To Samantha Sperber of Rimbey, volunteering is as natural as breathing.
She loves to help out and does not her university course load or a part-time job detract her from doing so.
Sperber, a 21-year-old Grant MacEwan University fourth-year bachelor of science student, was one of six recipients recognized Dec. 5 in Edmonton with the Stars of Alberta Volunteer Award.
She is grateful to be recognized for the work she does.
“It’s really humbling,” she said. “I don’t volunteer to get awards, but I am thankful for the recognition and it motivates me to do more. And when I get awards, it motivates other youth as well.”
Sperber, who was nominated by Richard Lewis, a professor at Grant MacEwan, University, is a youth leader whose volunteer activities are many and varied.
She was a delegate at the Alberta Culture Forum, the Premier’s Council for Economic Strategy and is a member of the Youth Secretariat of Human Services.
A farm girl at heart, being raised in the rural area near Crestomere, she is an avid supporter and promoter of the agricultural industry, attending conferences to speak to industry leaders about the importance of youth in agriculture.
She is also a participant in the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association Young Leaders development program. As a Canadian representative at the Five Nations Beef Alliance Young Ranchers Program she has had the opportunity to talk to young ranchers from all over the world about the Canadian cattle industry.
Sperber, who was recently accepted into optometry school, is the vice-president of the Pre-Optometry Club at MacEwan University and a co-founder the STARE program that collects used eyeglasses for people in developing countries.
The Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards Program is an integral part of the Government of Alberta’s commitment to our province’s voluntary sector. Volunteer recognition programs help set a standard for service, encourage a sustained commitment to civic participation and inspire others to make volunteering a central part of their lives.