Audrey McFarlane honoured with Overall Women of Influence Award

The impact of this years’ Overall Woman of Influence is far reaching.  She has benefitted not only our community, but has made a difference at the provincial, national and international level.

She was the founding member of the Lakeland FASD Committee and worked as the Executive Director of the Lakeland Center for FASD for over two decades.  In that capacity, she not only raised awareness but innovatively developed programs tailored to serve the needs of individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure and their families.

And she is…

Audrey McFarlane

Sponsored by Lakeland Credit Union, McFarlane was recognized Friday evening in Cold Lake for her countless contributions to the community.

 

Audrey has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence and her dedication to advocating for individuals and families with complex needs has not only impacted our community but has set a standard for her peers. She established the 2nd Floor Women’s Recovery Centre, a residential treatment facility for women at risk of having children with FASD. The desire to provide those women with positive role models from our community was actually the foundation for this event. She has published numerous peer reviewed articles and served as the Executive Director of the National Research Network in FASD. She has retired from the Lakeland Director for FASD and now serves as the executive director of CanFASD, a collaborative, interdisciplinary research network, with collaborators, researchers and partners across the nation. It is Canada’s first comprehensive national Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) research network. In 2008 she received the Provincial Award Celebrating Excellence from the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes. 2022 saw her honoured with Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for Alberta and in 2023 she was further recognized with induction into the prestigious Alberta Order of Excellence. Beyond her work with FASD, she is actively involved in the community, having founded the Lac La Biche Special Olympics Club and initiated the Lakeland Special Olympics club. She is an incredible role model who encourages others to contribute and be involved in ways that they perhaps otherwise would not.

 

 

Arts & Culture: Dana Schwab, sponsored by Stingray Radio

This year’s recipient has made a tremendous impact in the arts community in the Lakeland Region over the last ten years.  She has directed ten plays at the Cold Lake High School and the eleventh is currently underway.  The play she wrote for last years performance was selected as the 2023 winner of the A+ Playwrighting Contest for Teachers and will now be performed by schools worldwide.  Working to build the drama and theatre program at the Cold Lake High School, she has encouraged students to explore the fine arts.  She volunteers countless hours to school productions and role models for her students the benefits of hard work, dedication and commitment.   

 

Business and Professional: Sherri Buckle, sponsored by the Community Futures

This year’s award recipient has effectively made it her mission to enhance the profile of our community.  Through both her employment and her volunteer work, she does everything she can to lift-up Cold Lake and make it a better place to live.  She trumpets the benefits of our City through her position as the Executive Director of the Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce and has been recognized by her peers as the Alberta Chamber Executive Director of the Year twice in her career.  She has been instrumental in the creation of community events such as Feast on the Beach and volunteers countless hours to help others be successful.  She volunteers as a mentor for Community Future’s Smart Start Business Program and has been involved in the Economic Development Advisory Committee since 2023.  Her dedication to mentorship and advocacy for small businesses has created a ripple effect, fostering positive change in our community.  She possesses a unique blend of vision, tenacity, and compassion.

 

Community and Volunteerism: Kim Schmitz, sponsored by the MD of Bonnyville 

This year’s winner is a cornerstone of our community.  She works tirelessly to support and advocate for people who are struggling with homelessness, mental health and other life crises.  She mentors and encourages the people of our community to become strong confident leaders, irrespective of background and social status.  Through her work with FCSS, she creates an environment that is welcoming and inclusive to people of all walks of life.  She has been a strong supporter of 2SLGBTQ+ community.  She role models the power of kindness and humility.  She runs community drives to support those in need and partners with other organizations to help the most vulnerable in our community.  She radiates passion and excellence in giving back.

 

Health & Wellness: Paulette Dahlside, sponsored by Ageless Living

The work of this year’s recipient has been working since 2010 to improve access to dental health in our community. Her mission has been to offer inclusive, culturally safe, affordable, accessible, patient centered preventative oral healthcare.  She started out with a mobile clinic catering to homebound patients, seniors, and large families.  She expanded into the Elizabeth School, Fishing Lake School and the schools on the Cold Lake and Frog Lake First Nations.  She helped to spearhead Metis Dental Week, where dental students from the University of Alberta came to do cleaning, x-rays and extractions, free of charge.  Through this event, many individuals were assisted who lack dental benefit coverage and otherwise would have gone without oral healthcare.  She started her masters degree in 2021 focusing on Metis oral healthcare experiences, using a community driven, Metis research methodology that centers on Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing that honours love and accountability to the families and communities of the Metis people.  It is expected that she will graduate this spring with a Master of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene.  

 

Science and Technology: Laura Gantz, sponsored by Imperial Oil Cold Lake

Living in Cold Lake influenced this years recipient and directed her to aspire to a career in the oil and gas field.  She left home to accomplish that goal, starting in the Petrolium Technology program at NAIT.  When the downturn in the oil industry limited the opportunities available to students, she decided to further her education and moved to Butte, Montanna to obtain a degree in Petroleum Engineering with Montanna Technological University.  She returned to Cold Lake in the summer of 2021 as a Petroleum Engineer.  While at NAIT, she has commenced her 4th class power engineering studies.  Upon return to Cold Lake, she worked not only to get the respect of her co-workers, but also to get enough hours to obtain her 4th Class Power Engineering Designation.  Working in a male dominated field, she shows initiative and dedication and is respected for the work she does.  She is tenacious in achieving her goals and is a role model for other women who want to pursue their dreams in the engineering field.  

 

Older Woman: Cathy Aust, sponsored by Respect Newspaper

With a work history in social services, preventative social services and program development, this year’s recipient has worked in her later years to improve the quality of life of seniors in our community.  She has been instrumental in the creation of the Age Friendly Cold Lake Society, a registered charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, dignity and independence of seniors in our community.  She has worked to support and improve the lives of seniors in our community and care facilities.  To this end she has helped develop programs and services to help seniors get to medical appointments, received home visits from trained volunteers, do phone check-in and provide grief support, programming related to dementia and nutritious and also the creation of the Men’s Shed, a place for men to learn skills, meet people, drink coffee, share stories, & hit things with hammers!

 

If you would like to learn more about the Cold Lake Women of Influence Awards, visit https://womenofinfluencecoldlake.org