Celebrating Seniors
On Sunday, Oct. 1 the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism hosted the eighth annual Celebrating Seniors provincial senior volunteer awards. The awards were presented at a banquet held at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina.
These awards celebrate the contributions seniors make to our society and provide an opportunity for Saskatchewan to be made aware of the contributions of older adults in all aspects of the life and work of our province. Award categories include Centenarian, Community Leadership-Rural, Community Leadership-Urban, Contribution to a First Nations or Métis Community, Education, Fitness, Heritage and Culture, Intergenerational, Lifetime Achievement, Arts and Entertainment, Teamwork, and Senior-friendly Business.
The evening began with a reception during which each of the nominees received a corsage, a certificate and a gift bag of goodies donated for the occasion.
After the reception the MC for the evening, Phil Darlington from CTV Regina, welcomed everyone to the event and kept everything flowing smoothly. Elder Hazel Bitternose gave a blessing for the event. Written greetings from our Honourary Patron the Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, were read by the MC. Greetings were presented by Ms. Linda Restau on behalf of the provincial government, Mayor Michael Fougere on behalf of the City of Regina, and Mr. Robert Wuschenny, president of the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism.
Our Platinum Sponsor for the event was CAA Saskatchewan – this year celebrating 100 years in Saskatchewan. Following an excellent buffet supper Suzanne Young, representing CAA Saskatchewan, introduced our guest speaker Heather Bishop, CM, OM, Hon. LL.D, who is an accomplished musician, singer-songwriter, social activist, visual artist, author, teacher, and tradeswoman.
The awards ceremony commenced with Fred Titanich, president and CEO of CAA Saskatchewan, presenting the Heritage and Culture Award. Other awards were then presented by SSM President Robert Wuschenny, with selected awards presented by the Gold Sponsors – the Centenarian award by Sandra Williams on behalf of All Seniors Care Living Centres and the Community Leadership-Rural award by Carol Sagin on behalf of SaskTel Pioneers Chapter 59.
The Celebrating Seniors Awards take place annually. Anyone can nominate someone for an award. The nominees must be 55 years of age or older, be a resident of Saskatchewan, and have made a significant volunteer contribution to their community. Contact Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism at 306-359-9956 for more information or for a nomination package.