Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal

National Status

In 1998, the Government of Canada accorded status to the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal after national and provincial orders, under other national decorations and medals. This means that recipients of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal are entitled to wear it on national occasions and recipients of Canada's national honours who also receive Saskatchewan honours may wear both in the sequence approved by the Governor General.

Insignia

Designed by Jack Glasser of Regina, winner of a provincial competition.

The Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal is silver, circular in form, and suspended by a V-shaped clasp from a ribbon of green and gold, the provincial colours.

• Bears the Saskatchewan shield of arms
• The Crown and the motto Nos ipsos dedimus (We Gave of Ourselves).

Recipients also receive a circular silver lapel pin displaying the Saskatchewan shield of arms superimposed on a "V," a certificate, and are entitled to use the post-nominal letters S.V.M. The medal is presented by the Lieutenant Governor in an annual ceremony.

The names and photos of the recipients of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal are displayed adjacent to the Athabasca Gallery on the second floor of the Legislative Building.

Nomination criteria

Any Canadian citizen who is a current or former long-term resident of Saskatchewan is eligible for nomination for the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal.

Not Accepted

• Posthumous nominations.
• Organizations, only individuals.
• Sitting members of Parliament or the Legislature or members of the judiciary who still hold office.

Any individual or group may submit nominations. The Saskatchewan Honours Advisory Council recommends recipients based entirely on the information submitted with the nomination.

Completing the Nomination Form

Only one nomination form is required per nominee.

Please provide:

• Mailing address
• Email address
• Telephone number as well as the nominee's.
• Summary statement briefly explaining the reasons you are nominating this person.

Support Letters

Please provide three to six letters from others in support of the nomination, explaining why your nominee is worthy of this honour. Do not exceed six letters. They must be on 8-1/2 x 11" paper, typed or clearly hand-written in dark ink.

Additional Information

You may provide material in support of your nomination. Please ensure that this material is succinct and directly relevant to the nomination. All support materials must be on 8½ x 11" paper, typed, reproduced or clearly hand-written in dark ink.

Acceptable

• Including an expanded statement of your reasons for the nomination
• Biography of the nominee
• List of achievements

Non-acceptable

• Cassettes
• Videotapes
• Compact discs
• Photographs
• Albums
• Newspaper clippings (unless photocopied onto 8-1/2 x 11" paper) as they will be discarded

Submitting a Nomination

Nominations are accepted year-round; the deadline is October 31st. Nominations received after this date will be considered the following year. The person submitting the nomination must sign nomination forms.

All information provided to us is confidential and exclusively for the use of the Honours Advisory Council. We ask that you not inform the nominee of his or her nomination.

Submit signed nomination form and materials by:

• Email
• Mail
• Courier; or
• In-person

Address

Saskatchewan Honours and Awards Program
Protocol Office
300 - 3085 Albert Street
REGINA SK S4S 0B1

Contact Us

Phone: 306-787-8965
Toll free: 1-877-427-5505
Fax: 306-787-1269
Email: honours@gov.sk.ca

Acknowledgement of Nomination

You will receive an acknowledgement for your nomination in 14 days.

NOMINATE NOW

Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal 2022 recipients

Valerie Cade, C.D. (Regina)

Valerie Cade is a dedicated volunteer to many organizations in Regina. In addition to serving 45 years as a Canadian Armed Forces reserve officer, Valerie has committed almost 20 years volunteering to help youth with the 2370 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps as an instructor and assisting with administrative duties. Valerie has regularly given of her time to St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in many ways, including helping organize the Strawberry Fair, services and other community events. She has been a volunteer with the South Saskatchewan Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada for nearly 10 years, where she has co-ordinated the annual Queen’s Birthday Luncheon. Valerie is a dedicated member of the Saskatchewan Prayer Breakfast Committee and the Armistician’s Breakfast, which honours military and police veterans.

Marian Donnelly (Regina)

Marian Donnelly’s volunteer contributions to the arts, business and heritage communities of Regina are significant. More than a decade ago, she founded Creative City Centre, a space for artists to produce and perform. Marian has been instrumental in helping to maintain and grow Saskatchewan arts through numerous community events such as Art in the Park, Pop Up Downtown, Culture Days, Frost Festival and the Flatland Music Festival. She serves on the Board of Directors of SaskMusic and FadaDance Troupe Inc. and was a mentor in the ArtsVest program to dozens of arts organizations across Saskatchewan. In addition to volunteering in the cultural sector, she co-produced the annual Remembrance Day service at the Brandt Centre from 2007 to 2019.

Gordon C. Joyes (Lloydminster)

Gordon Joyes has given his time and talents supporting community organizations and initiatives for most of his life. He managed the woodwork shop at Mallard Co-operative Industries, where adults with physical and intellectual disabilities provided local shoe repair and woodworking. He has been heavily involved in serving with Wounded Warriors of Saskatchewan, organizing weekend events that include lodging for veterans, a fishing tournament and an outdoor concert. He has personally sold more than $220,000 in raffle tickets, travelling across Saskatchewan raising funds. Gordon was a Legion member for more than 20 years and has served on various recreation boards. He spent some time as Zone Chairman at Saskatchewan’s first Winter Games and was a key organizer for the first Special Olympic Saskatchewan Winter Games.

