Morinville Lions Club looking for next Citizen of the Year

by Stephen Dafoe

Nominations are open for the Morinville Lions Club’s Citizen of the Year Award. Residents have until Apr. 2 to nominate their candidate for the honour.

It’s a tradition started by the Morinville Lions Club in the late 1960s and continues 48 years later with the service club’s desire to shine a spotlight on those who give of their time and talent to their community.

The Lions wanted to recognize people in the community who had gone above and beyond as volunteers. Originally run in conjunction with Morinville’s Frontier Days, the annual award eventually became a Lions Club component of the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night, which takes place Apr. 15 this year.

Though the venue has changed, the motivation behind the award has not. The Lions are still looking for that resident with special qualifications.

“The Lions Club feels it is extremely important to honour an outstanding person, couple or family that has made a significant contribution to our community,” said Morinville Lions Club Vice President Deborah Robillard. “We recognize these individuals and need them to know that they are not going unnoticed, that they should be celebrated for their unselfish acts, and that because of them, they have helped to change and improve someone’s life.”

The recognition is open to any individual, couple or family who has made a significant contribution to the community.

Robillard said the ideal candidate, often unsung and unrecognized, has demonstrated creativity, vision, leadership, and citizenship by providing service to programs and activities that positively impact the welfare of people in Morinville.

Nominations should include how long the nominee has been a resident of Morinville, their group involvement, accomplishments over the past year and up to ten years, as well as commentary on the nominee’s commitment and personal involvement in the community.

If the nominee is not a resident of Morinville, nominators are asked to include info on whether they have a business in Morinville and if they do their volunteering in the community.

A committee of three Lions members and the previous Citizen of the Year judge all nominations, which are kept confidential. If the previous year’s recipient is a Lions Club member, the Citizen of the Year Committee select a citizen at large to join them in reviewing the nominees.

Nominations can be sent by mail to The Morinville Lions Club
 – Box 3150
 Morinville, AB
 T8R1S1 or by email to history8@telus.net.

Those with questions about the nomination process can contact Lucie Roy at history8@telus.net or phone Francis Fryters at 780-939-3741.

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