Bits can offer programming year-round in WELCA’s warm, full-accessible facility.

WELCA 2010/11 Annual Report 9

OPERATIONSThe challenges of providing services and pro-grams at WELCA are primarily two-fold:

1. The age and condition of the facilities, and

2. Providing those services and programs withinthe context of a public urban park system.

The age and condition of the facilities meansthat systems such as electrical, plumbing, tele-communications, and mechanical and breakdown more frequently, require more mainte-nance and are inefficient in terms of cost andfunctionality.

Barn 1 ClosureThe past winter was particularly challenging interms of the extraordinary amount of snowfalland the extreme temperatures. In January, theheavy snowload resulted in the north wall ofBarn 1 (adjacent to the arena) moving off thefoundation and buckling in places. On February7, Aedis Consulting, visited the site and in-spected the damage to Barn 1. Remedial actionwas recommended to stabilize the wall. Thisproject was undertaken by volunteers Phil Ross,John Hicks and Gord Blinston. For severalweeks, the barn was closed to horses and people

due to safety concerns until supporting struc-tures could be moved into place.

Staff and volunteers removed the majority of thesnow from the north and east parts of the roof toreduce the snowload and mitigate further dam-age.

Spring Run-offThe snowfall also resulted in heavy run-offs inthe spring which flooded Barn 3 and the base-ment of the stone house. A bobcat operator washired to divert the run-off and a sandbag wallwas constructed to mitigate water flow.

Access RoadThe harsh weather conditions also caused sev-eral deep potholes in the access road. Under ourlease agreement, the City of Edmonton providessnow removal and limited grading of the road(3/year).

Keillor CabinDamage to the log roof of the Keillor Cabin ve-randa was also due in part to damage from win-ter and spring storms.

Indoor ArenaInstallation of overhead heaters and new light-

ing for the indoor arena was completed in March2011. Funding for this project was providedthrough CFEP.

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FINANCIAL HEALTHWELCA’s increasingly positive financial health isthe real story for 2011. Since the amalgamationin 2007 of WECA and the Friends of WECA, theBoard of Directors and Management have madea concerted effort to: Develop sound financial policies; Operate all programs and services on a

cost-recovery basis; Collect outstanding debts in a timely

manner; Pay our bills and maintain good relation-

ships with suppliers and contractors; Maintain control of expenses & inventory;

and Take full advantage of grants and funding

opportunities.

The Board ensures that WELCA lives within ourmeans through regular forecasting to respond tochanging demands & working with the Adminis-trator to develop strategies to meet our budgettargets.

Comparison of Revenues and

Expenses from 2007 to 2011

$500,000

$550,000

$600,000

$650,000

$700,000

$750,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Fiscal Year EndD

oll

ars

Revenues Expenses

Revenues: $670,312

Lesson

Programs &

Camps

Boarding

Horse Shows

Grant Revenue

Other Revenue

Fundraising &

Donations

Cost of Sales: $454,122

Barn wages &

benefits

Lesson

Instructors &

TAs

Feed & Bedding

Waste Removal

Horse Care

Horse Show

Fundraising

costs

Expenses: $205,305

Salaries &

benefits

Telephone &

utilitiesOffice &

administration

Insurance

Professional

fees

Amortization

Repairs &

Mtce

Cost of Sales: $454,122

WELCA 2010/11 Annual Report 11

WELCA BOARD AND COMMITTEESThere were a number of changes on the Board ofDirectors during the 2010/11 year. At the An-nual General Meeting, the following were electedfor three-year terms:

Linda Lipinski

Alan Skoreyko

Katherine Kubica

At the organizing meeting following the AGM,Gord Blinston was appointed Chair, Linda Lipin-ski, Vice Chair and Alan Skoreyko, Treasurer.

In December 2010, Katherine Kubica and AlanSkoreyko resigned from the Board. LindaLipinski was appointed A/Treasurer.

In January 2011, Devon Craig was appointedDirector and Co-Chair of the FundraisingCommittee.

At the May 18, 2011 meeting of the WELCABoard, Maria Holowinsky was appointed Direc-tor and Treasurer.

