2025 A. Walter Turnbull Awards
The De Winton Community Association (DCA) recently hosted its annual member appreciation night on May 14th. All DCA members were invited to come out to connect with friends and neighbours, with a moment of appreciation for volunteers, and to announce the recipient of the A. Walter Turnbull Award.
The night included thanking all of the volunteers who give their time to the Hall, the association and to our community. The blood, sweat and tears from volunteers is what makes the DCA sustainable. Among other things, volunteers contribute in many ways, such as organizing and coordinating events, upkeep of the grounds and veranda, leading classes and Hall activities, auditing, signage, decorating the Hall, minor maintenance & repairs, maintaining our website, writing and sending Newsletters, contacting members directly, fundraising, and working on the Board.
We celebrated the installation of our new community board by the grader shed. This was a team effort with our community partner, The De Winton United Church.
Members were introduced to Matt Coveart, our new Facility Manager. Matt joined us 6 months ago and jumped into the roll with both feet. He is a great asset and frequently goes above and beyond to make sure things get done. Matt & Cindy Poole make a formidable team on the facility side.
And now, a bit about the Turnbull Award:
The A. Walter Turnbull Award was established by the DCA in recognition of the exceptional volunteer and community service provided by Mr. Turnbull over the many years he lived in our area. This Award is presented to individuals who have made significant and ongoing volunteer contributions within the community and the DCA.
Honouree names are listed on a plaque displayed here at the Hall. Calls for nominations go out in advance of the AGM, with the Board reviewing and voting on nominations following the AGM.
For 2025, the DCA Board of Directors was very pleased to recognize Judy Stasiuk!
For over a decade Judy has made important contributions to the DCA. She was auditing our financial statements back in 2014 and 2015, with her good friends Shirle Ternan and Sue Lake.
Judy then stepped up to become the DCA’s Treasurer around 2017. This was no small feat as the Treasurer role is one of the most complex and difficult jobs on the Board. Judy was, and is, very detail focused, with high ethics and integrity. She was never afraid to stand up for what was right. Ideal traits for a Treasurer!
Judy retired from the Board in 2021, but couldn’t stay away for long – for the last two years, Judy has again stepped up and taken time from her busy life and her family to undertake the necessary role of auditing the DCA financials. She does this for the community and always comes up with productive suggestions for improving our processes and procedures.
She is tenacious, hardworking, loyal to the community, never shirks responsibility, and is extremely productive – – no one can ever call Judy lazy!
While Treasurer, Judy was instrumental in bringing our accounting processes up to modern standards and practices. She also took on the project of converting the DCA statements to Quickbooks. Unfortunately, Judy didn’t have someone to enter the day-to-day transactions as we do now, so she also had to undertake all of the bookkeeping work as well as completing monthly statements, tax returns, Society returns and other Treasurer tasks. As Quickbooks was on the DCA computer, this meant that Judy had to come to the hall to do all of the work – after working her day job.
Judy has also been involved beyond the financials. She has volunteered for DCA casino fundraisers five times!
Her husband, Jaime, is always right behind her, supporting her through whatever she undertakes. Jaime has also been a valuable volunteer at the Canada Day breakfasts and other community events.
Judy continues to support the community by attending functions such as Social Nights, where she is known for showing off her 2 step moves!
Judy has a big heart for all animals, including her dogs, horses, chickens, and turkeys. Judy has a love and respect for the land, is a volunteer for the Calgary Food Bank and has been a volunteer at Therapeutic Riding at the OAS arena. She is always there when family, friends, or community need a hand.
On behalf of the Board and association, a big thank- you was given to Judy, for all she has contributed over the years to our community and the DCA. We as an Association benefit greatly from her accounting skills and knowledge, her commitment & dedication, her sense of humour and good nature. She makes De Winton a better place!
Overall, the night was a great success, with approximately 40 DCA members coming out to socialize and enjoy some snacks and cake.
