Local volunteers saluted at annual dinner

Nine individuals and a class of 22 grade eight students were honoured for their efforts during the Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau’s annual appreciation dinner April 21.
Some 130 people attended the two-and-a-half-hour function, making it the largest of its kind since the dinner began more than eight years ago.
“I chose to [honour] people who did the most volunteer work and hopefully that will encourage others to do the same,” said Joan Pearson, executive director of the local volunteer bureau.
Pearson made special mention of volunteers involved in the “Friendly Visitors” program, noting their dedication was a prime example of dedication to the job at hand.
“That’s a important volunteer responsibility–it means making a real commitment to help someone,” she stressed. “It’s personal volunteer activity as opposed to doing something like cleaning up.”
Recipients of certificates of appreciation included Cathy Baron’s grade eight class at Robert Moore School for their involvement in a “Friendly Visitor” program at Rainycrest, Bonnie Allan (income tax volunteer), Bev Kotnik (a member of the volunteer bureau’s board of directors, who also heads up the weekly bingo fundraisers), and Rod Storey and Carole Herbert (“Friendly Visitors”).
Also honoured were Wanda Linton (community Christmas dinner volunteer), Gaby Hanzuk and Doris Bradley (“Friendly Visitors”), and Bonnie Roach (creator of the “Tomorrow” document, the district community plan for Rainy River District).
The document contains 2,000 comments from citizens in the district about what they would like to see for the district’s future.
“[Roach] took all the information and created a datebase that is far more comprehensive than we could have imagined,” said Times publisher Jim Cumming, who chairs the “Tomorrow” committee.
“We didn’t even think it could be done and she did it,” he added.
Dodi DeBenedet, who is not a volunteer for the bureau, received special recognition by Pearson for her help and expertise in putting on the annual community Christmas dinner for so many years.
DeBenedet turned over the job to Pearson last December.