Local volunteer Alex Halat has been recognized for his exceptional volunteer spirit with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.
“It was a great honor,” he said.
“Receiving both the Sovereign Medal and The Queens Diamond Jubilee are something I can pass onto my children years down the road to remind them to never turn your back on any charity or organization,” said Halat.
In addition to the medal, Halat was given a certificate of recognition by city council Nov. 6.
“It is very important the City recognizes and publically states how much we appreciate people such as Alex for all his volunteer work in the community,” said Mayor Marshall Chalmers on why the city chose to recognize Halat.
Halat said that, “it was a great feeling,” to be nominated for the Sovereign’s Medal.
In his years of volunteering, Halat said he never expected or looked for this kind of recognition.
“Awards and medals should never be ones focus for doing anything in regards to help others in need,” said Halat.
“The biggest reward was helping others in a time of need,” he said.
This attitude towards volunteering has left Halat very humble on his awards. He said he wasn’t sure why he was nominated for the medal.
“There are so many great people within our community that deserve this award,” he said.
In Halat’s opinion, it is these volunteers who make Chestermere a great place to live.
Acknowledging those volunteers is something Mayor Chalmers would like to see more of.
“We need to do more of this type of recognition, so if you know anyone doing amazing work in the community, please let us know,” he said.
Looking to the future, Halat doesn’t have any plans of slowing down.
“There will always be organizations in need therefore we will continue to help,” he said.
