Passing the torch

Margaret Schonewille, the face and driving force behind the Alzheimer Society of Kenora/Rainy River Districts for so many years, has left her position as executive director to become director of development at Providence College and Seminary in Steinbach, Man.
Their gain is certainly our loss.
First serving as a board member for four years, and then as executive director for the past 11, Mrs. Schonewille has been instrumental in putting the local Alzheimer Society’s fundraising efforts front and centre among district residents. Whether cruising the region’s highways on a motorcycle for the annual “Ride for Memories” each fall, or weighing pennies every January at Canadian Tire here, she was an eloquent spokesperson for the organization and a tireless worker in the drive to collect every dollar possible for the cause.
The challenge now is to keep that momentum going.
The most important thing to realize, which Mrs. Schonewille herself would be the first to stress, is that the Alzheimer Society is bigger than any one person. With our aging population, the number of Canadians suffering from diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is expected to skyrocket in the coming decades, which makes fundraising all the more crucial in the hope of someday finding a cure—or at the very least making medical advances to improve patients’ quality of life.
No matter who is at the helm, the local Alzheimer Society will continue to need volunteers to help organize the “Chefs’ Charitable Dinner and Auction” here and the roast beef supper in Rainy River, the “Penny for your thoughts” weigh-in, the annual book sale at Revco Carpet, the “Walk for Memories,” and the “Ride for Memories.” And it will continue to need district residents to open their wallets.
Mrs. Schonewille deserves heart-felt thanks for the excellent job she did in raising money and awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease.
But while there’s no question she leaves big shoes to fill, she is merely passing the torch. This is no time to allow her hard work to stall because the fight to conquer this terrible scourge is far from over.