A Lifetime of Community Involvement
While my kids were skating with the Wainfleet Figure Skating Club, I spent many years assisting with the CanSkate program. I also served as vice president of the club and as carnival chair.
I was active with the Wainfleet Minor Hockey Association and spent my fair share of time at the arena while my husband played in the Wainfleet Men's League. I continue to play women's pickup hockey for the Wainfleet Wild Women as one of their goalies.
I was part of a group of friends that started the Wally Funds for Lakewood Camp. We hosted events such as Wally Cup Hockey, Wally Ball (slo-pitch), Wally Volleyball and Wally Donkey Baseball, and supplied parking attendants for the Wainfleet Heritage Festival in exchange for running the canteen to raise funds.
I was part of an ad-hoc committee formed by several fundraising organizations that financially ran Lakewood Camp for three years until Easter Seals took the camp back, which led to its closure in 2004 and the sale of the property to developers.
Lakewood and Wainfleet's Rural Character
At that time, I took on the fight for Lakewood because I could see a bigger picture. Lakewood Camp had served children with disabilities for more than 50 years and was an important resource for children with special needs. I was also concerned that the property would be sold for condominium development and what that could mean for future development in a rural community.
I believe that development decisions should respect Wainfleet's rural character and the residents who chose to build their lives here.
It was at that time that the Wainfleet Ratepayers Association was formed to be a voice for residents and to oppose overdevelopment and the Big Pipe project. I served as vice president of the organization and was part of a group focused on preserving Wainfleet's rural character.