I was very disappointed when The Observer did not cover the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards in Regina May 3, even though there were three nominated from our area.
Glenna Stewart (daughter of Don and Nora Stewart, Arcola) was nominated in the Leadership and Management category. Glenna is a professional Engineer, President of Flaveart Inc. and a member of the Saskatchewan Women in Trades and Technology; is a dedicated, passionate, innovative visionary in the field of engineering. Her exemplary leadership and management skills, as well as her research methods and processes have assisted manufacturers, increasing production volume and profit margins. As an educator she is dedicated and patent, building lines of communication, opening doors for creative input and training employees when a process is improved.
As an advocate for social justice and equality, Glenna leads by example, hiring individuals from visible minority groups when she was told it could not be done. She finds people who already possess the skills required by Sask. Employers and helps with additional training if they need it, allowing them to pursue, achieve and realize their dreams.
As a talented musician and ardent athlete Glenna volunteers her time to numerous organizations to enrich the lives of others.
Glenna Stewart received the award in her group and I would like to congratulate her on winning this prestigious award.
In the Contribution to a Rural Community award to honour significant contributions to the betterment of rural life by a woman living and working in southern Saskatchewan there were eight nominees - two from our area - Roxanne Appell from Wawota and Sheila Sim from Arcola.
Roxanne is known for her dedication to improving the lives of people and animals in her rural community. She worked tirelessly to start a local spay and neuter program that has improved the safety of the community be decreasing the number of stray animals and reduced unwanted animals left to survive the Saskatchewan winters without shelter or food. In addition, Roxanne and her husband, Ken, own an acreage in the Wawota area which they have developed into a rescue ranch for dogs and horses where they selflessly work to improve the lives of the animals and prepare them for new homes.
Sheila Sim, the other nominee, lived in Arcola and presently works in the office of JJ Trucking. In 1991, Sheila became our town administrator and has put her heart and soul into projects that have had a positive impact in her community. Sheila has been active in economic development where her major accomplishment was participating in planning and fundraising for a new community hall. Sheila also has a passion for heritage buildings and has worked to save several buildings in the community.
More recently Sheila took a seat on the town council of Arcola and has initiated a new housing division co-founded the Arcola Daycare committee and was a founding member of the Moose Mountain Health Care Recruitment Corporation where she has been instrumental in working to construct a medical clinic in the town which opened in 2009 and has improved healthcare services in Arcola and the surrounding area. These are no small feats, given that Sheila is also a cancer survivor and the single mother of two children she has raised to adulthood.
Even though Roxanne and Sheila did not win in their respective field, they can still be very proud of their achievements. It is an honour in itself to be nominated in Women of Distinction.
We have so many great women in our area and The Observer was remiss in not covering this story.
Margaret Carr,
Arcola, SK
Editor's note: An article appeared on page 6 of the Friday, June 1st issue of The Observer in respect to the nominations of Sheila Sim and Roxanne Appell. The Observer apologizes we were unaware of the nomination and tie to the local area of Glenna Stewart.
