Volunteer-of-the-Year
2024 Award:  V. Pamela Wile
 
 
 
Making the Presentation, Jan Fralic-Brown:
 
Well, now we’re at the point in the evening that at least one person in attendance doesn’t know they’ve been waiting for.

GANS has many dedicated long term volunteers, which always makes it difficult to single any one person out for special recognition. This year, though, it didn’t take too long to agree on our recipient of the GANS Volunteer of the Year award.

It’s my very great pleasure and privilege to present the award for our Volunteer of the Year to Pamela Wile. In so many ways she truly is the beating heart of GANS.

Pam joined the GANS Executive in 2007, and up until this past June, served as a Director in one capacity or another continuously over those years. However, even though she stepped down from the Board at our AGM in June, she didn’t leave GANS. Not by a long shot.

Here is just a sampling of what she’s been doing for us this past year:
  • Arranging for the monthly lectures;
  • Assisting with the bi-monthly newsletter, the Living Connection;
  • Pulling together our research journal, the Nova Scotia Genealogist;
  • Playing a huge role in organizing this Annual Dinner;
  • Running and/or arranging workshops;
  • Working on the intake and inventorying of new library collections/donations;
  • Assisting in developing our genealogical databases;
  • Coordinating many of our outreach efforts, such as organizing displays and representing GANS at various genealogy and local history fairs, conferences, and other venues around the province, managing our Facebook page, and being our main social media presence;
  • Recruiting, orienting, and organizing our volunteers;
  • Being a mainstay on our research queries team, helping answer research queries from around the globe;
  • while she was on the Board earlier in the year, filling in what financial duties she could while we limped along without an official Treasurer;
  • Just generally being our genealogical Yoda!
And as I said, that’s just a sampling. I’m sure everyone here who knows her could add something else to the list.

Pam, please come up and receive this entirely inadequate token of our appreciation for everything you do for GANS, We know you’ve been working towards obtaining your certification as a professional genealogist, and hope this gift will help you get there.