COBDEN — Do you know someone who is active, cares for others, or goes beyond what is necessary and lives in the Cobden and area community?
If you do, nominate them for the 2016 Citizen of the Year.
Since 1975, the Cobden and District Civitan Club has honoured someone with the distinction of being the Citizen of the Year. Joe Robinson received the first honour and last year’s recipients were Vera and Stewart McBride.
Paul McLenaghan, a Civitan member and chair of the nominating committee, said anyone can nominate anyone in the Cobden and area for Citizen of the Year – there are no age restrictions. While Cobden is part of Whitewater, he explained there are clubs in other areas of the municipality that do things in their area, so while nominations can come from throughout the area, the Civitan members don’t want to interfere with what other clubs do in their own areas.
“We are looking for people who can be recognized as ones who are active in the community or who are volunteers or care for others, the good neighbour kind of people.
“Quite often, they are well known because of their volunteer activity in the community,” Mr. McLenaghan said.
It can also be a business, he added, that supports causes in the community.
A letter explaining why you believe this person should receive the honour can be sent to Mr. McLenaghan at Box 148, Cobden, ON or email to [email protected]. The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 15.
He added the nominations that do not earn the Citizen of the Year title are kept and included in the following year’s nominations.
Once the deadline has passed, the nominating committee reads the nominations aloud during a Civitan meeting and through a private ballot, the Citizen of the Year is chosen.
The Citizen of the Year is announced at the annual Civitan Charter Night, which this year is Saturday, May 7, upstairs at the Cobden Legion. The Cobden and District Civitan Club was chartered on May 10, 1974.
Once the nominee has been decided upon, “We conspire to get them to the dinner without them knowing why they are there,” Mr. McLenaghan said.
Recipients of the Citizen of the Year title since 2005 have been: Ed Stairs, Eleanor Waite, Shirley Hill, Julie Hennessy, Patricia Moore, Ted Richardson, Peggy McLeod, Shawna McBride, Helen Francis, Wilfred Smith and Vera and Stewart McBride.
That evening, the Civitan of the Year will also be named, Mr. McLenaghan said. At a club meeting members will, by secret ballot, choose who they want to be Civitan of the Year, he said. The ballots are then tallied and the Civitan is chosen. And, just like Citizen of the Year, it is kept quiet until the charter night event.
