Gratitude through Storytelling
We want to hear and share YOUR stories of the people in our RA Community who through their volunteerism have impacted you and the community we serve for the better. In addition to these expressions of gratitude the RA Volunteer Spotlight will shine on a couple of RA volunteers in each edition of the RA News and published on the RA Storytelling page of the website. These volunteers will be selected from the RA stories that YOU share.
By weaving our RA stories together, we will celebrate our collective impact on our community’s overall wellness, now and for future generations.
By weaving our RA stories together, we will celebrate our collective impact on our community’s overall wellness, now and for future generations.
RA Stories
Meet Patricia Alderson
RA Curling Club Member Read about Patricia's RA Curling and volunteer story in a piece she wrote for Curling Day in Canada and a feature on volunteers at the U-18 National Championships in the Ottawa Sports Pages. |
RA Shout-OutsI want to thank all of the ambassadors in the all level play for pickleball. They are all dedicated and reliable and are appreciated. Submitted by: Hugh Brennan |
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Meet Robert (Bob) Butko
RA Board member, LifeFIT and League member I currently serve on the RA Board with Bob. What I first noticed about Bob was his phenomenal "corporate memory" of the RA! He has been around this place for a long time! He is a very modest and private individual, so I am not sure how many decades he has served as a volunteer at the RA, but it appears to be several decades! His volunteerism over many years at the RA, I believe, has been connected to LifeFIT, Hockey and more recently, as a Board member, participating in many sub-committees, such as the Finance Committee. He has great insight on financial matters, as well as strategic planning, to mention just two skills. He embraces the core values of the RA and has personally embraced them e.g., he has volunteered and has also lead a very active lifestyle. He is a respectful and thoughtful individual and when he makes suggestions, it is always considering what is the best for the RA, as an organization and for its members. The RA has benefitted from Bob's involvement in so many ways - he epitomizes what it means to be a volunteer and we are all the better for it. Thank you, Bob, for your long service and for your quiet volunteerism. Thank you, Bob - By Giving Back, we are truly Stronger Together. Submitted by; Jane Brownrigg 
Meet Robert (Bob) Gowie
RA Gun Club Member Council Officer, Range Officer and Target Shooting Ambassador
Bob has been an integral part of our RA family over 60 years, generously sharing his time and expertise with RA Gun Club members and the broader community. Through his exemplary volunteerism, he has encouraged and inspired others to take aim at this target shooting sport and discover a new lifelong passion. For most of his adult life, Bob has tirelessly promoted and developed recreational and competitive target shooting on the Club, local, provincial, and National levels. Bob has shared his immense knowledge of the sport by serving on the RA Gun Club Member Council in a variety of volunteer positions and has proudly represented our RA community by competing and officiating at numerous IPSC championships both locally, provincially, and Nationally under the RAGC banner. IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation) competitors are divided into divisions based on the type of firearm they are using, and scores are calculated based on a combination of accuracy, power and speed. His invaluable contributions also include representing members on the RA Club by-law replacement committee, fulfilling the role of subject matter expert for shooting ranges regulations and conducting a host of safety briefings for range use by public agents. In 2022, the RAGC introduced a Women on the Range initiative in response to an increase of women wanting to become familiar with shooting sports and not having a mentor or place to be able to try firearms. This popular event offers firearm safety training and a live fire exercise with personalized one-on-one mentoring by volunteer RAGC Range Officers. In 2021, Bob was also instrumental in forming a partnership with the Carleton University Firearms Association to offer Firearm Safety Courses and access to the RA Gun Club’s indoor range for these student members. Regardless of the discipline, age, gender or ability of the individual, there is a place for everyone in this target sport. Thank you, Bob - By Giving Back, we are truly Stronger Together. 
"Volunteering at the RA Centre provides me with the benefit of getting to work in partnership with a talented group of like-minded volunteers and the RA management team whom share the common goal of growing the organization and improving the quality of programs it delivers. Having been a user of the RA facilities and programs for more than 60 years, volunteering is my way of giving back to an organization that has been a constant throughout my life." – Bob |
Meet Kathy Sicard and Lynne Fancy
Pickleball Ambassadors Kathy and Lynne are Pickleball friends who have volunteered together this season (Sept 2022-June 2023) as ambassadors in the Friday morning Novice Pickleball Drop In. Pickleball is a sport that is exploding in popularity and courts are hard to come by. Because of that, players can get a little frazzled trying to book courts or drop-in sessions and they are sometimes still frazzled when they arrive. Every Friday, Kathy and Lynne arrive early with their list of drop-in players and a smile. They always take time to meet the 32 players and explain how the morning will proceed before the session begins. Kathy and Lynne have made numerous contributions to the Novice ALP this year including taking time to explain rules, advocating for coaching help early in the season and taking time to talk to players when things have gone wrong. These are things all our ambassadors do but they are especially important during our Novice Drop-In as these players are new to Pickleball and the RA. Remember when you were brave enough to give something new a try? Kathy and Lynne have understood that feeling and worked hard to make sure all players have a great experience. They also facilitated introductions and encouraged new friendships both on and off the court. This year's Novice players will likely "graduate" to the All-Level-Play, but we hope they never forget the fun factor that Kathy and Lynne preserved on Friday mornings! Thank you, Kathy, and Lynne - By Giving Back, we are truly Stronger Together. 
Meet Kerrie Whitehurst
RA Curling Club Member, Inclusivity Champion and Wheelchair Curling Advocate
It was in the spirit of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" that Kerrie first got involved in curling. Kerrie's partner Doug was actively involved in wheelchair curling at the RA when Kerrie signed up for an open draw with the RA Curling Club igniting her love of the sport. This simple action of “joining ‘em” was the launchpad for her passionate advocacy of inclusive and accessible sport. Kerrie's compassion, unflappable positivity and can-do attitude have been the hallmark of her RA Volunteer Story. The RA’s Curling Centre of Excellence is a place where excellence is fostered and supported. It’s a place where people join together to promote and sustain excellence in the sport (in this case, the sport of curling). Kerrie truly embodies this understanding, volunteering her time and many talents to nurturing a curling community at the RA where personal excellence and collective excellence are supported and encouraged. There are other accessible curling clubs in the region; however, the RA is the only one that invites, welcomes, and encourages wheelchair curlers to curl integrated with able-bodied curlers. Through Kerrie’s volunteer service and leadership, the RACC and the Centre of Excellence are now taking this principle of inclusivity one step further by reducing barriers and offering free Try Wheelchair Curling days open to the community, on-going Saturday drop-in wheelchair curling sessions and a successful 10-week Learn-to-Wheelchair Curl program. Kerrie continues to champion curling as a sport for all abilities and ages. This past year alone, she has represented our RA community through media interviews and shared how the RA and the RA Curling Club are living the principles of Inclusivity in Sport, telling her RA Volunteer Story to the many national sports organizations in attendance at the recent Sport for Life Summit in Ottawa. Thank you, Kerrie - By Giving Back, we are truly Stronger Together. 
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