Lions Club award recognizes outstanding volunteer

by Keely Grasser

Feb 20, 2008

SOUTH RIVER — Cal Ralston is this year’s recipient of the Don Ivens Memorial Community Volunteer Award.

The award, named after Ivens, a long-time volunteer whose work included running the Lions Cable Bingo, working toward building the tourism information centre in South River and involvement in the South River Curling Club, was established last year.

It is granted, through the South River Lions Club, to acknowledge a community member who, like Ivens, has a passion for helping their community.

Ralston has exactly that.

He has been involved with the South River Lions club for 31 years, the South River-Machar Agricultural Society for 30 years and the South River Festival of the Arts for the last seven or eight years, he said.

In all of his volunteer roles, “he’s there to do the work. If there’s physical work to be done, he’s there,” said Lion Martin Parker.

Parker gives an example of a little-known display of Ralston’s generosity and community spirit.

He often picks up beer bottles that have been thrown around town, Parker explained, and one day he brought his truck, filled with bottles, to the town, wanting to donate the proceeds to the kid’s soccer program.

“It’s those little things no one sees that Cal just does,” he said.

Ralston was oblivious of his nomination, until he got a letter on Friday requesting his attendance at the awards that night.

Ralston said he was surprised, but added, “I was hoping someone else would have won.”

Other nominees for this year’s award were Bob Weaver, Margaret Tebby and John McDermott.

Ralston’s name will be placed on a plaque in the South River-Machar Arena and Community Centre and will also have $500 donated in his name to the charity of his choice.

“Certainly in this age of public access and measured performance, this behind-the-scenes work of Cal and the other nominees doesn’t show up on balance sheets or financial reports, but they make a community,” Parker said.

Ralston said he was getting many words of congratulations from members of the community the day after getting his award when, naturally, he was volunteering at the South River Winterfest.