Lucinda Watkins is the Citizen of the Year and Tyler Larson is the Youth Citizen of the Year.
They were honoured by the Olds Rotary Club, in conjunction with Olds Institute during the annual Volunteer Appreciation Night banquet at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Wednesday, April 18.
Also, Olds Hospital volunteers and the Olds Hospital Auxiliary were named the 2018 Volunteer Group of the Year.
In addition, it was announced that Elsie Machell is the longest-serving member of the Olds Hospital Auxiliary, having volunteered for 56 years.
Watkins founded the Community Lending Shelf clothing exchange program in Olds.
Initially, she started it from her home. Over the past 10 years, it grew to become a full non-profit society.
Through the Community Lending Shelf, Watkins has been able to assist other community programs and projects, such as the women’s emergency shelter, school family assistance, the Dress for Success Program and the Coats for Kids program.
She also headed a drive to assist families devastated by the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016.
Watkins was humbled to receive the award.
"It was an honour to be able to be nominated and awarded that, for sure," she said during an interview with the Albertan.
She said she was "a little bit surprised" to be chosen for the award.
"I heard in the fall that somebody had nominated me, but then I thought the award was given in the fall, so kind of a surprise for sure," she said.
Larson, now an Olds College student, graduated from Olds High School, where he participated in that school's leadership program. In that role, he mentored younger students. He was also a mentor for Scouts Canada through the Venture program.
In addition, Larson leads Mountain View Food Bank drives and volunteers in his church.
In high school, he was active in athletics, particularly basketball, and musical theatre, yet still managed to remain on the honour roll.
Larson learned he'd been chosen a couple of weeks ago when he received a call from Olds Institute executive director Mitch Thomson.
"At first I was shocked, and then I kind of talked to my parents (and said) 'guess what? I just won an award,'" he said. "It was good."
Larson said he was "really honoured," to be named Youth Citizen of the Year.
"I've tried always to volunteer however I can and help out. That's kind of just how our family works; how we do things," he said. "I think I lead by my parents' example and I've just kind of done that in all the different things I do."
As members of the Olds Hospital Auxiliary came up to the podium, Andrew Gold's Thank You For Being a Friend was played.
Town of Olds community facilitator Heather Dixon read a history of the group, noting it was founded in 1939.
At that time, she said, the Olds Municipal Hospital building was actually a three-storey house.
"Patients were often carried up or down on the shoulders of the doctors and other staff," Dixon said.
