Community Builder Awards celebrate everyday heroes

By Lethbridge Herald on June 3, 2023.

FROM THE HILL
Rachael Thomas – Conservative Member of Parliament for Lethbridge

“Genuine celebrations are the punctuation marks that make sense of the passage of time; without them, there are no beginning and endings. Life becomes an endless series of Wednesdays.” – David Campbell 

It is time to celebrate our amazing community! Lethbridge is not what it is simply by accident. The greatness of our home is the result of the many investments, sacrifices, and compassionate actions taken by normal people who go the extra mile to give back in meaningful ways. 

A community is not simply housing and amenities. It is defined by the people who call this place home. In our midst are everyday heroes— individuals who go above and beyond to serve those around them and make a lasting difference. 

Among our heroes could be the coach of our child’s soccer team, the farmer who invests passionately in philanthropic endeavours, the woman who sews handcrafted quilts for veterans, the foster parent who loves and cares for those who come from tumultuous environments and have never enjoyed stability, or the young person who takes initiative beyond what is expected of them to lead their peers to accomplish something great. 

A community hero could be the non-for-profit organization that applies innovative ideas to solve big problems, or a business that supports its staff to volunteer one day a month to give back to our community. 

Creating the time, space, and opportunity to genuinely celebrate these exceptional individuals and organizations helps to unify our community in highlighting the ordinary heroes in our midst. We need to recognize those role models who live among us, and make our community vibrant, prosperous, and enjoyable. 

I invite residents of the City and County of Lethbridge to nominate anyone who goes above and beyond to make a positive difference in our community. 

The Community Builder Awards will be presented in four categories: youth leader, community leader, not-for-profit leader, and business leader. Recipients of the 2023 Community Builders Awards will be chosen by a panel of community members and will be honoured at a special ceremony this fall.

If your life has been positively impacted by the investment of someone in our community, please nominate them today! It will only take a moment of your time and could make a world of difference for the person you choose.

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, June 16th.

To nominate, you will need to know the following information about the person you are nominating:

• First and last name

• Email address

• Mailing address

• Description of how the nominee has invested in the community and the impact they’ve made.

Together, let’s celebrate those that embody a spirit of generosity and compassion in our community. For more information, and to nominate, please visit RachaelThomas.ca/communitybuilders or contact my office at 403.320.0070. 

Let us punctuate the history we are making together by celebrating those people who work towards our common good in their leadership, generosity, gifts, talents, hard work, and unique genius.