Sometimes the hardest things are the most worthwhile, says a young woman named Red Deer’s Young Citizen of the Year during a gala hosted by the Red Deer Rotary Club on Thursday.
Azalea Lehndorff, who moved to Lacombe in 2006 to continue her studies, left her own family at an early age because she couldn’t embrace their ideas about education. Lehndorff was raised in Amish and Mennonite communities in the United States, where children normally leave school by Grade 10. She sought more from life, dreaming of being a medical doctor.
At 23, Lehndorff has completed a degree in biology while showing formidable talent as a fundraiser with a special interest in making education more accessible to girls in Afghanistan, where she spent time in May of last year as a volunteer with the Lacombe-based charity, A Better World.
Along with organizing Lacombe in Motion, a community run that has raised $17,600 to date for trail improvements, Lehndorff set up the 100 Classroom Project, which has so far raised $178,000 to build 16 classrooms in Afghanistan. She is also the force behind Freedom Run 5000, a series of events set up to raise money to help Afghani girls go to school.
She continues to volunteer with A Better World, where she has recently been put in charge of Tomorrow’s Edge, a program to encourage young adults to offer their time to community work and international outreach.
“I had no idea that my life would take this direction at all, but it’s been rewarding,” Lehndorff said. “When you have a passion for something . . . don’t underestimate what you can do. Oftentimes, young people don’t know what they’re capable of because they’ve never tried.”
Lehndorff said she has the support of many people around her, which is something all young people need to follow their passions.
Joining Lehndorff on the podium was Citizen of the Year Kathy Lacey, whose own record of leadership and volunteer work is rooted in the beliefs instilled by her parents, Jack and Joan Donald.
“I started being part of what they were volunteering for when I was a little child. They were always involved in volunteer activities, particularly with the Westerner. I grew up with the Westerner. I’ve got, probably, 35 years in there.”
Lacey graduated from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School in 1975, went on to study Education at Red Deer College and completed her degree at the University of Alberta. She is a partner with her husband, Peter, in Cervus Equipment Corp., a public company trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
She showed reporters a pocketful of pins she has collected through the various projects and organizations for which she has volunteered over the years, including Festival of Trees, Westerner Park, Alberta 4-H, A Better World, The Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools, Central Alberta Freestyle Ski Club, Red Deer College Affairs of the Arts and Central Albert Aquatics Centre.
Lacey placed Festival of Trees, which she has been involved with from its inception, as a project that tops her list of favourites.
“It’s a very special event. I’m extremely proud of the over $7 million we have put into the Red Deer Regional Hospital,” she said.
The Red Deer Citizen of the Year Award was first established in the 1960s, but had taken a break for a few years, said Graham Schofield, part of the 2011 nominating committee.
Reestablished 14 years ago, the program is organized by the Red Deer Rotary Club to recognize people who make amazing contributions toward building a better community.
The Young Citizen award was established to recognize people like Lehndorff, who have done so much in such a short time.
“Both Kathy and Azalea are amazing examples of what two people can do for our community,” said Schofield.
Revenue from the gala is used to help local and international projects supported by the Red Deer Rotary Club, he said.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com