At our recent Windup Dinner we celebrated all our volunteers and their contributions that make the club so great. We also highlighted two special volunteers as our Curl BC Volunteers of the Year for 2019-20: Tanya Martin and John Surovy.
Tanya Martin is like a magic elf who works behind the scenes to make sure everything to do with our finances works like a well-oiled machine. And the machinery hums along so smoothly you could almost overlook just how much she does to keep it that way. Since Tanya came onto the board two years ago as treasurer, she has cleaned up messy financial areas that would have most of us running out of the room. She’s made Revenue Canada happy, she’s sorted out things like depreciation, she’s clarified audit requirements…. Now the club's financial system is in great shape. Our employees and bills get paid on time. She makes sure our invoices get paid. Although she works full time (and has family to visit overseas), she still unfailingly gets to the club and makes sure everything is taken care of. She also took all this on as a new curler and has had to figure out all that as well as the numbers. Unfortunately for us, she is leaving the board and treasurer role. We’ll miss her skill and dedication, and all her constructive advice, clear thinking, wise guidance and just plain good sense. Something that isn’t that common any more!
John Surovy came to the AGM last year with a great idea and has worked tirelessly to make it happen. He is the driving force behind our new and very popular Stick League. Through this league he has brought in new curlers to the club and helped them get the hang of it. He has encouraged curlers who gave up the sport long ago to come back and play. His enthusiasm, energy and insistence that curling remain fun filled the new Stick League in just a few months. He also organized a bonspiel and showed you can have a great time without any prizes. John really embodies the spirit of play and good sportsmanship. And he is a steadfast ambassador for curling and the club. He also sets a great example about taking the initiative to make a great idea happen, not just lobbying it to the already busy board and sitting back. He’s a great inspiration and awesome curler too!