Evelyn Frank

It’s hard to put in words just what an extraordinary woman Evelyn really is. I have volunteered with her in the kitchen of the Taymouth Market for the past several years and have found her to be very cooperative, considerate, generous, friendly and to sum it up, an overall great person. In addition, she possesses a tremendous sense of humour and is super fun to work with.

 Evelyn is, without a doubt, very worthy of this prestigious award.

The volunteer we honour this year is so deserving.  She is the kind of person who steps in and does the hard work, gives an honest opinion, offers good ideas on elements of any event. And all the while, good humour prevails. Her smile is contagious. Not all her volunteer time is obvious to everyone. Many trips to pick up posters and post them to remind folks of events. Grocery shopping with Ene to maintain the canteen stock. Keeping and eye on janitorial services, attending Activities committee and Board meetings, we could always count on Evelyn. We understand her need to step back this past year but are happy to see her stopping by the market now and then to stay in touch. She is a person who understands what community means. Gary and I congratulate you on this special recognition Evelyn.

When I think of Evelyn, I picture her smile immediately.  Always grinning.  I recognize that she has contributed countless hours to the Taymouth markets. Great getting a breakfast sandwich with a big smile. Besides her generosity with her time, I know that she is very generous purchasing gifts for children at Christmas time.  And her generosity spreads to dogs. She has a big heart for dogs.  I remember her contacting many of us one time trying to track down the owners of a dog on the loose.  Happily, it was a successful search. 

I do not pretend to know the numerous tasks Evelyn has performed or the various committees she has served at the TCC.  More important than the specifics of what she has done, is how she has performed them, always with grace and the most wonderful smile.  Her energy and positivity have been a true asset to the Center.

As I reflect on my experiences volunteering with Evelyn over the past several years, it has been an absolute pleasure.

Evelyn was always exceptionally organized, which made my role as Treasurer much easier. One of her responsibilities was purchasing all of the kitchen supplies that supported our market and other activities. Each time, Evelyn submitted a clear summarized report along with all associated receipts, often accompanied by a personal note or a bit of humour. I always appreciated both her organization and the personal touch she brought to the role.

As a market attendee, I also enjoyed the banter and humour Evelyn brought while working in the kitchen. She always seemed to genuinely enjoy herself, and her positive attitude contributed greatly to the welcoming atmosphere of the market.

As a Board member, Evelyn was also a valued contributor to discussions and decision-making. Her willingness to help where needed made her an important part of the Board team.

This award is well deserved Evelyn.  Thank you.

When Evelyn Frank and her family arrived in Taymouth, she jumped in with both feet to volunteer with the TCC. Here are a few of her jobs I am aware of: cleaning, shopping, working the canteen, doing building maintenance checks - to make sure there isn't anything out of order. Although Evelyn officially retired as a TCA volunteer in December, she can still be found checking the TCC washrooms to make sure there are toilet paper and paper towels in place. Now she is focusing on her health, attending NHWW exercise class in Stanley and going to the sTayfit gym.

Evelyn has been a constant presence at the TCA, at market, at concerts, at meetings of all kinds. She interacts with everybody and does her job and more.

Evelyn truly deserves this award. So much of what she contributed happened quietly — keeping the market kitchen running, looking after the building, putting up market posters, and stepping in wherever help was needed. She also gave her time and energy to other TCA activities, always showing up with the same steady commitment and care. A lot of her work was invisible to most, including to me, but our community is better because of her.  Thank you for the amazing work and incredible example you have set Evelyn!

That smile! That laugh! That dedication and concern for others! That’s our Evelyn! She could always be depended upon to jump in with both feet and do whatever she could to help out. This often was done quietly, behind the scenes, so most people don’t even know all of the jobs she had taken on. She was also front and center during our events, like suppers, community days and the market. Evelyn could be seen moving through the people, stopping to chat, giving a quick hug if you needed one, while efficiently going about her tasks. When she stopped volunteering, we had to ask her to leave us a list so we could try to continue and get all of her jobs done. Our community benefitted greatly when Evelyn moved to Taymouth and she joined our organization. Thank you for all that you’ve done for your community and the time you have freely given. Evelyn, congratulations on this award, it is well deserved!

Evelyn embodies the very definition of volunteer; what a worthy choice for the award! I worked in the kitchen during markets with Evelyn. She was the brains of the operation, keeping track of what and who was needed, making trips to town for supplies, ensuring the kitchen was in good order— all so other volunteers could just show up. Beyond the kitchen, she cleaned out and organized the centre’s rooms and shed and did extra tidying knowing that the space would be rented out during the week. Finally, Evelyn’s good humour and generous spirit were key to making me (the newcomer) feel welcomed, included, and appreciated. Congratulations lady!!

Evelyn joined us at the TCC like a long-lost friend! She stepped into place with us confidently, sharing her laughter and easy manner. She was a perfect fit for the Taymouth Community Association. Always willing to help in any way. I didn't get many opportunities to work with her, but I saw and heard her value. Even in a busy kitchen, she managed to keep it a calm and fun time. My daughter Macey was lucky to have worked as a summer student at the community center and has told me what a great mentor Evelyn was during that time. They shared many laughs while running the canteen on market mornings. Macey expressed what an extremely hard worker Evelyn was.

Anytime I met Evelyn outside of the TCC, she asked about me, and always encouraged me to come to the market! Even though I'm not a market regular and don't attend many events of late, I always think of the important people who keep the TCA going. It's amazing the time and effort put in by so many volunteers, I guess not so many really! We have a solid handful who spend so much of their time planning, fixing, supporting the Taymouth Community Center! Evelyn is one of those people dedicated to providing our community with such a place. Knowing she was here with her smiles and breezy-can't-stop-me attitude was comforting and I felt that the TCC was in good hands. Evelyn will be missed as a volunteer at the TCC, but her friendship will always be felt.

