The Community Information and Volunteer Centre and the City of St. Albert came together on Tuesday evening to give their deep appreciation to the people whose selfless efforts make life more positive.
The first ever Mayor's Celebration of Volunteers was an action-packed affair as many of the attendees in the full house event approached the stage at some point to be recognized as one of the city's Good Neighbours or Unsung Heroes or for the CIVC's Volunteer Citizen of the Year and Leaders of Tomorrow Awards.
"Tonight's celebration is combining four different recognition programs, each unique in their own right in celebration of St. Albert's abundant volunteers. Tonight, we are recognizing many of St. Albert's amazing people for the many ways they give back to our great community," said Joe Becigneul, the executive director of the CIVC.
"'Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in,'" he said, reciting the quote of an unknown author. "Here in St. Albert, the turnout is magnificent."
Good Neighbours
The Good Neighbours program is a way of thanking people who help their neighbours get to know one another and be more connected. They also create the spirit of friendship in the neighbourhood, improve the sense of safety and security on city streets, help others out in times of need, and perform random selfless acts of kindness.
The honourees included Andre Roux, Frederick Basha, Layna Haley, Lorie Garritty, and Vernon Toews. Among their many positive contributions to the lives of their neighbours, these individuals do yardwork, clear the snow, automotive repairs, do other household chores and maintenance, and organize block parties.
Unsung Heroes
Unsung Heroes are people who support recreational, cultural, educational, social, and/or human services organizations in the city. They're always ready to give unselfishly of their time, they work tirelessly day in and day out, and they go the extra mile to make things happen.
This year's honourees included Arron Best, Aux. Const. Shelly Ullery, Cathy Schwer, Cheryl Mackenzie, Dale Thompson, Dave Geddes, Dave Grice, Diane and Gerry Goodall, Donna Suchan, Ian Skogstad, Jerry Stack, Joanne Wilson, Ken Macrae, Klaus Kyritz, Layna Haley, Marko Zubac, Pam Sigvaldason, Pauline Vaugeois, Saylor McLennan, Sherry Nixey, Sofia Guest, Terry Cooke, Trudy Kueber, Wietske Eikelenboom, and William Keith.
The Leaders of Tomorrow Awards
The Leaders of Tomorrow Awards are youths aged six to 21 who work individually or through organized groups to actively support activities within their schools or throughout the community. They develop and lead initiatives and become role models who inspire others to get more involved too.
The nominees for the 6 to 12 age category were Ava DeGannes, Sophia Gerace, and Zain Siver.
In the 13 to 15 age category, the nominees were Ashley Dow, Ethan Bourgeault, and Kaja Neset.
In the 16 to 18 age category, the two nominees were Brandon Elias and Ryann Veran.
There were no nominees for the 19 to 21 age category this year.
The nominees for the Youth Group category included Bellerose Composite High School Leadership Team, Elmer S. Gish Ever Active Team, and 5th St. Albert Venturer Scouts.
Gerace, Neset, Elias and the 5th St. Albert Venturer Scouts were the winners chosen in their respective categories. Each received a $100 cheque to give to their charities of choice.
The Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award
The Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award is considered the big award of the evening. It is a way of shining a spotlight on an exceptional resident who has demonstrated community volunteerism for an extended amount of time and at a level that is higher than just your average volunteer.
This year, the nominees included Aux. Const. Shelly Ullery, Layna Haley, Miles Constable, Pam Sigvaldason, and Trudy Kueber.
In announcing Kueber as the winner, Becigneul described her as "the quintessential volunteer ... a great example to the community, young and old."
She has served as the chairperson for the John Reid Bantam AAA Hockey tournament for the last decade, recruiting and organizing hundreds of volunteers. She has been involved with St. Albert Minor Hockey and the Raiders Hockey Club since 1995 and has organized more hockey events and fundraisers than you can shake a stick at.
She was also a parent volunteer at Neil M. Ross School for nearly 20 years where she showed a keen ability to help out those who needed it. Other organizations that have benefitted from the Kueber touch are the MS Society, the International Children's Festival, the St. Albert Food Bank, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, just to skim the surface.
In accepting her win, Kueber humbly acknowledged that she was surprised her name was called out instead of any of her fellow nominees.
"What an honour it is to get this award and for something that I love to do," she said, later emphasizing the 'icing on the cake' quality of getting the prize.
"I love what I do. To get rewarded for it is like, wow! It truly is a passion. The youths have always been important to me. You always try to instill that into them. My kids always had to do one volunteer thing."
She said that she was really impressed by the quality and quantity of volunteerism exhibited by the Leaders of Tomorrow nominees present at the event. Encouraging your kids to volunteer, she said, is a great way of giving back to the community too.
