At the recent Communities in Bloom (CIB) National/International Symposium and Awards Ceremonies in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Yarmouth once again received top honours. The Town of Yarmouth received a rating of 5 Blooms - Gold and a special mention for YACRO, Yarmouth Association for Community Residential Options.
5 Blooms - Gold - YACRO, Yarmouth Association for Community Residential Options
The Town of Yarmouth received a rating of 5 Blooms - Gold and a special mention for YACRO, Yarmouth Association for Community Residential Options during the 2023 National/International Symposium and Awards Ceremonies in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Alberta. The Town of Yarmouth participated in the Circle of Excellence - Evaluated category.
Over the summer, trained volunteer judges travelled to participating communities to evaluate the overall contributions of municipal council and departments; industry; businesses and the private sector – including volunteer efforts – regarding the following criteria: Community Appearance, Environmental Action, Heritage Conservation, Tree Management, Landscape and Plant & Floral Displays.
Following their evaluation, volunteer judges Larry Hall and Colleen Stockford wrote:
“YACRO started in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization that provides support for children and adults challenged with disabilities. They also provide respite to support families. YACRO has taken an old, abandoned garage and repurposed the building as the Shanty Café. Disadvantaged residents are hired to work at a job they are comfortable with. Eventually, they can become servers working the front line. This has been so successful that the association has expanded into recycling broken hockey sticks into beautiful furniture which is being purchased by many and seen throughout the community. Disadvantaged individuals have meaningful work and reuse and recycle are demonstrated in the community. The theme for YARCO is a statement from Anne Frank “Everyone has inside a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”
Within the actual context of climate changes and environmental concerns, communities involved in the program can be proud of their efforts, which provide real and meaningful environmental solutions and benefit all of society.
For a complete list of the results, please visit Communities in Bloom Canada.
About Communities in Bloom
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian volunteer and partnership-driven non-profit organization that uses a multi-tiered competitive evaluation process to foster community strength, involvement and continuous improvement. This is accomplished by nurturing environmental sustainability, enhancements of green spaces, and heritage conservation, in cultural and natural environments encompassing municipal, residential, commercial, and institutional spaces. For more information about Communities in Bloom, visit www.communitiesinbloom.ca