Nine years ago, we published our very first Salute to Grassroots Heroes in On The Bay. As with so many great ideas, it was born out of necessity – another article fell through at the last minute and we needed to find something to replace it that would be equally compelling for our readers. We quickly activated our team of professional writers to each write a profile of a local person who had made a difference in our communities, across our region and in all areas of influence, from arts and culture to the environment, healthcare to education, agriculture to tourism. The resulting stories were so well received, we decided to make Grassroots Heroes an annual tribute.
This year, we had another first: the first time one of our chosen Grassroots Heroes passed away before we could interview or photograph her. After asking for nominees on our Facebook page and through our e-newsletter and website, we received several nominations to feature Barbara Weider as one of our 2015 Grassroots Heroes. Barb was included in our selection of heroes to be honoured in this issue. We finalized our selections on September 15; Barb sadly passed away on September 20. Since we were unable to include her in our profiles, I would like to take a moment here to salute her as the ultimate Grassroots Hero who gave of her time, talents and tenacity to make Southern Georgian Bay a better place to live, work and play.
Barb left behind a thriving arts and culture community, which she helped build and promote. In 1974 she founded the Blue Mountain Arts Council, later absorbed into the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts. She also founded Theatre Collingwood, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala event honouring Barb. She was an ardent supporter of Georgian College and was involved in bringing a Georgian campus to Collingwood. We at On The Bay had the great fortune of many dealings with Barb in the past 11 years since the magazine’s inception, and we were always struck by her passion, her gentility and her dogged determination to make Southern Georgian Bay a place we could all proudly call home.
Barb would have been thrilled that two of our 2015 Grassroots Heroes have embraced arts and culture in our region with her signature enthusiasm: Andrea Rinaldo, a Collingwood painter who is helping other local artists gain recognition through events such as the Collingwood Art Crawl and Art Battle; and Paul Ruppel, who founded Creemore’s Mad & Noisy Gallery and was instrumental in building the town’s social and cultural hub, the Station on the Green.
Our other Grassroots Heroes are also keeping Barb’s legacy alive through their tireless community involvement. Deb Keep, founder of Elephant Thoughts, is educating children locally and around the world, regardless of their social or economic conditions. Don Kerr is preserving a precious local wetland that provides a habitat to a diversity of birds, fish and plants, including some that are endangered or threatened. Ian Sinclair is empowering women and children through his involvement with My Friend’s House, including raising much-needed funds for the shelter with his 6 Hours of Gibraltar cycling event.
Barb would have been in good company among these five extraordinary people, all of whom, as she did, embody the idea that the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our contribution.
Barb would have also enjoyed reading Emily Worts’ article about the past, present and future of our ski hills and clubs in Southern Georgian Bay; her father-in-law, Jozo Weider, built Blue Mountain Resort with his own two hands (quite literally), his boundless energy and his flair for innovation. Jozo started it all; he gave us a place where we can exercise our bodies. His daughter-in-law made sure it became a place where we can also exercise our minds and our creative hearts.
And so, it is with pleasure that I announce another first for On The Bay: we hereby dedicate this year’s Salute to our Grassroots Heroes to the inimitable Barb Weider. We will strive to live up to your high ideals, expectations and stewardship of this wonderful region, and we know that thanks to your example there will be no shortage of heroes amongst us for many years to come. ❧
Nominate your 2016 Grassroots Hero here.
