Waterdown News

Posted by Jeff Kleven

A PAT ON THE BACK

Garry Flood has been named the 2020 Flamborough Senior Volunteer of the Year by Flamborough Connects. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flood was honoured with the third annual award during a virtual event on October 22.
 
A longtime member of the Rotary Club of Waterdown, Flood has been a club president, director of community services, entertainment manager for Waterdown Oh Canada Ribfest, and liaison with the city for the Waterdown Skating Loop. He was nominated due to his support of numerous Rotary and community projects, and events all over Flamborough.
 
 
Flood was nominated by Dave Banks from the Rotary Club of Waterdown, who said Flood moved to Waterdown in 2004 and wanted to get involved in the community. “And boy, did he ever get involved,” Banks said. “After 16 years in the community and in community service, Garry has achieved many, many accomplishments benefitting a lot of people and a lot of activity in the community.” For his part, Flood said he was "humbled" to receive the award. “When you get involved with volunteering, it has little to do with any rewards,” he said. “But it’s also nice to get a pat on the back and to be recognized.” He said a lot of volunteering work is behind the scenes and everyone who was nominated for the award does a lot of behind-the-scenes work.
 
In presenting the award, Czukar said she was overwhelmed by the stories of volunteerism and said Flood’s volunteering goes beyond his work with Rotary. “We’ve heard fantastic things about Garry’s work with Rotary and I’d just like to say, for lots of us who know Garry, we know that he’s also done a lot of other volunteer work as well,” she said. “I can personally say, he has fantastic leadership skills and commitment and we’re very lucky that Garry chose to move to Flamborough and contribute his time the way that he has.”
 
Flamborough Connects executive director Amelia Steinbring said the organization felt it was important to go ahead with the virtual event in order to acknowledge the efforts of seniors volunteers in the community. “We had five very deserving candidates nominated for the third annual Senior Volunteer of the Year Award,” she said. “Feedback from the judges, again, indicated that it was a difficult choice.”
 
In addition to Flood, the nominees included Eileen Bellai from Eagles Nest of Waterdown’s Drummond House and Hope Centre Division, Karen Woods from Eagles Nest of Waterdown’s Rescued and Restored Division, Douglas Yungblut from Youth for Christ- Youth Unlimited and Corrie Giles from Waterdown Village Theatre.
 
Steinbring said there were similarities between all the nominees. “People who step up, who jump in and help out wherever help is needed,” she said. “It’s really a testament to what volunteerism is all about.”
 
Article as published in the Flamborough Review (reprinted with permission).