Supporting community
A New West couple opened their hearts and wallets to help community members participate in the recent Hyack International Parade.
Karen Baker-MacGrotty and David MacGrotty, both past presidents of the Hyack Festival Association, were thrilled to see the crowds return to New West for the Hyack parade, which had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
Hearing that some groups were struggling to pay the entry fee, they offered to donate $1,000 to help cover cost of the some of the entries’ $25 registration fees.
“Without the colour, music, youth and participation of our not-for-profit community groups, the flavour, tradition and spirit of the parade would not have been the same,” Baker-MacGrotty said in an email to the Record. “Community parades make everyone happy, and this past weekend we could feel the good vibes around our city everywhere. David and I are so pleased over 40 community groups benefited from our family support. That’s about 50% of the entries! Amazing response!”
Baker-MacGrotty said she’s heard many small not-for-profits are struggling to find volunteers and to raise money. She hopes little “kick starter” initiatives will bring relief, hope and people together and will motivate others to step forward and help community groups recover and rebuild post-COVID.
“Our family goal is to encourage community spirit, volunteerism and to rebuild our community groups back to their pre-pandemic levels! No matter how big or small, David and I feel all will benefit from this initiative and support,” she said an email to the Record. “Participating in the Hyack parade will hopefully act as a catalyst to help individuals and groups have fun and get involved in community activities again. The mental health of individuals and our community as a whole will benefit through increased return to socializing and being involved in our community events. Even small initiatives like this will help build our communities back.”
