CELEBRATING SENIORS
On Sunday, Sept. 30, the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism hosted the ninth 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, Advocacy, 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. They also had their photo taken with the Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable W. Thomas Molloy, who presented them with a pin.
After the reception the emcee for the evening, Rod Mckendrick who works in the Ministry of Justice, welcomed everyone to the event and kept everything flowing smoothly. Elder Shirley Wolfe-keller gave a blessing for the event. Greetings were presented by our Honourary Patron the Honourable Thomas Molloy, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan; Ms. Linda Restau on behalf of the provincial government; Deputy Mayor Barbara Young on behalf of the City of Regina; and Mr. Randy Dove, president of the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism.
Presentations highlighting the volunteer contributions of each nominee were shown throughout the evening. A big thanks to Access Communications!
Our platinum sponsor for the event was CAA Saskatchewan. Following an excellent buffet supper Pat Friesen, vice-chair of the CAA Saskatchewan Board of Directors, introduced our guest speaker Lorne Calvert.
The awards ceremony commenced with Pat Friesen presenting the Heritage and Culture Award on behalf of CAA Saskatchewan. Other awards were then presented by SSM President Randy Dove and the Honourable Thomas Molloy, with selected awards presented by the Gold Sponsors – the Centenarian award by Colleen Stenhouse, Regional Director of Operations, on behalf of All Seniors Care Living Centres, and the Community Leadership-rural award by Wayne Rutten 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 306359-9956 for more information or for a nomination package.