Volunteer Awards 2017

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Joan Wood

Joan started dancing at the Trinity Scottish Country Dance group in 1978 with her late husband, Ian. The Woods were enthusiastic supporters of the Trinity Group, and soon introduced their children, Jennifer and Alistair, to the joys of Scottish Country Dancing.

Joan has served on the Committee running Trinity’s affairs from her first involvement to the present day. She has done all the jobs one might imagine: at one time Joan was responsible for the phone tree (an essential means of communicating before the internet); she participated in organizing Trinity’s spring ball, the Trinity Assembly; most importantly, Joan has served as Treasurer of Trinity since 2000, keeping our finances sound. She has also developed Trinity’s membership system, which has pushed our last fee increase into our collective distant memory.

Her dedication to the well-being of the Trinity Group has never flagged as she continued to carry out her duties while undergoing a significant knee operation. Her commitment and good spirits have greatly strengthened the fabric of the Trinity Scottish Country Dance Group over the years.

~ Paul Barber

Glenna MacDonald

Glenna MacDonald, along with her husband, Ken Adamson, was introduced to Scottish Country Dancing in the early 1990s after long-time friends, John and Margaret Anderson took them to an ASTA Burns’ Supper.  A few years later in 1998 with much encouragement from Glenna’s friend of many years, Carole Bell, and her husband, Ron they took the Toronto Association’s beginner class with Isabelle MacPherson.  At the conclusion of classes Isabelle invited the dancers to come to the Calvin Social Group, and Glenna and Ken danced there for many years. However they enjoyed the Association classes so much they continued to take them at various levels for a further 10 years. 

Glenna is a member of both the Glenview and Trinity social groups.  She is an enthusiastic dancer who appears seemingly at every event of the Toronto Association.  She is somewhat of an ambassador abroad as well, having danced in Vienna, Paris, Budapest and Tallinn, Estonia, twice in New Zealand, in Tasmania, and most recently in Spain.

As a dancer Glenna has now been a member of the Demo Pool for ten years. She has participated in the Book 49 dance tryouts as well as in dancing at a Blue Jays Baseball Scottish Day at the Rogers Centre.

Glenna is also one of the regular “Greeters” at Monthly Dances and at Dancing in the Park.  She has been, for a number of years, the on-hand, experienced dancer who welcomes and assists newcomers at events such as the September Ceilidh, Culture Days, and Dufferin Grove as well as being part of the “crew” who brings food and helps to set things up at these events.  She has provided similar assistance with respect to the Youth Ball.

Administratively, Glenna began as the class rep for the Association’s beginner class at Swansea for six years and then in 2013 she became the Convener for Association Classes and thus responsible for all levels of classes at Eastminster and St. Leonard’s.  She is also the Co-ordinator for the Sunday afternoon programme at Broadlands.  Glenna was a member of the program committee for two years.  Presently she is assisting the Membership Director with a project to encourage Association Class dancers to become members of a Social Group.

Glenna has also taken on more random assignments such as delivering advertising postcards in absolutely frigid January temperatures and she even became a fashion model when the new ladies’ Toronto Association T-shirts were introduced and advertised in Set & Link.

Glenna has been extremely generous with her time, is most reliable and is always willing to lend a hand wherever needed.   She is always warm and friendly and concerned for the well-being of her fellow dancers.  Glenna has demonstrated tremendous commitment to spreading the joy of SCD and is very deserving of a Volunteer Award.

~Submitted by Nancy Duffy
(with the assistance of Barbara Taylor, Margaret Anderson, Margaret Rieger, Carol Bell, Sue-Ann Bryce and Jean Noble.)

May Ralston

Dancing History:  May's first introduction to Scottish dancing was in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973 where she became a member of the Scottish Country Dance Society of Jamaica.  She took dance lessons there and continued attending the Kingston group until 1992 when she moved to Canada.  In 1981 May came to Canada with a small group of dancers from Jamaica to attend a one-week TAC workshop of RSCDS in St. Catharines where they were made to feel very welcome.  Since moving to Toronto in 1992, May has continued to dance regularly with the Don Mills social group at the Banbury Community Centre.

Volunteer activities and support of RSCDS and social group:
In September of 2011, the previous social group leader resigned and May very graciously took over the duties.  Since then, she has worked with the City of Toronto staff to ensure that we have our excellent facility available on schedule, often working diligently to resolve discrepancies in the contract.  May also generates and prints schedules for attendees, refreshments and contact lists, always very cheerfully.  As well, May liaises with RSCDS, attending any required meetings and returns updates to the group.  She is always the first person to arrive on our dance evenings and the last one to leave.  In addition to May's Social Group duties and responsibilities, she also sells 50-50 draw tickets at monthly dances a couple of times a year.

May is a good ambassador for Scottish Country Dancing.  With her friendly nature, she has encouraged more than one person to join the fun of dancing.  She attends all the monthly dances, most workshops, Dancing in the Park and has danced several times at the Georgetown Highland Games.

May is a worthy recipient of the Volunteer Award.

~ Ann Anderson