Four local women were recognized for their contributions to the community at the annual SaskPower Women of Today awards luncheon last Wednesday.
Held at the Days Inn Plaza, the sold out event paid recognition to the tremendous achievements of women in Estevan and area. Along with the awards presentation, the luncheon featured an address from Lampman author Maureen Ulrich who spoke on the importance of perseverance when chasing one's dreams and goals.
Capturing awards this year were Debbie Clemens, who won the SaskPower award for Outstanding Contribution to the Workplace while Jennifer Pettitt was honoured for her success in the business world with the Ida Petterson Memorial Award for Outstanding Entrepreneur.
Kristen Seipp was the 2011 winner of the Shirley Orsted Memorial Award for Young Woman of Today while Mary Rose Boyer earned the SaskTel Award for Oustanding Contribution to the Community.
Clemens, who has been the office administrator at Century 21 since 1997, was overcome with emotion during her acceptance speech. While speaking to the media after the luncheon, Clemens said she is lucky to say she truly loves her job and was honoured for her contribution in the workplace.
"It's nice to be appreciated by your colleagues," she said. "They know the work that I do. It's nice."
Pettitt is well known to many Estevan residents as the owner and operator of Jenny Joans, the popular women's clothing store in downtown Estevan. Also very active in a number of local groups, Pettitt said it was a thrill to be recognized for something she loves to do.
"I feel so happy for being recognized for doing what I love to do. I'm super appreciative of just being nominated and to be in the same group as all these wonderful women," said Pettitt. "I think you have to love what you do and be interested in it and (have) perseverance and learn from your own mistakes."
Seipp topped a list of four impressive young women to capture the Orsted Memorial Award. A Grade 11 student at ECS, Seipp is involved in a number of school sports and causes as well as church activities.
Much like her fellow winners, Seipp said she was thrilled to be nominated and the win was icing on the cake.
"To win, it was crazy but the other girls that were nominated with me, they deserved it as much as I did," said the honour roll student who noted that taking an active role in her school was a natural fit for her. "I think it's just part of growing up in a small community. You have to take that step forward, otherwise nobody really will."
Along with winning the outstanding contribution to the community award, Boyer might also lead the way in number of groups she has been, or is currently involved with. A school teacher for 25 years, Boyer spearheaded the move to restore Roche Percee Park. She can also list being the chairwomen of the Upper Souris Watershed Authority among her many acitivities.
"It's an award that I consider not just for me but for the people that I work with on the committees," she said. "It's a nice way of saying thank you to me, but also to them. I've had an involvement with young people which stems from my teaching. Other things, like the community things, I guess as I got older I was able to follow my passion."
In her speech, Ulrich, who has published two books aimed at the teenaged audience and is working on a third, spoke about how perseverance has allowed her to chase her dream and become a published author.
"For years I banged away at home on various historical fiction novels and later a mystery novel - starting, stopping, starting, stopping. I think I actually avoided finishing any piece of writing that I started and my main reason for not persevering? Fear," said Ulrich who taught for years in both Estevan and Lampman.
"I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my own expectations. I was afraid I would actually have to do something with the manuscript once I finished it. I was afraid I would have to deal with rejection."
Although she had that lingering fear that is common among many writers, Ulrich said she was able to overcome thanks to the support of her family as well as her writing group in Estevan.
After dealing with a number of rejections by Canadian publishing houses, Ulrich found what she called acceptance in 2006 when Coteau Publishing agreed to print her first book Power Plays.
Along with Power Plays and its sequel Face Off, Ulrich said she recently completed a manuscript called Breakaway but has yet to turn it into her publisher.
A well as speaking about perseverance, Ulrich also touched on what it means to be a woman of today. Ulrich said a women of today has to persevere to hang on to her values and to maintain good health against all odds.
"We are bright candles burning at both ends," she said. "We are super women, striving to save everyone from everything."
