Citizen of the Year

The Rotary Club of Canmore Citizen of the Year Award is presented, from time to time as warranted, to a non‐Rotarian in our community who has demonstrated significant personal “service above self”, with volunteer contributions of major benefit to one or more community and/or international programs, projects, events or initiatives.
 
The following individuals have performed exceptional work in their respective volunteer and vocational sectors.
 

2024 - 2025    

Michelle Preston, Canmore Public Library

Michelle is the long-serving Director of the Canmore Public Library and has been a driving force behind its growth and transformation. Libraries are often described as the heartbeat of a community, and Michelle has exemplified that spirit through her vision, leadership, and dedication to accessibility and inclusiveness.

Michelle led the relocation and expansion of the Canmore Library to Elevation Place in 2013, transforming it into the vibrant, welcoming community hub it is today. Under her direction, the library has evolved far beyond books—offering literacy kits, walking poles, interlibrary loans, curated digital resources, and inclusive programming.

In 2019, she spearheaded the removal of annual membership fees and late fines, eliminating barriers to access and ensuring that all members of the community, regardless of income, could benefit from library services. Her leadership has emphasized equity, innovation, and responsiveness—qualities that have guided the development of the library’s 2024–27 Strategic Plan, grounded in extensive community feedback.

Michelle is also a past Canmore Rotaract member transitioned to a valued Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Canmore for many years. Michelle remains a friend of Rotary. A passionate community volunteer, she has worked alongside Peter Nichol to bring joy to children and families—often juggling—at events like the Festival of Trees, Trunk or Treat, Canada Day, and the Canmore Folk Festival. She was the longtime director of the Canmore Children’s Festival. Her playful spirit and community-minded energy have made her a familiar and beloved face in Canmore.

Most recently, Michelle championed a library-to-library partnership between Canmore and Sedona, Arizona, as part of our Sister Cities initiative. The Canmore Public Library, under her leadership, is proudly hosting the June 28 Canmore–Sedona Sister Cities Signature Event.

Michelle’s impact is profound—both through her professional role and her spirit of volunteerism. She embodies the Rotary values of service, community, and connection. For all she has given to our town and its people, we are proud to honour Michelle Preston as this year’s Rotary Citizen of the Year.Add text here

2023 - 2024     Heidi Widmer, Biosphere Institute

For inspiring young minds with the Biosphere Institute's Future Leaders Youth Council.
 
Heidi is an Environmental Educator, Program Coordinator, and 2014 Canadian Olympian.
 

Pictured above (L to R): Martin Bean, Rotary President, Heidi Widmer, Biosphere, young women involved in Heidi's programs.

2022 - 2023     Bow Valley Homelessness Society

The Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley offers two programs: an emergency winter shelter and an outreach program available year-round to provide support to individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity within the Bow Valley. If you or someone you know is in need of support, please see the website for further information.
 
 
Pictured above L to R: Lynda Damen (Rotarian and Board of Directors, BVHS), Amanda Sarka (Rotary President), and Jessica Klaric, (Executive Director, Bow Valley Homelessness Society)

 

2021 - 2022  Bow Valley Primary Care Network - The Good Food Box

 

The Bow Valley Good Food Box is a monthly assortment of fresh produce that focuses on packing in as much nutritious food as it can, while sourcing local, seasonal, and organic when possible. The content of the Box varies each month based on seasonal availability and pricing. 


The regular price of the Bow Valley Good Food Box is $30, taxes included. This is open to anyone in the Bow Valley. A partially subsidized option of $25 is currently offered to people who self-identify with a lower-income whether or not due to COVID-19. These subsidies are provided by a grant from the Rotary Club of Canmore & the Bow Valley Christmas Spirit Campaign. 

 

2020 - 2021     2 Recipients for 2020-2021


1 - Iron Goat Pub & Grill with Food & Friends

 
An amazing collaboration between Iron Goat and Food and Friends saw meals prepared by Iron Goat and delivered by Food and Friends to people living in Canmore and east in the Bow Valley.
 

2 - Bow Valley Food Alliance

 

The Bow Valley Food Alliance (BVFA) is a regional organization of passionate citizens and professionals dedicated to addressing food security. The BVFA addresses issues regarding access to affordable, healthy, and fresh food in a coordinated way from the continental divide to the foothills along the Bow River Corridor (from Lake Louise, ID 9, Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, MD of Bighorn to Morley and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations). 

