Volunteer Appreciation night at MDM

On Thursday night I attended the Volunteer Appreciation night at MDM in Belleuve. 

The facility was packed with the volunteers who give countless hours in our community selflessly giving their time to make this better place to live. 

I hear a lot of vitriol being a councillor. Rarely do I hear a ‘heck yah’ when most of my meetings with people are about things they are unhappy about. I often wonder after one of these meetings, if the person upset actually volunteers to make this community better. 

It’s on nights like last Thursday, that I am reminded that there are many who give their time and expertise without exception. It was such a wonderful change.

This year’s Outstanding Volunteer was Mary Anna Misseghers. The surprise on this wonderful woman’s face when her name was announced by Mayor Painter, will stay with me for a long time. She came onto the stage, surprised, thankful, and humble. She made the point of accepting her award, while at the same time commenting that it could be several others in this great community who also deserved it. That pretty much sums up this wonderful woman. 

I was lucky enough to have all my boys with her at Horace Allen School and through the Catholic Church. When I read her volunteer accomplishments, I was surprised how vast and varied it was, and how she has done so for several decades.

Congratulations Mary Anna, you deserve the community to applaud your hard work in making this place better!

The second issue I wish to discuss is the contest called the Next Great Thing and how we, as a community, can help the Roxy win $50,000 toward the renovation of this great project.

From April 18 until May 6, we need everyone in the Crowsnest Pass to go on line and vote for the Roxy. You can vote daily. Currently we are in third place out of all the venues in the contest. Third place in all of Canada!

I suggest you vote and then if possible find ten friends to vote and ask each of them to find ten friends.  This community, once it commits to something, can be fierce. You will see the ad for the contest on the back page of the paper with a QR code. If you don’t want to use the code type in www.nextgreatsave.ca and vote. You have to input your email, upon which you have to confirm it and then vote. 

We are even getting the students involved. Quinn is going to gather his classmate and do a video asking the community to ‘support the Roxy’ in an attempt to get everyone involved. 

If a 17 year-old is working this hard to help them win, can you please do your part to get us into first place. 

So all in all, I had a wonderful week. I had a lot of people in the office upset about council, but I also got to see the finest people in our community celebrate for this wonderful volunteerism in our community. I saw both the young and the old, several organizations laughing and sitting together and I felt unity.

Breaking News

I was just contacted by the organizers of Revive the Roxy who released that an 

anonymous donor has pledged to match the $50,000 Grand Prize if we win Next Great Thing contest. This is a game changer so please get out and vote!