Bill King (Lumsden)

Bill King is a volunteer who inspires many in his community of Lumsden. He has been the heart and soul of the Lumsden and District Historical Museum for the past 30 years, serving 20 of those as president. Most notably during his volunteer time, he initiated the authentic construction of a tipi and established sacred ground for the annual National Indigenous People’s Day event. He also serves as chair of the Museum Volunteer Committee, leading fundraising events as well as maintaining multiple pioneer buildings and several acres of land. Bill serves as a board member on the Lumsden Valley Community Association where he works on initiatives devoted to conservation and environmental sustainability. Earlier, he coached Lumsden Minor Hockey and supervised its referee association.

Wyatt Munson (Regina)

Wyatt Munson started volunteering from an early age; serving as president for several student societies in high school, and for six years he volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Yorkton. Currently working full-time as an emergency department registered nurse, Wyatt still finds time to devote to volunteerism. Since 2017, he has volunteered over 1,400 hours with Regina St. John Ambulance as a medical first responder. In 2018, he was appointed training officer where he implemented an event scheduling system for first responders to communicate events and special notifications through email. Wyatt took on the role of unit chief in 2019 where he helps to train, coach and mentor volunteers. Wyatt was awarded a Priory Vote of Thanks from St. John Ambulance in 2022.

Donna Nelson (Regina)

Donna Nelson started volunteering with Girl Guides and teaching Sunday school. She then went on to host refugees through the Regina Open Door Society, which has been especially rewarding for her. Her most impactful work over the last 30 years was sharing her financial and management skills volunteering with several United Church congregations and committees, including the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry, Multifaith Saskatchewan, Lumsden Beach Camp, Cathedral Area Community Association, Heritage Community Association and Wascana Solar Co-operative. Today, she is active in Knox-Metropolitan United Church as the treasurer and serves as chairperson of the Refugee Committee where she devotes hundreds of hours to help sponsor displaced people escaping conflict and poverty.

Marlene Smith-Collins (Regina)

Marlene Smith-Collins donates her time to École St. Mary School in Regina, assisting with the hot lunch program and numerous school events, as well as supervising classrooms during Teacher Appreciation Week. Marlene is the coordinator of Connecting Threads charity quilters and treasurer of the Prairie Piecemakers Quilters’ Guild in Regina, which makes items for charities, makes donations and assists those in need. She has raised grant funding to buy supplies for donation quilts for vulnerable populations and collected donated fabric from donors’ homes to be used. She personally quilts over 75 quilts each year to be donated. She has also used her talents to support the Opiate Addiction Treatment Centre by making a wall hanging for World Overdose Awareness Day.

Earl Swarbrick (Frontier)

Earl Swarbrick is a leader and faithful volunteer in his community of Frontier, spanning 65 years. He has held many positions and been on several boards including chairman of the Union Hospital Board, board member on the Cypress Hills Health District, and treasurer with the Frontier Board of Trade and Lion’s Club. He also served on the town council and was mayor for seven years. Earl lent his time as a baseball coach and umpire of minor and senior ball for decades. He is an active member of the United Church. He has been dedicated to the Frontier Senior Citizens Group organization and its centre, serving as treasurer since 1991. Earl also takes on various town maintenance projects such as repairs, mowing and shovelling.

Bradley S. Sylvester (Saskatoon)

Bradley S. Sylvester has been a dedicated volunteer in his community since moving to Saskatoon in 1982. He has been a member of Optimist Clubs since 1986. Most notably, he chaired Saskatoon’s Optimist Canada Day Celebration for 15 years. Brad’s love of curling led to his involvement with the Sandra Schmirler Foundation as a board member, with his final two years as chair. He was very involved in the 2010 World Juniors Hockey tournament and the 2013 CHL Memorial Cup. He has held many positions on various boards, including a member, then chair of the Saskatchewan Parkinson’s Society, and member and chair of the Municipal Planning Commission. Bradley currently serves as chair of the Jubilee Residences Foundation, chair and president of Optimist Hill and vice chair of P4G District Planning Commission.

Jean Taylor (Regina)

Jean Taylor has dedicated a large part of her life to theatre in the province, both at the community and educational levels as a director, performer, adjudicator and costume designer. She was involved for many years in community theatre in Oxbow, directing, acting in and facilitating workshops. She has volunteered for Regina Little Theatre for over 30 years and recently directed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Jean is involved in every aspect of Regina Summer Stage as a board member and spends hundreds of volunteer hours running the costume room. She is also an honorary lifetime member of the Saskatchewan Drama Association. In 2000, she was awarded Theatre Saskatchewan’s Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Theatre Saskatchewan Hall of Fame in 2006. 

Louise Todd (Wood Mountain)

Louise Todd is a founding member of the Wood Mountain Historical Society and served for multiple decades as director and treasurer for the Historical Society board. She was a key figure in the development of the Wood Mountain Rodeo Ranch Museum in 1974 and a long-time rodeo volunteer spanning 30 years. She was secretary for the Wood Mountain Recreational Club, part of the board executive for the Centennial Committee, an advisor with Parks Canada during the formation of Grasslands National Park and later vice-chairman of the Grasslands Advisory Committee. She was also one of the editors of the local history book They Came to Wood Mountain. Alongside these volunteer activities, Louise can be found residing on her own cattle ranch.