Locals honoured with Canada 150 Volunteer Award
Well-known for their volunteer efforts, Milt Loomis and Richard Evans were recognized Thursday afternoon for their contributions to the local community with special Canada 150 Volunteer Award pins, presented by Compton-stanstead MP Marieclaude Bibeau.
It’s only fitting that the copper pins were made out of tin salvaged from the roofs of parliament during a recent renovation. It is indisputable that volunteers are the backbone of a thriving community and help keep a roof over many local organizations.
“We wanted it to be special,” Bibeau said, during her stop at the home of Richard Evans to present him with the pin.
Bibeau explained that Each MP was given 20 Canada 150 Volunteer Award pins to distribute.
“We could choose whoever we want,” she said.
“We asked our community partners,” Bibeau said, asking for nominations for volunteers who were 75-years-old and over.
The nominations were then brought to Bibeau’s youth council, a group of 1624 year-olds who meet regularly to discuss local issues.
“We thought it would be nice for them to realize how active and important volunteers are in the community,” she explained.
Richard Evans and Milt Loomis were among the 20 chosen in the Comptonstanstead riding.
Evans was the founding president of the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) and, for decades, has been involved in leading and advising nonprofit groups including Heritage Huntingville, the Lennoxville and Ascot Historical Society (LAHMS) and the Lennoxville United Church.
As he accepted his pin, Evans pointed out that as his generation ages, there are fewer and fewer people in a position to volunteer.
“We need the next level to come out to have continuity. That’s a drum I’ve been pounding for some time,” Evans said, hoping that drawing attention to volunteerism will encourage new recruits.
Dwane Wilkin, who attended Evans’ presentation ceremony, calculated that Evans had been volunteering for as long as he had worked in the private sector.
“I can think of no better person for this award,” Wilkin said, congratulation Evans.
Following the ceremony at Evans’ home, Bibeau continued on to present Milt Loomis with his Canada 150 Volunteer Award.
The ceremony took place on the grounds of the little Hyatt one-room schoolhouse, where Loomis and his wife Bev have been working for 22 years to develop and preserve the heritage site.
Bibeau presented Loomis with the special pin in front of the construction area where the crowning jewel of the Patrimoine-ascott-heritage project being built.
An interactive panel with bilingual audio recordings about the history of the area should be completed by the fall, according to Loomis.
Having just celebrated his 90th birthday in July, Loomis is still overseeing and assisting in the construction of the new panel. He also built two seats so that visitors can sit and listen to the history of the area.
“I’m tongue tied. Bev will do the talking,” Loomis said, when presented with is the Canada 150 Volunteer Award.
Bibeau thanked Loomis for his contributions to the community, adding that both Bev and Milt have been instrumental in developing the Hyatt one-room schoolhouse heritage site.
After Milt received his pin, Bibeau had another presentation to make.
The new panel was funded in part by a grant from the Legacy fund. Bibeau presented Milt and Bev with a Legacy plaque that will be mounted next to interpretive panel.