SACKVILLE, N.B. — Sackville volunteer extraordinaire Audrey Hicks was honoured today as this year’s Queen of Winterfest.
From her steadfast commitment to the local Girl Guiding movement over the years and her dedication to the Sackville Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Hicks has greatly contributed to the Tantramar region through her volunteer work and throughout her lengthy nursing career.
“Audrey Hicks makes a major contribution to this community in many aspects and she certainly should be recognized for all the volunteer work that she does,” said Wallie Sears, who nominated Hicks for the award.
Hicks is what people would call a “professional volunteer,” said Sears, after having dedicated more than 50 years of her life to philanthropic causes.
Hicks’ involvement in the community began from the first moment she arrived in town in 1962 from Freetown, PEI to pursue a career in nursing. She started that same year working with the Canadian Girls in Training program through the United Church. Since that time, she has been involved with countless volunteer organizations.
Hicks’ involvement with the local Girl Guide troops, in particular, has been near and dear to her heart. For more than 30 years, Hicks has worked tirelessly at keeping Guiding strong in Sackville and has held many positions with the local district, including commissioner and guider. For her exceptional service to guiding, Hicks is a recipient of The Beaver award at the provincial guiding level and was recently granted an Honorary Life Membership.
Hicks is also a member of the SMH Auxiliary, having held many positions over the years including president, vice-president and secretary. Hicks takes great pride in her work with the auxiliary and is a tremendous resource after having been a nurse at the Sackville facility for 40 years.
Hicks has also been involved in helping to spearhead a grief and bereavement support group in the area, which provides training and support for those who have experienced loss.
Hicks also served as president of the Sackville Swim Club, as well as an official and a board member at the Swim New Brunswick level. She has also been a member of the Victoria Order of Nurses (VON) advisory board.
As well, Sears said Hicks is “readily available to assist in any emergency and is frequently called upon to provide assistance for people in need of transportation and pitches in to help during fundraising campaigns for such organizations as the Canadian Cancer Society.”
The Crown of Winterfest is an award bestowed upon a local senior every year by the Mount Allison Student Union during Sackville’s annual winter festival celebrations. The award, which is given out during the legion luncheon, aims to honour a senior who has gone above and beyond in their involvement with the community. The award comes with a crown, a certificate, flowers, and a couple tickets to some of this weekend’s Winterfest events.
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