CHESTERMERE – There are six deserving celebrities in Chestermere who received an award for their impressive volunteering efforts. They all were given the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal which is a commemorative medal to mark the 60th anniversary of the accession to the thrones of Queen Elizabeth II. The medal is to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians over the previous sixty years. Below are the people and their valuable contributions over the years.
MARILYN KING
Longtime Chestermere resident Marilyn King was recognized for her many years of service to the community on August 20 when Mayor Patricia Matthews presented her with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at the Town office.
King, who has worked as a teacher for the past 39 years, said she was surprised to receive the medal. King has owned and operated Chestemere’s Little Acorns Fine Arts Preschool for the past 10 years. She serves as the chair for the Chestermere Public Library Board, having had a year as vice chair and served as chair for three years previous to her current position. She also serves as secretary of the Chestermere Historical Foundation, is a member of the Chestermere Lions Club, is involved in the Visioning Committee and the Alberta Early Child Development Mapping Project and is on the accreditation committee for the Southern Alberta Preschool Teachers’ Association. She said her desire to volunteer began when she and her family immigrated to Canada from Liverpool, England HP years ago, starting out in Calgary. Our first Christmas, we decided to get involved in something, so we went to the Calgary Children’s Cottage and helped with their fundraising telethon. We did that for a few years as a family and a couple years after that, we started volunteering with the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank. “It just went from there.” “It’s a lot of fun and we get a lot out of it.” King said Chestermere is the kind of community that makes getting involved easy and fun. Kings husband Steve now serves as a director for the Interfaith Food Bank Society, and both their daughters, 29 year-old Claire and 26 year-old Lauren regularly volunteer their time, including participating in the Loop Around the Lake, an annual fundraiser for the library.
JENN PEDDLESDEN – has lived in Chestermere since 1977. Her first volunteer job started at the Junior Red Cross at Samuel Crowther School in Strathmore, 1959. She was accredited as a La Leche League Canada volunteer leader in 1981 and still does one to one counselling for mothers on breastfeeding and leads a breastfeeding support group monthly, in Calgary, and also at Chestermere Library.
As a former pharmacist, she provides other La Leche League Canada volunteers with expertise on medications in mother’s milk; Co-Chair Alberta Breastfeeding Committee. Peddlesden manages a listserve for pharmacist interested in breastfeeding and infant nutrition.
In Chestermere she helped start the Chestermere Community Playschool, sits on the executive on Conrich Home and School, Chestermere High Home and School, Alberta Home and School Council; volunteer on Town of Chestermere Development Appeal Board, Chestermere Conrich Regional Recreation Board, Chestermere Rocky View SE.
She is also involved in the Family School Liaison Committee, Chestermere Recycling Committee; ACE Leader (Alberta Parks and Recreation) for Chestermere, wrote a chapter for Chestermere A Home for All Seasons 2006 (history book), Chestermere Country Fair Red Ribbon Coordinator, Chestermere Historical Foundation President, wrote a community column in Rocky View Five Village Weekly for 14 years, currently a regular contributor to The Anchor Weekly.
“Volunteering has always been a way for me to contribute back; share my gifts with others”. “I was blessed to be able to continue this when our two children were born and Bill was able to support us all”. “It is an honour to receive this award but the real honour is working alongside other energetic and generous volunteers as we all aim to make the world a better place”.
DON ROBERTS
The award was a total surprise to him. “Volunteering is just something we do; we don’t think about it, it comes naturally and it is something that everyone should do”. “I suspect that you will find the same from all the folks who were recipients”.
Roberts has always been active as early as in High School he was on the Student Council. After high school in 1979 he joined the Lions Club where he was a member for 20 years and received two of the highest rewards in Lions, the Melvin Jones Fellow and the Judge Brian Stephenson Award.
He was also a Rotarian for a while.
The list gets longer; he was a hockey referee and began that career in 1981. The family moved to the Calgary area in 1988, and in 1992 he became and still is active on the executive of the referee association. For 5 plus years he was the Referee in Chief for Central Zone and he is still involved as Past Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. He was also the referee in chief in Chestermere for about 5 years in the mid 90’s. During the late 80’s – President of the Parent Advisory Group for a local junior High in Calgary, in the 90’s coached Minor Hockey in Calgary and Chestermere in the Atom, Pee Wee and Midget age groups.
The Town of Chestermere had a number of openings on Boards and Committees and originally he was on the Emergency Services Board and the Assessment Review Board to establish a new Policing Committee. Through that association he was on the Board of the Alberta Association of Police Governance for 3 years then became a member of the Subdivision Approval Authority, which later became the Chestermere Planning Commission. Now a member of the Audit Committee Municipal Development Plan Committee and is now Chair of the Audit Committee and Chair of the Chestermere Planning Commission.
In the mid 2000’s he became involved with the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors and assisted in establishing the Calgary chapter and served as Chairman of the Board for two years (2010 and 2011).
About three years ago he became involved with the Chestermere United Way giving committee. Through that committee he saw the need for a foundation in Chestermere to allow residents to give, and is the interim President of the Chestermere Regional Community Development Foundation.
He is also assisting the Chestermere Health Committee by creating a Business Plan for a medical clinic in Chestermere.
Finally, he served as the co-chairman of the Bruce McAllister Election Campaign and the Chief Financial Officer of the local constituency association, and active on the Wildrose Executive Committee as a Provincial Director.
Roberts says “I would be remiss if I did not indicate that my wife Monica often has to put up with all the activities and trying to figure out which nights I am or am not home and our three kids and their spouses have been great supporters.
ALEX HALAT
Halat was nominated for running events such as the longest hockey game as well sitting on boards in town such as the Citizens on Patrol, Chestermere Regional Development Board, volunteering with Chestermere Minor Hockey and sitting on the board of the Oilympics. As well, Halat was the founding member of the Chestermere/Langdon Oilmen’s Association and is part of the Chestermere Regional Community Development Foundation. All of the above are groups that give back to our community and Halat was an key part of them.
RAYMOND (RAY) HESSLER
Hessler was part of the committee that started the Cenotaph committee and held the Remembrance Day Ceremony at Anniversary Park. With the help of Marilyn Conrad they started the Poppy Drive. He often is asked to speak to children at schools at their Remembrance Day Services. This year the Forest Lawn Legion #275 presented Hessler with the Legion Meritorious Service Medal. It is the highest award medal presented by the Legion Dominion Command. Hessler has been a Legion member for 38 years.
STU HUTCHISON
Hutchison has served on Town Council for almost 20 years and numerous Town committees in all those years. He currently sits on a board of directors for the Calgary Lacrosse Association and in the past has coached boys hockey, boys soccer, and boys and girls softball teams. As well Hutchison organized the lake clean up, campaigned for the Diabetes Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
