About Us

OUR STORY

More Than 50 Years of Good Company

What began with a small group of neighbours and a belief in the importance of connection has grown into a Calgary community that has welcomed generations of adults 50+.

Buildings have changed. Programs have changed. Generations have changed. The heart of Good Companions has not.

See Good Companions Today Help Carry the Story Forward

1973

The story begins

1974

Charter received

1977

A permanent home

50+

Years of connection

MARCH 11, 1973

It Started with Mary O’Rourke

Good Companions began with a simple but important idea.

Older adults in southwest Calgary deserved somewhere welcoming to meet, participate and belong.

At the time, a local survey had identified more than 2,500 older residents in the surrounding area, yet there was no dedicated community club meeting their social and emotional needs.

Mary O’Rourke gathered a small group of caring, like-minded residents on March 11, 1973. Together, they began planning a welcoming drop-in centre that would be non-denominational and open to people of different abilities.

More than fifty years later, that idea is still alive.

THE INSPIRATION

An Idea Brought Home from Ottawa

Club history records that Mary had visited a successful community organization for older adults in Ottawa.

She returned to Calgary inspired by what she had seen, and the idea of creating a Good Companions community here began to take shape.

One of the Club’s earliest mottos was:

“Togetherness”

THE IDEA CAUGHT ON

From a Small Meeting to 108 Members

Good Companions received its charter on July 14, 1974, with Mary O’Rourke serving as president.

Just one month later, on August 14, the young Club was already celebrating together with 108 members gathered for a potluck supper.

FROM OUR HISTORY

Did You Know?

Some of the smallest details tell the biggest story about how Good Companions grew.

108

Early Members

Within weeks of receiving its charter, 108 members were already gathering together.

Person in the Kitchen

The early Club kitchen was so small that only one person could comfortably work in it.

1977

A Former Library

The former Glengarry Library became Good Companions’ permanent home.

Stampede

Dinners Built Community

Popular Stampede Dinners were among the ways members raised funds to improve their own Club.

THROUGH THE YEARS

Built One Chapter at a Time

1973

The Beginning

Mary O’Rourke and local residents begin planning a welcoming community for older adults in southwest Calgary.

1974

Officially Established

The Club receives its charter. By August, 108 members are already together for a potluck supper.

1977

A Home of Our Own

Good Companions moves into the former Glengarry Library at 2609 – 19 Avenue SW.

1980s

Members Invest in Their Club

Members fundraise, including through popular Stampede Dinners, as the Club works to expand and improve its home.

1990s–2000s

A Growing Community Space

Improvements to parking, accessibility, the kitchen, offices and library continue shaping the Club.

Today

Still Moving Forward

Good Companions continues evolving while protecting the welcoming, member-centred culture that started it all.

RESOURCEFUL FROM THE BEGINNING

From a One-Person Kitchen to a Community Hub

The building Good Companions moved into in 1977 looked very different from the Club members know today.

The kitchen was so small that only one person could comfortably work in it. At times, member Dorothy Larson even helped with cooking from her own home kitchen.

Early meals were often potlucks. Members saved cutlery, used paper plates and squeezed card tables together to make community meals possible.

What Made It Work?

Not fancy facilities.

Not big budgets.

People.

People who cared enough to make something happen.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT IS PART OF OUR HISTORY

Good Companions Has Always Been Built Together

Fundraising and community support are not new ideas at Good Companions.

Members have been rolling up their sleeves for decades — organizing meals, raising funds and helping improve the Club they cared about.

In the 1980s, popular Stampede Dinners were among the ways members helped raise money toward improvements to their community space.

Today, donors, sponsors, grants and community partners continue that same tradition of investing in connection.

SOME THINGS NEVER REALLY CHANGE

Friendship Has Always Been the Main Activity

Programs evolve with each generation. The value of connection does not.

THEN

Walking, Art, Dancing & Potlucks

One of the early activities was a walking group. Members also enjoyed arts, annual art shows, dances and shared meals.

Monthly birthday cakes connected to the walking group eventually helped grow a much-loved birthday celebration tradition.

NOW

Still Moving. Still Learning. Still Laughing.

Today, Club life may include music, movement, games, meals, learning, wellness, outings, celebrations and volunteer opportunities.

