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Photo courtesy Jeff Henson/EverythingGP
50th ANNIVERSARY

Volunteer Services Bureau celebrates 50 years in community

Oct 6, 2019 | 8:11 AM

Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau celebrated their 50th anniversary on Saturday by planting and dedicating a new tree in the Volunteer Grove of Trees.

Executive Director Carol-Anne Pasemko says the tree planting was the re-creation of a ceremony that had been done annually for a number of years.

“One year, they did not do it because the tree planter broke down. And then the next year they did not do it for some other reason. And then of course people come and go, and it kind of got lost in sort of the time.”

The Volunteer Grove of Trees, and the accompanying dedication plaque, are located next to the Grande Prairie Museum in Muskoseepi Park.

Pasemko says 50 years for an organization that started out as a little management committee is huge.

“Over the year, the Bureau has ebbed and flowed, like most organizations, but has really maintained those roots in the community, and provided programming for volunteers, and more so for the organizations that utilize volunteers.”

Pasemko says their mandate is to build the infrastructure of the non-profit sector, adding that if those organizations are strong and active, you have a better quality of life for all citizens within the community.