Every year the township of Schreiber recognizes the contributions and achievements of a resident over the age of 65. This year the Senior Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Rona Godin, a lifelong resident of Schreiber and an avid volunteer.

Linda Williamson sat down with Rona to congratulate her on receiving the award and asked her about her involvement on the various boards and committees she serves on. The award recognizes volunteerism and Rona has been involved in volunteer work most of her life. She sits on the board of the Northshore Harvest Cupboard, the local food bank, and has overseen its growth from a closet in the basement of a church operation to its present location in a permanent building in town. She encourages young people to get involved in volunteering as small communities don’t often have the resources to implement programs without the aid of volunteers.

In 2006 Rona joined the Schreiber Public Library Board and was appointed chairperson. She retired from that position in 2020 to make room for new members who would be joining and wanted to help ease the transition before the library CEO retires. 

During her career Rona was also the treasure for the township and recalls the time when only two people were responsible for the entire operation of the municipality. Every invoice was created manually and every bill was processed without the aid of any technology. The most advanced office equipment they eventually obtained was a Xerox photo copy machine. Over the years Rona became accustomed to working with computers and created many of the worksheet and billing templates that are still in use today. She views technology as a curse and a blessing and reluctantly has accepted the role that tech plays in office work and communication.

Rona has a special insight into the old town hall. Having worked there she was glad to see it demolished as, in her opinion, it had worn out its usefulness. During the interview a special guest showed up. Silky the Dog was recently adopted by Rona when her previous dog had passed away. She is a firm advocate for animal shelters and encourages anyone who can to help in the rehoming of forgotten and abandoned pets. Rona believes that the compassionate spirit of the people of Schreiber is another reason she choses to remain living here and that the town will survive if people continue to be involved in lending a helping hand.