A special honour for two hard working individuals in the City of Dryden.
The local Rotary Club presented the prestigious Paul Harris Award this week to Laina Smith and Carol Gardam.
Smith is the founder of “Fall Fest”, a month-long festival in October that has attracted thousands of people in its two-year existence.
The event has been a huge success despite COVID restrictions both years.
It has become one of the premium events of the year in Dryden.
Gardam has been instrumental in improving the lives of Seniors in the community.
Just recently, here efforts to bring a Trishaw bike to Dryden have been successful and she has also led a door wrap initiative at Princess Court.
Gardam has also been a volunteer for the Canadian Red Cross and Meals on Wheels.
Below are the nomination letters submitted by members of Dryden Rotary:
Laina Smith
It has been more than two years since Laina Smith first approached the Rotary Club of Dryden about her dream of holding a “Fall Fest” believing our community needed a galvanizing event to beat the blues and celebrate what this community had to offer. Hailing from wintry Minnesota, Laina was no stranger to what a Canadian winter would be like. She used her organizing skills to put together a committee of seven motivated individuals. She then began selling the idea to groups like Rotary with the message that we can enjoy the dreariest time of the year despite the overhang of Covid protocols with social distancing and mask wearing.
All events had to be vetted and approved before seeking volunteer support and finding sponsors needed to hold such an event. The original plan morphed into to three separate events occurring over three weekends beginning with a family “Harvest Fest” on October 16, 2020. On October 24th it would be a Halloween Haunt followed by a Trunk and Treat on October 31st all designed to provide a safe controlled venue for our youth to “not be denied” the sweets and cavities enjoyed by generations before them.
First year results were absolutely stunning. Two thousand eight hundred people attended the event including 1777 candy seekers and thirty thousand pieces of donated treats. The Fall Fest has quickly become one of Dryden’s premium events of the year. All of this happened as a result of one person’s vision followed by an incredible display of leadership by Community Paul Harris Award candidate, Laina Smith.
Carol Gardam
Last year, her tireless efforts to bring a Trishaw bike to Dryden were successful. Many of
our seniors will now be able to have a bike ride because of Carol. I know she would want
me to acknowledge the many hours her husband Bob spent putting the big bike together
and making sure it was road ready. Bob is also the trainer for all the volunteers who pilot
the big bike. I know this enormous success and wonderful addition to the Dryden
community is just a start.
This is just the latest of her successful volunteer projects. For the last several years she
has led a door wrap initiative at Princess Court. The environment of all the residents of
Princess Court has been beautified and improved with the wraps that make each door look
like home for the residents. These two projects alone would be more than most would ever
tackle. Carol has also been a volunteer for the Red Cross driving people to appointments
out of town. In addition, she volunteers delivering Meals on Wheels. Carol has done much
more.
Born and raised in Dryden, the youngest of eight, Carol has always been involved in
helping others. Growing up she participated in many sports and as an adult she
volunteered countless hours to ensure that young people in Dryden had such
opportunities. Carol and Bob raised three amazing children. During that time she
volunteered on the executive of minor softball and minor hockey. For most of her career at
DHS she was a coach spending endless hours in the gym and riding busses all over NW
Ontario and the rest of the province for games. All this while balancing an outstanding
teaching career and raising those three fine children Jacob, Kevin and Emilie with her
husband, Bob.
Carol has spent her life volunteering so that others can enjoy life just a little bit more.
Once she shared her thoughts about how important having a bike ride around Dryden
might be for some of our seniors. She said, “These people built this town. It would be so
good if they could ride around and see it once again and feel the wind in their hair. “
Carol exemplifies the Community Paul Harris award.
