The St. Albert city council chamber’s public gallery was more packed than usual last Monday as members of the community came to be recognized for some recent award wins.
First up was Colleen Lamble, who recently received a merit award from the Family and Community Support Services Association of Alberta.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said Lamble has been instrumental in a number of initiatives over the years.
Next up, many representatives from St. Albert’s Strategy and Mobilization Committee (SAM) piled in for a photo with council.
The SAM committee received a 2013 Minister’s Award for Municipal Excellence for partnership which was presented at the recent Alberta Urban Municipalities Association convention in Calgary.
Scott Rodda, director of FCSS, said the SAM committee is honoured to be recognized at the provincial level but he wasn’t entirely shocked the group got an award for partnerships.
“I’m not surprised because we have absolutely brilliant partners. They’re exceptional. I mean, they really do have a community mind,” Rodda said of the group, which works to find and fill gaps in the community.
The SAM committee combines representatives from several community stakeholders and also has two working groups, one for seniors and one for families.
“A lot of initiatives that happen in the community, if they’re not directly a result of SAM or one of the working groups it’s probably something that SAM’s aware of, identified and supports,” Rodda said.
Meanwhile, Building Assets and Memories (BAM), St. Albert’s youth for youth group was recognized with a Heroes of a Safe and Caring World Award from the Society for Safe and Caring Schools & Communities in November.
Several members attended the council meeting on Dec. 16 to be recognized by the councillors and mayor.
Ben Huising, youth co-ordinator of asset development with FCSS, said the award is more about youth and what they do for prevention in the community.
Huising, who serves as the adult co-ordinator for BAM, said the group was surprised as they weren’t aware they were nominated.
“They do what they do because they love doing it,” Huising said.
It’s nice to see the group recognized because often the positive contributions young people make can be overlooked, he noted.
