Saying thank you to the board and committee volunteers in Whitecourt

On Thursday, November 21, at the Whitecourt Golf and Country Club, board and committee members from the community were invited to the yearly Appreciation Reception put on by the Town of Whitecourt. Mayor Maryann Chichak and Councillors Ray Hilts, Tom Pickard, Derek Schlosser, and Deputy Mayor Paul Chauvet were on hand to talk with guests and personally thank everyone for their dedication.

Mayor Chichak said that without volunteers, Whitecourt wouldn’t be the community that it is today. “Council and I are honoured to share this night with every one of you. We always look forward to this event so we can show our appreciation for all your hard work and efforts. The combined contributions by all of you are what makes our community so great. Many of the projects and initiatives that make Whitecourt so unique have stemmed from your work on our council committees. Your advice, recommendations, the knowledge that you share, your dedication, and your enthusiasm have shaped our community in countless ways.”

She said family events, recreational programming, revitalization efforts, social programming, business development, and concert opportunities are the work of volunteer-run groups that put countless hours into bringing various opportunities to the community. “What I’m most proud of, when I look across this room, is the diversity that we have on our committees.”

Following her introductory speech, Mayor Chichak walked the microphone around the room and asked each member to stand up, state his or her name, and introduce themselves to the crowd. One by one, members stood up and shared a bit about themselves. Some were new members, some had been around for years, and some were on one board while others had a resume list of several boards they volunteer with.

Following the who’s who, Mayor Chichak asked two individuals up to the front to provide them with a special gift from council. Helen Schutte and her husband Wilbur have been members of the Communities in Bloom Committee for 10 years and played a significant role in many of the initiatives that have taken place. The growth, pun intended, that the Communities in Bloom Committee has seen is a direct result of their dedication and care. Green thumbs, you could say! 

Each year, a special speaker is brought in. Local veteran and Whitecourt Legion Service Officer Kyle Scott shared his remarkable story of how he became a force to be reckoned with. “You could say that volunteering is in my blood. I’ve been led by that example my whole life. In my earliest memory, I could remember my parents and my grandparents giving their free time volunteering. Helping those most vulnerable in society has been a passion of my mother’s. I’ve never met anyone with a heart as big as hers and never putting herself first. Perhaps that is why things clicked for me the way they did.”

He told the crowd of his time in Kabul, Afghanistan where he and his fellow soldiers did what they could to help the local children. “I’ve never seen so many kids in all my life. Every time we stopped our vehicle, we would be surrounded by 10 or even sometimes 100 kids. We were such naïve Canadians. We assumed they would want candy, money, or toys.” He said they eventually learned that the children truly wanted pencils and paper.

“That was the moment I felt a touch of that feeling that drives my parents to help others.” He said they collected pencils and paper and that he also sent the message home which resulted in shoeboxes from his mother full of writing supplies. “I often wonder if those positive interactions made a difference in their lives. Would they remember the Canadians years later? What did they become? Those children would now be in the 21-year-old range. How many of them survived those harsh conditions?”

When he returned from combat after years spent defending Canada on the world stage, Scott began working for the Whitecourt Legion. He has worked in various roles including president. Now, in his role as Service Officer, Scott spends his time helping veterans receive the help they need and making sure those who have passed are still treated with respect. One of the ways he does that is through the Last Post Fund. The program ensures that no veteran is denied a dignified funeral, burial, or military gravestone due to insufficient funds at the time of death. What had started as a way to fix up broken veteran gravestones turned into a full-time project.

“This was an organization that was speaking to my heart. I sent off my application to join them and, to my surprise, I was accepted rather quickly at the Alberta chapter. In rapid succession, I became one of only three unmarked grave reps in Alberta. Since I joined the Last Post Fund two years ago, I’ve found and submitted over 50 graves. It is such a heartwarming thing as a veteran to be able to bring the story of another veteran who served before me back to life with a dignified grave marker.” Scott talked for over 20 minutes and left many of the attendees emotional as they heard about his experiences. His volunteerism continues to change lives, and his story was inspiring to hear.