OLDS — Two Olds residents have won Women of Excellence awards, presented by the Red Deer & District Community Foundation.
Raelynn Notley won in the Human Services category and Dr. Jody Carrington received her award in the Health and Wellness category.
The 13th annual awards were presented during a virtual gala on June 13.
Carrington, a local child psychologist, has assessed, treated, educated and empowered people for more than 15 years.
She completed a year-long internship with the RCMP working alongside families struggling with chronic illness at Ronald McDonald House.
Her book, Kids These Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting with those we Teach, Lead & Love (2019) is on Amazon’s Best Sellers List.
Notley, a registered social worker, has practised in Central Alberta for more than 20 years with a strong focus on promoting mental health and wellness in others.
She is currently a mental health program manager for Chinook's Edge School Division’s Youth Empowerment & Support (YES) program and chair of the Boys and Girls Club of Olds and District.
“Raelynn’s goal is to provide opportunities for children, youth and families to develop skills to maximize their potential,” a Red Deer & District Community Foundation news release said.
Instead of being held in a facility in Red Deer, the entire event was held online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and watched by people across the world, according to Red Deer & District Community Foundation executive director Erin Peden.
Participants were urged to get specially dressed up, just as they would for a regular gala.
During the evening, Carrington also gave an address about the importance of connection during a time of disconnect.
Notley and Carrington were among seven people from Olds and Innisfail who were nominated.
The other nominees were Carol Johnston of Olds in Arts, Culture & Heritage; Joy Cavin and Andrea Hawiuk of Olds as well as Erika Fetterly of Innisfail in Community Building; and Valerie Norman-Organ of Olds in Education and Training.
The awards were created to honour women in the district who have been strong role models to the women and girls in our communities.
In total, 48 women from across Central Alberta were nominated for outstanding achievements and contributions in their communities.
In a news release, Peden said the event raised more than $12,000.
She said all proceeds from the event’s ticket sales go to the COVID Community Response Fund.
Also, proceeds from raffle tickets go to the Women and Girls Fund, a Red Deer & District Community Foundation endowment fund geared toward supporting projects that directly benefit women and girls in central Alberta.
In an interview, Notley said she was surprised and humbled to win her award.
However, she stressed in a way the award isn’t really hers; it’s the result of lots of effort from many people who volunteer with her in various causes and organizations.
“We come from a really great sense of community and there’s a lot of people who work really hard behind the scenes to give back and promote a lot of different initiatives, so I was really proud to be a part of that with them,” Notley said.
“I’ve done none of this by myself, so if anything, it really highlights all of the hard work of a number of different people. I just happen to be given the credit for it.”
Carrington could not be reached for comment by press time.
