The husband-wife powerhouse volunteering duo of Sheree Johnson and Edward Wachtman were among the inaugural recipients of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky MP Patrick Weiler’s Unsung Heroes Awards for the riding Jan. 13.
“These awards are given out to volunteers who make our communities kinder, stronger and a better place for us all through their tireless and dedicated efforts,” said Weiler in a press release. “Recipients are all nominated by fellow community members.”
“It was it was really nice,” said Sheree. “It’s always good when the government recognizes all the hard work that volunteers do.”
The couple has been on Bowen for 20 years (as of March 1) and for the first half, weren’t too involved in volunteer work. They had a wildly busy life with their consulting practice – StoryTellings, which counted Boeing, Ford and Proctor and Gamble among its clients – and travelled a lot. A few years back, the two started slowing their practice down.
In about 2014, the municipality was starting its branding project and Sheree and Edward were approached to help out, the duo joining (what is now) the Community Economic Development Committee. Then Bowen Island Community Foundation had the two facilitate its Vital Conversations exercise and soon Sheree joined the BICF board and then the B.I. Health Centre Foundation board.
Edward, who also sits on the Hearth board, is the coordinator for Bowen Island Municipality’s Neighbourhood Emergency Response Program (NERP), a volunteer program promoting neighbourhood emergency preparedness and resilience.
“We say we’re working harder and more hours now than we did when we were working but just not making any money,” laughed Sheree.
“But it is rewarding,” added Edward. “We’ve had a lot of fun and the community of volunteers on Bowen is an exceptional group of people.”
But these are also exceptional times and Sheree and Edward are two folks at the public forefront of Bowen’s COVID-19 support and relief effort.
Sheree has been involved with financial and programming aid through the organizations she works with.
“[COVID-19] has really put a spotlight on people who need help on Bowen,” said Sheree. “There’s an awful lot of people who need help.”
“COVID has just accentuated that and made everybody’s small issues, big issues,” she said.
“To be able to kind of rouse the funding to help our neighbours and our friends has been fantastic,” said Sheree.
Edward, with NERP, is not only dealing with the realities of COVID-19 but preparing for future emergencies.
“It’s neighbours helping neighbours – it’s basically looking out for each other,” he said. “Right now, it’s making sure that you keep in touch with some of the more house-bound people. You make sure they’ve got their groceries, their medication.
“NERP can’t do the door to door stuff that they would do in a normal emergency but it’s just keeping people aware that there are people in our community who are alone and who might need some moral support through this.”
NERP has also grown four-fold over the pandemic, said Edward. “COVID has made people realize that in the event of an emergency, an earthquake, wildfire, we’re pretty much on our own,” he said. “So we have to look out for each other.”
Edward also, in typical Bowen manner, said he feels awkward about the award, and pointed to other volunteers “who probably do far more than I do.” Edward noted in particular the immense amount of work on the parts of Judi Gedye and Doug Nash in NERP’s neighbourhood kiosk project.
But steering away from the “who does the most on this island” game, both Edward and Sheree dedicate many, many hours to making the island better.
“I think we both struggle with finding a volunteer life balance,” Sheree laughed. “But it’s also who we are.
“I think we both go to bed at night feeling like we’ve done some good.”
“That goes back to what Bowen is all about,” said Edward. “We look after each other.”
