If you’ve ever had the privilege of working with or simply having a conversation with these two ladies, you know that their passion for our community and its residents is remarkable. Councillor Gail Smith and Patty Sproule were recently both presented with awards at the recent Alberta Urban Municipalities Association President’s dinner.
Councillor Gail Smith was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan where she completed her Bachelor of Education in 1984 and Masters of Education Degree in 2001. She taught Grades 3 to 7 in Regina before moving to Chestermere. After nine years of teaching Junior High, she retired from teaching with the Calgary Board of Education in June, 2013. She has served on numerous committees and worked as a consultant and reviewer for various publishers and educational groups. Gail has been an active member of the Chestermere Lions’ Club for over six years and enjoys meeting with people in the community and serving where needed.
Smith was awarded a certificate of completion for her completing the Elected Officials Education Program. “I completed the elected Officials education program (EOEP) 7 courses, on various topics but all related to municipal affairs. The ones I took were municipal governance, finance, inter- municipal partnerships etc. they are a part of AUMA and unfortunately elected officials rarely complete the courses so they honoured my completion of them I believing hoping to encourage others to do the same”.
Deputy Mayor Christopher Steeves commented, “As Council we are very pleased that Gail was recognized for her dedication to continued learning and her commitment to serve the citizens of Chestermere. Congratulations”.
It’s likely that you’ve met Patty Sproule at events around the city. If you haven’t, it’s possible that your life may have been impacted by her work–if you’ve visited the city’s bike park, bought a duck for a buck at Waterfest, attended the Polar Bear Dip at Winterfest, received care at Chestermere’s new Community Health Centre or enrolled your kids in YELL, SHOUT or Creative Kids.
Recently, Sproule was honoured with the ‘Above and Beyond’ Award which recognizes staff, residents or organizations who have really gone the extra mile for communities throughout Alberta.
There is a laundry list of initiatives that Sproule has been involved with throughout her time as Director of Community Services and Executive Director for Synergy where she has been a crucial part of initiatives such as Christmas with Dignity, the Community Block Party program and Everyday Angels. Arguably most notable, however, is Sproule’s work with local youth. The Synergy team provides camps, workshops, activities and numerous other opportunities that provide a venue for kids to build confidence, find a place to belong and discover their passion(s). The YELL Youth Council has won both a Communities Choosewell award and the Alberta Recreation and Parks Excellence in Youth Development award. They contribute thousands of hours of volunteer service every year and have planned, coordinated and hosted three municipal and two provincial All Candidates Forums over the past eight years. “People say that ‘youth are the leaders of tomorrow’ but I see them as important members of the community leadership team of today,” says Sproule when asked about her passion for youth programming. “With support, mentorship and training youth are empowered to play an important part in making our community the very best it can be.”
Melissa From, Synergy Board of Directors Chair, said “The city of Chestermere and the Synergy organization are very lucky to have someone with the vision , passion, and commitment to community that Patty Sproule has. This award only serves as evidence to how fortunate we are.”
While grateful for the recognition of this award, Sproule says she doesn’t think of her efforts as going above and beyond. She sees herself as simply doing the very best she can every day to identify and creatively fill gaps and she’s very quick to acknowledge all those who work so hard to build our community’s capacity. “I make hundreds of connections every week with people from all walks of life, all parts of the community; young and old, staff and volunteers. Without collaboration, little would be accomplished. I believe very strongly in the power of relationships and the strength of teamwork.”
“This award was a culmination and recognition of the years of dedication and hard work that Patty has provided to our community and is well deserved. Congratulations!” commented Deputy Mayor Christopher Steeves.
Our community is full of people that make a difference every single day, but these two ladies are always at the fore front doing what they can to make Chestermere a better place. Congratulations Gail and Patty!
