Submitted by Jane Greenhouse
The Annual General Meeting of all nine clubs of The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is held every October. It has been a virtual event the last two years due to Covid. This year the AGM was on October 16th. There are various recognitions and awards presented at this meeting. Darci Lombard, member of the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club (PBTC) was recognized for her ten years of volunteering for the BTC and another PBTC member, Marg Glendon, was the recipient of the prestigious “Ross McLean Volunteer Award”.
On October 1st many PBTC members gathered at the Cairn in Tobermory to congratulate Darci and Marg as they received their awards. Jackie Randle from the Conservancy was present and Tamara Wilson, president of the PBTC, spoke of Darci and Marg’s achievements as she presented the awards. Here is what she said:
I extremely happy and honoured to be here today to speak about two of our amazing PBTC Volunteers: Darci Lombard and Marg Glendon. The BTC is recognizing Darci Lombard’s Volunteer Milestone for 10 Years of Service in a BTC volunteer role. Besides Darci’s work with the BTC, she is a very active member of PBTC. Darci leads hikes, donates her time and energy for trail maintenance, generously gives us access to the facilities at Summerhouse Park for club meetings, Darci sits on the Land Management Committee and coordinates the distribution of Bruce Trail Conservancy calendars each year. Darci’s personal connection with Landowners is pivotal in the success of the trail crossing private land on the Peninsula. All Darci’s hard work is being recognized through the Ten Years of Service Award. Congratulations Darci!
Marg’s first trip to the Peninsula and Tobermory was 50 years ago on a first date with husband, Owen. Since then, Marg’s story with the Peninsula has been one of love: love for her family, love for her community, love for the Bruce Trail and very luckily for us, love for the PBTC and its Outreach and New Members Programs. Marg’s initiatives over the last year have included: orchestrating history hikes, owl hikes and new member hikes, taking the lead on grant applications, spearheading fundraisers such as the PBTC’s fused glass Christmas ornaments (which sold out last year and are sure to be a big hit this year).She also lead highly successful Enviro-Hikes and Trash Talk Café’s – which garnered significant praise on social media hiking sites proclaiming the Peninsula Section the most litter free section of all of the Bruce Trail. The more you work with Marg, the more you realize that all these wonderful initiatives are just the tip of the iceberg. At any one time, Marg has at least 8 other projects working in the background. Marg’s efforts have not only impacted hiker experiences on the trails but also our Club’s membership numbers. Membership Outreach has played a direct role in the PBTC’s membership increasing by 28% in the last year to over 1,000 members. This is a remarkable growth for our Club. Marg’s love and significant efforts manifest good things for the PBTC and our connections in the Community.
Very fittingly, this year, Marg is being recognized by the BTC with the Ross McLean Volunteer of the year award. This award is given to one special individual from a list of nominees across all nine Bruce Trail Clubs. Ross McLean was an extraordinary volunteer for the Bruce Trail and, through his unwavering efforts, helped to make the trail the world class foot path that it is today. The Ross McLean Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes a volunteer who has shown extraordinary contributions to the BTC within a single year. Marg, your Club is very proud of you. We are very appreciative of all that you do. You are so very deserving of the Ross McLean Volunteer of the Year Award and of the special recognition that goes with it. Congratulations Marg!
