Municipal units, province to honour volunteers

By Eric Bourque

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

National Volunteer Week is coming up and volunteer recognition events are planned in conjunction with the annual campaign.

Local activities include a volunteer reception for the Town and Municipality of Yarmouth and a volunteer banquet for the Municipality of Argyle.

The Yarmouth reception is scheduled for Tuesday evening, April 29, at the town hall, while the Municipality of Argyle’s banquet will be held Friday, April 25.

The Argyle volunteer dinner, which is held in different locations from year to year, this time will take place at the East Pubnico Community Centre.

On April 24, the day before the Municipality of Argyle’s banquet, the province will hold its annual volunteer recognition event at the Westin Hotel in Halifax.

Volunteers from throughout Nova Scotia will receive awards during the provincial ceremony, including local residents Gary Archibald, Tootsie Emin and Stan Surette.

All three have donated their time and energy to a variety of causes and organizations.

Gary Archibald, the Municipality of Yarmouth’s representative volunteer for 2008, is chairman of the Western Counties Regional Library and is a board member with the Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia. He also is involved in the Mariners Centre, the Argyle/Yarmouth Retired Teachers Association and the Congregational Church of Chebogue.

Stan Surette of the Municipality of Argyle – like Archibald a retired educator – is, or has been, involved in various organizations, including Saint Peter’s church, Le Village historique, the Acadian federation, Knights of Columbus and thet West Pubnico Golf and Country Club. He has managed political campaigns and has been involved in organizing sports for young people.

Tootsie Emin, representing the Town of Yarmouth, is a well-known artist who has, through her art, helped many local groups and causes, most notably Big Brothers Big Sisters. By donating her paintings to assist the organization with fundraising, she so far has generated about $30,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

She has used her art also to help the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation among other groups.

Her contribution to the community has not been limited to fundraising. She used to volunteer, for instance, as the instructor for a local after-school art program.