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One of the many delightful duties I have as APEGGA’s
president is to represent your Association at recognition
functions. Over the last few months I’ve represented
APEGGA at dinners held to recognize the work of our Outreach
Program volunteers and to honour our life members. I’ve
also attended our Excellence in Education Awards functions.
Outreach is the largest volunteer program APEGGA sponsors.
APEGGA members take time from their busy schedules to volunteer
in a variety of capacities, including working with students
and teachers in classrooms to deliver programs, representing
our professions at career fairs, and acting as judges at science
fairs.
We hear many wonderful anecdotes from students, teachers
and parents, who tell us about the lasting impression this
program makes on students and the impact it has on their career
choices. Judging by the number of volunteers and their enthusiasm
for the program, this is a very rewarding activity —
and one that you can be part of. There’s more information
about this wonderful program on our website.
The Excellence in Education Awards function has a dual purpose
— to recognize superb teachers in math and science —
teachers “who make school cool” — through
APEGGA’s Teacher Awards program, and to encourage outstanding
science and engineering students through a variety of scholarships
awarded by APEGGA’s Education Foundation.
What a treat to spend an evening with some of the winners
of theses awards! The evenings were inspirational and humbling.
A Life-long Commitment
The Life Member Dinners recognize the long-standing commitment
to our professions made by the select group who qualify for
life membership status, each year. There were about 140 new
life members last year.
These individuals are retired from active professional practice
and have been members of a professional association for at
least 25 years, the last 10 of which have been with APEGGA.
The Life Member Dinners are unusual in that there is no
keynote speaker. Rather, the new life members are given the
opportunity to come forward and spend a few minutes discussing
what the profession has meant to them over their professional
careers.
There are a wide variety of moving stories and interesting
anecdotes. These individuals are keen to talk and to share
their experiences. More importantly, there is a strong sense
of commitment to our professions and gratitude for the long
and successful careers that began so many years ago in university.
One comes away from these dinners with a fresh appreciation
for our professions and a renewed commitment to preserving
and enhancing their practice.
Shining Example
Shifting gears a bit, my thoughts turn to Stewart McIntosh,
P.Eng., the 79-year-old stalwart who recently retired from
his 17-year second career working with the APEGGA organization.
Stewart is, for me and many others, a shining example of what
commitment to your profession can mean.
Stewart had retired from a long and successful career that
culminated in the presidency of a significant oil and gas
company, but when he was asked to help out with some short-term
APEGGA issues, Stewart readily agreed — and then kept
on agreeing to help a bit more.
Over the years Stewart recruited many of our members, including
me, to serve on his committees, and he kept them coming back
and involved with APEGGA as much by force of example as by
his use of more direct persuasion. Stewart sets a high standard
for those who feel a need to give something back to their
profession, and his example continues to inspire many volunteers
today.
Giving some of your valuable time back to your profession
can be very rewarding. As a self-governing profession APEGGA
relies on volunteers, over 500 of them, to carry out many
important functions.
Our volunteers are critical to the ongoing success of our
professional organization. Without them, we could not begin
to fulfill our regulatory mandate, or provide the range of
associated services we as members now enjoy.
We do not recognize their contribution as often or as widely
as we perhaps should, and I want to take this opportunity
to do that now. Thanks to all of you who volunteer your time
and talents to support APEGGA — your efforts are greatly
appreciated.
And to those of you who might be thinking of volunteering,
I urge you to take the time to visit our website and let us
know what you’d like to do.
Nomination Time
Finally, because it has been a discussion point recently,
I want to touch on the Nominating Committee.
As you can see on Page 3 of this
month’s PEGG, this committee has finished its work
and put forward a list of candidates for election to Council.
The committee considers potential candidates from a variety
of sources, including lists of APEGGA volunteers, and tries
to identify candidates with a variety of backgrounds. The
committee cannot be aware of all potential candidates, however.
A nomination only requires the signatures of 10 other members
of APEGGA. If you are interested, I encourage you to seek
the needed support and submit your nomination. A form to help
you do this also appears on page three.
I welcome comments from readers. Please e-mail me at president@apegga.org,
and I look forward to hearing from you.
MORE INFORMATION
Volunteering
www.apegga.org/members/volunteer.html
Outreach
www.apegga.org/education/outreach_program.html
Stewart McIntosh, P.Eng., Retires
www.apegga.org/whatsnew/peggs/Web10-04/stewart.htm
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