Since 1989 Candice Lee and her husband have enjoyed River Park with their dogs. She is the founder and team lead for the Friends of River Park Society.
Candice manages the email list, writes the off-leash newsletter and is the creator and manager of our website. She also fills the bag dispensers, coordinates fundraisers, organizes off-leash events and helps manage social media for our group. She and her husband regularly help with maintenance projects and contribute funds toward dog waste bags and various items for the park.
Candice sits on various off-leash committees and was involved in the direction and creation of FRPS’ review of Calgary off-leash spaces. She was a City of Calgary Dog Ambassador for River Park until the program ended in 2010 and was a City of Calgary volunteer with parks until the program ended in 2015.
Candice works as a communications professional specializing in graphic design, digital and social media, advertising, event planning, writing and website management.
Steve S has been walking dogs at River Park since the 80’s. He kindly pitched in for countless poop clean-ups before he officially joined The Friends of River Park leadership team in 2013 to help us with various projects. Although he prefers to do behind-the-scenes tasks, Steve is instrumental to the success of our group’s efforts. He helps with set-up/take-down and representation at every event and celebration throughout the year.
Steve’s awesome handyman skills are always appreciated when we have issues with the bulletin board or dog bag dispensers. He helps with caring for the water fountain (cleaning it in spring and covering it for fall and winter). Steve also built all of our display/event supplies.
Although he doesn’t like any attention, without him, we couldn’t do the scope of work at the park.
Shirley P began walking her dog at River Park in 2004. She appreciates the social and health benefits of walking with other two- and four-legged park users.
Many of us know Shirley as a longtime supporter of the park. She contributes to many clean-ups and fundraisers and also does her own mini clean-up efforts during each daily walk. She’s also the park’s official cleanliness meter and ensures we hold regular clean-up efforts as needed.
Shirley is an independent graphic designer who generously contributes off-leash newsletter content and signs for the lost and found box as well as event promotion in the park.
Sheila H and her dog have attended many park clean-ups. While walking and working to clean the park, she showed a strong sense of community. It was clear that she’d be a huge benefit to our team.
Sheila offered to manage the lost and found box located on the bulletin board in the middle of River Park. This means she keeps track of content and periodically purges objects when required. BTW, we often post items of value/importance on social media in an attempt to reunite items with people.
Sheila and Shirley P’s dogs have become besties. Several times each week, they meet to walk their dogs in the park. While enjoying their walks, they keep an eye on anomalies and vandalism, reporting to 311 as needed.
After many hours of volunteering for our group, Colleen H accepted a public education role with FRPS in September 2009.
Colleen strongly believes in keeping the park clean and can be seen doing her part and more each day. At every one of our clean-up events, she promotes off-leash advocacy by talking to dog owners about the importance of maintaining the park and having well-behaved dogs. Colleen has helped with all of our dog waste bag fundraising events, and spends many hours each week doing her own park clean-up efforts. Colleen leads by example through supporting the park with her own monetary donation to supply dog waste bags for River Park. And by the way, she is the alternate person who fills River Park’s green metal dog waste bag dispensers.
Colleen and her family are neighbourhood residents, and she and her dog, Rosey are fixtures at River Park. Countless times while walking Rosey, she is recognized by many children and their parents as a former schoolteacher.
Long before owning a dog, Linda S became an Off-leash Calgary member because of her strong beliefs about off-leash advocacy. After acquiring her first dog in 2003, Linda began walking in River Park and joined the Friends of River Park leadership team in 2007.
Linda was instrumental in developing FRPS’ Off-leash Parks presentation. The purpose of this project was to learn about off-leash parks in Calgary and to determine their suitability as off-leash areas from a user perspective. We wanted to have hard evidence that several of the parks were not suitable for any kind of use by people or dogs. Over a period of six months, Linda visited all the 141 parks listed on the City of Calgary’s website and evaluated them, listing their suitability as off-leash areas. Through this project we learned River Park was indeed one of the best off-leash parks in Calgary. Linda’s sharp memory makes her the perfect go-to person for questions related to off-leash parks.
Linda is a retired lawyer who sits on various off-leash committees and donates a great deal of time to River Park. She volunteered as a City of Calgary park ranger until the program ended in 2010. Linda also generously donates many give-away items for our clean-up efforts and social events and donates money for River Park’s dog waste bags.
Nadina S began walking at River Park in 1990 when the River Park escarpment, Sandy Beach and all of the Britannia Slope were designated off-leash areas.
Nadina was quick to sign up as one of the original members of the FRPS leadership team advising on animal behaviour. She taught dog training courses, and owned and operated a dog daycare until 2012.
She feels many current spaces are inadequate or unsafe and off-leash space has been significantly reduced over the years. Nadina is concerned that designated space is not keeping pace with the city’s growing dog population. She hopes
a decent and fair share of spaces will be designated as dog-only “Bark Parks”.
Continuing with her passion for all animals Nadina started taking courses in animal homeopathy. At first it was for personal interests but she has decided to pursue it with the intention of teaching in the future.
Nadina lends her keen business sense to our group and also supports River Park by donating funds for dog waste bags.
Meet Kate C, a long-time Altadore resident and long-time off-leash advocate who has enjoyed River Park with her dogs since 1972.
Kate was awarded by the City of Calgary for initiating annual River Park clean-ups and educating others about maintenance and care of the park back in the late 1980s. This effort morphed into the annual citywide clean-up campaign each spring. The Friends of River Park leadership team is grateful to have her experience and expertise.
Kate is also the past president for the Pet Loss Support Group and was instrumental in the erection of a pet memorial wall at the Calgary Humane Society. She was a City of Calgary dog ambassador for River Park until the program ended in 2010 and sat as a committee member to review off-leash spaces.
Kate continues to volunteer with the Friends of River Park leadership committee in the role of public education. She and her husband also donate funds toward dog waste bags for the park.
Before joining the leadership team recently in 2015, Kathleen H has been helping at River Park clean-ups since adopting her dog Molly two years ago. She is an avid runner who can be seen jogging with Molly through various nearby neighbourhoods as well as through River Park.
Kathleen picks up more than her share each time she’s in the park, partly because it’s the right thing to do, but also because Molly is a poop eater. In an odd way that means Molly is doing her part to keep the park clean too.
As a communications professional by day, we are fortunate to have Kathleen provide strategic direction and contribute content for the off-leash newsletter.
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