Eston couple helped make things happen

By Joan Janzen

Volunteers play an essential role in our communities, and they’re often the ones who make things happen. The former mayor of Eston, Al Heron and his wife, Claire, not only know this to be true but have lived it out in real-time. Al’s passion for helping out in his community began many years ago when he first lived in Eston for a period of time.

“The Chamber of Commerce came to me and said they’re having a problem with kids 10-15 years of age and asked if I could do something,” Al recalled. “I suggested baseball on one condition; we’re going to do it so we can get better citizens in our community.”

Al and Claire Heron from Eston are passionate about volunteering. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Five days a week, between 20-40 kids would be waiting for Al when he got off work, and they would run about five blocks to the ball field. It was part of their fitness training, and evidently, it worked because the 12 and under team won the provincial championship that year.

“We beat the best team in Saskatoon that had been provincial champs for four years,” he said.

Al’s concerns regarding volunteerism go back to his time of being a recreation director in Eston and then going on to work for Sports, Culture and Recreation as a field man. “It was the late 60s and 70s that we established many recreation boards in the province. Now every community has a recreation board,” he said.

As a recreation director, Al recalled half of the work involved recruiting volunteers. “You’re usually dealing with kids, so volunteers should be respectful of others and concerned about young people and their future development as citizens in our community,” he advised. His suggestion to volunteers is to try it for a year and then decide if they’re going to continue.

Claire said, “It’s really important to work with people’s interests,” For example, parents become interested when their kids are involved in an activity. “And quite often, once they begin coaching, they want to continue the next year because they enjoy it. But if you want a good volunteer, it’s a process. They need to know when the volunteer period begins and when it ends.”

Al agreed that communication is vital. “You have to sit down with them and talk about the program, which allows you the opportunity to find out some things about the people who will volunteer.”

When Al and Claire moved back to Eston in 2001, they didn’t waste any time getting involved in the community. Al suggested the community do fundraising to help with the rink’s operational expenses. “I suggested we have a long-distance River Trek,” he said. “Long story short, the River Trek ran for 15 years, and we raised over $230,000 for the operation of the rink.”

On more than one occasion, Al proved that fundraising can be fun. When the canteen at the hockey rink needed an ice machine, Al took on the job. “I let my hair grow all winter, and in the spring, we had a draw of people who had bought tickets on the chance to cut my hair,” he recalled.

It turns out the lucky winner was a hairdresser, but that didn’t benefit Al. “He came with his clippers and went straight over my head from ear to ear and from front to back. The remaining hair was dyed four different colours. It was kind of humorous, I guess. Anyway, we raised enough money to buy the ice machine, and my hair grew back.” And everyone had a lot of fun!

Claire said she grew up with parents who were models of volunteerism. “When I was teaching, I found it difficult to teach and be a parent, so I made a choice to be a parent, and we became a single-income family,” she explained. “And so I became very involved in the Catholic Women’s League (CWL).” Claire was involved, both internationally and nationally.

This is just an overall glimpse of this couple’s contributions throughout the years and among the communities where they were residing. Now Claire is involved with delivering Meals on Wheels, conducting a lodge service and Bible studies, while Al spends more time relaxing because of failing eyesight.

But their passion for volunteering remains as vibrant as ever. And if you contact Al, I’m sure he’ll come up with a few fun-loving fundraising ideas. All he needs is a team of volunteers to make them come to life.