Mayor of Cookshire-Eaton, Sylvie Lapointe, and Linda Hoy, recipient of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

Linda Hoy had a broad smile as she received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers of the Governor General of Canada on April 26 from the hands of the Cookshire-Eaton Mayor, Sylvie Lapointe.

She was nominated for the honour by the Ascot Women’s Institute, a small branch of the international organization. She has been active at all levels of the organization since 1983, as well as in her church and the Eaton Corner Museum.
Hoy is currently the Canada-area president of the Associated Country Women of the World, which numbers 9 million women throughout 70 countries.

Her mother, Marion Annesley, was present for the event. She is president of the Ascot Women’s Institute. Wanting her mother to attend, Hoy chose to receive the medal at the Bulwer Community Centre among her fellow volunteers rather than going to Ottawa at some future date. “My mum’s 87 years old,” she said. “I’m really glad I did it this way. It really was a special day for me.”

The Women’s Institute is Hoy’s self-confessed passion. Over the years, the organization has been responsible for advocating many things we now take for granted. “The WI lobbied for that white line on the edge of the highway,” she said. Today, said Hoy, the WI’s twin areas of interest are education and agriculture, similar to the Francophone organization, AFEAS. For example, it offers hot lunches in schools, a creative writing competition, and help for students with special needs. (For more information about the Women’s Institutes’ achievements, visit http://100objects.qahn.org/content/womens-institutes-banner-compton-county-2011.)

The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers recognizes passion, dedication and commitment to community, and exceptional volunteer achievements across Canada.