When the Royal Bank of Canada came to Tracy Sanderson with a cheque for $5,000, she knew exactly how she wanted to spend it — on the Action Centre Day Nursery in the North End.

"The minute I heard about it I knew I wanted to put it back into the community," Sanderson said.

She was awarded the RBC Local Hero award earlier this year. The title comes with a $5,000 donation from RBC to a charity of the local hero’s choosing.

Sanderson didn’t hesitate when it came to deciding her charity of choice. She has a relationship with the nursery dating back nearly 25 years to when she started bringing her children there. While her kids have long since left the nursery, Sanderson has been on its board of directors for 15 years.

Brenda Paley, executive director at the nursery, said Sanderson is a shining example of how someone can turn their lives around with a little support.

"She is really a symbol, that people can make their lives better for themselves, their children and community. Things can get better," Paley said.

Sanderson also wanted to make sure the daycare got some mileage out of the $5,000 donation. Instead of investing in a one-time project, an endowment fund will be created from the funds

She hopes the endowment will provide support to a number of different projects.

"It could be something simple as the ability to waive daycare fees for a month for a family, or something else to give them a bit of breathing room," she said.

Brendon Boland, president of Volunteer Manitoba, said it is this kind of selflessness that his organization tries to recognize.

"While volunteers certainly don’t do what they do for the recognition, it is our honour to celebrate their efforts at the Volunteer Awards," he said.

Facebook.com/TheTimesWPG
Twitter: @TimesWPG

rob.brown@canstarnews.com