Celebrating our 2021 Volunteer Award Recipients
Volunteers are the heart and soul of The Alpine Club of Canada.
Season to season, day in and day out for over a century, volunteers run the sections, write articles, lead trips, protect the alpine environment and demonstrate their commitment to the club. Every season, and in every part of Canada, volunteer trip leaders take enthusiastic groups and new members on climbing, hiking and skiing outings. They are skilled, dedicated, giving and tireless. Without them there is simply no ACC.
The ACC Volunteer Awards recognize those members who have made significant contributions in furthering the aims and goals of the club and Canadian mountaineering in general. This year, please join us in recognizing the outstanding volunteers mentioned below.
2021 recipients
SILVER ROPE FOR LEADERSHIP AWARD
This award is presented to members in good standing with the ACC who have demonstrated technical skills and leadership abilities of a high caliber in mountaineering or ski mountaineering over a number of years.
Jay MacArthur - Vancouver
Jay MacArthur joined The Alpine Club of Canada in 1973. In 1979 he started his decades long service as a member of the executives of the ACC Vancouver Section as well as the Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia. In 1980 he served his first term as FMCBC president and took on the position of ACC Vancouver Assistant Chair.
In the early 1980s Jay became a founding member and served as president of the Southern Chilcotin Wilderness Society. The society’s work eventually led to the establishment of South Chilcotin and Big Creek Provincial Parks.
In 2001 the Vancouver Section recognized Jay’s environmental work with the ACC Distinguished Service Award. During the decades Jay has practised safe climbing and backcountry skiing while participating in the leadership of ACC Section camps to many Coast Mountain locations.
Jay passed away in the fall of 2022. Read our celebration of Jay’s life here.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
For members who have contributed outstanding service to the Club or a section over a period exceeding five years:
furthering aims of the club or a section
providing leadership for a large undertaking for the club or a section
contributing towards the activities of the club or a section
Paul Veneziano - MontreaL
Paul has been a member of the Montreal Section executive for over twenty years. As Section Treasurer he manages all the finances. Unique to the Montreal Section is the 105 acre property and cabin they own in New York State. The Keene property adds a degree of complexity to the role of Treasurer requiring an understanding of out of country tax issues and filings as a non-profit. The property, a focal point of the Montreal Section activities requires a lot of volunteer time to maintain it. Paul has also taken on the role of Hut Manager. He oversees the annual budgeting process, plus the collection of hut and camping fees. He also serves the members by organizing and participating in the annual new member weekend, BBQ and Corvées (2 work weekends). Paul received the Don Forest Service Award in 2016.
Catrin Brown - Vancouver Island
Catrin joined the ACC in 1994 and first joined the Vancouver Island Section Executive in 1996 as their Trip Scheduler. During 2012 & 2013 she served as the Section Secretary. Catrin has been the Chair of the Vancouver Island Section since 2016. Over the years Catrin has been an active trip leader organizing the annual ski camps in the Rockies or Selkirks. The section’s new hut opened on the slopes of 5040 Peak in October 2018. This was a challenging project for the section to undertake and has been a huge success. During the building process the section facilitated discussions with the local First Nations on whose territory the hut is built. Catrin has also encouraged diversity the section’s programs. Her outstanding leadership as section chair has increased the Section’s membership numbers. Catrin received the Don Forest Service Award in 2012.
Myrene Mollison - Saskatchewan
Myrene has been a member of the Saskatchewan Section for over twenty years. Initially to gain experience Myrene joined the section executive in 2005 as a Member at Large. She soon took on the role of section secretary and then added section treasurer. In 2019 Myrene ensured the responsible transition to a new Treasurer. During this entire time Myrene has been instrumental in hosting the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Saskatoon as a section fundraiser. For the past decade Myrene has been the primary coordinator of the BMFF providing leadership to the festival committee. This successful fundraiser has allowed the section to provide funds for the development of section trip leaders and to purchase club gear. As well annual donations have been possible to important outdoor organizations. Myrene received the Don Forest Service Award in 2014.
ERIC BROOKS LEADER AWARD
For members who have demonstrated a strong, consistent commitment to learn and apply technical and leadership skills in mountaineering or ski mountaineering on club or section organized activities over a minimum period of one to five years.
Grant Blanchard - Ottawa
Grant Blanchard is very involved with the Ottawa Section leading hiking, skiing, and climbing trips. He is the chief organizer and the brains behind the long-running Hike-a-Palooza weekend in the Adirondack mountains. Not content with simply having fun playing in the outdoors with other club members, he also has previously spent time serving on the section executive and continues to be a valuable contributing member of the hiking committee.
DON FOREST SERVICE AWARD
Recipients of the Don Forest Service Award have contributed significant service to the club or a section over a minimum period of one to five years.
Further the aims of the club or a section
On a committee or project of the club or a section
Contributing to a large undertaking of the club or a section
Towards the activities of the club or a section
André-Jean Desormeaux - Montreal
André-Jean joined the Ottawa Section and discovered the Keene Farm early in the 80’s through a couple of outings. The next year he began organizing hiking trips in the Adirondacks on a regular basis until the middle of the 90’s when his twin girls came along. After a period of about 20 years he organized hikes for the Outaouais and Montreal sections mostly in New England but also on the West Coast Trail and the Charlevoix Traverse. He was on the board in both sections, in charge of hiking and social activities. After finishing the 46ers in the Adirondacks he started looking elsewhere for hiking and backpacking. He has hiked in Peru, Russia, Greece, the Dolomites, Slovenia, the Pyrenees, the Canaries and Corsica.
