A Kamsack woman was among the nominees for the Women of Distinction Awards held during a gala event at the Queensbury Convention Centre in Regina on April 26.
Cindy Koreluik, the technician at the Kamsack Veterinary Clinic, who last year was named the Saskatchewan Veterinary Association’s technician of the year, was one of four nominees in the Contribution to a Rural Community category. She was cited, in part, for her volunteer work as an executive member with the Kamsack and District Horticultural Association, the Yorkton Genealogical Society and the former Kamsack Indoor Rodeo Association.
“It was a wonderful evening,” Koreluik said following the gala event when all 55 nominees were introduced and an award recipient was announced in each of the several categories. “I didn’t know what to expect but it was nice to be acknowledged among this group of women.”
The nominee in Koreluik’s category who was selected as the recipient of the award was Watrous native Lesley Kelly, who with her blog entitled High Heels and Canola Fields, was said to have brought consumers and farmers together.
The other categories for which women were nominated included: The Jacqui Shumiatcher Arts Award; community leadership and enhancement; cultural heritage; education and mentorship; entrepreneurship and innovation; leadership and management; science, technology and environment; wellness, recreation and healthy living, and young women of distinction. In addition Dr. Roberta McKay, the Saskatchewan Medical Association’s first woman president, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The gala event in Regina was the 37th such reception held by Regina YWCA in honour of the women nominated as Women of Distinction. Susan Dugas, chair of the organizing committee, said the women were “exceptional individuals and outstanding as a group.”
“The 55 women we are celebrating tonight are truly inspiring,” said Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, CEO of YWCA Regina. “Their accomplishments and contributions have not only had a direct impact on the folks who have nominated them, but they have also set an example for the rest of our community.
“There is no doubt that women have the capacity to effect change and the women we celebrate tonight are among those who have empowered others, spoken up, deliberately acted, broken down barriers and given voice to others,” Coomber-Bendtsen said. “Thank you to each nominee for showing the courage to have your name put forward. Thank you for your inspiring stories and for the passion and integrity with which you face life’s adversities. It is a privilege to celebrate you this evening.”
Photographs of the nominees, including Koreluik, who was nominated by Natalie King of Kamsack, were printed in a full page advertisement in the April 14 issue of the Regina Leader-Post newspaper.
“I nominated Cindy for this award because, in actuality, she is representative of the mainstream worker in rural remote Saskatchewan,” said King. She embodies the role of someone who embraces her community with her volunteerism, and yet, on a daily basis, is in touch with the agricultural roots through her career in the veterinary industry which puts her in direct contact with the farming community.”
