One Vernon resident was surprised Wednesday morning when members of the local branch of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) arrived with balloons and flowers.
Theresia (Resi) Nagler was volunteering at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital, as she normally does, when the JCI announced she was picked as the 2019 JCI Vernon Good Citizen of the Year.
Nagler’s nominator, Ute Cummings, said she is an “amazing woman.”
“(She) brightens everyone’s day that she sees,” Cummings said. “She is an inspirational light for many much younger than herself, always has a smile on her face and lends a hand whenever and where ever she can.”
Cummings noted Nagler volunteers for several organizations in the community and is very committed to her faith and the St. James Church.
Nagler has volunteered in the church for several years counting collections and preparing donations for tax receipts. She is also the powerhouse behind mailouts, envelope stuffing and bulletin folding.
For seven years, Nagler held the communion at Nordic House and still to this day visits patients in the hospital, Nordic House and sick people at home to offer comfort and company.
Nagler has also held a position as volunteer ambassador for the VJH Foundation for the past 17 years. Through her position, Nagler volunteers for most of their events, answering donation lines, even covering the front desk and phones for a few hours some weeks.
For the past 15 years, Nagler has also undertaken several shifts with the Vernon Winter Carnival selling raffle tickets, buttons, trinkets and more in the mall.
The mall director said Nagler is “very reliable and caring,” even offering other volunteers rides if they don’t have transportation.
On top of that, Nagler has also taken on several volunteer shifts with NexusBC preparing seniors’ tax returns at the Schubert Centre. NexusBC’s co-ordinator said Nagler assists around 500 seniors each year.
It was an obvious decision for members of the JCI.
“When we read through all the nominations for the Good Citizen of the Year, Resi’s nomination stood out and was very diverse in all her volunteering activities and the different groups she volunteers with,” JCI co-chairs wrote in a prepared statement.
JCI Vernon extended its recognition to all other nominations received during the 2019 award; Helen Sidney, for her tireless efforts in keeping Bella Vista Road clean; Phil Culbert, for his dedication to curling and stick curling; Aaron Nasipayko, for his environmental clean-up initiatives; and Richard Rolke, for his mental health advocacy.
Nagler will be honoured in the Vernon Winter Carnival Parade on Feb. 8, and at the Vernon Winter Carnival Winter Break Out at the Schubert Centre on Feb. 12.
She will also be awarded $500 to donate to a local charity of her choice thanks to lawyers from Kidston and Company.
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Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com
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