Their ages, backgrounds and even nationalities are different. But they share a common bond with their work ethic and their desire to make a difference in the lives of the people around them.
The 18th annual Women of Today Awards luncheon was held on Wednesday. Hundreds of people filled the Wylie Mitchell building to watch as awards were handed out to four deserving recipients.
Amanda Minchin was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to the Workplace Award. Daphne Lavina took home the Ida Petterson Memorial Award for Outstanding Entrepreneur. Cassidy Clow received the Shirley Orsted Memorial Award for Outstanding Young Woman of Today. Wendy Godfrey was honoured with the SaskTel Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community.
Amanda Minchin was saluted for her many years of dedication to the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club. Minchin started working at the course as a youth, and after going to college on a golf scholarship and competing on women’s professional tours, she returned in 2009 to be the assistant pro.
She was promoted to the head pro job last year.
Minchin continues to enjoy working at the course where she first learned to play the game, and spent so much of her childhood.
“It’s been nothing but positive,” she said. “I’m excited to still be there, so I don’t ever feel like I should be anywhere else.”
In her speech, Minchin paid tribute to the people she works with, and said she shares the award with them.
“Some days I show up to work and I’m not as passionate as I should be, and you pick me up,” she said to her co-workers in her acceptance speech.
Lorrie Coumont from Canyon Technical Services was also nominated for the award.
Daphne Lavina, who owns Aces Connections Consultancy, won the Ida Petterson Award. She admitted she was surprised with the honour, since she has been in Estevan for less than two years.
She came to the city from the Philippines with her husband after he took a job with SaskPower.
But it’s not the first time she has been in that field. She spent 18 years in a similar business in the Philippines.
Lavina noticed a need for a company like Aces Connections when she came to Canada.
“I saw the opportunity to help with the immigrant community here in the southeast of Saskatchewan,” said Lavina.
Aces Consulting provides immigration and travel consulting services.
“We help a lot of new and not-so-new immigrants here in Estevan with their applications,”
She also conducts an immigration clinic with Southeast Newcomer Services every two weeks, in which she offers her services for free for 15-minute sessions.
Lisa Grimes of the Exhale Massage Clinic and Day Spa and Kristen Harrison of Eat.Weigh.Love were the other nominees.
Cassidy Clow, who is in Grade 11 at the Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS), was presented with the Shirley Orsted Award for her contributions to the school and the community.
She is a member of the Students Helping Others Unite Together Socially (SHOUTS) team, and is a Functionally Integrated Programming mentor.
“I joined SHOUTS just so I could help Grade 9s,” Clow said. “I remember being in Grade 9, and I was so scared to come into the Comp. This year I wanted to help them out, so I got two girls who I mentored and helped them get around the school.”
Those efforts have blossomed, and allowed her to assist other Grade 9s at the school.
Clow also volunteers at the Estevan Humane Society and works part-time at the Prairie Animal Health Centre, and has spent three weeks in Ghana working on a school project.
Other nominees for the award were Hannah Battersby, Kyla Hamilton, Kelsie Jackiw and Kelsey Potoma. Clow noted they are all friends at the Comp, and have been involved with many of the same activities.
“We are all super deserving, and we are all super supportive of each other, which is awesome,” she said.
Wendy Godfrey was recognized with the SaskTel Award for her work with many different causes since moving to Estevan with her husband, Michael, in 1989. Her first employer in Estevan required its employees to volunteer, and Godfrey chose the Girl Guides after she found out they needed a leader.
She realized she really loves volunteering, and she is always looking for an opportunity.
“Volunteering is fabulous,” said Godfrey. “I think everyone should do it. And so many people in our community do volunteer, and it’s truly what makes Estevan a wonderful place.”
She has also been active with Scouts Canada, the Canadian Lung Association, St. Giles’ Anglican Church, the Souris Valley Theatre and the After 5 Christian Women’s Club, and the sports organizations for figure skating, football, bowling, hockey and curling.
She loves so many of the different organizations she has been involved with, but the Girl Guides remain No. 1 to her.
“With the Girl Guides, meeting those wonderful girls, they’re energetic and fantastic, and they’ve got great ideas,” she said.
Kathryn Gilliss, Colleen Jensen, Bonnie Gibson and Sara Pippus were the other candidates.
The awards luncheon also featured a guest speaker, as author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Gina Sebastian offered tips on how women can believe in themselves.
Next week’s edition of the Estevan Mercury will have more information on Sebastian’s speech.
Proceeds of the Women of Today Awards will be directed towards various community projects.
The awards ceremony is a project of Quota International of Estevan and the Oil Wives Club of Estevan.
