The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon's Jason Mandes has received national recognition for his efforts to make the community a better place. Mandes, 25, was one of just three recipients of a 2004 Government of Canada Young Leaders in Rural Canada Award last week in Red Deer, Alta. "It feels pretty good to win an award of this stature, so I'm pretty happy," said Mandes, the program events coordinator for the Flin Flon Friendship Centre. The award came in recognition of the charitable fundraisers that Mandes and his rec league hockey team, The Oil, have undertaken in recent years. They've held games to help send developmentally disabled residents to a conference and to collect Christmas gifts for needy children. Last season, The Oil, in good sport, agreed to give one canned food item to the Lord's Bounty Food Bank for every goal they lost by. The Co-op matched their donation, and 120 cans of food went to the poor. The fundraiser ideas originated with Mandes, but he stressed that he couldn't have pulled them off without his teammates. "It takes a team to help put together these projects," he said. Mandes was completely surprised over the summer when he first heard he had won a trophy given to "individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to their rural communities." "I didn't even know that I was being nominated," he recalled. "Basically, I just got the phone call one day asking if I was going to accept my award. I didn't know what they were talking about." It turned out that Sheena Reed, president of the Flin Flon Friendship Association, had nominated Mandes. She felt he showed exemplary leadership, but the award recipient modestly downplayed his efforts. See 'Opportunity' P.# Con't from P.# "I think that it doesn't take much to become a community leader," he said. "All it takes is a little bit of work and showing people the benefits of what you're doing. I just really like the opportunity to help make Flin Flon a better place." This year marked the first time the government awarded the Young Leaders in Rural Canada Awards. Nominations for the second slate of the awards are now open. To nominate a rural Canadian between the ages of 18 and 29, phone 1-888-781-2222 or log onto www.rural.gc.ca for more information. The nominations will close on Monday, January 17, 2005.10/29/2004
