YORKTON – Local business owner, Kenn Propp, was honoured with the Easter Seals Canada Volunteer of the Year for Saskatchewan award on June 1 at the Tillman Quality of Life Centre.
"Supporting Easter Seals is especially important to me because I grew up with an aunt who was disabled and I had cousins who were disabled – I know what it's like for the families – the commitment that they have to make to their children 365 days a year," said Propp in an acceptance speech upon accepting the award.
"The camp gives them a little bit of a respite – kudos to the people that work for Easter Seals and dedicate their time to making sure these kids have a great time at camp," said Propp, adding, "I had the opportunity to visit the camp and it was really overwhelming – and a very heart-touching moment – to see how comitted and dedicated the people are to working with children with disabilities."
"For over 30 years, [Propp] has given countless hours of his time, raised, and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Easter Seals Saskatchewan," read a statement on a media release from Sask Abilities.
"[Propp's] decades of support have been crucial to the long-term success and growth of Snowarama. His passion for supporting Easter Seals and individuals experiencing disability is unwavering, as regardless of snow and weather conditions, pandemic regulations, and any other possible hurdle, he continues to participate in Snowarama, and give his time and resources to our cause," added the media release.
"It was unexpected – I don't think anybody does these things for recognition – you dedicate to a cause and you do it," said Propp in a media scrum, adding, "if you go to the camp and you see young people – 20, 22, 24 years-old – looking after these kids 24-hours-a-day, it literally melts your heart."
"I had family that actually suffered from disabilities – so I grew up kind of surrounded by people that had that – so I knew how important the camp was," said Propp, "my grandmother looked after my aunt until the day [my aunt] died – with the commitment that she put in – kind of got me, I guess, saturated – or really into the cause – recognising how important it is to the kids, but so important to the families – if you could imagine having to look after somebody for 365 days out of the year."
"Outstanding dedication and commitment to doing something like that," said Propp.
This is Propp's second notable award of the year, having accepted the Business Leader of the Year award from the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce at the Celebrate Success Awards in April.
