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EDITORIAL: Everyone must step up to make Summer Games successful

Thousands will need to pitch in so Okotoks and Black Diamond can stage the 2023 Alberta Summer Games.
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(From left) 2023 Alberta Summer Games manager Marica Borovich-Law, chair of promotional projects Lee Kennedy, and chair Sandi Kennedy pose for a photo by the Okotoks Erratic on July 14.

One year from today, over 3,000 athletes, coaches and officials will descend on Okotoks and Black Diamond from all corners of the province for the 2023 Alberta Summer Games. 

Although the Games will run for only four days, from July 20 to 23, the work required to stage this sports showcase has already begun and will only intensify as we draw closer to the opening ceremony. To pull this off, the board of directors, led by former mayor Sandi Kennedy, will need a virtual army of volunteers that will be tasked with everything from ensuring competitors are fed to keeping them safe. 

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to more than 3,000 people every day doesn’t happen by accident. Neither does housing all of them or shuttling them from Point A to Point B, and then back to Point A once they’ve finished taking part in their sporting events at Point B. Another layer of complexity to the massive undertaking is the fact that all the competitors will be tweens and teens. 

The old saying about many hands making light work certainly applies in this case as it will take the entire community to come together to ensure the Games are staged in a way that makes Okotoks and Black Diamond proud. Whether that’s volunteering – and they’ll need close to 2,000 of them in all kinds of capacities – or supporting the Games through the donation of cash or in-kind goods or services, there are opportunities for every individual, business and community organization to play their part. 

The eyes of the entire province will be on us for four days next summer, so it will be absolutely critical that we come together to prepare for our time in the spotlight. An outstanding board of directors is already in place to steer the ship, but it needs thousands more to get aboard to ensure the 2023 Alberta Summer Games are the best ever. 

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