Community Spirit and Volunteer Awards Recipients from the Quad Counties

On Monday, the annual Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award and the Provincial Volunteer Awards were combined into one virtual ceremony called Celebrating Community Spirit and Volunteers Awards.

If you would like to watch the ceremony, click here

Congratulations to the award recipients from the Quad Counties

Irene Johnson – Potlotek First Nation

Irene has been volunteering her time in her community throughout her life with heartfelt dedication, always going above and beyond. A mother of fourteen children, she always makes time to give back to her community. She extends her care to others as a foster mother within her community and mentors’ youth. A member of the Potlotek Board of Education, she opened the first Head Start school and continued to be involved as a kindergarten teacher. Always open to being challenged in new ways, Irene was also instrumental in helping to renovate the community hall and Church.

Francis Lamey – Port Hawkesbury

Francis has been the president of the Port Hawkesbury area Evergreen Seniors Club for the past 6 years. In that time, he has gone above and beyond to take on more than his share of work to fulfill any task from procuring quotes to purchasing supplies or assisting others. He regularly volunteers for the Club’s monthly breakfasts and assists with the elementary school breakfast program. Francis was also a member of the Port of Welcome Syrian Refugee Association Committee, a member of the Strait Richmond Seniors Take Action Coalition, Chairman of St. Joseph Parish Cemetery Committee, and former member of St. Joseph Parish Pastoral Council.

Wally Power – Municipality of the County of Inverness

Wally has been a member of The Strait Area Evergreen Seniors Club forseveral years as a member of the Club’s Executive and Chairperson of Outside Maintenance. The beautiful flower garden in front of our club is just one example of Wally’s many talents. Fortunately for others, Wally has not limited his volunteer efforts to the senior’s club. He has been a member of St. Joseph Parish Choir, past Director of the Port Hawkesbury Credit Union, served as Chair of his Union Local’s Workers Compensation Committee for more than thirty years. He is former Chair of the Compensation Committee for the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, a member of the Board of Directors for the Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia and a member of the Executive Committee of the Nova Scotia Federation of Union Retirees. For the past seven years, he has been involved with the National Threads of Life – an organization that helps families affected by a workplace fatality, life altering injury or occupational disease.

Tessie Pyke – Municipality of the County of Richmond

Tessie has contributed thousands of hours over many years, giving back to her community since 1977. She has influenced the lives of countless boys and girls through her involvement with Boys Scouts and Girl Guides of Canada, for thirty-two years, doing program work and demonstrating that volunteering makes a difference. She encourages people who live alone to come to meals at We Care Days where she spends hours helping prepare meals. As CWL Convener, she also arranges visits to nursing homes, providing entertainment to residents. She has organized many anniversary meals for couples in the community and helps out annually for the Bazaar and Baraco Days meals.

The Rodney Youth Eagle Program – We’koqma’q First Nation

The Rodney Youth Eagle Program was instituted to promote the adoption of ten core values amongst the community’s youth population: Alcohol and drug free, Mikmaw language, Cultural Values, respect, academics, leadership, integrity, commitment and participation, volunteerism and having fun.

Shirley DeCoste – Municipality of the County of Antigonish

Shirley has dedicated countless hours to the rejuvenation of the Monsignor Donnelly Hall for more than six years. She has been involved in fundraising, grant writing, event planning, food preparations, and serving. She plays an important role in helping individuals and families plan events for major life moments, including wakes, funerals, weddings, and parties. For more than forty years, Shirley has helped students, seniors, and youth complete student loan forms, access funding, writing grant applications for housing, school and health. She is known as the go-to resource person in our community, for so many who need help navigating and searching for resources.

Donna Lewis – Municipality of the District of Guysborough

Since Donna’s retirement in 2001 she has been providing childcare for families in need. To date, she has been actively involved with twenty-eight families and entrusted with the care of 40 children of all different ages, more than nineteen years. Volunteering has always been a priority for Donna. She lends her time and expertise to the Canso Library/Resource Centre as Chairperson, Lector and Property & Finance committee member for Star of the Sea Parish, and a volunteer for the Digby community garden.

Brenda MacDonald – Antigonish

To the Town of Antigonish Brenda is a shining star. She truly believes the way to strengthen, improve and grow a community, is to become a vital part of it. Brenda has volunteered with TOPS NS 2948 for more than twenty-four years. She has volunteered for the Special Olympics, the Antigonish Junior Bulldogs, Walmart IWK Car Show, the Heart and Stroke Foundation Big Bike, and the 2019 Nova Scotia 55+ Games. Brenda believes in leading by example and spends much of her volunteer time improving the health and well-being of the people of Antigonish.

Lewis MacIntosh – Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s

Lewis MacIntosh is a lifelong resident of the community of Argyle who has dedicated almost forty years to volunteering. He is very community minded and always willing to lend a hand. He has brought his skillset to Kings United Church, acted as Master of Ceremonies at local concerts, was Grand Marshall at the Sherbrooke Village Old Fashioned Christmas Parade, and Auctioneer at St. Mary’s River Days. He has also helped to organize Canada Day Celebrations and assisted with the St. Martha’s Hospital Help Day Raffle. Lewis also spent six years as secretary/treasurer for the Funeral Association of Nova Scotia.

Robert O’Brien – Mulgrave

Robert became a member of the Mulgrave Volunteer Fire Department when he moved to Mulgrave more than eight years ago. Since then, he trained as a medical first responder and has been the training officer for the last three years. He has offered his expertise in many areas of firefighting including hoses, ladders, and knot tying for rescues. Robert was also a member of the Strait Area Mutual Aid Ground Search & Rescue for eight years and a volunteer member of the Archery club for ten years, where he provided instruction to youth members.

In future years, this legacy award will go to an individual or group demonstrating how resilient and strong Nova Scotians are.

Recipients will show that our strength comes from our community, and reflect the deep level of caring Nova Scotians have for one another.

The recipients for 2020 are:
Sylvia Beirnes
Tory Phinney
Jonathan Torrens
Matt Trecartin
Tiffany Ward
Alex White

You can see a full list of award recipients here