The Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association’s annual awards recognize the best in the province, whether it’s community projects, employees within the sector or volunteers who help make things happen. This year, Yorkton’s Adam Fetsch won the Volunteer of the Year award for his work with different organizations and events around the community.
Fetsch says that he didn’t expect to be recognized, but that he’s honoured to receive a pat on the back.
“It’s a lot of work, but I don’t mind doing it for the kids. I have nine of my own, so I know that what I do for them benefits everybody else.”
One of the inspirations behind Fetsch’s active volunteer work is his wife, Jeanne. He describes her as his “soul and inspiration,” and says that her work ethic is what inspires him to volunteer and get involved in different programs and work hard for the community.
“My wife when I married her, she was one of 15 children. We have nine children, which is unusually large, but they had 15 children, they had 83 foster children beside that. When you add up the numbers, with mom and dad beside that they had 100 in one home. The day we got married, I was an uncle to 33 instantly... You talk about a work ethic, when you have the two mules working together it makes it a lot easier. I see her do it and I can do it too.”
She was also one of the main reasons why Fetsch got involved in soccer as well, he says. She was on the national team in 1986 and Fetsch says he quickly learned about the sport and the benefits it could have for kids, both his own and other kids in the area.
“I knew nothing about soccer, but marrying someone like this I caught on right away.”
The Fetsch family is also heavily involved in Ukrainian dance, having started the dance festival fifteen years ago. It brings in approximately 5,000 people every year, and Fetsch says it has been a really exciting experience.
“And we’re not Ukrainian, it’s just that when you’re in Rome, you do as the Romans do, so to speak.”
He says that it’s great to see the benefits to the kids, whether that means the benefits of keeping active or meeting a wide circle of friends through the programs. He’s also proud to see his kids dance on the national stage, for example.
Darcy McLeod, Director of Community Development, Parks and Recreation for the City of Yorkton, says that they nominated Fetsch because he’s involved in so many different different programs, and they wanted to recognize someone who was involved in many different programs.
“There are many deserving volunteers in the community... We wanted to nominate somebody that had involvement in everything.”
