Tickets are on sale now for the Citizen of the Year Banquet to be held Friday, March 15 at the Western Development Museum. They may be obtained from the Discovery Co-op administration office.
This year’s citizens, adult and junior, are Pius Pfeifer and Allysa Woodrow, as selected by the North Battleford Lions Club, Discovery Co-op and Saskatchewan Country CJNB.
Pius Pfeifer
Citizen of the Year
Whether it’s his routine philanthropy, offering his hotel venues to community clubs for fundraising efforts, or bringing chocolates to crews working on a plumbing contract, Pfeifer’s nature to give back to the community earned him the recognition of Citizen of the Year.
Pfeifer has given philanthropically to several charitable organizations, including Catholic Family Services, the Knights of Columbus — where he has been a member for 61 years — and St. Joseph and Notre Dame Parishes. He was a major contributor to the development efforts of the Credit Union CUPlex and the Battleford Trade and Education Centre’s Pfeifer Learning Centre.
“Pfeifer is a strong, faith-filled man of integrity that respects, appreciates and acknowledges those values in others, which in turn empowers others to serve,” nominator Vicky Serblowski, executive director of St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission wrote.
Others, including David Dekker, described him as one of the Battlefords’ best known and respected entrepreneurs.
“Pius never hesitates to share his success, quietly supporting a long list of local groups and individuals,” Dekker wrote.
Ron and Grace Lang wrote how whenever approached for fundraising initiatives, Pfeifer made them feel as though the request was his utmost importance.
Allysa Woodrow
Junior Citizen of the Year
From her dedication to mental health awareness to recently spearheading a city-wide campaign aimed at bringing together the young and old, Allysa Woodrow lives a life that exemplifies a demonstration of contribution to the community.
When the 17-year-old sees a need in the city, she tackles it head-on.
Nominators for Woodrow, which included Pastor Deb McNabb, described Woodrow as a “great community ambassador who is selfless, has a servant’s heart, is wise beyond her years, is humble, kind, an excellent student, a visionary and compassionate.”
McNabb adds, “She lives a very busy life but does all she does with excellence. She is an amazing role model and a tremendous example of youth voice, passion and resiliency.”
Woodrow is an advocate for mental health awareness and a champion example of honesty and passion.
Following a number of youth and senior suicides in the region early last year, Woodrow embarked on a city-wide initiative to connect these generations through the Battlefords Better Together T-shirt Project, all while enrolled as a Grade 12 student in John Paul II Collegiate. The project aims to reduce loneliness and improve residents’ wellbeing.
At school, Woodrow is a senior leader with Students Against Drunk Driving and the Mental Health Communication Café.
Outside the classroom, Woodrow is a faithful volunteer with veterans at the North Battleford Legion. Through this, she developed an interest in those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which has led her down a path to become involved with Wounded Warriors, where she often volunteers with veterans and their families.
She also is a co-leader with the Hugs with Mugs Mental Health support group, which gathers every Tuesday evening, and was instrumental in founding another chapter of the Hugs with Mugs on the Saulteaux First Nation that began on Jan. 7.
Woodrow will graduate in the spring and has been accepted to the University of Regina to study social work in the fall.
