Gravenhurst area volunteers honoured.
PLAYING THEIR PART. During the annual Ontario Volunteer Service Award ceremony held May 24 at Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville, 125 volunteers from across Muskoka, Parry Sound and Almaguin Highlands were recognized for their multiple years of service in various organizations.
Alison Brownlee
GRAVENHURST - A volunteer is an ordinary person who does extraordinary things, said former MPP Ken Black.
Black was the keynote speaker at the annual Ontario Volunteer Service Award ceremony held May 24 at Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville. One hundred twenty-five volunteers from across Muskoka, Parry Sound and Almaguin Highlands were recognized at the hour-long evening ceremony for their multiple years of service in various organizations.
“Making a difference is what volunteerism is all about,” said Black. “You are people who have made a significant difference … in the lives of people in your community and in your province.”
But he told the volunteers their jobs are not yet done.
“We are coming to a time in our history where things are going to be more challenging and difficult than they were before. Governments are facing enormous debts, economies around the world are in trouble … we’re going to face shortages of water, food and oil,” he said. “And guess who is going to bear the biggest burden? It’s not going to be government, politicians or economists. It’s going to be the grassroots in your local communities who try to serve the people in those communities and struggle to do it.”
He urged everyone in attendance to continue doing good work in the community.
“My plea to you is to continue to contribute to your community, encourage your friends and families to join you,” he said. “Continue being ordinary people who do extraordinary things for the good of others.”
Black was applauded as he left the stage.
The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards are a central part of the province’s volunteer recognition program. The awards celebrate those who give their time to help others and improve the quality of life for all, according to a press release issued by the provincial government.
Larry Curley, regional adviser for the ministries of citizenship and immigration and tourism, culture and sport, said the volunteers in the theatre have a combined 1,399 years of service as he started calling out the names of award recipients.
Gravenhurst recipients of 10- and 15-year volunteer service awards were all from the Gravenhurst Seniors Club and included Shirley Carson, Lillian Hunter, Glenna Kergon, Garnet Schenk and Jeannette Wilcox.
Award recipients are nominated by the organizations they serve.