Get involved

Enhance your neighbourhood park

Organize a long-term project to improve your neighbourhood park:

• Plant a pollinator garden or living fence buffer
• Manage invasive plants in natural areas
• Install a community message board or little library

Apply for a spring or summer project by March 31. Find more details online.

Earth Day Community Clean-Up

Show some love to your local park! Celebrate earth day and organize a community clean-up from April 19-22, 2024.

Gather your friends, family and neighbours and organize an Earth Day cleanup. This is a great family-friendly way to get outside, connect with neighbours and do something nice for the neighbourhood. We’ll provide you with all the tools and supplies you’ll need! Register your group before April 12.

More ways to get involved

• Nominations for Waterloo's Senior of the Year Award are open until April 2. Find more details online.

• The Waterloo Region Community Foundation's Community Grant application is open until April 2. Find more information online.

• Nurture and Youth in Food Systems are running the Nurture Summer Program this summer. They are looking for local food and garden leaders to volunteer, as Garden Mentors and Community Garden Advisors.

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has relaunched its Inclusive Communities campaign. This campaign encourages neighbours throughout Canada to engage and welcome newcomers to their communities.

• Volunteer as a neighbourhood block connector! Block connectors help build strong and connected communities. Find details about this opportunity online!

• Nominate Grade 5 students for the Council for the Day Contest online by March 29.

• WR Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis is a volunteer-led group focused on helping displaced Ukrainians fleeing war and arriving in Waterloo Region.

Get inspired

See what's happening across Waterloo and find inspiration to make your neighbourhood a little more awesome. We can support your idea with things like grants and equipment. Interested? Just hit reply to this email.

Mary Allen Winterfest

Neighbours in Mary Allen came together to enjoy the winter sunshine together. The neighbourhood enjoyed hot cocoa, roasted marshmallows and chatting with each other.

Thank you to the Mary Allen Neighbourhood Association for hosting this opportunity to connect.

Getting together at Laurelwood Park

No snow, no problem! Neighbours in Laurelwood planned and enjoyed a wintery afternoon together in the park with all the essentials: games, music, hot cocoa and treats!

Interested in planning an event to bring neighbours together? Reach out to neighbourhoods@waterloo.ca to get started.

Each season, we randomly select a kind neighbour to receive a $25 Uptown Waterloo gift card. Congratulations to our winter winner, Graham.

A neighbour shares:

"Graham is very friendly and loves chatting with neighbours out on the street, he has played a big role in our annual street party (including setting up a huge frame for a big screen to show a movie for the neighbourhood kids), shovels many neighbours walkways in the winter, collects leaves from most of the block to prevent the catch basins from clogging, offers to help if someone is working on an outdoor project, is a leader in our neighbourhood association, has played a lead role in sponsoring 2 refugee families, coached his kids’ hockey teams, and is an all around nice guy!"

Is there someone doing awesome near you?

We want to recognize people who do great things, big or small, in their neighbourhood. Nominations will be accepted year-round, and every nominee will receive a thank you package and be entered into a random draw to win a $25 gift card. The next draw is happening in the spring.

Get in the know

The Spring ActiveWaterloo Guide is here!

There are many opportunities to get active and creative this spring and summer! Find details about fitness programs, aquatics, maker sessions and more.

Registration for spring/summer adult sports leagues are now open. Sign ups for active living open on March 7 and swim programs on March 21. Register on the ActiveWaterloo portal.

Tip: Add your favourite programs to the ActiveWaterloo Wish List in advance, and then add to cart quickly and easily on registration day.

Activities for March Break

March Break is coming up later this month! There are lots of things happening in your community:

• The Waterloo Public Library has programs and activities happening throughout March Break. Check out the In The Loop guide for all the details.
• The City of Waterloo is offering a variety of drop-in programming throughout March Break. Visit ActiveWaterloo for more details and to sign up.

Interested in planning a connection with neighbours over the break? Reach out to neighbourhoods@waterloo.ca to chat about your idea and available resources.

More things to know!

• Gardening season is around the corner! Check out this helpful blog post from REEP Green Solutions about reducing waste when gardening.

• As part of the Winter 2023 E-Learning Series, University of Waterloo and Community-Based Research Canada are offering a session on March 7 from 12-1 p.m. titled Young People in Community-Based Research. RSVP online for this virtual session.
• WOW Waterloo brings social, recreational and educational programs to seniors through a simple telephone connection. Each week participants will enjoy guest speakers, learn new things and engage in friendly conversation. Call or email for more information: 519-579-1020 x10037, wow@waterloo.ca.

• On March 8 from 2-7 p.m. attend the International Women's Day market inside the Shops at Waterloo Town Square. The market will feature a diverse selection of businesses led by talented women selling unique products. Find details on the Facebook event page.

• The Ontario Seniors Community Grant Program applications are now open. This grant supports local, not-for-profit community groups and organizations to deliver programs and learning opportunities for Ontarians aged 55+.

• Check out the Rainbow Community Calendar to find details on SPECTRUM's groups and events.

• Learn more about reporting Hate Incidents or Discrimination: involving Islamophobia, Racism, Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

• Immigration Waterloo Region shares information on community support in solidarity with Ukraine and supporting Afghan resettlement in Waterloo Region.

March Diversity Calendar

March 1: Zero Discrimination Day 

March 1: Self-harm Awareness Day 

March 8: International Women’s Day 

March 8: Maha Shivaratri 

March 10 (sundown) – April 09: Ramadan 

March 15: International Day to Combat Islamophobia 

March 17: Saint Patrick’s Day 

March 18 (sundown) -19: Nowruz/Norouz (Bahá’í/Zoroastrian/Iranian/Persian New Year) 

March 18–24: Neurodiversity Celebration Week 

March 18-April 27: Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Orthodox/Eastern) 

March 19: Spring Equinox 

March 19: Ostara/Eostre/Spring Equinox 

March 20: International Francophonie Day 

March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 

March 21: World Down Syndrome Day 

March 21: Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQQIA+ Awareness to Celebration Day 

March 22: World Water Day 

March 23 (sundown) – 24: Purim 

March 24: International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 

March 24: Palm Sunday (Western) 

March 24 (evening) – 25: Holi 

March 24-30: Holy Week (Western) 

March 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 

March 25: Feast of the Annunciation 

March 25: Khordad Sal 

March 25-27: Hola Mohalla 

March 26: Purple Day 

March 28: Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday (Western) 

March 29: Good Friday (Western) 

March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility 

March 31: Easter (Western) 

March 31 (sundown) – April 1: Laylat al-Qadr (Shiʿah) 

Source: Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion's Diversity Calendar.

Thank you for reading this edition of Neighbours helping Neighbours, a newsletter from the neighbourhoods team, with a focus on good news stories, important community updates, and local resources.

If you have ideas for resources to share or shareable stories of kindness, please send them to: neighbourhoods@waterloo.ca

Waterloo Neighbourhoods is published throughout the year to keep residents informed about the good things happening in neighbourhoods across Waterloo. If you have any questions or comments, please call 519-747-8515 or email communications@waterloo.ca. If you’re reading Waterloo Neighbourhoods as a non-subscriber, visit our subscription page to sign up for future editions.

The City of Waterloo is committed to providing accessible formats and communications support for persons with disabilities. If another format would work better for you, please let us know by calling 519-747-8515 or by emailing us at communications@waterloo.ca.

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