Lucille Paquette-Lohmann is Citizen of the Year

Lucille Paquette-Lohmann was simply overwhelmed.

But every one of the nearly 200 citizens attending the 2016 Community & Business Awards gala at the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion on Oct. 14 knew there was not a more deserving winner for this year's Citizen of the Year.

For nearly 30 years, the 55-year-old social worker has devoted her life to helping youth. In 1987 she was hired as the first executive director to pilot the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Central Alberta, and later became the agency's lead on casework files. Paquette-Lohmann, who for years has been an active rural community volunteer, is a treasured force behind the success of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prairies to Peaks, based in Innisfail but serving the Central Alberta region.

“My knees are shaking,” said Paquette-Lohmann as she accepted her award from Mayor Brian Spiller. “My love for Innisfail is huge. Living in the country has been a great experience for my family and I but my passion has always been Innisfail.

“The people I have met through my job at Big Brothers Big Sisters have been remarkable,” said Paquette-Lohmann, noting a special four-year-old program client who is now a doctor of psychology and extensively involved in brain damage and concussion research for the sports community. “I am so proud of her. She is a perfect example of what we do.”

Paquette-Lohmann was one of nine citizens who received awards at the gala for outstanding achievement in the community.

The awards presentations kicked off following greetings from dignitaries and a roast beef dinner.

Darius Ramrattan, a young kayaker who first made his mark in 2009 paddling for the Cottonwood Kayak Club, was named Male Athlete of the Year, which comes after his inspirational recovery from a serious hiking accident in 2015 that allowed him to compete this year at the world championships.

Champion swimmer and hockey player Faith Gette was named Innisfail's Female Athlete of Year.

“Faith remains a humble and hardworking student at Innisfail High School,” said Innisfail town councillor Heather Taylor, who presented Gette's award. “She works as a lifeguard and an instructor at the pool and stays on top of her studies as she currently has a 95 per cent average.”

The Innisfail Cyclones 9-Man Football team was chosen as the Sports Team of the Year. The squad has won the Mountain View 9-Man League championship two years in a row.

To top it off for the team, coach Trevor Wooff was selected as winner of this year's Coach Recognition Award.

The evening saw local entrepreneur Deb Stoski, a driving community force for many years to bolster the fortunes of downtown businesses, win the Community Builder Award.

“I think it's more in the nomination than in the winning,” said Stoski, “I think it's just a great community that we are in, that there are people here that aren't from the town or chamber that nominate us so that we can get recognized.”

And 17-year-old Erich Marcinkowski, who has wanted to be an RCMP officer since Grade 1, was another who was duly recognized, earning this year's Leaders of Tomorrow Award. “It feels great. I'm proud and happy to have inspired my community,” said the Grade 12 student, who was one of 32 youths from across the country selected this past summer to participate in the RCMP's Youth Camp in Regina.

Meanwhile, this year's Community Cultural Award went to Grace Gresos, chair of the Phil-Can Neighbourhood Association of Innisfail. Her award recognized her leadership of the many fundraising drives her association had made to help the community's less fortunate. “This is overwhelming. I am speechless,” she said after receiving her award. “I am so very happy with the community I now have.”

And so is Kim Tibble, who for more than 20 years has been committed to health and fitness for the community, including the Dean Turnquist Road Hockey Tournament, Innisfail Triathlon, and her business Kinections Fitness Studio. Tibble earned this year's Mayor's Fitness Award.

“I am so thankful. You go through all the years not for an award like this. You just do it because it is in your heart, and you want to help people,” she said. “It is nice to get the recognition from the community.”