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Nominations sought for 2024 Rotary Citizens of the Year

Rotary Club of Ashcroft-Cache Creek looking for citizens who went above and beyond in 2024
citizens-of-the-year-2023
The Rotary Club of Ashcroft-Cache Creek's 2023 Citizens of the Year were (from l) Arnie Oram and Marg Oram of Spences Bridge; Deb Tedford of Ashcroft; Wendy Coomber of Cache Creek; and youth recipients Evelyn White and Monique Kopanyas of Ashcroft.

Do you know people in our region who deserve acknowledgement for going above and beyond in 2024?

The Rotary Club of Ashcroft-Cache Creek is once again looking for nominations for its annual Citizens of the Year, to recognize those who make a difference. Now in its 20th year, the Citizens of the Year award invites nominations in four categories:

– Ashcroft and Area (sponsored by Interior Savings)

– Cache Creek and Area (sponsored by Royal Bank)

– TNRD Area “I” Blue Sky Country (sponsored by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District)

– Student/Youth from any area (sponsored by Rotary)

At a reception in May of last year, the 2023 honorees were celebrated. Deb Tedford (Ashcroft) was recognized for her work with a variety of community organizations, including the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society and the Thompson View Manor Society.

Wendy Coomber (Cache Creek) was recognized for her leadership in the community before, during, and after her time on Cache Creek council. In addition to organizing the Cache Creek Market for many years, she has been involved with many community groups, including the Beautification Society and Communities in Bloom.

Marg and Arnie Oram (Area “I”) have both been longtime volunteers in their community of Spences Bridge, with Marg in particular doing a lot of behind the scenes work. Arnie was a member of the Spences Bridge Volunteer Fire Department for many years, and during the 2021 wildfires helped ensure that a fire crew of 80 people got three meals a day.

Evelyn White and Monique Kopanyas, both of Ashcroft, were recognized in the Student/Youth category. White spent the summer of 2023 helping with the Butterflyway project in Ashcroft, planting butterfly-friendly gardens around town, while Kopanyas was recognized for her involvement with a variety of organizations, including the Sea Cadets, where she was a member for six years.

Each recipient receives an individual plaque they can keep. Larger plaques listing all the recipients in each area are on display at Interior Savings in Ashcroft, the Royal Bank in Cache Creek, the Ashcroft Library, and Desert Sands Community School.

The award continues a tradition that was started by the Kinsmen Club of South Cariboo in 1973, when it began recognizing Citizens of the Year in Ashcroft and Cache Creek.

Ashcroft-Cache Creek Rotary’s Citizens of the Year coordinator, Theresa Takacs, says that while the group is looking for people who did something significant in 2024, they also consider people who have contributed to their community over a period of time.

She adds that while past TNRD Area “I” honorees have been from Spences Bridge, anyone who lives in the area — which extends from south of Lytton to just north of 16 Mile, and east to Walhachin and Thompson River Estates — is eligible. Youth nominees can be anyone who lives in Area “I”, including in any of its municipalities, and do not have to be students at Desert Sands School. Home-schooled students are also eligible.

Nominating someone is easy, Takacs adds.

“It’s not enough to say ‘I nominate someone’ with no reasons, but it’s not a difficult process to make a nomination, and I’d like to be able to contact the nominee from the information provided.

“We’re looking for people who did something that stood out in 2024 — as a volunteer, not as part of their job — but it’s wonderful to have someone who has consistently been doing something. And while we can’t consider people who have already won, you can re-nominate someone who was nominated in the past but didn’t win. We have a list if people are unsure.”

Anyone who would like to nominate someone for 2024 can submit the name of their nominee, along with a summary of their activities and their contact information, in an email to theresatakacs@hotmail.com; mailed nominations can also be sent to P.O. Box 11, Ashcroft, B.C. V0K 1A0. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 1, 2025; recipients will be announced by the end of March, and will be honoured at a public celebration in May.