The men, women and youth that work behind the scenes to bring many of Morinville’s community events to life took centre stage on Friday, Apr. 26.
The town’s 27th annual Volunteer Appreciation event received more than 50 nominations for eight volunteer categories. The night’s theme Volunteers cast a beautiful shadow brought people of all ages to the Community Cultural Centre to recognize some of Morinville’s most hardworking volunteers.
An active member of the Morinville Rotary Club for the past 15 years, Simonne Chevalier was recognized for her efforts in saving the St. Jean Baptiste Church’s steeple. Chevalier applied for a federal grant and helped raise more than $250,000 in six weeks for the “steeple saving” project.
“What we did wouldn’t be worth a nickel if it wasn’t for the people that participated in this project,” acknowledged Chevalier. “This is a real honour.”
Stacey and Serge Froment, founders of the Black Ice Volleyball Club and the Morinville Road Runners youth basketball league, were presented with the Morinville Lions Club Citizen of the Year award for their significant contribution to the town’s youth sports. Both sports clubs have been highly regarded for their focus on developing sports skills as well as life skills.
“It’s probably more fun for me than for the girls,” admitted Stacey.
Chair of the Morinville Festival Society, Paul Smith, was “blown away” when he was recognized as mentor of the year. The owner of Smith Music is known to always put on a “rocking show.”
Whether emceeing community events or behind the lens of his camera, Stephen Dafoe, owner and operator of morinvillenews.com, was awarded for his behind the scenes work in building a sense of community in Morinville.
Eva Scrimshaw was given the community spirit award for her work in uniting the community together. Scrimshaw was one of the principle organizers of the Zombie Apocalypse event to raise funds for the Morinville Food Bank Society.
Diana and Bob Moquin, both heavily involved with the Morinville Rendez Vous Club, have a record of longstanding service in the community. Bob’s maintenance work for the club – designing and overseeing renovations to the new commercial kitchen – and Diana’s attention to the esthetics of the building, made them the recipients of the Heritage Award.
At the age of 13, Tyler Dziwenka has already participated as a volunteer in the Morinville Snowman Festival, Easter Egg Hunt, Christmas Festival, powerskating skills and drills and youth golf development. He was awarded for his generosity in spirit, leadership and enthusiasm in 2012.
Father and son Joseph and Christopher Trapani were given the Volunteer Family Award for their dedication and commitment to the Morinville Community Library.
