Being A Community Builder holds Awards Night

James Van Leeuwen, Mark Burles, and Ian Hill  at BACB Awards Night
T. Lucas photos

Toni Lucas

On Monday, February 3, the Pincher Creek and area Becoming a Community Builder (BACB) program held a graduation ceremony in the Ranchland Mall for participants who completed the course, which was developed by The Changing Point under the direction of Ian Hill.


 The course was designed to develop leadership in individuals and has been utilized in Pincher Creek and surrounding communities for the last 16 weeks as an early test case 'lighthouse' situation. Guest speakers for the evening included Mayor Don Anderberg, and initiator of the project, Ian Hill. Local coordinators Dan Crawford and James Van Leeuwen acted as emcees for the evening. 

James Van Leeuwen, Carole Goodreau, and Ian Hill

"We, as the Town supported this initiative with a few dollars, and I think it is really important for the community," said Mayor Anderberg who was first on the evening's program. "The participation has been absolutely fantastic." He remarked on the wide range of people who involved themselves with the course and congratulated those that had finished it.

James Van Leeuwen, Kim Jorgenson with son Kullen Molaro, and Ian Hill

"I thank you very much for being willing to participate in the program," said Hill. "Pincher Creek will always be a founder in this program, no matter how many communities across the world participate, you will always be a founder in this, and I thank you for that."   Hill said there were 171 participants in the local BACB program. He acknowledged the work done by The Changing Point Director of Special Initiatives Yvonne Fizer, who accompanied him to the ceremony. 

James Van Leeuwen, Debbie Reed, Ian Hill 

"Rural Communities are relevant in the 21st century. For Canada to reach it's full potential, it is completely unrealistic to think 34 million people can live in 10 cities. So we have to find ways to keep rural communities alive."  After examining over 200 rural Canadian communities he said he believed that the difference between thriving and not thriving was the capacity of leadership within a community.

"Where their is great informal leadership, communities thrive, where informal leadership lacks, communities die." 

Diane Burt-Stuckey and Ian Hill

"Today you would call it intangible infrastructure," he said of community pride, volunteerism, and philanthropy.

According to Hill, mentorship, apprenticeship and other ways of training informal leaders in the past are not keeping up with the demand needed by modern society. By proactively developing informal leaders he hopes that the intangible infrastructure is strengthened. "That is what this is about. That's why we did this." Hill explained that there is over 40 hours of information that can be accessed through the Pincher Creek and area community portal. "You now have a community asset. You have a tool." residents of the area can access this portal for free now and into the foreseeable future. 

James Van Leeuwen, Lori Jo Ettenhofer, and Ian Hill 

"If you don't have a comprehensive strategy for developing intangible infrastructure, the tangible infrastructure will never get fixed. Build the people, the people of the community, the tangible infrastructure will take care of itself."

Aletta Maier with Ian Hill

Hill gave an example of one community that has reached out to him for answers. In that community the industry has had a downturn, and the population is dwindling. Not an uncommon story in rural areas. "I can show them examples. One of the examples I know I can show them, and I hope I can continue to show them is Pincher Creek."

He listed a number of community initiatives Pincher Creek has already  achieved. Nationals in Communities in Bloom. The playground project at St. Michael's School. The murals that grace the town.

 "I can say 'Look at how they're (Pincher Creek) coming together. Look at how they're stepping to the next level of the 21st century, and they're building programs, initiatives, and processes to bring in young families. What they are doing for the senior community. What they are doing to keep the out-migration down. If the kids leave, they still come back. Look at the economic strategies they're utilizing. Just look at Pincher Creek.'"

"I'm counting on that you will be a beacon of hope," he said to those in attendance.  "I'm counting on you to be a lighthouse. Because I know that you have the capacity, the ability. When Pincher gets in alignment around something, some incredible things happen."  

James Van Leeuwen, Chelan Citrigno, and Ian Hill 

"This program is a complete failure if 6 months from now Pincher Creek isn't doing anything differently. If Pincher Creek is doing exactly the same as Pincher Creek was 16 weeks ago, then I'm wrong. Then it's not about developing informal leaders, and the program wasn't any good."

To help quantify the results of the program a research study will be conducted through the University of Alberta.

James Van Leeuwen, John Hancock, and Ian Hill 

People awarded at the ceremony included Aletta Maier, Bette Jean Scott, Carole Goodreau, Chelan Citrigno, Christy Gustavison, Dan Crawford, Debbie Reed, Dian Burt Stuckey, Jeanette Davis, Jo-Ann Callbeck, John Hancock, Kathleen Hancock, Kim Jorgenson, Linda Hammond, Lori Jo Ettenhofer, Mark Burles, Savi Houldin and Susan Gerber.

If you could not attend but earned a certificate,  contact Dan Crawford at 403-627-7891.

If any individuals in rural communities would like to find out more about  how to apply to get with this program, visit the Becoming a Community Builder website.