news&views Summer 2015 | Page 12

FROM THE BRANCHES

FROM THE BRANCHES

ARTA Volunteer Award : Annita Pinder

BY DONNA MAE GOLDADE
Annita Pinder receiving her ARTA Volunteer Award from Donna Mae Goldade .

It gives me great pleasure to nominate Annita Pinder for an ARTA Volunteer Award as I believe her to be most deserving . She has served MHADRTA as second vice-president , first vice president and president . Annita always willingly gives so much of herself , her time and her tremendous organizational skills to committees , whether it be cleaning the MacKay Creek School in Pioneer Village or supervising it during the Medicine Hat Stampede and Exhibition . Recently , she worked on the Golf Tournament committee . A real pleasure to work with , she is currently revamping the MHADRTA photo and history album .

Annita was raised on a farm 18 miles north of Leader , Saskatchewan , attending a one-room school for the first four grades , then moving to Eatonia where she attended Grades 5 to 8 . Later , at the Sion Academy in Saskatoon , she won a scholarship for her marks in home economics .
Annita has an arts degree , an education degree , and a post-graduate diploma in curriculum and instruction . While attending the University of Lethbridge , she received certification as a teacher-librarian and a certificate in leadership and administration . After she finished teachers ’ college , Annita taught elementary school ; and when she completed her degree in education , she began to teach Grades 9-12 .
While she taught at Vermilion College , Annita was the secretary of the local hockey organization . During her tenure in Wainwright , she volunteered to teach an evening class to women who wanted to upgrade their business skills . While she was in Brooks , she volunteered to teach catechism to Grade 3 ’ s . She taught in Beaumont and Manville before coming to Medicine Hat where she volunteered to work on the School Council Association conferences and served as treasurer for one of them .
For three years she was sacristan at St . Patrick ’ s Church and spent a number of years working with the RCIA program . Annita served the St . Patrick ’ s parish council on both the finance and liturgy committees . At St . Joseph ’ s Home she volunteered in the bookstore and is currently the sacristan there . For two years , Annita volunteered at Medicine Hat College teaching English as a Second Language . At present , she is on the Board of Directors for a political party and also on the Arts and Heritage Committee for the City of Medicine Hat . She maintains these commitments while seeing that the needs of her elderly aunt and uncle are taken care of .
When you need someone to help with a fashion show or to work in the kitchen or to assist with World Food Day , Annita will be there no matter what the hour . She is truly deserving of the ARTA Volunteer Award since not many people work as hard as she does in a volunteer capacity .
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