Coming out of its snowiest winter on record, city council voted Monday night to take over Windsor’s Snow Angels program and vowed to get even more volunteers involved next year.
“The community has really stepped forward … it makes us a stronger community,” Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis said before the vote to approve a $25,000 expenditure next winter linking able-bodied volunteer who know how to shovel with the elderly and disabled who can’t.
City engineer Mario Sonego said more volunteers came forward this year, “but so too did the requests.”
“There were many late nights … we did lots,” Peter Burke said of his family’s efforts this year as volunteers during a winter when snow was falling most days.
With wife Karrie Koekstat, son Burke Koekstat, 8, and daughter Paisley Koekstat, 6, the family was assigned to two homes, one occupied by a 91-year-old senior, the other by a disabled Windsorite in his 50s.
Perhaps attesting to his status as “the shoveler” of the family, son Burke was the one clutching the iPad Air after the family won top prize in a draw held for all of this year’s Snow Angels. At Mayor Eddie Francis’s behest, council threw in extra annual Adventure Bay passes for the two youngsters.
“It pays to show up here on Monday night,” Francis said after shaking their hands.
Almost 100 Snow Angels contributed more than 1,000 volunteer hours this winter, helping 189 Windsorites dig out.
Five other volunteers won full-year Adventure Bay passes, and all volunteers received Tim Horton’s gift cards.
dschmidt@windsorstar.com or on Twitter @schmidtcity
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