Your Voice Counts
We’d love to hear what you’d like the Youbou Community Association to do in 2020. Let us know your thoughts by filling out a 3-minute online interest survey at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvI_QT2ezeETdRDPW31wNTrYmsc7uU2cXdIlEBnLDHXigaBQ/viewform
Welcome New YCA Board Members
The 2020 General Annual Meeting convened on January 19, with year-long reports, plus the election of new directors. The annual reports for 2019 are now posted on youbouyca.com in the lower part of the main front page. Welcome to new board members: Jill Bradley, Cheryl Morgan, and Debbie Smith. Re-elected were: Julia Martinusen, Lori LaFave, Randall Wilson, Spencer Day, Allan Gott, Eva and Garry Fearon. If you’re not already a member, lifetime memberships are available for the remarkable rate of $10 per household.
Euchre Sundays
If you like playing Euchre or want to learn, join us on Sunday afternoon at the Youbou Community Hall to join the fun with your neighbours. The first game afternoon was Sunday, January 26. The next two game afternoons in the upper hall will be: February 23 and March 29, starting at 1 pm and ending at 4 pm. See you there!
CVRD Town Hall Meeting
To further discussion on the playground equipment issue, the CVRD will hold a community meeting on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 from 7 to 9 pm in the Lower Youbou Hall. Input from the community will be collected for review to inform decisions regarding playground equipment replacement. Once the 2020 CVRD Budget is approved, with funds for playground replacement, a timeline for the replacement of the playground at Youbou Little League Park will be prepared and shared with the community. In the interim, questions or comments concerning the park can be directed to Graham Gidden, Parks & Trails Planner with the Cowichan Valley Regional District, at: Graham.Gidden@cvrd.bc.ca or 250-746-2639.
Youbou Can Count Cans
The Youbou Community Church Association held its annual bottle drive on Saturday, January 11. Members from the church society and the Youbou Community Association worked diligently on a rainy day sorting and bagging. On hand for the event were: Floyd Augustine, Joelle Bolanger, Karen Dunnigan, Eva and Garry Fearon, Marie Gibson, Julia Martinusen, Claren Mulholland, Connor McGory, Hank and Debra Perestan, Lyle Kuchmak, Al Thom, Bud and Audrey Towli, Don Verbeem, Lil Vermiere, and Deb and Bob Whittington. Thanks to the firefighters for allowing the use of the fire-hall for this fundraiser. And a big shout-out to everyone who brought their empties.
New Year’s Eve Rocked the Hall
The balloons dropped, Littlehead jammed, and revelers donned the hats and blew horn sticks on the strike of 12. Just like the old days in Youbou, friends and neighbours packed the hall to wring out the old and ring in the new. Jen Blyth was the happy winner of $270 from the 50/50 prize. Thanks to our ticket sellers: Cassy’s Coffeehouse, Daly’s Auto Centre, Shop & Save, the Youbou Bar & Grill, Scarlet’s, the Visitor Centre in Lake Cowichan and YCA board members. And thanks to all those who helped decorate and clean up the hall and staff the event: Floyd Augustine, Jill Bradley, Spencer Day, Al Gott, Bee Greenway, Eva and Garry Fearon, Nora Haywood, Lyle Kuchmak, Lori LaFave, Richard Madill, Dan Martinusen, Julia Martinusen, Cheryl Morgan, Debbie Smith, Susanne Thom, Joanne White, and Randall Wilson. Apologies to anyone we may have missed.
Snow Days
The snow started falling on January 13, and kept falling, and falling, and falling. And we kept shoveling, and shoveling, and shoveling. For almost a week, Youbou was a white, wintery wonderland and if you could stop shoveling for a minute, the sheer beauty of it took your breath away. The fun of it all brought back the kid in some of us. We spied a toddler taking her first toboggan ride—in a kayak—no less. Cross-country skiers shooshed along on the fresh powder along the main road. And dog walkers just put on an extra layer or two.
The funniest moment was when the tv station arrived at the Shop & Save to show how the general store is ready when Youbou needs to stock up on necessities. After an interviewing Rose, the camera crew hung out until they could film a local coming in to get the essentials. They didn’t have to wait long for the first customer to duck in from the cold, much to the delight of the tv crew. What did he buy as he readied to hunker down? You guessed it—a 12-pack of Lucky! Three cheers for Youbou.
Youbou Emergency Support Services (YESS): The Shelter
We’re working toward implementing a short-term emergency shelter that operates when precipitation, wind chill, and/or temperatures become dangerously inclement or another situation arises that requires a significant number of residents to seek communal shelter until further help can arrive. But until we are ready to open the doors, remember—
When Disaster Strikes…
(1) Shelter in Place: Preparing your household in advance of an emergency is your family’s best chance of surviving a disaster. YES will help by hosting emergency preparedness seminars, open to all, where you can learn what multiple days or weeks of no power or municipal service looks like and how you can prepare for it.
(2) Check on your neighbour: You might save your neighbour’s life or they might save your life. Just reach out and say hello. It’s that easy. “Response-able” neighbours can make all the difference to someone in need during a time of crisis.
(3) Get to YESS: To get help, to get something to eat or drink, to share information, to charge your devices and check your emails or texts, to find out if you can volunteer and help others…or to just be in a safe place where you can stay warm and be around other people.
What’s Happening
January 29: Town Hall, 7 to 9 pm
February 23: Euchre, 1 to 4 pm
Ongoing
Church: Sunday: 10 am Coffee and social, 11 am service. The last Sunday of every month is a potluck lunch gathering after the 11 am service.
Pickleball at Youbou hall: foul-weather Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings.
Bowling:
Tuesday nights: Men’s League (Jan 7 to Mar 24)
Thursday nights: Women’s league (Jan 16 to Mar 26)
Sunday nights: Mixed League (Jan 5 to Mar 29)
Friday nights: Family bowling; Saturday nights: Adult bowling
Loonie nights: Feb 7, Mar 6, April 3, May 1, June 5
Toonie night: Feb 15, Mar 21, April 18, May 16, June 20
Got News?
If you’d like to contribute news for the newsletter about a public event happening in or around Youbou, please send particulars about date, time and place to julia@raedwulf.org. You can also check our web site at youbouyca.com and our facebook page for the latest information.
Your YCA Board
Chair: Julia Martinusen
Co-Chair: Lori LaFave
Secretary: Randall Wilson
Treasurer: Spencer Day
Social: Eva Fearon, Garry Fearon
Publicity: Allan Gott
Membership: Cheryl Morgan
At large: Jill Bradley
At large: Debbie Smith