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School Board honours local Trustee ‘Woman of the Year’
At Tuesday’s School District 5 (SD5) board meeting, Board Chair Frank Lento proudly acknowledged Trustee Gail Brown for her recent Woman of the Year award presented last month by the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW)-Cranbrook Club.
The award, which has been given out annually for the past thirty years, include past award recipients and SD5 teachers, Jennie Humphrey and Sandra Zeznick. It recognizes East Kootenay region women whose work and talents contribute to the education and/or advancement of women.
“Gail’s entire career has been dedicated to improving outcomes for children, for providing mothers and families with the tools and resources they need to raise happy, healthy, successful children,” says Lento. “We’re extremely fortunate to have her on our board.”
Brown was gracious in accepting the recognition, pointing out that the Woman of the Year award also belongs to countless others of equal dedication with whom she’s worked alongside over the years.
“None of these are ‘my’ projects, but rather achievements made with an idea that grew with the help of citizens of this community. I am proud to be part of this membership of men and women; a team of like-minded people to share goals in making everything a little bit better,” she said.
Brown’s contributions include the expansion and transformation of the annual Cranbrook Children’s Festival, formation of seven East Kootenay community Early Child Development committees and her tireless and visionary work to make the Kootenay Child Development Centre (KCDC) a reality.
Fellow Trustee Patricia Whalen, who was also involved in the KCDC project, says Gail was an inspiration for everyone who worked on the project. “From conception to advocacy to fundraising, Gail never waivered in her dedication or her vision for the Centre.”
An awards ceremony on March 4, was attended by fellow Trustees Trina Ayling, Chris Johns and Patricia Whalen in honour of their fellow board member.
SD5
