For one Drumheller woman, volunteering has helped her community build, and now that community has no borders.
“It has always been important to me. When I was younger, I always lived in big cities and never felt like I was part of the community,” said Cindy Thomas. “With my dad’s job, we travelled, sometimes twice a year when I was child, and we always lived in the city. I never lived in a small town until I moved to Drumheller and I love it. I find it so rewarding to feel part of a community, you feel like there is a purpose.”
Cindy Thomas, her husband Bob and son Mike just returned from a trip to Roatan to witness the great work that Familias Saluables is doing on the small Honduran island. This was their first time down, but their involvement with the Morgan Jayne Project runs deep.
“This is a big one for me, I really feel very strongly about this program, especially how much they are helping kids with HIV right now,” said Thomas.
Most recently, she spearheaded the first annual Morgan Jayne Project Baby Shower and quickly surpassed their goal of 50 cans of formula. A couple weeks ago they shipped 235 cases of baby formula to the Roatan.
The family’s recent trip wasn’t to deliver the formula, but simply to see first hand what the project does in advance of a trip planned this Christmas.
“We had decided to go at Christmas. we’ll go and play Mr. and Mrs. Claus. We’ll do the Christmas party and actually play Santa Claus,” she said. “I wanted to go ahead of time to Valerie Nelson, the woman who heads up and see some of the families, so we did.”
This trip was a revelation. They met some of the families. They also helped to purchase and deliver groceries to some of the families served by Familias Saludables.
One home she ventured to, they had to ford black water to find a home without a roof, a dirt floor and curtains separating it into two rooms; the bedroom had two hammocks and the living room had two lawn chairs.
She also had the opportunity to meet the family she has sponsored through the Morgan Jayne Christmas Miracle project for the last few years.
“It was an amazing trip, a very eye-opening heart warming trip and it gave me opportunity to meet people that everyone in Drumheller helps support,” said Thomas, adding it motivates her to work harder for the project.
While her work continues it is certainly not the only thing she has dedicated herself to. Her family is a long time supporter of the Nacmine Community Association.
“I have lived in Nacmine for over 25 years and I have never not been on the board in some capacity. I volunteer with the community association because it is like anything, it is difficult to get people to come out and volunteer,” she said.
Also as her family grew, she was involved in activities they were involved in. She was a provincial and national board member of La Leche League, and she was active in bringing French Emersion program to Drumheller and stayed involved with the program until her children graduated
Her motivation is being part of a community.
“You feel a sense of belonging. I like being a part of something, no matter how little it is you make a difference,” she said.
“The reward at the end of the day is making a difference in my community and the world. Going to Roatan shows you how small the world is and it fulfills me, gives me purpose.”
Having been heavily involved with volunteer work in the Drumheller community for nearly her entire life, Becky Kowalchuk, is the true definition of a team player.
