Volunteers recognized: KLSRC’s recognition dinner
Bob Walden, Linda Ham, and Shannon Post were presented with Volunteer of the Year awards at the 5th Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner hosted by the Kawartha Lakes Sport and Recreation Council (KLSRC). The Kawartha Lakes Soccer Club and Soroptimist International of Kawartha Lakes were also both recognized as co-winners of the Volunteer Organization of the Year. The event was held Wednesday, Nov. 6th at the Lindsay Golf and Country Club.
Walden was recognized for his longevity and multiple roles within the Little Britain sports community. Bob began coaching hockey at the age of 18, went on to coach his own son for 10+ years and has continued to stay involved so that he is now able to coach his grandchildren. Bob has not only volunteered his time and energy as a hockey coach over the years, but also an organization volunteer, sport official, sport enthusiast, and community volunteer in the sports of baseball and lacrosse as well.
Ham was commended for her long-term commitment to youth basketball. Linda’s sport and recreation involvement has spanned many roles: coach, instructor, trainer, organization volunteer, sport official, and special event volunteer. She has coached girls Club/Rep travel basketball teams for 12 years and provided leadership in the Lindsay Wildcats Youth Basketball Association for more than a decade. Linda has served on the Club’s executive for that length of time and does an outstanding job as volunteer convenor of the basketball house league which runs every year from September to December in rented TLDSB gymnasiums throughout the CKL.
Post has fulfilled many roles in the sport and recreation community – coach, organization volunteer, sport official, special event volunteer, sport enthusiast and community volunteer. Not only is he one of the original founders of the Kawartha Lakers Girls Softball Association, Shannon is also the current president and was a coach with the organization for 6 years. He is also the current president of the Central East Women’s Fastpitch League and was a volunteer with the Provincial Women’s Softball Association. For the last 3 years, Shannon has been directly involved in attracting, organizing and ensuring the smooth operation of the year end tournament for the Central East Fastpitch League at Wilson Fields.
The winners were chosen from an impressive list of nominees that also included Colin Matthew (Lindsay Rugby Football Club), Bruce Wilson (Lindsay Wildcats Youth Basketball Association), and Lisa Hogan (Lindsay Lynx).
The Volunteer Organization of the Year Award had three deserving nominations with the Woodville Skating Club – celebrating 50 years – also vying for the award.
In addition to the dinner and awards ceremonies, presentations were given by Art Hornibrook of the Kawartha Cycling Club and Pippa Stephenson from the Ontario Early Years Center on two Ontario Trillium Foundation grant projects. Hornibrook’s presentation gave an overview of the Active Again program that presented sport and recreation opportunities to participants in Fenelon Falls geared towards adaptability and accessibility. Stephenson spoke about the Physical Literacy Champions Network that she is helping to spearhead that promotes increased physical literacy amongst the youth in the community through early childhood educators and teachers.
The KLSRC is a volunteer organization committed to the enhancement and promotion of sport, recreation and healthy active living opportunities for all citizens of the City of Kawartha Lakes. Among its goals are to support the growth of sport and recreation in CKL by providing a network for sport organizations to share resources and expertise.
The 5th Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner was made possible with thanks to our sponsors and supporters: Hutton Angelo LLP, Traditional Styles Custom Building and Design, the Lindsay Golf and Country Club, Mickael’s Café Librairie, RJT Solutions, City of Kawartha Lakes Parks, Recreation & Culture Division and the HKPR District Health Unit.
For more information, or to get involved in this positive work, contact KLSRC co-ordinator Dennis Geelen at 705-701-8659 or by email at .
