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June 6, 2007

Edmonton... Six individuals and two Alberta organizations have been recognized by the province for their service and volunteerism on behalf of seniors.

"The contribution of seniors to our province is tremendous," said Greg Melchin, Minister of Seniors and Community Supports. "It's an honour to present awards to individuals and organizations who work tirelessly to improve the lives of seniors in our communities."

The Minister's Seniors Service Awards recognize individuals and organizations who demonstrate commitment to enhancing the lives of seniors by providing seniors exceptional voluntary service.

Neva Brierley of Rocky Mountain House, Edward Eschak of Mannville, Swati Fernando of Calgary, Rose Hayes of Keoma, Gordon Heaton of Evansburg and Robert Thompson of Claresholm received individual service awards. In the organization category, the Pioneer House Club 50 of Fort Saskatchewan and the Brooks Seniors Outreach were recognized for their efforts in making a difference in the lives of seniors.

More than 100 nominations were submitted for the awards. Nominations were reviewed based on quality and diversity, originality, the impact on seniors and the community, and the need for the service provided. The recipients were selected by Minister Melchin, based on the recommendations of a Nomination Review Committee chaired by George VanderBurg, MLA for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

The awards were presented at a special ceremony with Premier Ed Stelmach at Government House in Edmonton on June 6. More information about the Minister's Seniors Service Awards and this year's recipients is available on the Alberta Seniors and Community Supports website at www.seniors.gov.ab.ca by clicking on the Awards link.

Supporting seniors is part of Premier Ed Stelmach's plan to improve Albertans' quality of life. Other priorities for the government are to: govern with integrity and transparency, manage growth pressures, build a stronger Alberta, and provide safe and secure communities.

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Note: Bios of each award recipient are available at www.seniors.gov.ab.ca by clicking on the Awards link. Photos of the awards ceremony will be available on the same website on June 8.

Dan Laville
Alberta Seniors and Community Supports
Communications
(780) 415 9950

Caring for seniors for more than 30 years, Neva Brierley has earned her reputation as the guardian angel of Rocky Mountain House. Neva uses her compassion and palliative care training to care for seniors in their homes and those at the Clearwater Centre and Community Health Centre. She also assists those who are ill and comforts grieving families. Neva brings her own personal touch as she brightens the lives of local seniors. Armed with her hairdryer and curling iron, she offers her hairdressing skills and pampers the ladies with care baskets containing home-baking, a thermos of tea, cups and saucers. As well, she has delivered for Meals on Wheels for the past 25 years and continues to volunteer at the Clearwater Centre by portering residents and helping with special events.

Whether it is through his work as a town councilor or through years of volunteering, Edward Eschak has made a difference in the lives of many seniors in Mannville. As president of the Golden Age Club, Edward helped get more local senior men involved by organizing recreational sports as a way to encourage them to stay active. Edward also maintains a mini golf course for seniors and the whole community to enjoy. In addition, Edward helps seniors stay in their homes by delivering Meals on Wheels, running errands and providing home support. He also improves the lives of local seniors by bringing gifts of raspberries from his garden, lending a helping hand with odd jobs and simply greeting seniors with a smile.

For more than 20 years, Swati Fernando has assisted South Asian immigrant seniors in Calgary. She has become a valuable resource to this community of seniors by combining her ability to speak their language with her knowledge of government programs, legal matters and seniors' issues. Swati works as a social worker and volunteers much of her own time to accompany seniors to court dates, medical appointments and government offices to offer support and provide translation services. Amazingly, she does all this by taking public transit. Swati has made it a personal mission to ensure immigrant seniors are knowledgeable about health issues. For the past six years, she has organized a bus to take Punjabi women for cancer testing. She also accompanies immigrant seniors to hearing tests and has helped organize a healthy living fair.

For the past 50 years, Rose Hayes has been supporting her community by volunteering. Her involvement includes leading the Kathryn-Irricana-Keoma Senior Citizens Club where she helped increase revenues to add upgrades to the club facility including a new roof, kitchen, handicapped washroom and storage area for the food bank. During her time as president, Rose also organized monthly socials, exercise classes, speakers and special events. Rose continues to assist seniors, especially those with failing health, by arranging Lifeline services, delivering meals, and providing personal care and transportation. She drives seniors to medical appointments, visits patients in the hospital and makes arrangements to move seniors into assisted living facilities. Rose also served as president of the Irricana Food Bank, where she prepared hampers and solicited donations. In addition, she worked with the RCMP to start the "Neighbours on Patrol" program to improve security in the community and started a program at the seniors centre to take donations for the air ambulance.

Gordon Heaton's generous volunteerism is reflected in the hundreds of hours he spent helping open a new seniors facility. As soon as he heard the vacant lodge in Evansburg was to be bulldozed, he took immediate action to save it. Gordon used his role as president of Legion Branch 196 to arrange meetings and develop a proposal to address the community's need for more affordable housing for seniors. Gordon put in almost 900 hours to lead the renovation of the lodge and coordinate volunteers. After only a few months, the renovation was completed ahead of schedule in August 2004. The newly renovated Legion Lodge added 22 self-contained suites for seniors to the local community. As well as driving seniors to appointments, Gordon continues to support the lodge as its volunteer administrator.

Robert Thompson has worked with seniors at the Willow Creek Auxiliary Hospital for many years. When he worked there, he volunteered to drive patients to appointments on his days off using his own vehicle. Robert also helped the Lions Club fundraise for a van for the hospital, which he now uses to take patients on shopping trips and excursions. Known for his handyman skills, he has designed and built wheelchair ramps and repaired equipment for the patients at the hospital. Robert also uses his skills at the Heritage Drop-In Centre, which he maintains. He recently oversaw a project to update the centre and replace a leaky roof. In addition to delivering Meals on Wheels, Robert has fundraised to help the hospital purchase medical equipment and served as president of the seniors centre where he organized many activities for the enjoyment of local seniors.

Pioneer House Club 50 has been enhancing the lives of Albertans aged 50 or older since 1975. With a current membership of 400, the organization is run entirely by volunteers who spent almost 22,000 hours in 2006 providing services and programs. The organization acts as a second home to seniors. It is a place for seniors to get involved in social and recreational activities, learn about government assistance programs and discuss seniors issues. The club has several groups for seniors, including the Happy Wanderers group, which go on tours and trips, and the Pioneer Playhouse group, which performs comedic skits on a variety of seniors issues. A third group is named the Caring Seniors, which organizes health clinics and arranges for guest speakers on topics such as fall prevention.

Since 1986, Seniors Outreach in Brooks has earned its reputation for providing high quality services and effective programs for seniors. With the assistance of 150 volunteers, seniors can access specialized services such as Meals on Wheels, Lifeline, home support, transportation to medical appointments and home visits. Seniors Outreach also offers free income tax services, computer instruction and assistance with applying for government programs. The wide range of social and recreational activities includes special activities such as picnics, Seniors' Week celebrations, special concerts and day trips. The membership continues to increase and seniors continue to benefit from the variety of activities and services the organization provides.

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Dan Laville
Alberta Seniors and Community Supports
Communications
(780) 415 9950

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