Introduction - It's our community park

On Saturday June 6th 2009, MOBY and the local community will come together to build the Larry Young Memorial Pak and Local Heroes Pathway at 1736 East 11th Avenue.

In 2004, a seed was planted when local East Vancouver resident Jason O'Brian rallied the local community to transform the vacant lots from a garbage dump into a beautiful community gathering space. The My Own Back Yard Community Association (MOBY) was created to develop a community garden, children's playground and community pathway.

MOBY together with local residents, Let Them Be Kids, community service organizations, the Commercial Drive businesses, local churches and the City of Vancouver have worked together to turn the two derelict lots into a safe place for the community to gather and celebrate our neighbourhood.

We are very proud of our accomplishments and grateful for the overwhelming community support that has made this project possible. However, for this project to be a success we need your continued support and involvement. It will be the responsibility of the whole community to maintain and care for our park and Local Heroes pathway--please contact us at www.myownbackyard.ca to find out how you can get involved.

Honour to a Fallen Officer

We are proud to be naming the Playground after Sgt Larry Young a police officer from our East Vancouver neighborhood who died in the line of duty.

On February 2nd 1987, ERT was called out to assist the drug squad with a high-risk arrest. Sergeant Young was on annual leave and did not have to come into work; but his dedication to duty compelled him to lead his squad. At 21:10 hours the 7-member ERT team entered the suite to search for Sheffield (high-level cocaine dealer) . As soon as they entered the doorway they suddenly came under gunfire. Sergeant Young was shot and killed immediately by a gunshot to the head.

Just a month before he had led his team in the dramatic rescue of a baby being held hostage. He was a dedicated, highly decorated and highly trained officer. As a result of his hard work Sergeant Larry Young had just been promoted to Sergeant.

During his 18 year career Larry worked in Vice, Internal Investigations, Firearms Training, the Police Academy, Drug Squad, Cheque Squad, School Liaison and Patrol. He was in excellent physical condition; he enjoyed running and playing rugby. He had a passion for karate and was an eager student-giving it his all, as he did in life and in death. Larry was an inspiration to

We still have $15,000 to raise:

Donate today and help us build a special place in our community. Donations will be accepted at the CCEC Credit Union at 2250 Commercial Drive , or you can mail your donation to MOBY, 1868 East 11th Ave, Vancouver , BC V5N 1Z!. Tax receipts will be issued for donations over $25. *****In order to receive a tax receipt cheques must be addressed to MOSAIC with “Playground’ in the memo line.******

• $25 Receives Tax recite
• $50 Tax receipt and 1 entry into draw
• $75 Tax receipt and 2 entries into draw
• $100 Tax receipt 4 entries in to draw PLUS an entry in to 2 Night Las Vegas trip.
  

Draw includes prizes from Commercial Drive including:
1 hr Massage from RTM at Grandveiw Massage Clinic
Hair cut a Kokoplili
Pedicure @ Tina's Aesthetic
Movie ticket gift certificates to Multiple Restaurants

Small World

Here I am living in Vancouver on the West Coast of Canada connected to MOBY a group that plans on building a playground. MOBY hooks up with Let them be kids who has Belair Playground Equipment as their supplier. Belair is located in Paris Ontario right next door to my home town of Brantford. I was speaking with my father about our progress and he tells be he did work for Belair years ago ( then known at Paris Playground). Perhaps one of those old patterns my father worked on years ago is still in production today and MOBY uses it on our playground here in Vancouver. Small world!
Tina @ MOBY

Design Day - April 6Th

On April 6Th we had an open day for kids in the neighbourhood . We had 2 other design days for the children in MOSAIC daycare. The kids (and kids at heart) had multiple options to select from. There were definite winners; like the rock climbing wall, finger maze, and slides - everyone wanted a slide!

We also had a comment wall where people could tell us about items that were not on the design panels. Swings were number one here, but many requests for natural items like bird feeders, fruit trees, and plants to smell, touch, and taste. There were also requests for areas to meet, talk, and perform. Now we just have to put these ideas all together!

Groundbreaking at the MOBY Playground

On April 1st we had a ground breaking ceremony at the future site of the MOBY playground - 11th Avenue and Commercial Drive. MOBY chairperson, Tina Dam, together with City of Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer and Let Them Be Kids volunteer CEO Ian Hill broke ground in front of a crowd of kids from nearby multicultural center and project partner MOSAIC.

“We got to experience a 'media scrum' on Wednesday” says Tina. “It sounds horrible but it was sort of fun and exciting. With so many questions from the reporters, I really had to think on my feet” she says. One reporter reffered to the project as "a dream playground for kids, in that they get to pick the playground design".

What was the most fantastic was seeing the reaction of the kids to the images of the playground equipment, they were so excited. I know building a playground was a wonderful idea but seeing the awe on the children's faces said it all. I am sure they were dreaming of slides and climbing walls all night long.

MOBY - Who are we?

My Own Back Yard Community Garden Association (MOBY) is a non-profit society, representing the collective voice of hundreds of residents, businesses and community activists in the Broadway and Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver intent on cultivating and sustaining healthy community interaction. (MOBY) is located on three lots between 10th Ave and 12th Ave in the 1700 block east of Commercial Drive under and around the Sky Train tracks.

At its core, MOBY is about community development. The organization began with a vision containing three main physical elements:

1. A community garden where neighbors could grow food
2. An accessible pathway built of decorative mosaics joining all three lots
3. A neighborhood playground and green space where children could safely play


At present, the only developed portion, the lot located between 10th and 11th Avenue , houses the MOBY community garden. The volunteer run garden consists of over 40 beds, including several raised beds for people with mobility challenges. The garden area also includes a cob shed, an eco-friendly building made from sand, straw, and clay which houses the organizations tools and equipment, and several compost bins used for recycling organic waste at the site.


Construction of the playground is slated to begin in June 2009, and the mosaic pathway between June 2009 and 2010.


Since the inception of the project in 2003, MOBY has become a registered non-profit society with a current membership of approximately 50 members and gardeners; all of them neighbors who live in the vicinity of Commercial Drive.