The Violet Richardson Award is given in by the Central Alberta Soroptimist Club in honour of the President of the first Soroptimist Club. Violet Richardson was a woman of action, whose imdomitable spirit and sense of personal responsibility was demonstrated by her lifelong committment to volunteering in her community.
This award is given each year on International Women’s Day to young women ages 14 – 17 whose volunteer activitites demonstrate that they are caring, compassionate, creative and most of all, committed to making their community, and the world, a better place.
This year, the award was given to Marija Cadjan, a 17 year old Lindsay Thurber student and remarkable young lady who epitomizes leadership, compassion, outstanding initiative and a willingness to learn and get involved. Through a school program called “I B Helpin’ You,’ Marija has been a leader to her peers, helping them in fundraising efforts to support an “Adopt-a-Village” initiative in Kenya.
This program provides education to children, medicine, sustainable sanitation equipment and skills building. It acknowledges that if you help a woman, you help her entire famil and thus, a community. Empowering women heps them to find rewarding and more profitable work and to become more self-sufficient. By educating children, you give a community hope for a better future.
Marija contributes many hours to the Red Deer hospital providing comfort and service in acute care, maternity and pediatrics for the betterment of patients and staff. Her committment, ethusiasm and compassionin these wards are greatly appreciated. Marija is also in two leadership programs at school, one of which involves being a peer tutor, helping other students achieve their academic goals. She also works with Grade 9 students, teaching them skills that will help them succeed in high school – skills such as good time management and positive risk taking by joining sports, leadership and other clubs. She is on a committee that encourages students to donate and re-use second hand clothes, doing a fashion show to promote that awareness.
Marija is a true leader, an energetic volunteer and a wonderful role model for her peers. For her humanitarian efforts, her academic success, her dedication to community and those less fortunate, it was with great pleasure that Sue Barthel presented the 2010 Violet Richardson Award to Marija Cadjan on behalf of the Central Alberta Soroptimists Club.
Marija was given $300 for herself and $300 as donation to the organization of her choice – the ‘I B Helpin’ You’ program. Congratulation to Marija.
~ Article submitted by Sue Barthel and edited by Kim Bérubé ~
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