Morinville casts a spotlight on its volunteers

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Ecole Notre Dame students perform a lively song and dance number during the pre-award ceremony meet and greet. Community Services lined up a large variety of local talent to provide entertainment intermezzos between awards and speeches.

Photos By Lucie Roy, Stephen Dafoe, Sheldon Fingler, and Melodie Steele

Morinville – You can’t make a shadow without some light, and the Town of Morinville kept with its theme Volunteers Cast a Beautiful Shadow by shining the light on the community’s many volunteers Friday night.

The Morinville Community Cultural Centre was packed with volunteers and well wishers who were treated to a belly full of food, an evening’s entertainment, and plenty of applause and recognition. Award recipients were introduced by emcee Joe Gosslin and recognized by members of Council and Administration.

A large turnout of volunteers to accept a little thanks from the community they volunteer in was not the only big turnout this year. Morinville Family and Community Support Services Coordinator Karin Debenham said Community Services received more than 50 nominations this year, not including the nominations received by the Morinville Lions Club for their Citizen of the Year Award.

Here are some pictorial highlights of this year’s award’s ceremony

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Volunteer of the Year

The Town received four nominations for volunteer of the year: Carrie Foss, Paul Smith, Stephen Dafoe and Simonne Chevalier. Chevalier, who is a life-long resident of Morinville, was selected as this year’s recipient for her tireless work raising funds and obtaining a federal grant to save Morinville’s historic St. Jean Baptiste Church’s steeple.

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Youth Volunteer of the Year

Three of Morinville’s youth were considered for Youth Volunteer of the Year: Angela Proulx, Grant Greaves and Tyler Dziwenka. The latter nominee was presented the award for his volunteerism, particularly in the area of mentoring in youth sports. Accepting the award was the recipient’s mother, Melonie.

Volunteer Family of the Year

Two nominations were received this year for Volunteer Family of the Year: Don Summers and Doris Jolicoeur, and Joseph and Christopher Trapani. The Trapanis were presented the award for their separate and collective work as volunteers in Morinville, including their work with the Morinville Community Library. The father and son were applauded for their generosity in volunteering as well as donating to a number of community initiatives. Councillor David Pattison accepted the award on behalf of Joseph and Christopher Trapani.

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Coach or Mentor of the Year

Morinville residents Paul Smith, Serge Froment and Jessica Logan were all nominated for their efforts in coaching and mentoring in the community. Smith, who is chair of the Morinville Festival Society, was presented the award this year, recognized for his work with that organization as well as his efforts in working with local musicians to give them the skills they need to not only hit the high notes but also to hit the stage on a high note. Early in the evening the audience was given a performance by the Morinville Community Band, a group Smith has been working with for some time now.

Unsung Hero

Seven volunteers were put in the spotlight Friday night for the work they do behind the community spotlight. Alliance Pipeline, Elsie Strang, Jackie Luker, Morinville Community Library Staff, Stephen Dafoe, Valerie Loseth, and Constable Yelena Avoine were all nominated for the unsung hero qualities of their work in the community. Dafoe was presented with the award this year.

In addition to the five awards presented by the Town of Morinville, local groups and businesses presented three others.

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Citizen of the Year

The Morinville Lions Club’s Citizen of the Year Award is presented to a citizen or citizens who make a significant contribution to the community over the past and preceding years. Stacey and Serge Froment were presented the award this year for their dedication to their community, particularly through volunteer contributions to youth sports, including the Black Ice Volleyball Club and the Morinville Road Runners, the latter of whom have won three consecutive city and provincial championships.

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The Rendez-Vous Centre’s Heritage Award

The Morinville Rendez-Vous Centre’s Heritage Award, recognizing a community member’s long-standing service with any volunteer organization within the town of Morinville, was presented to Diana and Bob Moquin Friday night. The Moquins were recognized for their many years of volunteer work with the Rendez-Vous Centre, including redesigning and redecorating the centre.

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Morinville News Community Spirit Award

The Morinville News Community Spirit Award was once again presented to an individual who unites the community together through their participation, involvement and promotion of the community. The award seeks to recognize the member of the community who may otherwise escape the recognition they deserve. This year’s nominations from the community included Eva Scrimshaw, Paul Smith, and Morinville Marvelous Moms Rebecca Holland, Sarah Hall and Misty Featherly. This year’s recipient was Eva Scrimshaw for her behind the scenes work on many community events, including the Morinville Public Elementary School Carnival and the Zombie Apocalypse event in aid of the Morinville Food Bank Society.

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Musician Rory Turner performs before the awards ceremony.

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The Morinville Community Band plays Play That Funky Music

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The Morinville Minstrels Sing

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David Haas of the Caviar Players appears ghostly in a shortened version of the troupe’s latest play.

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3 Comments

  1. A big thank you to all the volunteers- you all make a positive influence on the community. The precious gift of your time benefits everyone. Congratulations to the award recipients and every volunteer in the community.

  2. Congratulations to all the volunteer winners and also to those nominated. Often not enough thank yous are offered to those who work behind the scenes like our local volunteers.
    So thank you.
    Linda Lyons

  3. Thank you Town of Morinville for a wonderful evening, congratulation to all the winners, well done. And the entertainment was not too shabby either, and Mr. Dafoe you are a man of many talents.Oh, the food was tops, best meatballs (outside of my own kitchen) was superb.What a perfect way to end THE LONGEST WINTER.

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