As of May 2011, the WELCA Board of theDirectors was comprised of:

Gord Blinston, Chair

Linda Lipinski, Vice Chair

Maria Holowinsky, Treasurer

Kay Bunker, Director

Devon Craig, Director

Roxy Bell, Director

At the AGM on October 12, 2011, both Devonand Maria will stand for election to serve athree-year term. Gord Blinston, will also standfor re-election.

LOOKING AHEAD FOR 2011/12In September 2011, the City of Edmonton gaveapproval in principle to the WELCA RenewalBusiness Case.

This ambitious plan calls for the design andconstruction of a new world-class centre forequine learning, sport, therapy and research.The twin indoor arenas, viewing lounge,attached stabling, tack rooms, classrooms, in-door washrooms and running water will enableWELCA to meet the growing demand for equineeducation, training and events year-round.

The goals is an outstanding public facility, opento anyone with an interest in horses and offeringhigh quality horse-related activities.

In order to realize this vision, the WELCA Boardof Directors, staff and volunteers are working inconcert to:

1. Ensure the success of our first-ever gala fund-raising event, “Hoofbeats & Heartbeats.”The objectives of this event are to:

Create awareness and garner support forthe renewal plan

Demonstrate that WELCA is an asset forthe horse riding industry

Communicate WELCA’s message Raise $250,000.00 Identify this event as unique among other

fundraisers.

2. Meet with key stakeholders including repre-sentatives from three levels of government, cor-porations, and horse industry patrons to createawareness and garner support for the renewalplan including the capital fundraising campaign.

3. Continue to implement our marketing andcommunication plan including a survey tomeasure community awareness and publicsupport for WELCA and our plans for renewal.

Concept for illustrative purposes only

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WELCA Board of DirectorsGord BlinstonLinda Lipinski

Maria HolowinskyDevon CraigKay Bunker

Roxy Bell

City of Edmonton, Community ServicesLiaison

Corinne Bishop

Governance CommitteeGord BlinstonLinda Lipinski

Kay Bunker

Personnel CommitteeGord Blinston

Jeanette Buckingham

Fundraising CommitteeDevon Craig

Sheila EdmondsVal Wilson

Abe SilvermanAlison Rayner

Amanda SlugoskiBarb Daly

Barb MiddletonChristine Wills

Ciara FraserDiane DavidElaine Gray

Ivan TodosijczuicJanet DavidsonJanice Godkin

Janneke BuchanJean Adams

Jocelyn BoylesJolene Morin

Judith Pinto CoyKate Gallagher

Kara ShearsKaren McVean

Kay BunkerLinda Olson-LipinskiMaduni Sellathamby

Mandy BaierMary CurtainPam Sponagle

Patricia Moyer DermodyRachele Nelson

Susan BailesTara Finn

Therese GaetzVeronica FraserWendy Hennig

WELCA Staff (as of June 30, 2011)

BARNJudy Robertson*

Kelly Gau*Jennie Pitzel*

Kate SwiniarskiKarley Finnegan

Stacey VerschurenPaul Wilson

LESSONSStacey VerschurenCassie LaBoucane

Sarah PlettsChristine Wills Thornton

Christina CassisMoira ConnollySally Robertson

Jane Sims

INSTRUCTORSValerie McKay

Lynda TennessenDanielle Gallant

Sonja ChristopherLisa DoyleAmy Lee

Erin McGoldrich

OFFICESylvia Z (STEP student)

Lynda Tennessen*Diane David*

*Full-time (40hrs/wk)

Volunteers

MaintenanceAndrew Nisbet

Phil RossJohn Hicks

Ivan T.Bob Roloff

Gord BlinstonJean Smith

amiskwaciy project, Field Trips & ToursJean SmithKay Bunker

BerniceJane Sims

Emily ComartinAdele Dewar

Summer Camps & Lesson Programs

Rebecca WRomy W

Patience SJeanette S

Alexandra TAshley HKendra J

Elizabeth CChristy CKirsten C

Christina CAdelina F

Dora GGail H

Leigh MAnna M

Kayla Ann RPetra SSarah N

Morgan H

Jean SSarah L

Katherine AErin MClaire BKatrin CLaura H

Deanna DShalan SJennie KKatrina PRachel TDonna T

Melanie LAdele DJane SKay B

Jessie SCathie HSelma G