Portage women recognized by community

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This article was published 21/03/2016 (3666 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Portage la Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce honoured two local women at its annual Women in Business UnGala on March 10.

Lynne Parker was given the Woman of Excellence award, and Hayley Bedard received the Young Woman of Excellence award at the event which was attended by about 140.

Parker, who has lived in Portage for most of her life and raised two sons there with husband Larry, said she was humbled by being selected to receive the award.

“It feels like the community has faith in me and what we’re doing,” she said.

Parker is the executive director of Recreation Opportunities for Kids (ROK), a recently incorporated non-profit organization that receives provincial funding to organize and run programs that benefit local youth and their families who may be living in poverty. About 120 children participated in a skating program in 2014-15.

She said she found many families weren’t able to transport children to recreational activities so she realized it would make sense to hold the programs close to where families live. ROK offers programs at La Verendrye, Fort la Reine and North Memorial schools.

ROK works in partnership with other organizations and Parker said Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program has helped pay for sports equipment. In May she will start the annual PALS on the Playground program that runs once a week from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at each of the three local schools.

“We just open up our bag of equipment,” she said. “The point is to get kids away from video games and vegging on the couch.”

In previous years she’s been pleased to see parents join their kids on the playground, making it a family time.

Parker said she basically worked her way into her current job, thanks to encouragement from a former manager at the Family Resource Centre. She hopes to start extending ROK programs to new immigrants moving to the Portage area.

Bedard, 17, shares Parker’s strong desire to make her community a better place. The Portage Collegiate Institute Grade 12 student is involved in the school’s student council, peer mentoring and the social justice group.

Bedard works part-time at a local radio station. She said she’s met many amazing women through her work, and that makes her award from the Chamber even more special.

“It’s a really big honour,” she said.

Bedard said she joined the social justice group when she entered Grade 9. Later that year, she had the opportunity to receive a scholarship allowing her to join other Canadian students travelling to Kenya to work on building a teachers’ residence.

“It was really life-changing,” she said.

Upon her return, she set herself the goal of raising $10,000 to pay for a student to board at and attend a high school in Kenya. She later changed her goal, raising $2,000 to support 40 primary school students in Kenya.

“That’s the goal I just reached,” she said.

After graduation, she plans to attend the University of Manitoba and study nursing. She said she will continue volunteering her time for charitable causes.

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