KBEX Awards Name Two Citizens of the Year
It’s the time of year for remembering, and at the 2nd annual KBEX awards in Kindersley, two individuals were named Kindersley Citizens of the Year. Jamie Henry (Citizen of the Year) and Shayla Olafson (Junior Citizen of the Year) are both community-minded and seek to leave Kindersley better than they found it.
“This was totally unexpected,” Jamie Henry said of her award; “I was just doing my part in the community and never thought an award like this would come my way.” Henry is a busy mom of two who still finds time around her full-time work schedule and mom duties to be an active member in the Kindersley Big Dippers and Kindersley Community Services Group as well as a voice for the repairs of Rutley Crescent Park.
The Kindersley Big Dippers is a committee of Kindersley members fueled by the desire to have a pool in the town of Kindersley. Henry is an active member in this committee and since its formation over three years ago it has raised thousands of dollars for the current pool project. Projects such as the Princess Ball, Superhero Extravaganza, and Zest of the West seek to have a double impact on the community as they celebrate the members within it while raising funds for the pool.
The Zest of the West project was a food, drink, and clothing vendor event in the WCEC earlier this year that allowed attendees to taste and see the goods that West Central Saskatchewan businesses had to offer as well as provide publicity for various vendors. The event raised over $40,000 in April and was such a success that the Big Dippers have plans to run the event on April 21 of 2018.
The Chase the Ace project is a current project of the Kindersley Community Services Group, inspired by a popular form of lottery for raising funds for a worthy cause. For rules of the game, be sure to check out kindersleysocial.ca/webarchive/fundraiser-kindersley-pool-project-kindersley-residents-chance-win.
How does Henry do it all, and why? Henry spoke of the values of community and hard work that were instilled into her life and her husband’s life, Shaun Henry, at a young age. “We were both raised to appreciate your community and to leave it better than when you left it, so that is what we are trying to do. When you think of it, it’s a fun and great way to connect with awesome people. What is also great is to know deep down inside that you are making a difference, a good difference, in the community.”
This passion for the community was reflected by Shayla Olafson, Kindersley’s Junior Citizen of the Year. Olafson is a Grade 12 student at Kindersley Composite High School who is also heavily involved in the community.
Olafson is a member of the Kindersley Youth Committee, a co-president of a leadership committee in the high school, a member of the Kindersley Interact Club, and a coach for a junior girls’ basketball team in Kindersley. Olafson has volunteered with programs like the Blood Donor Clinic, Meals on Wheels, as well as participated in events like RBC’s “make 150 count”, a leadership program in Rosetown and with programs such as Me to We.
On the Youth Committee, Olafson’s platform is poverty. “We normally think that poverty isn’t in North America, but it is, it is here and is even in towns like Kindersley.” Olafson says that one of the ways to fight poverty in the community is to donate necessary articles to places like SPOKES or the Salvation Army, so people in need can reach out and quietly receive help.
With winter weather holding Kindersley in its grip, Olafson has started a winter clothing drive, running from November 14 through to the 30th. She hopes to encourage many members from the community to donate winter clothing such as socks, coats or toques to keep more folks warm this season. Persons with clothing to donate can drop off the articles at Kindersley Composite School, or at the Westbury or Elizabeth schools. The schools will then take the articles to SPOKES.
“I want to feel that I am making life better for others,” said Olafson in a recent interview about her work. Born and raised in Kindersley, Olafson says that watching her parents’ dedication and work ethic has encouraged her to do the very things she does. “When I see others happy, it makes me happy, and the effort is totally worth it.”
I think Henry summed it up well during her recent interview, “So many people are worthy of being called Kindersley’s Citizen of the Year, and the KBEX awards is a wonderful opportunity to share about these people and celebrate the accomplishments in the community.”
Feature Image: Mallorie Rast/Kindersley Social with Image Submitted by Shayla Olafson
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