Over the past 18 months, during the Covid Pandemic, the BVFA has been instrumental in the food security of our Bow Valley community. They have been financially supported by the Canmore Rotary Club Charitable Foundation, Banff Canmore Community Foundation, Wim and Nancy Pauw Foundation, Community Food Center Canada, The United Way Calgary and other organizations listed on their website. 

The Bow Valley Emergency Grants Committee (BVEG – a collaboration of Banff Canmore Community Foundation, Canmore Rotary club Charitable Foundation and Wim and Nancy Pauw Charitable Foundation)) met frequently over the past year to determine where our coordinated funds could be best utilized. BVFA demonstrated good use of funds while supporting many subgroups in the Bow Valley and, at the same time, making every attempt to consolidate food security resources within the Bow Valley. 

 

2018 - 2019     Becky Scott

(Featured above L to R: Club President - Michelle Dagenais, Citizen of the Year recipient - Beckie Scott, Rotary member - Bruce Keith)
 
As the 2018/19 Rotary Theme has been “Be The Inspiration”, there are those in our community who inspire us and those around them to be their best, and Beckie Scott is embodies that like no other.
 
Beckie is an Alberta gal who was born in Vegreville and grew up in Vermillion, and has made Canmore her home.
 
She was a world class cross country skier who, until she retired in 2006, represented Canada at countless World Cup and World Championship races as well as 3 Olympic Winter Games: 1998 in Nagano, 2002 in Salt Lake and 2006 in Turino, Italy. She is in fact the only person in Olympic history to have won the bronze, silver and gold medals in the same event. Beckie was originally awarded the bronze medal in the 5km pursuit race at the 2002 Games, but over the next 2 and ½ years that bronze medal was upgraded to the silver and eventually to the gold medal when the 2 Russian athletes who finished ahead of her in that race were disqualified for having used performance enhancing drugs.
 
As a competitive athlete, Beckie’s skill, determination, perseverance and success  inspired her teammates and a new generation of young Canadian athletes, like my own daughter Sandra, to train hard and always strive for excellence, in sport and in life.
 
Following her ski racing career, Beckie took on important volunteer roles in the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee. In those organizations, she became a leading international spokesperson for eradicating performance-enhancing drugs from sport. Through her efforts and persistence, Beckie has helped bring doping in sport out into the light for all to see the unfairness it creates in sport competitions, and the harm it can do to an athlete’s health.
 
Another important result of her work for those organizations has been to inspire others in sport to speak truth to power whenever fair play takes a back seat to winning at all costs
 
When it comes to public recognition of Beckie’s inspiring accomplishments, she has been honoured with a variety of awards, having been inducted into:
  • The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
  • The Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
  • The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and
  • The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
           
In addition, Beckie has been appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. She holds honourary Doctorate of Laws degrees from the University of Alberta
and the University of British Columbia.
 
She has also been an Olympic cross country ski racing broadcaster for Canadian television.
 
Beckie is also a dedicated Mom, and lives here in Canmore with her two young children Tay-o and Bryn and her husband Justin.
 
In 2009, Beckie founded a not-for-profit organization named Spirit North to introduce Indigenous youth to cross-country skiing and the fundamental joy of movement. It began with four participating communities, and today Spirit North works in more than 30 Indigenous communities across Alberta (including Morley), British Colombia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and currently reaches about 6,000 youth every year. The program has also been expanded to include running and biking opportunities for Indigenous youth. If you were to go up to the Canmore Nordic Centre on a cold winter day when Beckie and Spirit North are hosting a ski day for a youth group from Morley, you would see huge smiles on the participants’ faces that would warm your heart.
 
As mentioned earlier, the 2018-19 theme for Rotary clubs around the world has been: “Be the Inspiration” - but they could just as easily have chosen the phrase “Be like Beckie”. Since she was a young girl and to this day, Beckie has inspired others - and it doesn’t sound like she’s about to give that up anytime soon!
 

2017 - 2018     Donna & Marshall Kennedy

 
 
 
 

2016 - 2017     Pat Grayling

(Featured below left)
 
 

2015 - 2016     Carol Picard

(image credit HIGHLINE MAGAZINE)
 
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