'She gives of her heart': Long-serving volunteer chosen as Prince Albert’s Citizen of the Year
The 2021 Prince Albert’s Citizen of the Year is being praised for her work ethic and compassion for people.
The award committee selected Marie Mathers to receive the honour. The award is sponsored by the Kinsmen and Kinnette Club and the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
“She gives of her heart and her soul. She just does whatever she needs to do,” said nominator and fellow Legion volunteer Suzanne Bantle.
“She will donate to under privilege people, people who have gone through fires and she doesn’t even know them. She’ll do Christmas hampers at Christmas time.”
Mathers says she was surprised with the news on Tuesday at the Legion and didn’t know she was nominated.
“I thought ‘why me?' There’s lots of people that do things,” she said.
Mathers is 88 years old and still volunteers with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 2 Prince Albert, is on the Carment Court Tenants Council, Vintage Power Machines Threshing Festival, and St. John’s Ambulance.
“It gives me a lot of satisfaction to know that I make people happy or that people are happy because of the things that I have helped with,” Mathers said.
She also spent 47 years volunteering with the local chapter of Scouts Canada and led many activity nights and camping trips throughout the years. She says many of the youth are now adults and often stop to talk to her when they see her.
“I just loved doing different things in Scouts because I worked with different age levels from the age of eight to 17. And this was really something. We even did winter camping,” said Mathers.
At the age of six, she says her father taught her how to volunteer and be a good citizen, but it was a life-and-death experience that made her even more dedicated to making the world a better place.
“I was told that I had a week left to live and I told the doctors and the nurses that there was no way I was going to leave the hospital in a basket. And that prompted me more to really get doing things,” she said.
Mathers moved to Prince Albert in 1966 from a French-speaking community in Manitoba. Once she learned English, she became involved in the schools, Scouts and the farmers' market.
She encourages others to get involved in the community.
The award committee says a formal presentation of the 2021 Prince Albert’s Citizen of the Year Award is still in the planning stages.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.