On Feb. 28 the Government of Canada announced the recipients of Canada’s Volunteer Awards for 2023, and the Ashcroft HUB Society was a recipient in the Social Innovator category.
“We got a phone call in mid-February, and it’s been kind of a whirlwind since then,” says Juanita Little, one of the HUB’s co-founders and a volunteer with the not-for-profit Ashcroft HUB Society.
“They called and said we’d won the award and they’d be sending information about it, so watch the email inbox. I was thinking ‘What?’ and then we got the email saying we’d won, and asking if there was anyone who would be able to accept virtually or in-person, and for pictures of us and the HUB.
Ashcroft HUB executive director Jessica Clement nominated the HUB, with support letters from Trish Schachtel (executive director of the South Cariboo E. Fry Society) and Kelly Mykyte, founder of Krush Dance. The letters cited the importance of the HUB not only to Ashcroft, but to people throughout the region, and noted the importance of the wide variety of services, activities, and events that the HUB hosts and facilitates in a rural area with limited support services and resources.
In the awards announcement it was noted that the HUB “enriches the rural community of Ashcroft, British Columbia, with art, culture, fitness, sports, and community services. Founded in 2015, the HUB addresses the shortage of community spaces and resources. They transformed a former elementary school into a community centre accessible to all.”
Little — along with Mimi Kopanyas, Susan McLean, Stefanie Murphy, and Vicky Trill — came up with the idea of transforming Ashcroft Elementary School into a community resource after it was closed down by Gold Trail School District in 2015. Rather than see the building in the centre of the North Ashcroft residential area sit vacant, they envisioned it as a space that could host different events, nurture small businesses, provide fitness equipment and activities, and give artists, artisans, musicians, dancers, daycare providers, and more a space in which to operate.
The awards citation noted that the HUB attracts about 3,000 visitors each month and, in collaboration with more than 20 local organizations and businesses, tailors its services to meet the community’s needs. It hosts live theatre, dance, and choir performances, provides after-school activities and summer camps for youth and children, offers a wide range of classes and workshops, and has a social room for community gatherings.
The citation also notes that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the HUB initiated a Community Helpline in partnership with more than 15 local groups. This helpline provided information on available services, helped residents get groceries, medicine, and mail, and coordinated transportation for medical appointments and access to other services.
Asked if she ever pictured the HUB getting to where it is today, Little says “We hoped it would get there, back in 2015. All of us were so into trying it, because what did we have to lose? People said ‘You’re nuts, you’re crazy,’ but we had a core group saying ‘Well, what if it does take off? What do we lose if we try?’
“If we hadn’t tried it, look at all the things we would have lost or wouldn’t have been able to host.”
Little adds that the fluidity that the HUB has is great, enabling the society to help meet the needs of the community as they come up, such as providing a cooling centre during hot weather or the COVID helpline during the pandemic. “That fluidity is truly the blessing of the HUB.
“We get new things like pottery classes, dancing, plays, teaching, instruction. Sometimes we do something and then others take it on. We’re a percolator for community events, which is huge.
“Sometimes people come to us and we take it on. Kudos to people who set things up, but if for whatever reason they can’t continue they say ‘Oh, what about the HUB?’ We’re either the back-up or start-up for things, and we always have things coming and going.”
Little notes that another Canada’s Volunteer Award winner, in Ontario, was also called the Hub, and serves people experiencing addiction, poverty, and homelessness.
“Ours is a hub for enriching the community. Our aim was to attract and retain people in our rural community and give them things they want and need. At the time the school was closing it was a hub for different activities, and we didn’t want to see that go; someone needed to take it on and provide that piece.”
The HUB Society still leases the building and property from Gold Trail School District. In 2021 the District announced plans to dispose of the property and sell it to the HUB Society for a nominal fee, but the pandemic and various other issues have slowed the process down. Little says they’re still working on that piece, and that it’s getting closer.
“[The award] will be helpful in bringing the HUB forward in all directions, such as improvements and programming, and I hope it will solidify things so we can keep building. Some money comes to the HUB with this award, and it helps to raise more awareness about the HUB. And it highlights the work of the community and what people can do when they put their mind to improving their community.”
The award ceremony will take place in Ottawa on April 15, and Little says that she and McLean will be attending: “It’s super exciting.
“We got a team together, and it was great to see the potential that blossoms when people work together. Our little town and the HUB in Ashcroft won this award across Canada, which is amazing.
“So many times rural is passed over. I’ve lived and worked rural, and so often we get left behind. I think this is fantastic to put a focus on the fact that everything isn’t just in the city; there are great things to be had outside the big cities. It’s quite an honour, and we’re so pleased with it.”
Every year, Canada’s Volunteer Awards present 20 regional awards across Canada, awarded to five regional recipients (one each in the Maritimes, Ontario, Quebec, the Prairies, and B.C. and the North) in each of four categories: Emerging Leader, Business Leader, Community Leader, and Social Innovator. Through the awards, the Government of Canada recognizes those volunteers who go above and beyond to support their communities and their country, and the community leaders, not-for-profit organizations, social enterprises, and businesses that have made significant contributions to improving the lives of others.
“The recipients of the Canada’s Volunteer Awards are inspiring all of us through their stories and achievements, and I am glad to be able to honour them and celebrate their accomplishments,” said Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I want to thank all the volunteers across Canada, including all those who were nominated, for continuing to make a difference in their communities. You represent the best part of Canada, and because of your selfless work, our communities are better and stronger.”
The call for nominations was open from Feb. 15 to May 10, 2023, and 225 nominations were received from across the country. The Minister of Families, Children and Social Development makes final selections based on the recommendations from the National Advisory Committee.
