Theresa “Corky” Larsen Jonasson (left) and Doreen Bergum (right) were each presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Red Deer & District Community Foundation at the 2019 Women of Excellence Awards held at the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel and Conference Centre Wednesday night.

By rdnewsNOW staff

Women of Excellence Awards

Indigenous elders honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Jun 20, 2019 | 9:02 AM

Two well-respected local Indigenous elders have been given a special honour.

Theresa “Corky” Larsen Jonasson and Doreen Bergum received the Lifetime Achievement Award Wednesday night at the 2019 Women of Excellence Awards at the Cambridge Inn and Suites.

“When you nominate one woman, you nominate a whole bunch. And I’ll tell you something, there are a lot of people in this community, and there is a lot of people right here in this room who make me look pretty damn good,” Larsen Jonasson said during her acceptance speech. “When you do community work, I’m speaking for myself, you don’t do it alone.”

Larsen Jonasson said she was about 15-years-old when she began to accept who she was and realize what she wanted to do to help her community.

“My main focus is in working with missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and men, and it’s hard. But I have some women who know just the right time when they need to be there with coffee, carbs and Kleenex.”

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“These women have so much to teach us,” said Kristine Bugayong, Chief Administrative Officer of the Red Deer & District Community Foundation. “Their knowledge, their spirituality and their desire to spread kindness throughout our community is an inspiration. The Women of Excellence Awards Program gives us the opportunity to shed light on women like Doreen and Corky who have tirelessly dedicated their lives to creating a great community for all.”

In all, 16 women from across central Alberta were honoured with Women of Excellence Awards on Wednesday.

Officials say it was another record breaking year with a total of 56 nominees.

A twelfth category was added this year with the Women of Excellence in Construction award.

“We continue to see such incredible growth with the Women of Excellence Awards,” Bugayong noted. “It is incredible that so many residents of central Alberta took the time to nominate and acknowledge the outstanding efforts made by women in our communities.”

2019 Women of Excellence Awards winners:

Agriculture: Sponsored by Scotia Bank
Donna Trottier

Arts & Culture: Sponsored by Cam Clark Ford
Heidy Panameno

Athletics, Recreation and Fitness: Sponsored by The Consider It Done Team, Century 21 Advantage
Tammy Cunnington

Business and the Professions: Sponsored by Johnston Ming Manning LLP
Suzanne Alexander- Smith

Community Building: Sponsored by ATCO Gas
Sherri Smith

Women of Excellence in Construction: Red Deer Construction Association
Sue Neufeld

Education and Training: Sponsored by Red Deer College
Bev Manning

Entrepreneurship: Sponsored by MNP LLP
Denise Harty

Environment: Sponsored by TD Bank
Sharina Kennedy

Health and Wellness: Sponsored by Warren Sinclair LLP
Vanessa Higgins-Nogareda

Human Services: Sponsored by Holiday Inns and Suites- Gasoline Alley
Karyn Kay
Gillian Wallis

Young Woman of Excellence: Sponsored by Stantec Consulting
Tatyanna Stoesz
Ola Zein Alabdin

Lifetime Achievement Award: Sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada
Doreen Bergum
Theresa “Corky” Larsen Jonasson

The Red Deer & District Community Foundation expresses sincere gratitude for its supporters, including the event’s presenting sponsor, exclusive radio sponsor BIG 105 and foundation sponsors including rdnewsNOW.