Ene Vähi

Recipient of the 2009 Burgess Volunteerism Award

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

These are 2 common sayings we have all heard:  ‘God has given each of us a talent’ and ‘she wears many hats’. Today we celebrate someone who shares her talents with us and who wears many hats at the Taymouth Community Association. We all know you only get one chance to make a first impression. We see this person’s talent displayed in creating a wonderful first impression at special TCA events throughout the year. In spring we have branches with bright green leaves and pussy willows on our breakfast tables. Our flower boxes are overflowing with beautiful blossoms all summer and we have flags and balloons flying from every pole and fence to greet market customers. In the fall our market area is a sight to behold with bales of hay decorated with bright orange, yellow and green produce from local gardens that remind us how fortunate we are to live in the land of plenty. Harvest season is further honoured with colorful fall flowers, cornstalks and cattails. Our Halloween market is always frightful with hanging creatures that greet you, as well as all those cobwebs and scary carved pumpkins. When the snow begins to fall out come the bright lights, ribbons, bows and branches that turn our market into a Norman Rockwell scene. With the addition of the Purple Piano Café there is a considerable amount of decorating that goes into transforming a large bare space into an exquisite dining experience. This person has joined the decorating team of the Purple Piano Café and other events such as the Flavours of India dinner. Many of us have heard comments from people that attend our markets, breakfasts, potlucks and cafes, that the first thing they notice is the decorations.

When the decorating is done this person can be found in the canteen cooking up her famous hotdogs and onions. We can count on her to have a well stocked canteen for the all the events that happen at the Centre. Another place you will see this familiar smiling face is in the yard sale room. Maintaining this space is not just a Saturday morning job. This person spends hours along with other yard sale room team members sorting through donations, putting clothes in labeled bins that make shopping easier for the customers, and making attractive displays. Why even her daughter is recruited to spend a day of her holidays doing sorting work! This person has an eye for noticing and setting aside donations that can be used for the centre’s kitchen or decorating stock. She shares with her country neighbors a practical and conserving bent, not needing a big budget to create beauty or furnish space.

We observe this member of our community in her many hours volunteering at the centre (knowing that many hours are unobserved) and in the other aspects of her life, such as her love and care for her spot on the Nashwaak; as we do so we are reminded of values held by previous generations who founded communities along the valley. This person has great respect for the earth, the things that grow from it and the creatures she shares these gifts with. She celebrates nature in her art. Nothing is wasted; used items are given new functions, and always with such creative flair. Her generous sharing of her experience and talent has enriched our community. Her commitment to the community is also evident in the ways she involves her visiting grandchildren in our events, especially the Tay Day camp. This person’s willingness to attend to all the detailed work involved in decorating, operating the canteen and co-coordinating the yard sale room contributes not only to the overall financial and social success of the community centre; her role allows others to focus on their particular hats and gifts. Ene, everything you do is well done and appreciated by all and we are delighted to celebrate your creative and attentive work over the years with the Burgess Volunteerism Award for 2009.