Recently, we heard of two touching stories of friendship and support from Slave Lake that have emerged, all the way in Nova Scotia!
Sean and Marilyn are reunited after first meeting during their deployment in Slave Lake in 2011This fall, Marilyn Greenwood, a Canadian Red Cross disaster response volunteer from Alberta travelled to Nova Scotia to catch up with some of her Red Cross friends. The seasoned volunteer – she’s been involved with the Red Cross for 35 years! – struck up a lasting friendship with Krista McNutt and Sean O’Toole during their deployment in Slave Lake to help residents recover from the wildfire.
Marilyn and Krista in Nova Scotia
Ever the dedicated volunteer, Marilyn even joined Krista for a volunteer shift at the local Red Cross office in Truro during her trip to Nova Scotia. She also included a stop in Port Hawkesbury to catch up with Sean, as well as taking some time to enjoy sightseeing and fresh seafood, of course. Marilyn certainly made a lasting impression on her Nova Scotia friends.
This connection between Nova Scotia and Slave Lake isn’t limited to Red Cross volunteers. Earlier this month, the mayor of Slave Lake, Karina Pillay-Kinnee, spoke about the resilience of her community as it recovers from the fire at the annual Conference on Disaster Management organized by the Canadian Red Cross in Halifax. During her presentation, she remarked on the support received from across the country, including a group of elementary students from Digby, Nova Scotia who sent a scrapbook full of well-wishes and notes.
It didn't take long for an emergency management coordinator from Digby who was in attendance at the conference to organize a visit for Mayor Pillay-Kinnee to Digby the following day, including a stop at the elementary school to say thanks. Check out this article from the Digby Courier for more on this special visit.