She might look like an average woman, but there’s nothing average about Margaret Taylor.
Her disposition, her dedication and her energy will all be recognized on Tuesday when she is presented with the Trail-Warfield Citizen of the Year Award.
Getting an award will be somewhat awkward for a person who has spent her life giving rather than receiving.
“I feel that if you live in a community,” said Taylor, “you should give back as much as you can.”
And she does.
The long-time Warfield resident began volunteering with children when her daughters were only eight years old and after that, there was no stopping her.
She coached volleyball, basketball and track at Sunningdale School. She has also served on boards of the Down syndrome society, the autistic society, the Silver City Fun Run and Terry Fox Run to name only a handful of her efforts.
She has flipped pancakes for charity, taught skiing and served as a snow host at Red Mountain and currently volunteers for the RCMP Victim Services in Trail.
However, her passion revolves around children. Before she retired, Taylor worked as a teacher’s assistant for several years and volunteered with special needs students.
“Kids are wonderful because they bounce back,” said Taylor. “They don’t go over the hurdles, they just work through them.”
Although Taylor might be modest about the number of hours she spends as a volunteer, it wasn’t lost on her fellow citizens.
In fact, the Village of Warfield’s mayor and council nominated her for the award.
“She’s very deserving,” said Warfield Mayor Bert Crockett. “She’s gets right into everything she does and loves it. And we always have lots of laughs, that’s important too.”
Crockett said he’s amazed at the energy she brings to any task she’s involved in.
“I’m always impressed with her get-up-and-go.”
The mayors of Trail and Warfield will be on hand Tuesday, along with B.C. Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko and Katrine Conroy, MLA for West Kootenay Boundary, when Taylor is presented with the Trail-Warfield Citizen of the Year at 7 p.m. at St. Michael’s School.
The ceremony is open to the public.