It is volunteers like Evelyn who make the kitchen at the Taymouth Community Market run so smoothly. She always has a smile for the vendors and customers who indulge in those delicious breakfast sandwiches. She was instrumental in turning the shed into a safe and usable building. Her countless volunteer duties included taking and restocking inventory in the kitchen and overseeing volunteers. She was always a pleasure to work with. She is very deserving of the Burgess Volunteerism Award!

Now that Evelyn is not around as a volunteer - well she has left quite a hole to fill. I used to watch for food sales for the canteen and TCC cleaning supplies and do the seasonal decorating, working with what we had on hand. When Evelyn joined us, she gradually took over the buying for the kitchen and washrooms. She had a knack for finding fun items for seasonal decorating. I also appreciated her thoughtfulness in picking up the occasional item for me, like a large bag of birdseed from Costco. When I had a major yearly decor job like putting up the Christmas lights, Evelyn always made herself cheerfully available to help. Evelyn did a great job printing TCA event posters in town and delivering them to locations from Stanley to Nashwaak Village; she also helped with the 6 or more we put up right in the TCC.  I appreciate how when Evelyn would see there was something to do, she would just do it. Evelyn was especially committed to keeping the kitchen clean, constantly wiping down counters and tables and taking home the tea towels to wash. She would come down on her own to the building to clean, including hunting down the FLIES! and any other bugs that had found their way in. 

Others are stepping forward to take over tasks, including Patricia Coughlan in the kitchen and Amy Floyd for the Costco runs. And we still feel the vacuum. Case in point - at the recent Mothers Day market, Trish in the kitchen asked me if we had anything special to add for Mothers Day. I replied,” No, we are doing well to be putting the breakfast sandwiches together!”

Every year, we prepare our TCA AGM program, with the hope that newcomers may attend and be inspired to join our activities and efforts. This hope was fulfilled once when Evelyn, new to Taymouth, came to our AGM. It was immediately evident that Evelyn understood the power of community acting together and had a rich background in community involvement. We understood that she had worked for a community nonprofit for years, which included liaising with volunteers. 

Evelyn joined the TCA Activities Committee and her beautifully organized minutes binder was a valued resource at any planning session. One of her first tasks was to update the TCA local services guide, of particular use to newcomers. Evelyn enjoys writing and has contributed posts to our social media, such as her piece, Why bees care about when you cut your lawn.

Evelyn's generosity has shone in many ways, such as baking beautiful cakes for TCA events, cakes she could not eat herself. Her appreciation of other’s gifts and talents have been evident, including through her delight in the artistic creations of local market vendors. 

Evelyn has an understanding and appreciation for children and youth. She enjoyed and supported our summer youth employees when she worked with them in the TCC canteen and on other tasks. Evelyn has not only been a TCA volunteer; She has enjoyed what the community centre offers, from the sTayfit gym to the Book Room, from community suppers to events like the Nashwaak Idol competition. Evelyn has been joined by her family in supporting the TCA. Her daughter Erin Roberts was co-chair of the market committee when they were operating under the challenging restrictions of the covid shutdown, - and Evelyn's husband, Paul, joined their daughter Erin as a market vendor for a period. Evelyn has the open-heartedness that considers every new person she encounters a friend to get to know and care about. 

Thank you, Evelyn, for opening your heart to Taymouth.

You know a volunteer is good when you go to a meeting with a little notebook and Evelyn sits down beside you and she has a “Big Binder” for her notes. I think that’s the first time I met Evelyn. I thought to myself, she means business. And she didn’t let me down. From day one, Evelyn, or “Evie” as I sometimes call her, has gone above and beyond what is expected of a volunteer. I miss her smiley face and cheery “Good Morning Barb” when I arrive on market mornings. She is usually the first one in the kitchen getting coffee started and all the fixings for the breakfast sandwiches. Many times I have met her at Costco with an overflowing shopping cart of supplies for the TCC. She has also put a few miles on her car delivering posters to remind surrounding communities of the many activities that go on at the TCC.

There was never any job too small for her. At the last Christmas Market, I met her going with an arm load of toilet paper, making sure that all the washrooms were fully stocked.

Many thanks to this very friendly, outgoing and kind lady Evelyn, for your many hours of volunteering at the TCC. You are missed.

I am pleased to hear that my wife Evelyn is to receive this award. She started life as the only daughter of a career military officer. Of course, that meant she was subject to relocation to cities such as Halifax, Montreal, Vancouver, and London Ontario. She lost friends along the way, but she had to quickly make new friends.

I met her one night at a coffee house in London and we married a year and a half later. Her relocations did not stop because my work took us from London to Stratford to Kitchener to Cambridge to Chatham ON to Moose Jaw and finally Taymouth. 

She quickly found a way to belong through the Taymouth Community Center. Many times, I woke up to the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen. That bacon eventually found its way into some popular breakfast sandwiches.

She often set out to go grocery shopping which involved the purchase of food and various items for the center. At times I expected her to return shortly only to find out through “Find a friend” that she had stopped off at the center to drop something off and just had to restock something that they ran out of.

If there was a special market coming up, she would coordinate the posters for those market day events. Of course, that meant that some 20 odd posters needed to be put up at various locations in our local area.

Evelyn is very keen to ensure that everyone and anyone knew about a market day or event.

During those events Evelyn would try to take time to visit each vendor and do what she does best and that is “socialize and get to know people”.