The City of Moose Jaw has proclaimed April 16 to 22 as National Volunteer Week to honour all residents who contribute to the community and help build it up.
This year’s theme is “Volunteering Weaves Us Together” and reveals the importance of volunteering to the strength and vibrancy of the community through the interconnected actions people take to support others, Mayor Clive Tolley said during the April 10 regular council meeting.
These forms of sharing time, talent and energy strengthen the fabric of the community, while volunteering reinforces residents’ ability to grow, thrive and create change in the city, province and country, he continued.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers in our community who give so generously of their time and talents to help improve the lives of others. Your dedication is very much appreciated,” Tolley remarked.
If residents are sitting at home with nothing to do, now is a great time to step forward and join one of the many volunteer groups that serve the community, the mayor added.
Coun. Doug Blanc singled out former resident Lee Bellows as one person who was a dedicated and committed volunteer in Moose Jaw.
Bellows was a livestock inspector with the Ministry of Agriculture during the day, but in the evenings, he was heavily involved in rodeos as a bull rider and rodeo clown, Blanc said. The self-declared “rodeo addict” was known — and performed — all over Western Canada and the United States.
In his obituary, Bellows’ family said he performed at the Calgary Stampede twice, which he greatly appreciated since being brought back a second time wasn’t just a “fluke.” Besides North America, he also performed in Melbourne, Australia, during a once-in-a-lifetime show.
“When he wasn’t in the arena, he was promoting rodeo one way or another. He was an accomplished cowboy poet and he made TV appearances on Sesame Street, Makin’ 8, One in a Million, Mobile MD, and his cheeky poem on gun control was read in the House of Commons,” the obituary said.
Bellows’ accomplishments are just too many to list, Blanc said. What’s notable about him, though, is he spent thousands of hours volunteering at the exhibition grounds with the board, supporting the burrowing owls, building corrals, and working at the events.
His obituary indicated he was also involved with Ducks Unlimited and the Moose Jaw Rodeo School.
In early March, the Saskatchewan Association of Agricultural Societies and Exhibitions awarded Bellows an honorary lifetime membership in recognition of his tremendous contributions and many years of service in Saskatchewan, said Blanc. However, he was unable to attend because of poor health.
Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Exhibition Association held its annual general meeting on March 29 — six days after Bellows’ death — and acknowledged the former rodeo clown’s many contributions to the organization. It also recognized seven other members who had died in the past year.
“If I were to repeat them (contributions) all now, we’d be here for almost two hours with everything he did for the City of Moose Jaw,” added Blanc. “So it’s with great sorrow that I announce the passing of Lee Bellows.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, April 24.
