Medal for Morris volunteer who has done it all

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This article was published 10/02/2023 (878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Volunteering takes a lot of energy, but for Claudia Schmidt, it is also a source of energy.

The Morris resident has donated her time in various capacities around town for five decades, and continues to do so at a pace that belies her 83 years.

“I just got lucky in the gene pool, I guess,” Schmidt said Friday at Valley Regional Library, an institution she co-founded.

Like many veteran volunteers, Schmidt shies away from the spotlight and is modest about her talents.

“Try not to make it too syrupy,” she advised a reporter who convinced her to take a quick break for an interview.

On Jan. 24, Schmidt was invited to the Manitoba legislature to receive a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for community leadership and public service from Lt. Gov. Anita Neville.

The honour came as a surprise, and Schmidt still doesn’t know who nominated her.

“It is a bit embarrassing to be singled out,” she said. “I know 20 people who do as much or more than I do.”

As she assembled alongside the other medal recipients, a comment by the master of ceremonies stuck with her.

“He said, ‘You know, all of you are here today because of your family and your community,’ and I thought, ‘That’s true.’ You pick out one person and you give them the recognition. But it isn’t that one person, never.”

That insight notwithstanding, there’s no denying that many programs and services in Morris wouldn’t function as they do without Schmidt’s efforts.

It’s not uncommon for Schmidt to volunteer every day of the week.

The library is closed Mondays during the winter, but Schmidt is still there, updating the décor, meeting with the bookkeeper in her current board role as secretary-treasurer, or writing one of her many thank-you notes.

“I just think that when somebody gives you something, you should appreciate it,” she said. “Everybody here laughs at me because they say, ‘Claudia will thank you for anything.’”

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings she’s behind the counter helping patrons, or keeping the book collection up to date.

Thursday and Friday afternoons she delivers Meals on Wheels to shut-ins with her son, David, who lives with autism.

On Friday mornings you’ll find Schmidt at the Red River Valley Food Bank, where she is known for greeting every client by name. (In December 2020, Schmidt was one of 17 outstanding volunteers recognized by Harvest Manitoba for their impact at local food banks.)

Many Saturdays Schmidt is back at the library, supervising youth volunteers. On Sundays she goes to church, where she decorates and waters plants.

Summers are hardly any slower. Every July, Schmidt staffs the exhibitors and contestants gate at the Manitoba Stampede grounds.

A calendar helps Schmidt keep track of all her commitments.

“I don’t trust the old brain anymore,” she joked.

In truth, Schmidt’s mind couldn’t be sharper. She has the demeanor of someone 30 years her junior. Her good humour and bubbly enthusiasm are infectious, and reflected in her choice of clothing: a bright pink cardigan with matching nail polish.

Schmidt has lived in Morris for 56 years. She followed her father’s footsteps into education, becoming a schoolteacher in Winnipeg and in several towns across southern Manitoba. She said teaching gave her the confidence to leap into volunteer work.

She met her husband, George, at a wedding. He drove her home in his British sports car.

The couple settled in Morris, where George found work as a lawyer. It wasn’t long before Schmidt was volunteering while raising four boys.

Her first volunteer role was president of the local figure skating club—an unexpected role for someone with no daughters. But the current president was moving away and nobody else was stepping forward.

“You start out because you think, ‘Oh geez, nobody else is going to do it. I’ll do it, for a little while.’ And then you get really into it and say, ‘Aw heck, this is fun.’”

As her children grew up, Schmidt volunteered at the school, the arena canteen, with minor hockey, and with Scouts, Cubs, and Beavers.

Schmidt said it was a great way to integrate into a community she didn’t grow up in. Along the way, she met many wonderful people.

“They become your friends.”

Schmidt was part of a small group that brought the first recycling program to Morris. She recalled going door to door to educate residents about recyclables.

“It was kind of fun,” she said.

The group secured enough grant funding to rent a vacant building to use as a depot where volunteers crushed wine bottles and flattened aluminum cans.

“I never turn down a grant,” Schmidt said.

Once council was convinced of the value of the program, the Town took over, distributing blue boxes to every home.

Schmidt is most associated with Valley Regional Library, which she refers to as her “baby.”

“At the time that we started this library, we were the largest small town in Manitoba without a public library, which is unbelievable,” she said.

She still logs about 100 volunteer hours per month at the library.

“Sometimes it’s only 80 but I don’t think it’s ever less than that.”

The institution started out in a small corner of the school library.

“We knew that the Town itself couldn’t support a library, so it had to be the Town and the RM,” she recalled.

“You know what it’s like when you try to get two different municipal governments working together. Everybody wanted to be sure that they weren’t carrying the big end of the stick.”

She later leapt at the chance to buy a former Masonic lodge on Main Street for next to nothing.

“They offered us the building for a dollar. I don’t actually remember ever paying them the dollar.”

Community contributions allowed the board to gut and renovate the building into what it is today.

More recently, Schmidt persuaded the Town to give the library the neighbouring lot, where a gazebo was built for readers of all ages to enjoy.

“I had to go through three mayors to get that piece of property,” she said.

Schmidt plans to retire from the library board at the end of this year.

“Every day seems to be a little bit different, but every day seems to be full. And I think that’s why it’s time to step back a bit. Because my days are starting to look like work.”

Schmidt said she wants to spend more time with David, who enjoys volunteering with her, whether delivering meals or planting a flower bed.

Of course, Schmidt won’t be stepping back from the library completely. She plans to continue doing the décor, which she changes monthly, and handling the book buying.

Over the years, Schmidt used the library as a springboard for other volunteer opportunities. Young offenders working off a court fine could volunteer there, weeding and watering.

Schmidt also helped organize an income tax preparation service for low-income earners. Prior to the pandemic, Schmidt also found opportunities for students with special needs to come volunteer at the library.

Helping marginalized people is a common thread that runs through her volunteer work.

“Because I have a child with a disability, I think I’m kind of empathetic to that group of people,” she said.

“There’s hardly a volunteer organization that Claudia hasn’t been involved with,” said Ralph Groening, a former three-term reeve and four-term councillor for the RM of Morris who served on the library board with Schmidt for 20 years.

“The library wouldn’t be there without her work. She’s quite an amazing lady. Just a really dedicated, fine person.”