麻豆视频

You don鈥檛 volunteer for recognition, but when it comes it is appreciated.

That was the response of Bruce Thurston and Mya Desmarais who were announced last week as the inaugural recipients of the City of Yorkton鈥檚 Citizen Recognition Awards.

The announcement was made at the regular meeting of Yorkton Council Monday with Thurston being chosen in the adult category and Desmarais in the youth category.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always an honour to be nominated especially by peers and the community,鈥� said Thurston. 鈥溾�� You do these things regardless of awards. You do it because it鈥檚 the right thing to do. It鈥檚 a social responsibility.

鈥淏ut, it is nice to be recognized.鈥�

Desmarais, 17, said she was surprised when contacted about her selection.

鈥淚 was pretty excited. I was actually out shopping when they contacted me,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� I鈥檓 very honoured to be getting it. It鈥檚 humbling.鈥�

Thurston said volunteerism is something that was instilled in him by his parents.

鈥淚t goes back to mom and dad who always encouraged me to get involved in the community I lived in,鈥� he said, adding there was a period in his life he moved often and volunteering got him involved in each place. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a responsibility of being a person in the community.鈥�

Desmarais said volunteering is something she feels she should do.

鈥淛ust being part of the community is really important to me,鈥� she said.

Having grown up in Yorkton, and having enjoyed many of the opportunities offered in the city, Desmarais said she feels volunteering is a way to create opportunities for other people.

Of course volunteering does take time for a student such as Desmarais.

鈥淚t takes a lot of time management. You have to know when to slow down for a second to regenerate and then get back to it,鈥� she said.

In October of 2017, Council approved the 鈥楥itizen Recognition Awards Policy鈥�. The policy is in place to recognize two recipients (adult and youth) who have given selfless support, and made contributions for the betterment of the City of Yorkton. A Council committee comprised of three Council members and two community members was appointed in January of 2018 to adjudicate submissions for the 2018 year, and recommend the award recipients to Council.

As of the submission deadline, there were 11 adult category submissions, and four youth category submissions received.

As background to Yorkton Council last week Jessica Matsalla, City Clerk with the City reported 鈥淏ruce Thurston is a familiar name for many, with his extensive involvement in the City. Events that have seen his efforts are the Charity Road Race, Rhythm and Ribs Festival, Charity Golf Classics, the Farming for Health Project, Snowarama, the annual Pumpkin Walk, as well as involvement with the Soup Haven and YBID to name a few.

鈥淢ya Desmarais is an honour roll student at the Yorkton Regional High School who has many notable accomplishments. The annual Friday Night Lights football game was orchestrated by her efforts amidst performing a Skills Canada Competition and achieving bronze in Public Speaking and Robotics, working as a lifeguard, and volunteering as a Mentor for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.鈥�

The presentation of the awards was originally set to occur at the first meeting held in January 2019, with award recipients in attendance prior for a reception and appreciation, however, due to schedule conflicts, the presentation of the awards was deferred to a future meeting of Council.