The activities evolve. The value of having somewhere to belong does not.

See What’s Happening Today

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Preserving the Stories Behind the Club

Much of Good Companions’ history survives because former members, volunteers, Board members and their families kept records, anniversary publications, photographs and memories.

We continue working to preserve that history so future generations can understand not only when Good Companions was created, but the people and community spirit that made it possible.

Have an old Good Companions photograph, story or piece of history? We would love to hear from you.

Share a Piece of Our History

WORDS THROUGH THE YEARS

Different Words. The Same Spirit.

EARLY MOTTO

Togetherness

HERITAGE MOTTO

Friendship with a Difference

TODAY

Friendship. Movement. Laughter.

A LEGACY WORTH PROTECTING

What They Built Is Now Ours to Carry Forward

Good Companions exists today because generations of people believed community was worth investing in.

They volunteered their time. They prepared meals. They organized activities. They raised money. They improved the building. They served on the Board. They welcomed people who arrived knowing no one.

More than fifty years later, we have inherited something remarkable: a community organization with deep roots, a permanent home and a history of helping people stay connected to one another.

Our responsibility is to make sure the next generation inherits it too.

WHAT GUIDES US

Our Mission & Vision

OUR MISSION

To provide a welcoming space where adults 50+ can stay active, connected, and engaged.

OUR VISION

To be a trusted community hub supporting healthy aging in Calgary.

WHAT MATTERS AROUND HERE

Community in Practice

Belonging Respect Inclusion Community Wellbeing Accessibility Sustainability

OUR HOME IN KILLARNEY / GLENGARRY

Before We Had a Building, We Had a Community

Good Companions did not begin with a permanent clubhouse.

Board meetings took place in private homes and community spaces. Activities were hosted in local church halls, with St. Matthews Church Hall serving the Club’s daytime needs for several years.

The organization existed because people kept making space for it.

JANUARY 3, 1977

2609 – 19 Avenue SW Became Home

After a long search, the Club’s application to use the former Glengarry Library building was accepted.

Good Companions moved in on January 3, 1977.

Nearly half a century later, people still walk through these doors looking for activity and often leave having found community.

GOOD COMPANIONS TODAY

Proud of Our History. Still Looking Forward.

More than fifty years after those first meetings, Good Companions is still a place to come together — only the ways we do it have grown.

Today, Club life brings together recreation, movement, music, learning, wellness, meals, outings, volunteering, social events and community partnerships.

We honour our history by continuing to evolve for the people who walk through our doors today — and those who will come after us.

GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE

Built by People Who Cared Enough to Help

Good Companions has never been built by staff alone.

For generations, members and volunteers have organized activities, prepared meals, welcomed newcomers, served on the Board, raised funds, helped care for the building and given their time to keep the Club moving forward.

Members Volunteers Staff Board Members Donors Sponsors Community Partners

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE DAY-TO-DAY

Meet Our Team

Our staff help keep the Club welcoming, organized, active and moving forward.

Padraig McMullan

Executive Director

Pronounced “POD-rig”

Leads the Club’s operations, partnerships and long-term development.

Mariana Sirko

Program Coordinator

Helps bring programs, events and community partnerships to life.

Caitlyn O’Connor

Club Coordinator

One of the friendly faces helping members and visitors feel welcome at the Club.

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

Meet Our Board

Good Companions is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who help steward the Club’s mission, resources and future.

President
Mary Anderson

Vice President
Helen Serrurier

Treasurer
Rena Villeneuve

Secretary
Matthew Dorozio

Directors

Ann Orr · Robert Bhatty · Tony Iuliani · Marilyn Neary · Jane MacDonald · Lorna Stasiuk · Norene Ritchot

THE NEXT 50 YEARS

History Gives Us Something to Build On

Preserving Good Companions does not mean standing still.

Our 2026–2031 Strategic Plan is focused on keeping the Club strong for future generations — improving accessibility, strengthening programs, modernizing our facility and systems, investing in volunteers, building community partnerships and improving long-term sustainability.

We want someone walking through our doors decades from now to find what people found here in 1973: somewhere welcoming to go, people to meet and a community where they can belong.

That is the legacy we are working to protect.

BECOME PART OF THE STORY