Ducks Unlimited volunteer marks 30 years of service

Friday, 03 March 2023 09:00

Ducks Unlimited volunteer marks 30 years of service

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Heather Voth (left) dedicated 30 years to the Melita Ducks Unlimited group, helping organize the annual fundraisers. Fellow committee member Deb Green presented Heather with a gift of appreciation at the 2023 fundraiser on February 24 at the Melita Legion Hall.

There were a couple of great reasons to celebrate the in-person Ducks Unlimited (DU) banquet and concert in Melita on Friday, February 24.

It was the first time back to hosting the event after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and it was the 30th year for DU volunteer Heather Voth, Melita DU committee member.

A delicious roast beef supper was enjoyed followed by entertainment from The Sean Taylor Band, who recently released their single “Rolling Stone”. Several auctions including live, silent, bucket raffles, beanbag toss and gun raffles were sources of raising funds throughout the evening.

Voth began her 30-years of service to DU by volunteering at two Killarney DU events including the annual banquet and auction and the golf tournament. A few years later Voth landed the job at the Killarney DU office as fundraising assistant, working for and alongside Stan Good who was the fundraising manager.

“He really peaked my interest and my involvement in fundraising with this worthwhile organization. This position broadened my contact with fundraising events across southern Manitoba. Many people, many towns, many ideas,” she said.

Voth moved to Brandon when the fundraising assistant position became available in the Brandon main DU Office. Living and working in Brandon she became a volunteer for the four events in the city, including Brandon Banquet & Auction, Brandon Shooting Clays, Ladies Bluebill Banquet and Brandon Golf Tournament.

This gave Voth the opportunity to meet a lot of like-minded people that were involved in DU events. Travelling throughout Manitoba was an added bonus.

“The furthest trip was to Churchill, which I thoroughly loved, but I learned that you should not sit facing the rear of the train, as it makes one very motion sick,” she added.

During her years at Brandon DU, Voth was introduced to a lot of different styles of fundraising, each one unique. One of her highlights was hosting DU leaders from Canada and the U.S.

In 2003 Voth moved to a farm near Medora, Manitoba and she joined the Melita DU committee. She has held positions of assistant chair, secretary, treasurer and raffle chair and says the fundraising styles are ever changing. Each new volunteer brings fresh ideas, including game night themes, fishing derbies, shooting events, golfing events, concerts and more.

Voth encourages people to research Ducks Unlimited Canada at www.ducks.ca and see some of the positive environmental impacts of wetlands. Anyone interested in joining the volunteer committee in Melita can contact Debra Green, Cory Wheelans or Crystal Wheelans.

“DU is for all ages, all walks of life and it plays a very important part in today’s world,” concluded Voth.

PHOTO: Heather Voth (left) dedicated 30 years to the Melita Ducks Unlimited group, helping organize the annual fundraisers. Fellow committee member Deb Green presented Heather with a gift of appreciation at the 2023 fundraiser on February 24 at the Melita Legion Hall.

by JUDY WELLS, Recorder staff

Read 151 times Last modified on Friday, 03 March 2023 09:05

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