A MESSAGE FROM THE OLIVER AMBASSADOR TEAM 2012-2013

To say that this year was amazing would be an understatement.  From the moment we were crowned, we were in for the year of our lives.  We had no idea of the adventures we were in store for!

Starting in the community, we volunteered at countless events throughout the year.  Some of our favorite town events include:  Festival of the Grape, Sunshine Festival, Canadian Tire Jump Start Event, Easter Egg Hunt, and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal of Honour presentation.  Besides volunteering in the community, we also participated in various fundraisers, such as samosa sales, Purdy’s Chocolates sales, and bottle drives.  Thanks to everyone who supported us in these endeavours.  A portion of the money that we fundraised was donated to an organization of our choice.  We chose to donate it to Gina’s Rock, our local Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer team.  The other money we raised goes towards our travel budget.

This year we attended 13 pageants in various communities across B.C. promoting the town of Oliver.  We’ve had a wonderful time experiencing these communities and all they have to offer, as well as making connections with all of the other ambassadors. We have many people who we would like to thank that have contributed to making our year the best it could be.  First, to our sponsors:  Oliver Elks Lodge, Oliver Volunteer Fire Department, and the Osoyoos Indian Band for all of their support throughout our candidacy and our reign.  To Mayor Ron Hovanes, Councillors, and Town of Oliver office staff – thank you for supporting our program, we were honoured to represent Oliver.

To Allan Patton and RDOS, MLA Linda Larson, and MP Alex Atamanenko, thank you for showing support to all of us, we truly appreciate it.  To Oliver Parks and Recreation staff, thank you for keeping us updated on all of the town events and always including us.  We’ve had a great time working with you and perfecting our face-painting skills!

To the Oliver Ambassador Program Committee members, your dedication to empowering youth in your community is incredible.  Thanks to Mrs. Lisa Kunz who was our candidacy coordinator and helped us prepare for this fantastic experience.  We have had the most amazing year with all of you, and we can’t believe our year is coming to an end.   Lastly, Mama Lori (Martine), we cannot express our gratitude to you for putting up with us on all of our adventures.   We love you, and this won’t be the last you’ll see of us!

What we have experienced and learned this year we will take with us for the rest of our lives. Teamwork helped to make this a year like none other.  We are so honoured and feel privileged to have represented the town of Oliver this year.  However, it’s now time for a new team to do the same.  With that said, we are and forever will be ~

Oliver Ambassadors 2012/2013

Ashley Hiibner, Chiara Mason, and Taylor Baptiste (top row)

Photo by Leza Macdonald

New Team: Kelsey Launier, Caleb Gagnier and Cheryce Martine (bottom row)