President’s message
Community Building
AMA helps connect neighbours, keep families safe and make
the road ahead a little more fun
4
Fall 2017
AMA InsIder
cruising to dream vacation planning. Members want
to know the hotel they’re booking lives up to the pic-
tures. They want to know where to eat (and where not
to), how to get around and the must-see attractions.
Most of all, members want to know that their hard-
earned dollars are being well spent. Their vacation
should live up to their expectations, and they should
rest easy knowing someone at home will be there to
help if they run into any trouble along the way.
The power of our AMA com-
munity also helps us advocate on
our members’ behalf. We’ve been
advocating for safer roads for
Albertans since our association
began, and we continue that legacy
today. We are working with the
federal government to help shape
an air passenger bill of rights
for Canadian travellers. And we
continue to work with community
partners to keep our youngest
pedestrians safe through AMA’s
School Safety Patrol program,
which celebrates its 80th anni-
versary this fall.
The success of this program is
a community effort. We’re fortunate to work with
police, government, schools and businesses. Their
support has helped the program grow to a volunteer
force of more than 16,000 students at over 500
schools. Thank you to our School Safety Patrol
partners and to all of our dedicated patrollers.
Looking out for one another is at the heart of
what it means to be a community. We thank you for
being a part of ours.
Don Smitten
President and ceO
One Of the things i like best about summer is
catching up with my family, friends and neighbours
in my community. This year, everyone made an extra
effort to get out to connect face-to-face in honour
of Canada’s 150th birthday. It seemed to spark a
reason to get together, to celebrate and to reconnect
with one another.
In this increasingly digital-driven world, we don’t
often get a chance or make the effort to share time
with people one-on-one as much
as we might like. But this changes
during the summer. People get out-
side more, they slow down a little,
they spend time with neighbours
and they take part in community
events.
Connecting with your community
makes you feel like a part of some-
thing larger than yourself. Commu-
nity is very important for AMA as
well. We were pleased to be involved
with so many parades, festivals and
music events this summer. We met
thousands of members who dropped
by to visit us. What struck me at
these events is the sense of com-
munity within our AMA membership: There’s an
underlying sense of connection. I like to think it’s
because we share a common set of values.
At 91 years young, we continue to evolve to meet
the changing needs of our AMA community. For
some members, AMA will always be tied to the
safety and security of our roadside service. But
today’s AMA offers so much more. Did you know,
for instance, that we will come rescue you on your
bike? For a growing number of people choosing