A Villeneuve couple has become Sturgeon County's first-ever Volunteers of the Year.
Pat and Simonne Sheehan received Sturgeon County's first Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award Tuesday night at the county's annual volunteer appreciation dinner. Appropriately, the ceremony was held at Villeneuve Hall, a place their volunteer efforts helped to build.
The Sheehans have spent decades volunteering for local teams and churches and were instrumental in the construction of Villeneuve's church, community hall, and assisted living centre (West Country Hearth), said Coun. Tom Flynn, who has known them for about 40 years.
"They've donated hundreds and hundreds of hours to these facilities in any way that's needed."
Whether it's pushing a broom or taking the lead, no task is too great or too small for this couple, said Terry Cashin, the county's community services manager. "We feel they epitomize the value that senior citizens can bring to their community."
Pat and Simonne, who are in their 80s, credited their 27 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren for giving them the gumption to get out and volunteer.
It gives you a reason to get up in the morning, Simonne added. "You meet the best people when you volunteer."
Community cornerstones
The county has recognized volunteer groups in the past, Cashin said, but decided this year to also crown an individual as volunteer of the year. Nine people, ranging in age from 15 to 84, were nominated by the community.
The Sheehans first moved to Villeneuve about 1964, Pat said, back when it had a population of about "50 girls and four boys," he joked. He helped run a farm equipment shop in town before moving on to the Case dealership in Morinville.
The two of them started volunteering in town by helping to build the community hall in the mid-60s, Simonne said. "I was phoning for workers," and Pat was hammering boards.
It was something the community needed, she explained, and everyone chipped in to build it. "When you see what you've accomplished, it's quite rewarding."
The Sheehans were also central figures in the construction of Villeneuve's assisted living facility, West Country Hearth, said Colleen Soetaert, chair of the West Sturgeon Aging in Place Foundation and one of their seven children. "Mom was my volunteer co-ordinator," she recalled, and had a half-inch thick book of contacts ready whenever they needed help. Pat was at the construction site every day, hauling supplies, cleaning up and hanging shower curtains.
They might not be climbing ladders to shingle roofs anymore, Flynn said, but the Sheehans are still very active in their community. "If you come to one of the events at the [Villeneuve] Hall … they'll always be here."
They've also passed this dedication onto their children, many of who have long records of community service.
It's nice to see the kids stepping up as volunteers, Simonne said. "Now that we're in our 80s, it's their turn."
Youth builders
The Sturgeon County Youth Council also presented Building Blocks of the Community awards to three residents who made outstanding contributions to the region's youth.
The first was A.D. Richardson, a youth worker for the Town of Morinville and one of the co-ordinators of the town's youth strategy. The youth council credited her with reopening the town's youth centre and helping many people find their passion for volunteerism.
Youth centres are places where kids can always feel at home, said Richardson, who spent a lot of time around them growing up on a military base. The fact that the town stepped up with donations after Morinville's centre was recently robbed shows that the community is committed to its youth.
Richardson said she was honoured to get this award, and very proud of the kids she had worked with. "While I can teach them, they are constantly teaching me things and constantly amazing me by their resilience, their skills and their compassion."
Legal's Ernest Chauvet was recognized for his efforts to help young people find jobs and leadership skills through his work with the Centralta Tourism Society. That group has hired about 10 summer students in each of the last three years to work on community projects.
Chauvet could have hired adults, said youth council member Colette Bachand, but he always chose students. (She was one of them.) "His enthusiasm is so contagious," she said, and he always got his employees to set personal and professional goals for themselves.
Bachand said she didn't believe she could speak French at first, but with Chauvet's support, she's now fluent enough to pursue an education degree at the University of Alberta's Faculté Saint-Jean. "He believed in me and in my growth as a person."
Chauvet, best known for his work with Legal's mural project, said training young people to be better leaders makes sense. "People think they're just youths, but in no time at all they'll be the leaders of the community."
It was fun to see the students grow enough to run their own leadership sessions, he said. "I grew through them."
Morinville basketball coach Serge Froment was recognized for his work with the Morinville Roadrunners community basketball team.
Froment said he started the Roadrunners about seven years ago so his daughters would be able to play basketball in the winter. Starting with just 13 players, the group has since grown to 270 and has twice had teams win at provincials.
"You cannot believe the joy a child has in contributing to something that's team orientated," he said. Seeing the kids smile and enjoying every minute of their games makes it easy for him to stay with the team year after year. "We as volunteers give, but what we get back is maybe 10 times more, if not more."
