Volunteers don鈥檛 often demand attention or recognition, choosing the shadows over the spotlight. But, once a year, as Canada celebrates National Volunteer Week, the 51暗网 likes to take advantage of the occasion by shining a light on some of the community鈥檚 most dedicated volunteers鈥攖he very folks that make our town tick.聽 Published here are tales of just a few of those special people鈥攁 trail guru, a green thumb, a community helper and a Rotarian.
Man of the trails: Darren Langley
Darren Langley has permanent calluses on his palms from swinging tools and building trails in Jasper National Park.
Since 2010, he has been a member of the Jasper Trail Alliance, volunteering countless hours of his free time to build and maintain multi-use hiking and biking trails in the park. Last year, he estimates he gave nearly 120 hours to the trails.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard work, but it鈥檚 rewarding,鈥� he said.
Langley works for CN, but he said he always wanted to build trails for a living. He even went to Capilano University for a year to learn how to do it right and has worked professionally on bike parks in Hinton and at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
鈥淭rails are something that will be around for awhile. If you do a trail right, which is everything right鈥攇etting the permissions to do it, building it sustainably鈥攊t should be around for hundreds of years; there鈥檚 not much you can do in Jasper that will last that long.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to leave my mark in the ground and to have something fun to ride at the same time.鈥�
As an avid mountain biker, it鈥檚 important to Langley that the park鈥檚 trails be properly built and maintained to ensure that he and other users have quality trails to explore.
His passion runs so deep that last year he applied for a grant from CN鈥檚 Railroaders in the Community Fund to go toward the trail alliance. He was awarded $1,000, which he hopes to use for a trail opening barbecue when the JTA finishes its work on Water Tower鈥攐ne of Jasper鈥檚 classic downhill rides.
He said there鈥檚 satisfaction in seeing his hard work, and the work of his fellow volunteers, come to life and to ride the features they painstakingly created.
鈥淭here鈥檚 other people who build the trails illegally and do it on their own, but that鈥檚 not how you can do it sustainably鈥�99 per cent of those trails are going to be shutdown. When you actually do it properly and get the permission to do it, then you know it鈥檚 actually going to be sustainable,鈥� he said.
The Jasper Trail Alliance is a group of avid trail users who volunteer for the Friends of Jasper National Park to help Parks Canada in creating and maintaining a vibrant and accessible trail network.
To learn more about the trail alliance or to book a special trail day for a group, call 780-852-4767.
Community helper: Thea Catto
When there鈥檚 a call for volunteers, Thea Catto is sure to respond.
On any given day, the Grade 9 脡cole Desrochers student can be found volunteering with the Gay Straight Alliance, the Friends of Jasper National Park, the Jasper Pride Festival Society or the Youth Community Helpers.
鈥淚 like being busy,鈥� she said with a grin, adding that her family also fosters dogs. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of our family values is to make sure animals are treated very well.鈥�
It鈥檚 through the Community Helpers program, facilitated by Community Outreach Services, that Catto finds many of her volunteer gigs鈥攆rom helping out at the food bank to painting faces at family dances and organizing a wellness fair for mental health awareness.
鈥淚 got involved with that group to feel more involved with the community, to help others and to help myself feel useful,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like teenagers get a bad rap for doing bad things鈥攕o if we help I think it will only make it better and maybe more activities will be offered for us.
鈥淧lus it gives me something to do. It gets me involved in helping the community; it makes me feel good and it makes others feel good, too.鈥�
The Community Helpers program provides teens with leadership training, as well as training to address issues like depression, addictions, self-harm and bullying with their peers. Through the program, teens organize and participate in events and initiatives in town, from family dances to community dinners, and they provide support to one another, as well as the school community.
Right now, the helpers are working on the Elephant in the Room Campaign鈥攁 national initiative to address the stigma around mental illness by giving blue elephants to teachers, coaches, healthcare workers and community members to display as a sign that they not only care about the wellness of others, they are safe to talk to about mental health.
This is the second year that that campaign is running in Jasper. Catto said last year it increased awareness and understanding of mental health within the school community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to make mental health talked about,鈥� she said.
To learn more about the Community Helpers program, contact Teen Outreach Worker Anna DeClercq at [email protected].
