A Red Deer woman is being recognized as one of the 2019 Daughters of the Year in Alberta.
Six women, including Sherri Smith, will be recognized with awards for their achievements in building a stronger community by Canadians For a Civil Society in Edmonton on Saturday.
Smith is being recognized for her 30 years of volunteer work with the United Way of Central Alberta and Soroptimist International of Central Alberta.
Smith, 57, moved to Red Deer from St. Albert in 1998.
Her work supervisor at an accounting firm got her involved in the community as a way of meeting people.
“She just kind of threw me into it and off I went,” she recalls with a chuckle.
Smith believes it’s the best thing her former boss did for her.
“Since then, all the people I know and everything I know about the community is because of the way it got started,” she said.
“Since then, I’ve always volunteered for the United Way and continued to other organizations with the theme to help women and girls, and eventually joined Soroptimist.”
Smith runs the the Purple Light Nights Facebook page and was instrumental in bringing the campaign to the province. The annual event is an international movement that raises awareness about domestic violence.
Smith has also served on the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter board.
She has two daughters, and apart from meeting new people and serving her community, Smith thinks about creating a better world for them. Collectively, all of this helps her to keep giving.
It’s been a year of achievements for the women’s community advocate.
Her mom, who lives in Edmonton, was proud of her daughter when Smith was the recipient of the 2019 Women of Excellence Award for Community Building administered by the Red Deer and District Community Foundation. She then went on to nominate Smith for the Daughters Day celebration.
This is the eighth year Daughters Day is being celebrated. About 51 women have been honoured as Daughters of the Year in the past.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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