Mathieu Vallée - Montreal
Mathieu est un leader bénévole à la section de Montréal. Il est adepte de marche et de ski de rando nordique et alpine. Il as beaucoup marché dans les Adirondacks (46 plus hauts sommets), et skié dans les White Mountains, les Chic-Chocs et l'Ouest Canadien.
Mathieu is a volunteer leader with the Montreal Section. He is a fan of walking and nordic and alpine ski touring. He has hiked a lot in the Adirondacks (46 highest peaks), and skied in the White Mountains, the Chic-Chocs and Western Canada.
Zac Robinson - Unaffiliated
Zac Robinson has contributed to the Canadian mountain community and The Alpine Club of Canada for more than two decades. An accomplished mountaineer, he has summited Mount Robson and Mount Logan, has skied the Great Divide Ski Traverse and guided Aconcagua in Argentina twice.
Zac is a history professor at the University of Alberta, specializing in Mountain culture and history. With The Alpine Club of Canada he has served as a manager and amateur guide at the General Mountaineering Camps for 18 years. He served as ACC Vice President in charge of activities from 2010-2014 and is currently the Vice President of Mountain Culture, having served in this position for 8 years.
Zac has contributed to our mountain community in so many ways – he has organized three Thinking Mountains Conferences, written or edited several books and created the highly successful online Mountains 101 course. Zac also serves as the Chair of the Expeditions Committee for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Deanna Miller - Saskatchewan
Between 2013 and 2019 Deanna was a trip leader for eight section rock climbing trips. Setting top ropes for participants, teaching beginners climbing technique and sharing her knowledge of the rock environment. She is a skilled and dependable rock leader for the section. From roughly 2005 to 2010 as a member-at-large she provided the executive with ongoing feedback regarding its decisions impacting the section. From 2014 to 2019 she has been on the Saskatchewan Section Executive Committee as the Membership Services Coordinator and from 2019 until the present as the Director of Communications.
For nearly two decades Deanna has been a member of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour committee which is the Saskatchewan Section’s primary annual fundraising activity. Her involvement throughout the years includes assisting with the planning of the overall event, designing promotional materials such as posters and periodically acting as the volunteer coordinator. Her assistance contributed to its continued growth and helped make the event the successful fundraiser that it is.
Kathy Hitchings - Saskatchewan
Kathy Hitchings has been involved with the Saskatchewan Section as a member for over 25 years. In 2014, Kathy joined the section executive as Secretary, and served three terms ending her tenure in 2020. She always offered thoughtful guidance and decision making to the executive. On four of the section’s rock climbing trips, Kathy was an official leader, but on countless ice climbing, hiking and mountaineering trips she was an unofficial leader, welcoming new members and assisting so that everything runs smoothly. She promoted the ACC and its values in the community and within her own family, bringing her grandchildren on many of the ACC-SK's yearly trips. The Saskatchewan Section’s BMFF showing is their biggest fundraiser, and Kathy has volunteered her time to help make it a success since its inception. She organizes the luncheon for the volunteers before the event, tends the sections information booth, helps coordinate the sponsors and welcomes attendees to the viewing on the day of the event.
Shea Goyette - Rocky Mountains
A long-time member of the Rocky Mountain Section, Shea has been active as a volunteer for over seven years, including as a trip leader, Training and Leadership Committee Chair, Vice-Chair, and currently as the Chair. Shea spent significant time planning and coordinating training programs for our trip leaders and members, which led to a more robust trip schedule. In his role as Vice-Chair and now Chair, Shea has continuously dedicated hours of his time and expertise as an IT professional, assisting with the current website and the development of a new website. All this while navigating the extra work related to COVID-19, having a newborn, and achieving his ACMG Assistant Rock Guide certification.
Frank Liszczak - Rocky Mountains
Since joining the Rocky Mountain Section Executive in 2016, Frank has chaired the Access & Environment (A&E) Committee with great enthusiasm, contributing his extensive experience as a municipal planner to various initiatives. He is passionate about A&E matters and has worked tirelessly to promote and educate members. He has prepared letters of support at the provincial and federal levels regarding protected areas and access, including the MD of Bighorn land use proposal, provincial park closures/cessation of track setting in Kananaskis Country, and the Fish Creek parking lot access to the Skoki area.
At the section level, Frank supported a fellow board member on an article and series of posts regarding the impact of human use on wildlife, always with the perspective of responsible stewardship and safe access to wilderness areas. He organized a GAIA app course for the section members which was very well-received. Frank has contributed his expertise to the Robson Hut project, Rogers Pass area plan, and the potential relocation of the ACC Clubhouse at the national level.
David Bennison - Rocky Mountains
Since joining the Rocky Mountain Section executive in 2019, David has volunteered his time and technical expertise on a variety of initiatives in his role as the Communication Committee Chair. David's contributions include spearheading a new website project, setting up an Instagram account as a platform for our annual photo contest, and offering his expertise on other initiatives to contribute to the smooth functioning of the club.
Charlotte Kruszewski - Edmonton
Nominate a volunteer
The deadline for nominations for the current year is December 31. To nominate a member, click the button below and follow the links to the nomination form on individual award pages.