Four Olds residents have been nominated for the 12th annual Red Deer & District Community Foundation’s Women of Excellence awards.
They are Metis elder Doreen Bergum in the arts and culture category; discus and javelin thrower and coach Rachel Andres in athletics, recreation and fitness; Christina Ray in community building; and longtime volunteer Elsie Machell in human services.
A lifetime achievement award will also be presented to a woman who has been a role model in her community for many years.
Award winners will be announced during the Women Of Excellence awards gala June 19 in Red Deer.
Bergum belongs to an Indigenous group in Olds and is an elder at Olds College. She is very proud of her heritage and has been passing on traditional Metis culture there and in the community as a whole.
She also helps organize Indigenous Day celebrations in Olds.
Ray was nominated partly because of her efforts to host events through the group Local Women Unite. They promote a local woman every Wednesday.
She has been urging women and the community as a whole to have a more positive body image.
Andres has founded a new track club in the community.
She has qualified for the Pan American Games which will be held July 26-Aug. 11 in Lima, Peru.
This year, Andres is hoping to also qualify for the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) world championships, which take place Sept. 27-Oct. 6 in Doha, Qatar. She also hopes to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
Other than obviously feeling very honoured to be a nominee, I am hoping being a nominee will inspire the young women I coach and women I have yet to meet to keep pushing for their goals and dreams," Andres told the Albertan.
"I’m not only striving to reach my own Olympic dreams, but also help my kids reach those goals and show them that hard work can make anything possible."
Machell is the longest-serving member of the Olds Hospital Auxiliary, having volunteered for 57 years. She has a special soft spot for the elderly.
Machell has also been a volunteer for years with many other organizations, including the Olds & District Kiwanis Music Festival and Meals On Wheels.
Organizers say a record 56 women were nominated for the awards this year. Last year, 51 were nominated.