Garden keeper: Karl Peetoom
Homegrown food is an important part of Karl Peetoom鈥檚 life.
As a former farmer and beekeeper, he takes great pride in growing and producing his own food.
So it鈥檚 only natural that he鈥檚 the coordinator of the Connaught Drive Community Garden and a board member with the Jasper Local Food Society, which facilitates the garden and the farmer鈥檚 market.
Peetoom took on his role four years ago and has held it ever since鈥攎aintaining a plot in the community garden, as well as at home.
鈥淚 love being able to grow and to teach others how to grow their own food,鈥� he said.
鈥淪eeing parents teach their children鈥攜ou put your seed in the ground and it grows and that鈥檚 where our food comes from鈥擨 feel that鈥檚 really important.鈥�
Peetoom first came to Jasper in 1976 and has come and gone eight times since then, once to operate a farm and another to go to school for beekeeping.
He said he鈥檚 happy to share that knowledge and experience with the community by being a part of the garden.
鈥淚鈥檓 a green thumb and I鈥檓 a real people person. It makes me feel very fulfilled to be a part of that garden. It鈥檚 a very special place,鈥� he said.
The garden, which opened five years ago, has grown to hold 56 plots, two of which produce food for the food bank, and the society has expanded its reach to include the farmer鈥檚 market, which operates weekly during the summer months.
Peetoom said there鈥檚 so much interest in the community garden that each year there鈥檚 a waiting list full of people who would love to have a plot.
This year, to engage more people, he said the society plans on hosting workshops and lectures about gardening and local food. Peetoom said he will facilitate one on beekeeping and the importance of honeybees for pollenating plants.
The society will also be hosting an apple festival in the fall, where volunteers will pick fruit from trees in town and host workshops to turn them into apple sauce and cider.
鈥淲e have a lot of ideas,鈥� said Peetoom. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to get your hands into the earth and see where your food comes from.鈥�
The Jasper Local Food Society鈥檚 goal is to increase local food awareness and economic sustainability to聽 promote an environmentally ethical lifestyle. To learn more about the group, visit its Facebook page: 鈥淛asper Local Food Society.鈥�
Rockin鈥� Rotarian: Cathy Jenkins
Cathy Jenkins has been volunteering since she was a kid.
鈥淢y mom raised us to be volunteers,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e spent our Friday nights rolling coins for the Kidney Foundation鈥攖hat was just a part of who we were.鈥�
So, when she moved to Jasper in 2010, she knew she wanted to find an organization to donate her time to; she just didn鈥檛 know which one.
That鈥檚 when she discovered the Rotary Club of Jasper.
鈥淚 joined Rotary because of its reputation and because of the opportunity to be involved internationally, but I鈥檝e stayed because of the people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to give back, but we always make sure we鈥檙e having fun while we鈥檙e doing it.鈥�
Rotary is an international organization with clubs around the world fundraising and volunteering in their local communities, as well as internationally.
Locally, the Rotary Club of Jasper volunteers its time by hosting one of Community Outreach Services鈥� Community Dinners, as well as organizing a Christmas lunch for the community鈥檚 seniors and a food drive for the Jasper Food Bank.
It also donates funds to different organizations in the community, including $60,000 toward the the creation of a media room in the new library and cultural centre.
Internationally, the group works extensively in Rwanda and Belize.
As part of her role with Rotary, Jenkins went to Belize to help build a playground. Like all Rotary trips, she financed it herself.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a net-zero club,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o if you give money to Rotary, all of our money is going to our projects.鈥�
She said working in Belize was an incredibly fulfilling experience.
鈥淎fter all your hard work in the hot sun, when you see the children jump on that equipment and you see their smiles, it鈥檚 so rewarding,鈥� she said, adding that she plans to return to Belize to build another playground in the next few years.
In July, Jenkins will become co-president of the Rotary Club of Jasper, sharing the role with Johanne Roy.
鈥淲e鈥檙e the first club in the district to do co-presidency,鈥� she said, noting that Rotary is trying to shake things up by being more flexible with its executive. 鈥淏eing president is a lot of work. Johanne and I realize that, so we鈥檙e looking forward to working together.鈥�
To learn more about the Rotary Club of Jasper, visit www.portal.clubrunner.ca/471 or contact Jenkins at [email protected].
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
