Barb Flinn

Recipient of the 2010 Burgess Volunteerism Award

Congratulations Barb on your award! Here is the speech honouring your work in the community:

​Our recipient this year is a person who prefers to stay under the radar. A country girl at heart, her roots is deeply planted on the Nashwaak. Growing up and living right in the centre of Taymouth this person has witnessed her share of history in the valley.  With her family and friends being the most important thing in her life, the TCA comes in a close second.  Since its beginning, she has been involved in such things as fundraisers, committees, meetings and market. She volunteers a great deal of time, a lot of it behind the scenes. If you enjoy a fresh, hot cup of coffee or tea at 8:30 am on a Market morning, you can thank her for plugging in the urns an hour in advance. She takes on this task for nearly every TCA event where refreshments are required – and we do love our coffee! This person is always involved in our suppers; she brings to it an organizing expertise and understanding of community customs, from years of experience with past community events such as church suppers and other fundraisers.

We talked for some time about providing a time for seniors to gather at the Community Center and seniors would often remark at funeral receptions that it was a shame that it took such an event to bring longtime neighbors and friends together.  One day this person who has enjoyed the company of her senior neighbors from the time she was a little girl decided to take the initiative; she emerged as a true leader and event organizer of what has become the monthly Seniors Tea.  From a small beginning of four to six people, it has grown to a recent meeting that saw eighteen guests gathered to enjoy each other’s company and to celebrate a 71st wedding anniversary. We have heard such positive comments from our seniors about recounting shared stories, many of which carry the history of our community. This person takes notes during the seniors’ conversations and comes up with a very interesting documentation of historical events and views of the world today. This person goes above and beyond organizing. She makes sure there is a tasty lunch for each gathering and will sometimes contact members of the group to see if they require transportation. Seniors are a vital and valued part of our community and this person has created a space for this to be acknowledged and celebrated.

One very special event in November of 2009 created memories that we as a community will never forget.  The Olympic Torch Run arrived in the wee hours of Friday, Nov. 27th. Over 500 people gathered in the dark that morning to cheer the torch bearers and share the Olympic spirit. This special morning connected the Nashwaak Valley with thousands of communities all across Canada, from coast to coast to coast. If you were there, or heard the enthusiastic accounts of the event and wish you had been there, you can thank this person. She will tell you it all started with a simple question from her son as a joke (or so she thought). But once she realized it could really happen she jumped in with both feet. She participated in a national Olympic organizing committee and at one meeting was addressed as the mayor of Taymouth. With a little assistance from the building committee she poured many hours into: ordering supplies for the event, advertising, arranging hot drinks and muffins, inviting our politicians to address the event, and receiving the Olympic caravan. A highlight for some of us was when one of the torchbearers passed the torch to this person, on behalf of the TCA. She was later invited to talk with a Stanley elementary class about this Olympic event and they were thrilled to be able to touch the torch themselves. Taking on another huge task, this person was a lead organizer of the last two Winter Carnivals, working closely with Ruth Doiron and joined by Sarah Belanger and Wendy Dorcas.  Children have come from Taymouth and the surrounding areas to enjoy dancing, movies, sliding, outdoor games, piñatas, and a hot meal and bon fire. She is already thinking of how to improve this event for next year. 

Barb’s commitment to community has also been expressed in her participation in emergency preparedness work. She contributed to National consultation meetings on community preparedness on two occasions. As a market vendor this person has rarely missed a Saturday morning.  With her loyal customers arriving early so they won’t miss her home baking, Barb usually sells out by the end of market.  Her Saturday Suppers of brown bread and beans has been a popular item on her table. A great conversationalist, Barb greets market goers with a wonderful smile and friendly flare.  Directing them to the free coffee and tea station shows she truly cares about their comfort at our market and wants them to feel right at home. This person is as warm with us as she is with visitors. Her ready smile, her willingness to pitch in, except when she has a chance to visit her beloved grandson, her cheerful and cooperative spirit make her a most valued neighbor and friend. She is a wonderful example of the impact one person can make on a community through volunteerism.