The Leaders Corner
From Your Co-Leads Laurie Harley & Vlad Haltigin
What a celebration! We certainly ended the season on a high note
when Ambassadors and our amazing partners gathered at the Barn, in the Monet Gardens of the Pillar and Post on October 20.
The venue was perfect … the food and wine, courtesy of the Pillar and
Post, the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Juice, were incredible …
and the opportunity to mix and mingle with our fellow volunteers and our
supporters was priceless!
The presentations at the
event were short but the messages were powerful. Check out the “Season by the Statistics”
report in this edition. In the May to
October period, we engaged with over 62,000 visitors. We saw more people on walking shifts and at
the new Kiosk but the key driver of the increase was the opening of the Court
House. Over 43,000 people passed through the historic
building. If you add in our support for
the Icewine Festival in January, the GRAND TOTAL of connections in 2025 was just
over 71,000. WOW!!!
While the numbers are
impressive, our focus as Ambassadors is always on the quality of the visitor
experience. For those unable to attend on
October 20, let me share a quote that we read at the event. It comes from a visitor and speaks to what Ambassadors
do so well – create special memories for visitors to our Town (a shout out to
Gail for representing us so well).
“My wife and I recently visited
Niagara-on-the-Lake for the first time. Seeing your Ambassador booth, we stopped by and were helped by a lovely
lady named Gail Kendall. She took the
time to chat with us about places to eat and shopping in the area. Chatting with Gail really was one of the best
parts of visiting NOTL that afternoon. Thank you so much for providing this wonderful service.”
Mike & Rosalyne from Michigan, USA
The year-end event was also
an opportunity to recognize our “Ambassadors of the Month” for May/June (Lin
Slee), July (Linda Hicks), and August (Yvonne McMorrough) and announce the
newest additions for the September/October period. This time it was a pleasure to recognize not
one but three outstanding Ambassadors who each volunteered for 6 shifts (a full
season’s commitment in six weeks). Congratulations to Roy Sampson, Irene Halycia, and Mike Carruthers. Our sincere thanks to the partners who donated gifts for these special volunteers: The
Shaw Festival, Arterra/Jackson-Triggs Estates Winery, Pillitteri Estates Winery,
Konzelmann Estate Winery and Tourism Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Our thanks to all the
partners who joined us to celebrate an incredible 2025 season. Special thanks to the Deputy Lord Mayor,
Erwin Wiens who brought congratulations from the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake as
well as a gift bag for everyone.
Before we close the books on
the 2025 season, there are still some fun activities to come. We hope you can join us to help decorate
Queen Street for the holidays on November 13, participate in the iconic
Candlelight Stroll on December 5, and don’t forget the Icewine Festival is just
around the corner in the new year. Look
for the details in the Calendar of Events in this edition.
To
each and every Ambassador, you make us very proud to be your Leadership
Team. You are absolutely THE BEST!!
Laurie and Vlad
