From Left: Morinville Community Library Assistant Manager Cheryl Cheryl Pasechnik, Library Manager Isabelle Cramp, Board Chair Jennifer Anheliger, Program Coordinator Stacey Buga, and Mayor Barry Turner.
by Stephen Dafoe
The Morinville Lions Club, Rendez-Vous Centre and Morinville News partnered for a volunteer appreciation event Apr. 6 at the Rendez-Vous.
The Morinville News once again presented the Paul Krauskopf Community Spirit Award, which recognizes an individual who unites the community through their participation, involvement, and promotion of the community.
Originally called the Morinville News Community Spirit Award, the award has been presented annually since 2012 to recognizes the member of the community who may otherwise escape the recognition they deserve.
Krauskopf, although well-known as a long-time Town Councillor and Mayor of the community was an active volunteer and a regular face at community events, aptly earning the nickname Mr. Morinville.
This year’s recipient of the Paul Krauskopf Community Spirit Award was Morinville Community Library Programming Coordinator Stacey Buga. Her work in using the library as a hub or starting point for bringing a diverse group of people together for programs and conversations earned her the recognition.
Over the past year, Buga’s Adult Learning Circle has brought people to the library to discuss reconciliation, gathered a group at Higher Grounds Espresso Bar to discuss cannabis legislation before legalization last fall. She has also been successful in bringing various businesses and community groups together to form partnerships and learning opportunities within the community.
Buga said she never had the opportunity to meet Krauskopf, but that the Paul Krauskopf Award given posthumously to Morinville Library Board Chair Keith Norris sits in a showcase near to her desk.
“That’s one of the people who, when I first started volunteering on the library board, he was a mentor to me,” Buga said of Norris. “He was just a fantastic person to be around. So to have my name alongside his is phenomenal.”
The award has been presented 11 times over eight years with some years having more than one recipient.
Below is a list of the past recipients of the award.
