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Volunteers from Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows honoured

At both events, volunteers received a pin and certificate for their years of service, five to 30-plus
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Volunteers honoured at events in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

Valuable volunteers in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows were honoured for the first time for their time during separate BBQ events in recent weeks.

At both events, volunteers received a pin and certificate for their years of service, five to 30-plus.

More than 125 volunteers attended the event in Pitt Meadows June 8.

Honoured were:

• Joe Antalek – 54 years of service;

• Dave Douglas – 40 years;

• and George Simpson, 30 years.

The Maple Ridge event was attended by 200 volunteers, May 31 at the Greg Moore Youth Centre.

Some of the volunteers honoured:

• Bill Archibald – 49 years of service;

• Lorraine Bates – 30 years;

• Tom Cameron – 30 years;

• Bernice Gehring – 45 years;

• David Koehn – 40 years;

• Julie Koehn – 40 years;

• Shelia Nickols – 30 years;

• Dave Smith – 37 years.

“It is humbling to see how many years some citizens have devoted to volunteering in our community,” said Pitt Meadows Mayor Deb Walters.

“People care deeply about our community, and take the time to make a difference by rolling up their sleeves and getting involved. Whether it’s amateur radio operators to support our emergency operations centre or the dedicated folks who man the barricades at the Pitt Meadows Day Parade, everyone who volunteers in our community are our heroes.”

Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin added: “I have said it before and I’ll say it again, volunteers give the most valuable gift that they have, their time, to a wide variety of organizations in our community.

“I also know that some volunteers tell us that they don’t want any recognition, that they don’t want a certificate or pin. They volunteer because it gives them a sense of purpose and connects them to the community in a special way. That’s the humbling part that Mayor Walters talked about. This event is just a small way that we can thank these people for their contribution to making our two communities great.”

Some volunteers asked to remain anonymous and didn’t supply their years of service.

“But we know of their amazing contributions and they are truly and fully appreciated for their community service,” said Kathryn Baird, recreation and volunteer/special events coordinator for park and leisure services.

“We are going to continue this new tradition and look forward to hearing more stories of people’s efforts in the two communities.”