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In 1981, a grassroots group of dedicated volunteers decided that Thorold deserved its own recreation program.
And thus, the TCAG was formed.
Evolving through the years, from its humble beginnings in a trailer in the Club Capri parking lot, to small offices on Carleton Street, to the current Nick Basciano Centre, it now provides a full-fledged licensed day care, day camps, and everything from zumba, yoga and pickleball to youth cooking classes, ballet, basketball and other activities for all ages, for Thorold and surrounding communities.
Long time Thorold lawyer Peter Jurmain, who was a board member of the Thorold branch of the St. Catharines YMCA for a number of years before the formation of the TCAG, shared its history with the Thorold News.
“Although legally a part of the St. Catharines Y, our Board exercised de facto jurisdiction and decision making for the various passive, active and social activities of the Thorold Branch of the Y … In the year before the formation of the TCAG, the relationship between the Thorold Y and the St. Catharines Y began to turn, and not for the better,” he added, particularly following “the decision to arbitrarily transfer our executive director, Garth Hollett, out of Thorold without regard to the concerns of the local board or the community in general. St Catharines had the legal right to take the proposed action but in so doing, our Thorold Y Board realized that the Thorold community would be best served by a Thorold-focused board with the authority to make decisions answerable solely to the Thorold community.”
Backed by the Thorold City Council of the day, Jurmain said that he and his “fellow founding board members had a vision for the future delivery of recreational and other activities focused on the needs of the community with the objective of enhancing” their "quality and enjoyment of life. Those volunteers who followed the initial gang are to be congratulated for embracing that vision and expanding it.”
Jurmain recalled serving as president “in the second and third year after the Group was formed,” and left the board “in 1989 or 90.”
Margery Longo, a member of the Thorold branch of the ‘Y’, came up with the name, the ‘Thorold Community Activities Group,’ and was another founding member. She told the Thorold News, “My interest was to see what was going on in Thorold, as Tom and I had made our home there and were working and raising our family in the community. We realized that all the money we were raising through all of our programs was being diverted to St. Catharines.”
“The St. Catharines YMCA was going to dissolve our board and collapse the Thorold operations to St. Catharines in 1980,” added Thorold Councillor Fred Neale. “Our board made a decision that we could do better on our own; therefore we put a transition group together and broke away from the YMCA to create the Thorold Community Activities Group organization. I became the first president in 1981 and was part of the board for a number of years. The original board was a special dedicated wonderful group of people that created the organization that is continuing today.”
Among them, Kathleen Kelly Sr., another member of the original YMCA committee, also served on the TCAG fundraising committee since its inception and throughout her time as a board member, according to her daughter, Kathleen Kelly.
“As a new immigrant to Canada from Scotland, this was an opportunity for her to connect and set down some roots in the community and make some lifelong friendships.”
Kathleen Kelly Jr. volunteered with both her parents, as early as age “nine or 10,” she recalled, when she made a scarecrow for a fundraising dinner dance TCAG hosted at Holy Rosary in 1980.
“I continued to volunteer when my mom facilitated a home haircutting class when I was 13,” helping with the sign-in and clean-up in St. Andrews Church hall. Kelly joined the TCAG Youth Committee in 1984, which encouraged youth “to provide input and ideas for programming,” and volunteered with the Junior Chefs program, while attending “various programs” herself.
“My Dad volunteered for various functions and activities but is best known for his time spent at the Bingos,” which they ran together for many years.
Karen Blackley, who volunteered as a TCAG president, stated simply: “The Thorold community was good to me through the years, so I wanted to give back.”
Dave Hayes said he “was introduced to the TCAG by Mike Charron,” then Principal at TSS. “I was always at basketball or volleyball games,” and “involved with Mike in a large number of corporate donation request presentations for the Nick Basciano Recreation Centre,” where the TCAG moved in 1997, on the site of the former Lions Club facility at 131 Richmond Street.
During his time on the board, from about 1992 to 2006, Hayes said his “Biggest beef was the failure of the City to act on the major federal/provincial funding that could have seen the state-of-the-art recreation centre being built with an indoor pool.”
Former Mayor Henry D’Angela said he became a board member (1998 to 2003) “and volunteer for the opportunity to help fulfill the mandate of providing recreation activities for the Thorold community. During my time as a board member, I enjoyed working with so many dedicated volunteers and staff, especially during this time when the Thorold Community Activities Group was moving forward with their capital plan of building their own new facility.”
Former Mayor Mal Woodhouse said his involvement was “as a council member and original volunteer, along with a tremendous group of dedicated and determined volunteers and a director who defiantly walked away from the YMCA in favour of a Thorold-centric community group, where Thoroldites would operate independently. This anniversary is proof-positive that it has and continues to be the heart of our growing city.”
“Volunteering in Thorold has been incredibly intentional for me,” said current board member Krystal Sider. She explained that “Being able to volunteer in Thorold has allowed me to connect with my neighbours; to get to know so many incredible people that live close to me. I actually was feeling very disconnected from this community so put on my vision board to meet 20 neighbours and that’s when I joined the board at the TCAG” three years ago.
“We are all proud of the work we do at the TCAG and the unique role the TCAG plays in bringing the Thorold community together,” noted current TCAG President Kelly Liddycoat.
Current Thorold Councillor Nella Dekker said she joined the TCAG with her husband Dave, who was “an original volunteer starting in 1999, then I joined the fundraising committee around 2000/2001” to help with the annual charity Auction, and has continued every year.
“I thought it was a great centre that offered a lot to Thorold,” stated Dekker. “I loved fundraising and loved the Auction and the Craft Show; so many people came out and I got hooked.”
Since Covid-19 has prevented the TCAG from hosting traditional fundraising events this year, the group is selling poinsettias and other festive arrangements, available by calling 905-227-0545, Ext. 21 or by ordering online at http://www.thoroldgroup.org/poinsettia-fundraiser/
