Pontiac volunteers shine bright at recognition evening

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Mansfield volunteer Louis Harvey (center), representing Phare Ouest, Warden Jane Toller and Mansfield Mayor Gilles Dionne. / Louis Harvey, bénévole de Mansfield (au centre), représentant Phare Ouest; la préfète Jane Toller et le maire de Mansfield, Gilles Dionne.

Allyson Beauregard

BRYSON – The Bryson Lions Hall was full of gratitude and appreciation, September 13, as the MRC Pontiac’s municipalities paid tribute to some of the region’s outstanding volunteers at the MRC’s third annual volunteer recognition event.
Each municipality gave out awards for two years – 2020 and 2021 – given that last year’s ceremony couldn’t be held due to COVID restrictions. Thorne and Chichester did not submit any recipients for the ceremony.
Winners were invited to the front of the room where Toller described their volunteer work and why they were chosen. Respective mayors also spoke and presented the recipient(s) with a certificate. Many told a similar story about the person or group they had chosen for the award: they are very modest, don’t believe they are doing anything noteworthy or out of the ordinary, and think there are others more deserving of the recognition.
The following municipalities chose the same person/group for both 2020 and 2021: Bryson – Le Club de L’Âge d’Or de Bryson; Fort-Coulonge – Pierre Bourassa; Île-du-Grand-Calumet – Groupe L’île-du-Grand-Calumet; Otter Lake – Lee Vadneau; and Waltham – Waltham Helping Hands.
The other recipients, listed in order from 2020 to 2021, were: Alleyn-et-Cawood – Le comité du cénotaphe de Danford Lake, Merlin Peck; Bristol – Shirley Green, Ken Bernard; Campbell’s Bay – Cletus Ferrigan, Raymond Shea; Clarendon – Elwyn Lang, James Howard; Isle-aux-Allumettes – Ivan Schryer, Bob Ferrigan; Litchfield – Todd ‘TJ’ Vibert, TransporAction Pontiac; Mansfield – Coopérative
de Solidarité Aventure Hélianthe, Phare Ouest; Portage-du-Fort – Robert Tovee, France Carpentier; Rapides-des-Joachims – Doris Larochelle, Comité Life Down Town; Shawville – Palliative Care volunteers, Denzil Yach; and Sheenboro – Joann McCann, Cindy Wheeler.
Snacks and drinks were provided after the ceremony.