Mike Williams was recognized by Ponoka Stampede this year with the Errol McMillan volunteer award. It’s a special award for volunteers who’ve shown their dedication to Stampede. Here Williams enjoys a visit with volunteers July 5 during a volunteer appreciation supper. (Photo by Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Mike Williams

Ponoka Stampede volunteer recognized for dedication

Jul 6, 2023 | 12:01 PM

A Ponoka Stampede volunteer was given special recognition for his dedication to the rodeo.

Mike Williams says that while he can’t remember when he first started volunteering for Ponoka Stampede, it’s not the years that matter so much; rather, it’s the people working behind the scenes who make it such a memorable experience.

As a result, he says he was surprised and honoured to hear Stampede director Keith Kjenner call his name for the 2023 Errol McMillan volunteer award.

“I was in a dirty blue work shirt when he told me,” said Williams jokingly, having volunteered for over 10 years, starting small when Kjenner asked him to help with bartending.

Williams says he prides himself on hard work and dedication, and even more importantly, celebrating the people around him.

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“I take the time to visit and thank the volunteers for their hard work,” he said, suggesting they are the unsung heroes of the Stampede. “I do it for all the volunteers.”

“Each year I come back and see the volunteers and they recognize me and we get to talk.”

Williams describes that for him, as well as many other volunteers, Ponoka Stampede is about taking an extra week out of their personal and professional lives to support the rodeo.

Officials say he has become a trusted supporter of the rodeo and works hard to support Kjenner’s portfolio by helping manage drinks, inventory, orders, and the maintenance of equipment, among many other tasks that come his way.

“On average, I’m 350 phone calls or texts a day,” said Williams, adding that his days typically run 20 hours.

From calls for drinks to helping repair breaks in areas, he says he’s ready to help.

Kjenner says Williams’ mechanical skills have been an important support for the rodeo, adding that there was unanimous recognition from the Ponoka Stampede board of directors when nominated by director Greg Gordon.

“He’s a heck of a volunteer. He started out like all of us do with the smaller tasks,” said Kjenner, himself a recipient of the award. He says it is all about working with folks who get things done.

“If you want to get something done, ask a busy man,” said Kjenner, referencing a proverb he’d heard. “I won’t ask anybody to do anything that I won’t do myself and Mike’s the same as me. He helps with the distribution and stage shows and all the other tasks with managing the drinks and everything else.”

Officials say Williams is even ready to help when the show is done to take down the stage area at four in the morning.

“He’s been a huge asset,” said Kjenner.

Kjenner said he is proud of the dedication and giving back that volunteers do for the community. He says when it comes to Ponoka Stampede’s volunteers, everyone is there to help out and they do it for handshake and the slap on the back.

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