Volunteer of the Year
Congratulations to all of our nominees!
Tracey Enns
Tracy Enns is an active member of the Boyne River Keepers, a newly formed, not-for-profit organization in Carman, Manitoba. The Boyne River Keepers is a local grassroots committee, dedicated to the well being and sustainability of the Boyne River that runs through the heart of Carman, Manitoba.
Tracy and a small committee have worked to clear and maintain a large section of the Boyne River that runs through the Town of Carman. Her and the committee have removed fallen trees, branches and debris from the water pathway, which makes way for kayaks, boats, paddleboards and canoes in the summer months, and skaters, walkers, snowshoers and runners in the winter months.
The Boyne River has become a hub of activity during the Covid pandemic. The Town of Carman played an active part in keeping approximately 5kms of cleared pathway on the frozen river, to allow for skating, walking, running and many other activities on the beautiful Boyne River.
Tracy has worked to secure grants, which will be utilized to launch two separate boat docks, at separate locations on the river. One will be placed at Ryall Park and the other at the Trestle Bridge. Tracy and the Boyne River Keepers committee, plans to host paddle events this summer, restrictions permitting.
Bringing life to the Boyne River has brought tremendous attention to this hidden gem within our community. The upkeep of the river will be an ongoing effort, but with the community behind Tracy and her committee, the future of the Boyne River Keepers is looking very bright.
Rusty Rutherford
Rusty Rutherford and his wife Elaine were leading volunteers at the Fort la Reine Museum in the 1990s before taking a leave of absence. Rusty returned as a regular volunteer at the Museum in 2019 and has been instrumental in making the Museum an exceptional place to visit. Rusty has an incredible history of volunteering for arts and heritage organizations in Portage la Prairie. His previous work includes facilitating events for the Vintage Cruisers classic car club, managing the facilities and leading school programs at the Fort la Reine Museum, leading groups through Boy Scouts Canada, and assisting with programming at Prairie Fusion (previously the Portage Arts Centre). Rusty’s continuous dedication to our tourism and our collective heritage and history is astounding.
Carol Smith
Carol Smith is a dedicated volunteer for multiple boards in the Municipality of Louise. Rock Lake Camp, Parklane Theatre, Rock Lake Pastoral Charge and Crystal City Fellowship Club to name a few. She dedicates her time to grant writing and research on projects that bring local people together but also assist the organizations with having a regional and provincial voice.
Grant writing is not for everyone, Carol is the first to step up and has contributed to bringing 100’s of thousands of dollars to the various organizations that she volunteers with. She even goes the extra mile and searches grant databases, approaches the organization and applies for the grant for them, truly incredible.
Projects that Carol has had a hand in are community courtyards, theatre upgrades and accessibility, fire truck purchases, upgrades to senior centres, camp renovations.
Carol is an inspiration to others but also one in a million. There are not many people that take on grant writing and the ones that do often sit in the background or shadow and watch the projects unfold after they have secured the funding.
Carol loves her rural life and shows great pride in the work she does for each and every organization. The projects that have been lucky enough to have Carol write these successful grants have brought 1000’s of visitors to our area. Carol Smith is a ”behind the scenes” true community champion.