The Elkford Volunteer Appreciation event was a success on Apr. 16. The event had close to 80 people in attendance and gave the city an opportunity to thank the many people and clubs that make Elkford the community it is. The day coincides with Volunteer Week, a nation-wide initiative.
“This is the perfect opportunity to get the community together over the National Volunteer Week. We have representatives from Council, who are here doing the work for the event. We also have the ATV Club, Wapiti Ski Hill, and we will have the Elkford Early Years Committee and an official announcement of the Citizen of the Year,” said the Program and Marketing Coordinator for the District of Elkford, Chantel Dawson.
Many city staff were at the event manning barbeques, serving lunches and helping with the event. The day of appreciation has recently started to include the award for Citizen of the Year.
“It gives us a chance to express our thanks to all the volunteers that work in our community throughout the year and to recognize the Citizen of the Year at the event,” said Elkford Mayor, Dean McKerracher. “We used to do it at Wildcat Days and we found the interest for that was low, people wouldn’t come to the stage. So now we do it here at the Volunteer Appreciation, and I think it is more fitting. Council serves the lunch and helps out with the event.”
This year’s recipient for Citizen of the year is Gordon Galloway. He has been a volunteer for many years both locally and provincially and this is the second time he has been awarded Citizen of the Year.
“He has been a volunteer for over 42 years in Elkford, ranging from ATV Club, and the Snowmobile Association to a key person who takes care of our trails and the Citizen of the Year in 1986,” said Dawson.
Galloway believes in doing his part to keep the community, especially the trails, clean.
“We have always tried to keep things clean. Since I was in the bush lots I said ‘well why don’t we do our part?’ At that time I was with the four wheel drive club and then did that with the snowmobile club and ATV club,” he said.
The event also featured a bouncy house and airbrushed tattoos.
“We also have for the younger or younger at heart, an airbrush tattoo booth and a bouncy house out on the patio. I find if the kids are entertained then the parents are more likely to sit down and have a coffee and burger,” said Dawson.