Local volunteers praised for taking time out of their schedules

Romeo Cinq-Mars is roped by Nancy Christenson from Wetaskawin who came to the region to entertain volunteers in Donnelly and Girouxville

Emily Plihal
Smoky River Express

Family and Community Support Services held their annual volunteer appreciation week with a special appearance from entertainer Nancy Christenson from Wetaskawin.

Two events were held, with one in Girouxville and one in Donnelly.

“Each year, when volunteer week comes along, I always stop and pause and try to imagine what our community, our country and our world would look like without volunteers,” says FCSS director Penny Fox. “The day was about thanking them for taking the time to share a bit themselves with our community.”

Over 100 people attended the events, which showcased the volunteers in our region.

“When we look at the formal definition of volunteering, we see that you volunteer by giving freely of our time and talents without coercion,” says Fox. “We volunteer for reasons that don’t have a financial gain and we undertake activities for the benefit of our community and other volunteers.”

Nancy Christenson entertained the group. She is a singer, poet and songwriter who shared her experience of being a cowgirl on Canada’s largest cattle ranch.

“Nancy’s humour and roping abilities were a big hit with the crowd,” says Fox. “She even roped a volunteer for us during her presentation, so we all laughed thinking that when volunteers are hard to find this was one thing we hadn’t tried.”

Nancy is the author of two books about her personal life experiences.

The theme of this year’s volunteer appreciation week was Volunteers are Stars.

“Volunteers are the stars that bring together all the things we value in life,” says Fox. “Our community groups, sports clubs, churches, hospitals, emergency services, seniors clubs, and so many other places, activities, and events are spearheaded by volunteers.”

Fox explains many different events would not be possible without the efforts of volunteers.

She says to look around our local communities and the majority of the community projects are started by local people who are concerned about the quality of our towns.

“FCSS normally has volunteers standing beside us in most of the activities we do that we simply could not do without them,” says Fox. “They are the stars to us and to all the many other people you touch through your involvements.”

The volunteer appreciation events were used to say thank you for all the countless hours volunteers have given to local community and provincial projects.

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