Carol Peters receives Eatonia's achievement award

By Joan Janzen

The Eatonia Heritage Board honoured this year's recipient of the Senior Citizen Achievement Award at a recent summer celebration. The community gathered at Eatonia Oasis Living (EOL), where Eatonia resident Carol Peters was presented with a plaque in recognition of her volunteerism.

Laura Hayes and her daughter Sierra provided musical entertainment as everyone enjoyed an outdoor barbecue along with a beautifully decorated cake and visiting.

SENIOR OF THE YEAR! Carol Peters shows off the cake made in her honour at Eatonia Oasis Living, where the Eatonia Heritage Board presented her with the Senior Citizen Achievement Award for her decades of volunteering. SUBMITTED

Carol Peters receives her plaque. PHOTO COURTESY EATONIA OASIS LIVING

"I was very surprised to receive the award because there are so many other seniors who volunteer," Carol said. "I was very humbled to receive the nomination and to be chosen."

Carol may have been surprised to receive the award. However, everyone in the community would acknowledge that she is very deserving of recognition.

"After I stopped to think, I guess I was volunteering a lot during my stay in Eatonia," Carol humbly admitted as she began sharing her numerous endeavours throughout the years.

"I came to Eatonia as a teacher at Eaton School, where I taught for a number of years," she explained. "I have a musical background and would help with various musical and drama events. I was quite involved with the United Church as a pianist and member of the choir and the church board." She was also an accompanist for a community choir and volunteered to play for sing-songs for the residents at EOL.

Carol has been a member of the Eatonia Oasis Motel Board for 13 years. "That kind of keeps me busy because I'm the only board member that lives in town," she admitted.

"Over the years I've been volunteering at the rink kitchen, fowl suppers and those kinds of things. I'm not thinking those things are special; you just do that sort of thing," she humbly stated. "Over the years I was out of the house pretty much seven days a week. It was busy but it's something you just do."

Although Carol is officially retired, she continues to contribute to her community. "Now I'm on town council too, so that has given me a lot of committee work," she added. She represents both the Eatonia and the Leader and District health care foundations.

"Being on town council has been a steep learning curve but it's quite interesting, and I have the time to do some research. Sometimes I think you need to be retired to do some of these jobs," she said.

"Eatonia volunteers are really incredible. They work together and make the community a much better place that benefits the young and the old. I'm glad to be a part of this community," Carol concluded.

Carol is one of those incredible volunteers. Her level of volunteerism isn't something everyone does, which is why Carol is very deserving of this recognition.