The recipient of the 2022 Citizen of Distinction Award was celebrated Thursday night in Morden.
Kathy Ritchie was honoured by the Morden Area Foundation (MAF) at an award reception held in her honour.
Ritchie called the recognition by her community peers, humbling. She said she's happy to accept the award for doing what so many others do, not wanting recognition for it, but wanting to make the community a better place to live in.
Ritchie says there are two notable things she's most proud of during her decades of volunteering.
"The one thing I alluded to in my speech was the fact that we got to have the first Ladies Golf tournament," said Ritchie. "It does seem odd that back in the 70s, women were not really, totally treated equally or welcome in some of the sports venues, like the Golf Club and the Curling Club. So having that first tournament was sort of a highlight. The same thing happened in the curling club. I ended up curling 3 nights a week just because we were trying to get more curling nights than just Monday night for the ladies, and I really advocated for that."
Ritchie described the evening, as one not just for her, but a tribute to all people who volunteer, as well as for the families who support their loved ones in their volunteer work.
"It doesn't happen just by me. It's my family who helps get the dishes done and the meals on the table and get some of the other work done well while I'm out at a meeting," added Ritchie.
Ritchie feels the reception held in her honour Thursday evening, is a great way to highlight volunteerism. She says it also highlights what community means to so many of the people who were there. "It's the place we love," said Ritchie.
- With files from Nicole Klassen -
