Year in Review: April- Lions roar, King crowned


Lions roar for citizens of year

It was double deception night for recipients of this year’s outstanding citizen awards, presented by the Lloydminster Lions Club.

Teenager Marleigh Mann, named Jr. Citizen of the Year and senior Larry Sauer, Citizen of the Year, each thought they were invited to speak about pet projects at a Legacy Centre supper Monday night.

The 17-year-old Mann, who will graduate from Holy Rosary aHigh School this year, talked about her involvement with the Beda club that earned her the award, presented by Lion Kathy Smithson.

“I was definitely surprised and I think it’s really an honour because I know how many great individuals are in our community and how many kids my age volunteer so much,” said Mann.

“I am really grateful to the Lions Club for selecting me and it really is an honour.”

Sauer, who tagged off with his wife, Leanne, to talk about their organ donor experiences, was surprised to be ambushed as the Lions Citizen of the Year, but he said the recognition “feels good” nevertheless.

“I think Marleigh said ahead of me that there are a lot of citizens who have been recognized before in our community who do a lot, so to be a part of that group is something special,” said Sauer.

Smithson also highlighted Sauer’s extensive volunteerism behind his award with his personal highlight being his 30 years as a teacher at Lloydminster Comprehensive High School.

“I loved working with young adults at the high school age, and being involved in the sporting area really helped me as an administrator at the high school,” said the retiree and former city councillor.


Chris King crowned top national college coach

If Chris King’s recent undefeated season and national women’s basketball title didn’t cause enough excitement, perhaps receiving the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) highest coaching honour will.

King, who recently wrapped his 16th season as the Lakeland College Rustlers women’s basketball team’s bench boss, was named the recipient of this year’s CCAA Coaching Excellence Award on April 17, the highest honour a college coach in Canada can receive. 

With roughly 100 teams competing in the CCAA, for King and the Rustlers’ athletic department, the award is ‘kind of a big deal.’

“My name is on it, but it’s about (Rustlers athletic director) Alan Rogan and the athletic department taking a chance on me as a really young coach, supporting me and sticking with me this whole time. I’m also very blessed I get to coach really good players,” said King on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s always special winning an award, but this is a big one and it’s a very cool award to win.”

King began his coaching career at Lakeland at the age of 24. Now 41, the Kitscoty native continues to achieve what he set out to do when he first started, which was to grow the local game of basketball.


Onion Lake welcomes detox beds

A sense of hope was felt throughout Onion Lake Cree Nation with the addition of 15 detox beds to the community’s Ekweskeet Healing Lodge.

“We had lost hope, including our young people, some who have committed suicide, and that’s evidence they’d lost hope,” said Chief Henry Lewis following Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

“This is a sense of bringing that hope back. Although we have a lot of hurdles to go through, I know we’ll get there eventually.”

Lewis was joined by members of the Onion Lake community, including the director of the Onion Lake Health Board, Albert Jimmy, local dignitaries, and two members of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), 2nd Vice Chief Edward “Dutch” Lerat and 4th Vice Chief Craig McCallum.

For the Chief, the detox beds aren’t just a sign of hope, they’re also a way of setting a better example for youth.

“We need to work on our youth; the demographics look pretty scary,” he said.

“Youth are going to be taking over, so if we don’t do anything now, I can’t imagine if they all got out of control.”

And when it comes to setting a good example for today’s youth, Lewis explained he’s honoured to have people like Albert Jimmy in his corner. 

“He’s walking the talk, and that’s very important. He’s been there and he walked it.”

Read more: Video: Canadian First – MOU signed with Onion Lake

author avatar
Meridian Source Staff
Add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *