Three decades is a lot to pack into one month, but Braefoot is marking it’s 30th anniversary with 30 days of fun for the whole family.
From July 2 to 31, the Braefoot Community Association is hosting events every day, ranging from football and a picnic in the park to face painting and karaoke. The events aim to draw more people to Braefoot and help raise money to continue funding the BCA’s programs.
“We’re a bunch of craft mavens, so we’re going to have a craft night, and we own some bouncy castles, so we’re going to pull those out for the kids,” said Tanis Danyluk, office and program manager at Braefoot.
“We’re just trying to draw attention to what we do here at Braefoot, to really find a way to celebrate in unique ways, and in turn, maybe raise a few dollars to continue on our programming.”
Danyluk said the association started with a few local individuals who had a vision for the community and wanted to partner with sports associations. Over the last 30 years, they’ve built up their facilities for sports like lacrosse and soccer, but also expanded to include non-sports uses such as the Community Inclusion adult day program and the West Coast Academy of Performing Arts dance studio.
“It’s amazing, the number of people that come through this area,” said Danyluk, noting the association has tried to reflect its variety of programming in the 30 Days for 30 Years events. “It’s a diverse area, so we’ve tried to find something that would appeal to everybody in our community.”
The calendar kicks off with a scrap metal dive on July 2, with dozens of other activities like yoga, road hockey, capture the flag and an open mic night filling in the blanks.
“Despite how it looks like a lot of work on the outside, it should run fairly smoothly and not be too taxing on the team,” said Danyluk.
The 30 Days for 30 Years precedes Braefoot’s largest annual fundraiser, the Friends of Braefoot Dinner & Gala, set for Oct. 27 at the CFB Esquimalt Wardroom. The fall event features live entertainment, a silent auction and bursaries for local students, all as a thank you to the community.
“It’s interesting – it’s going to the 30th anniversary of Braefoot and the 20th anniversary of Friends of Braefoot,” said Danyluk. “It feels like a really special milestone this year.”
While Danyluk hasn’t set an attendance goal for the 30 Days for 30 Years celebration, she said they’d love for everyone from the public to turn out for the fun at Braefoot.
“The more the merrier,” she said. “I haven’t really thought about a goal in attendance, but more of just a goal in seeing smiles on the faces of people coming through.
“Really, the goal is to create some awareness and thank the community – these events are for them, because without them, we wouldn’t be here.”
For more information, visit barefoot.ca or facebook.com/BraefootCommunityAssociation.