Three local women have been nominated for the Red Deer and District Community Foundation's 10th Annual Women of Excellence awards.
The Olds Institute's Community Lifestyles Committee upped the ante this year by putting forth three nominations: Tracy Gardner in the category of agriculture; Kathy Kemmere in health and wellness; and Dot Negropontes in education and training.
The committee held a special dinner to officially announce and honour the trio last Thursday (April 13) at Our Flames in Olds.
The awards fall into 11 categories: agriculture; arts, culture and heritage; athletics, recreation and fitness; business and the professions; community building; education and training; entrepreneurship; environment; health and wellness; human services; and young woman of excellence.
The awards began a decade ago in order to honour women "who use their skills, talents, time, and drive to make central Alberta a better place to live, work, and play."
Anyone - friends, family, men or women - can nominate a deserving woman for the annual awards, which will be handed out at a gala in Red Deer on June 7.
This year's nominations, due April 10, were made by co-chairs of the Community Lifestyles Committee Rita Thompson and Bernice Lynn. This is the second year the committee has made a nomination, last year putting forward Bev Toews, an educational assistant at Olds High School.
"We were really quite ambitious this year in selecting three," said Thompson, but said the efforts empower the nominees.
"You can feel a sense of empowerment and a strengthening of their abilities," she said, "because they know now that they have support."
Lynn added that all three of the women are strong in their respective categories, and each deserves to win.
"From our perspective, they do, absolutely, and it is only then, I feel, whether we've done justice for them enough, in what we've written," she said.
Thompson said that all three are leaders and pioneers in their fields, and that the community is lucky to have them.
"Even if you don't ride a horse, we are so lucky to have that expertise," she said. "It makes our community richer."
Lynn said she feels lucky to have gotten to know all three women better throughout the nomination period, and that the entire operation is an education process for the community as well.
"I really hope that people read more and hear more about this, will feel even more proud to be from Olds and not feel that you're limited because you're in a small area," she said. "It just takes one person to do one thing and so much can happen."
STAY TUNED: You'll have a chance to read more about the nominees. The Albertan will feature each of the women and their accomplishments in the lead-up to the awards gala on June 7 in Red Deer. For more information on the awards, go to rddcf.ca/10th-annual-women-of-excellence.
"I really hope that people read more and hear more about this, will feel even more proud to be from Olds and not feel that you're limited because you're in a small area. It just takes one person to do one thing and so much can happen."BERNICE LYNN COMMUNITY LIFESTYLES COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
