2023 Roy Slater Volunteer Award

ALS Champion: Kelowna Woman Honored for Dedication to the Cause

Recipient of the 2023 ALS Society of BC 2023 Roy Slater Volunteer Award
– Louise Gauthier from Kelowna, BC.

RICHMOND, British Columbia – The purpose of this award is to recognize exemplary volunteer leadership. It is awarded for an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the mission and goals of the ALS Society of B.C. The award honours Roy Slater, a dedicated volunteer who died from ALS in 1993, and is given to an individual who epitomizes volunteerism through selfless contribution to the ALS Society and those it serves. This award can only be presented once to a recipient.

LOUISE GAUTHIER

• Logged more than 190 volunteer hours during 2023.
• Co-Facilitator of the Living with ALS Kelowna Support Group.
• Board Director.
• Move to Cure ALS – Kelowna Co-Coordinator.
• On-Course Volunteer ALS Golf Tournament of Hope.
• Member of the ALS BC Patient Services Committee.

The Kelowna Living with ALS Support Group meets 9 times per year and has a virtual component in addition to in-person to be inclusive of people that find it challenging to travel to the meetings. In the Summer, this group also holds a bar-b-que which is very well received. Louise solicits gift certificates for door prizes for each meeting. The recipient receives a personal card from her with the GC.

Last year, for the Move to Cure ALS – Kelowna, over 150 people attended. Participants enjoyed live music, silent auction, BBQ, Hope Chain and 50/50 draw. All of which takes a lot of time and energy to coordinate.

Louise is an active member of the ALS BC Board. She travels from Kelowna to Richmond several times throughout the year to attend meetings in-person.

Louise volunteers on a hospitality hole for the ALS Golf Tournament of Hope. She traveled from Kelowna to Kamloops at her own expense to do so. In 2023, the Kelowna wildfires caused her home to be evacuated. She received the notice while volunteering at the tournament. She prepared everything ahead of time for the potential evacuation. When the evacuation notice was issued, her husband drove to the safe site. She joined him after the tournament ended.

“It truly is an honour to accept the Roy Slater Volunteer of the Year award. Volunteering with ALSBC has become such a meaningful part of my life. After my Mum passed away from the disease in 2018, I wanted to give back as a way to thank the Society for all they did for my family. It is a pleasure to support people living with ALS in our province. Through my friends in the ALS community, I’m reminded each day that it is important to spend time doing things that bring you joy: Volunteering with ALSBC brings me fulfillment and hope. I plan to continue volunteering with the Society until we find a cure for ALS.” said Louise Gauthier.

“Louise Gauthier gives so much back to ALS BC. She can be proud of the work she does, the person she is and the difference she makes in the lives of those living with and affected by ALS. Congratulations on receiving this much-deserved award” said Wendy Toyer, Executive Director of the ALS Society of BC. 

Louise Gauthier’s award was presented at a “Celebration of Volunteerism and Service” ceremony hosted by the ALS Society of BC on Tuesday, April 9^th, 2024, in Richmond, BC.

Download logos and a high-resolution photo of the award recipient here.

About ALS BC: The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of British Columbia (ALS BC) was founded in 1981 by Dr. Andrew Eisen, ALS patients and family members to meet the physical and emotional needs of people living with ALS and their caregivers. Our mission is to cure ALS through funding research, while advocating for and supporting people living with ALS. 

About ALS: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects the person’s motor neurons that carry messages to the muscles resulting in weakness and wasting in arms, legs, mouth, throat and elsewhere. Typically, the person is immobilized within two to five years of the initial diagnosis. There is no known cause or cure yet, but there is hope through the ALS Society of BC.

###