OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

WELCOME TO THE BOARD!

On  August 22, 2024, we held our Annual General Meeting an elected our board members.  We would like to welcome our new board members and thank our board members who are moving on.

Meet Lise Maisonneuve, our new Seba Seniors Secretary

Hello everyone!

Peter and I moved to our new home in Sundance Meadows in October 2008 and we haven’t regretted it one moment since!  In 2009, I started yoga classes with Mary Leblanc, at that time in Wabamun. At 81, Mary continues to inspire us all!  It was at those classes that I first met some members of Seba Seniors who have since become good friends, among them Lynn Berg.  We attended an AGM presided by Lynn where I was most impressed by all the activities available through the club, which was obviously well-managed, and by the enthusiasm of all.  This incited me to volunteer at the Thrift Shop, where once again, I met other fun and fabulous volunteers.  Having been raised by a community-minded father, I believe that volunteering is one of the best ways to create positive kinships and friendships, as well as giving back to the great community in which we are fortunate to live.

MY BACKGROUND

After graduating, I chose the Bachelor of Arts program at Collège Universitaire St. Jean, now Campus St. Jean, bilingual faculty of the University of Alberta.  A BA is certainly not practical in terms of economic stability, however, this choice enabled me to further explore my main interests: ancient Classics (Greek and Roman), history, psychology, philosophy, literature and biology.  Life happens and, having to earn a living, I transferred the BA courses to a BEd degree.  Ah, destiny and possibly heredity!  Here I now was a teacher (which I thought I would not be when I was a young girl).

My teaching career spanned over 25 years, both in francophone and French Immersion schools.  It was during my first years teaching in my hometown of Falher (Junior/SeniorHigh) I became interested in students who were “falling through the cracks”.  The plight of these students spurred me to pursue graduate studies in psycholinguistics (language acquisition) and curriculum and methodology. This led me to working at the Calgary Separate School Board where they created an early literacy and numeracy program and I absolutely loved it! 

I am the proud mother of a daughter (52) and son (50) and grand-mother of two – Melina (29) and Ethan (23).  From my marriage to Peter Willott in 1996, I  inherited three lovely step-daughters, six step-grandchildren as well as great siblings-in-law and their families.

Meet Tracey Stewart, our new Seba Seniors Communications Director

Tracey grew up in the Evansburg area but after graduation, she moved to Edmonton to go to Grant MacEwan. She met her husband while attending MacEwan, and soon began raising a family of 3 boys. Her profession was always in the tech world where she worked as a Technical Writer and then as a Project Manager. Her love has always been in the content space. 

Volunteering has always been an important component of her life with a focus on the homeless and seniors so when she retired and moved to Lake Isle with her husband, it was natural that she began volunteering at the Seba Seniors Thrift Shop. This led her to helping with computer challenges some of the seniors were having which then led to her joining the Seba Seniors Board.

In her own words…”Volunteering at the Seba Seniors Board and the Thrift Shop has been such a delightful experience thus far for me. I’ve met so many wonderful people and even developed the start of some great friendships. I can’t wait to see what we can do in 2024/2025.  

Her family is growing with the addition of 6 grandchildren, all under the age of 7. Being a grandma is a newly discovered love and is keeping her super busy but she wouldn’t change it for the world! She also loves gardening, traveling, music, the outdoors, and sunflowers!

Meet Peter Willot, our Seba Seniors Maintenance Director

Peter Willott and his wife Lisa Maisonneuve joined Seba Seniors about 11 years ago. Knowing that Seba Seniors is a volunteer-led organization, they decided to volunteer at the Seba Seniors Thrift Shop.  Peter said, “It is our way of contributing to a group we appreciate, and enhances the association with others whom we have met and are meeting now.  Volunteering is in itself another social function of the group.” It was in this journey of giving back that they both decided to go one step further and join the Seba Seniors Board as two members were stepping down. 

HIS BACKGROUND

Peter came to Canada from Northern English at age 11 and completed a Bachelor of Education degree and later a Master of Science degree at the University of Calgary. He taught in Calgary for almost 40 years, with 12 of those also involved with the Science Fair Society, and many years active with the Alberta Teachers Association. 

Peter enjoys singing, dancing, playing cards, etc.  He came to the Seba Beach area  in 2008, to enjoy the lake and the small community Peter and Lise had encountered through Lise’s parents who had lived here.  One of the first things Peter did was to erect a woodworking shop so he could focus on his hobby of woodworking where he likes to make many things such as bat houses, bird feeders, and games to name a few. 

Peter and his wife, Lisa, are skiers and joined the Rocky Mountain Seniors Ski Club very soon after arriving in this area.  Also, Peter joined the curling club.  Naturally, in both of those they met other local seniors, and soon joined the Seba Seniors in order to meet even more and to participate in local activities.

FUN FACT!

A fun fact about Peter and Lise is they have rebuilt their outhouse in a very grand style. People photograph it, and visitors and workers take selfies in it.