Zoey Duncan
The Rainy River District Women’s Shelter of Hope will lose a longtime volunteer from its board this year but Cecile Davidson is being honoured with an award for her two decades of service.
She will receive the 2011 Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association’s 20 Years of Distinguished Service Recognition Award, which will be presented Oct. 29 in Niagara Falls.
“She’s irreplaceable because of her knowledge and her history with this place,” said Donna Kroocmo, executive director of the Atikokan-based shelter.
“She’s just worth her weight in gold.”
Davidson began volunteering with the shelter back when it was run entirely by volunteers. Originally from Couchiching, she embraced the opportunity to be a voice for First Nations’ women.
“I’d heard some of the horror stories and I just considered that I have been totally spoiled because I had a really good dad, really good parents,” Davidson said.
“And [coming from] a family with seven kids, the kids were all spoiled. . . .
“I’ve never had to face any of the problems that [the women’s shelter clients] have, so I guess kind of it was a learning experience for me,” she added.
“That other people don’t live the way I do.”
Davidson served in various executive positions on the board during her 20-year tenure—all of it as an unpaid volunteer, including most recently as chairperson.
Outside the women’s shelter, Davidson volunteered elsewhere in Atikokan, focusing on projects that would help her children have fun growing up while Atikokan fell on tough times due to the mine closures.
While Davidson’s contributions on the board involved behind-the-scenes work, including making sure policies were in place and adhered to, they were essential to making sure front-line workers could provide services effectively.
Currently, the 10-bed shelter in Atikokan is operating at 170 percent occupancy, meaning its permanent beds are filled out by portable cots.
Summertime is the busiest time for the shelter because many women in risky situations strive to keep their children in stable situations during the school year, only taking time to help themselves once school is out, Kroocmo noted.
In addition to the shelter, which serves women throughout the district, the Rainy River District Women’s Shelter of Hope programs include a transitional housing and support program, as well as child care.
It also recently had funding approved for a micro-loan project for clients who want to start small businesses.
The shelter helps 70-120 women, and 80-150 children, each year.
Kroocmo said that before she was hired as executive director 10 years ago, Davidson and the rest of the board had the added responsibility of finding a candidate to fill the role—and the “burnout rate” was high.
“I can’t imagine being a board member and having to interview and head-hunt and search for that many different executive directors over the years,” she remarked.
“But Cecile hung in there and I think that speaks to her commitment to the board.”
Davidson, a retired school librarian, didn’t expect any sort of award when she announced she was leaving her position this year.
“It’s a real surprise for me and it’s kind of like, ‘Wow, they recognize that I’m doing something, a ‘thank you’ that a lot of volunteers don’t get.’
“If it wasn’t for volunteers, what would work?” she mused.