Marsha Eldridge: I Simply Wanted to Give Back, Give Forward to the Future

For many families, the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre is not just a place you go. It’s a place where your kids and your family grow.

When Marsha Eldridge moved to the community with her son in the early 2000s, the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre quickly became part of their weekly routine. Swimming lessons came first, those early mornings and nervous smiles at the pool’s edge. Before long, one activity turned into another; skating, hockey, library visits, and countless hours spent in a building that quietly became a second home.

“Like so many parents, I watched my child find confidence there,” Marsha proudly stated. Coaches volunteered their time. Other parents became friends. Weekends filled with early practices, road trips, and tournaments that were about far more than wins and losses. They were about teamwork, resilience, and belonging.

Hockey, in particular, became a defining chapter. What started as a tentative tryout turned into years between the pipes as a goalie. Years shaped by patient coaches, supportive teammates, and a community that showed up. Some of the proudest moments weren’t even full games, but chances to step onto the ice with the Amherstview Jets, to be part of something bigger, to feel trusted and included.

And that’s the part people sometimes miss: the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre isn’t about facilities alone. It’s about people. The volunteers who organized programs. The coaches who sent texts so parents wouldn’t miss a special moment. The parents who cheered together, traveled together, and built friendships that lasted long after their kids aged out of minor sports.

After 50 years, it’s time for the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre to evolve with a renewal project that will transform the Centre. New spaces are being opened. Programs are being expanded. An Indigenous Legacy Space was added in partnership with the Downie Wenjack Fund; a meaningful sign that the centre continues to grow with the community it serves.

That’s why the renewal of the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre matters so deeply to Marsha and why she was inspired to volunteer and donate in support of the fundraising campaign. “I simply want to give back and, more importantly, give forward to the future. The years of hockey, swimming and use of the library was instrumental in not only in my son's life, but my own,” Marsha shared.

This campaign isn’t about replacing something old, it’s about protecting and revitalizing what has always been there. A place where kids discover who they are. Where parents find community. Where today’s participants become tomorrow’s coaches and volunteers.

The W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre has always thrived because people cared enough to give their time, their energy, and their hearts. Renewing it ensures that future families will have the same chance to say, years from now, “This place helped raise us.”

To support the W.J. Henderson Revitalization Campaign, visit: https://www.wjrenewal.ca/donate