Volunteer Citizen of the Year 2008
Vic Sadlowski named Volunteer Citizen of the Year 2008
by Dan Brisebois
Bonnyville Nouvelle
Photo: Dan Brisebois, Bonnyville Nouvelle
Rarely has a non-profit organization or event come along that hasn’t had Vic Sadlowski’s name attached to it. Now a retired high school principal, he’s one of the most active members in the community, yet one of the most low key.
His deeds, however, are now receiving attention from across the province after he was announced as this year’s Volunteer Citizen of the Year. The award is sponsored by Direct Energy and AWNA (Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association). With the accolade came a plaque, as well as $1,000.
“We’re really looking for someone who exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism, and our judges chose Mr. Sadlowski,” Lynzey MacRae, Direct Energy’s public relations specialist said.
When asked what receiving the award means to him, Sadlowski shied away from the spotlight. He preferred instead to put the focus on the true beneficiary of the award, the Bonnyville Health Foundation, one of the almost-countless charities he gives so much to. As the Volunteer Citizen of the Year, Sadlowski got to choose a charity to receive a $5,000 donation from Direct Energy. He chose the Foundation.
The mandate of the Bonnyville Health Foundation fundraisers is to plan events to raise funds for the health centre. Over the last 11 years this group has raised over $1 million, which has been used to buy various necessary pieces of equipment.
The hospital’s neo-natal, orthopedic, long-term care and acute care wards have all benefited from the group’s efforts.
“I think the big thing is the health foundations gets money. It’s neat to be recognized, but I think if it was just a certificate, I wouldn’t have bothered signing the initial form. But the fact it was going to buy a piece of equipment for the hospital was the biggie,” he said.
The $5,000 will be used to purchase a new Colleagues CX IV pump.
“I have no idea what that is,” Sadlowski joked. “But anything I can do to help make the lives of the people working there easier, I’m there. I admire the doctors and the staff there; they’re amazing people.
“I don’t envy them in their jobs. Even if they paid me five times what they make, I wouldn’t do it.”
Lucie Knudsen, the nurse manager at the Bonnyville Health Centre said an IV pump is a basic, but very necessary piece of equipment, and efforts from volunteers in the Bonnyville Health Foundation are paramount.
“An IV pump is needed when we administer medications or intravenous fluids to a patient. It monitors how quickly they’re administered, so for safety it’s important to have. Volunteers like Vic certainly make things easier when it comes to administering patient care here,” she said.
Sadlowski witnessed first hand the incredible devotion staff at the hospital have, with both his parents and his parents-in-law having received treatment there. It’s that personal connection that gives him more drive, he surmised, and said he probably wouldn’t have been involved to the extent he is without that direct exposure.
“I saw how much pain and suffering they were going through, and I saw how much work the staff did there, and I said if there was something I could do to help, I’d better do it while I had the chance,” he said.
Sadlowski’s community commitment isn’t limited to the health field. His years of service to Bonnyville Victim Services has been a double-edged sword, in that success is measured by how little the group is required to do.
“If there are no accidents and no one gets abused, if we don’t get a call, it’s a good week,” he said. “I don’t think you can enjoy accompanying the RCMP to tell a family they’ve lost a son or a daughter. If I can make life easier for the family, that’s all that matters. Someone once said that joy is doubled, misery is cut in half.”
Sadlowski also sat on the board of directors for the Jr. A Pontiacs for a year, but conceded he just didn’t know enough about the inner workings of a club to stay with it. Aside from enjoying the game, his involvement is now limited to selling 50/50 raffle tickets for Victim Services.
Preparing between 50 and 70 income tax returns a year might not sound like much, if you’re an accountant. But Sadlowski has been volunteering that service to seniors and low-income residents for several years through FCSS. He’s not allowed to accept gratuities in any form for the service and, in fact, does it anonymously.
Admitting it isn’t much fun doing tax returns, he simply quipped, “What I get out of it is knowing that someone who doesn’t make much to begin with isn’t spending $70 to have their taxes done.”
If someone does try to ‘pay’ him, he said it’s usually by baking a cake or cookies. In typical fashion, Sadlowski then gives it to the Parent Child Centre for the kids.
He stays also active with several ‘short-term’ projects, such as helping a local group organize and collect small items to send to Canadians serving in Afghanistan.
He still enjoys helping students learn, so he tutors. But instead of accepting payment, he insists the student or their parents make a donation to a local charity. That’s just the natural thing for Sadlowski to do and Bonnyville is a better place because of it.