SHERBROOKE ā If Lewis MacIntosh had a dollar for every job heās done for free, well, he wouldnāt be the duly designated 2020 Volunteer of the Year for the Municipality of the District of St. Maryās, now would he?
The 60-something lifelong resident of Argyle received the news last week and heās as grateful as heās thoughtful about the whole affair. Quoting one of the worldās great pioneers of good works ā the late, great American youth advocate Ivan Scheier ā MacIntosh says, āThe broadest and maybe the most meaningful definition of volunteering is doing more than you have to because you want to, in a cause you consider good.ā
Speaking for himself, he adds, āI have been richly blessed to have worked with many fine people and share some of my talents and skills. Volunteering is very rewarding as you learn and gain valuable insight about the people and organization you are helping. It has been my honor and privilege to have devoted many hours in serving on many organizations over the past number of years.ā
Indeed, the list of accomplishments, nearly four decades long, is impressive: Elder at Kingās United Church, Loch Katrine; clerk of Session at Kingās United Church; secretary of Kingās United Church; choir member of Kingās United Church; and member of the planning committee for the 150th Anniversary of Kingās United Church in 2019.
MacIntosh ā who performs lay pastoral duties, such as planning and leading services along with visiting those at home, in hospital and nursing homes ā has also been the chairperson of Forbes Memorial Pastoral Charge Official Board; chairperson of Goshen Community Centre board of directors; and chairperson of Goshen & District Fire Department, for which heās served as a financial advisor.
Heās been emcee at a number of community events, including: variety concerts, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas tree lightings, clan activities, St. Maryās River Days, Old Fashioned Christmas, Sherbrooke Village Story, and St. Marthaās Hospital Help Day. Heās even served as an auctioneer for local charities.Ā
Somehow, through it all, heās managed to hold down real jobs. A graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, with a BBA in accounting, he was employed straight out of college in 1982 as the first accounting control officer of the former Guysborough Co. District School Board. In 1984, he moved on to Canada Postās National Philatelic Centre in Antigonish, where he worked as a financial analyst until 2011.
Since 2012, heās been employed full time at G.W. Giffin Funeral Home in Country Harbour and Sherbrooke, performing many duties and responsibilities. (He received his funeral directorās license in 1992 and his Certified Funeral Service Practitioners designation in 2013 from the Academ6y of Professional Funeral Service Practice Inc.). Between 2013 and 2019, he served as Secretary Treasurer for the Funeral Service Association of Nova Scotia.
āLewis is a very community minded person,ā said Kerri Penney, St. Maryās District Director of Community Development & Recreation. āHeās always willing to lend a hand in any community activity, organization or function.ā
If thereās any doubt about this, consider MacIntoshās star turn opposite Stephen Flemming, Executive Director of Sherbrooke Village Museum, at last yearās Old-Fashioned Christmas dinner theatre event.Ā
āIt was called āChristmas with Joseph Howe at Sherbrooke Villageā,ā MacIntosh vividly recalls. āI played Sir Charles Tupper to Stephenās Joseph Howe. We had a script, but there was a little bit of ad lib, too, once you got into it. I donāt single out one volunteer activity over any other, but that that was pretty fun.āĀ
MacIntosh will be officially recognized at a luncheon of the Nova Scotia Volunteer Awards in Halifax on April 27.
Alec Bruce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal
