Seniors
Community Connector Connie Jewell
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onnie is an active volunteer who has stayed true to her advice for others regarding staying engaged in the community and holding your family close. For the past 10 years she has worked for FCSS (Family and Community Support Services) driving people to their appointments. She enjoys this interaction with others and finds it an awesome experience. She is motivated to serve in her community as long as she can. The condo where she lives is a small community of seniors. The pandemic was a time for her to reflect on life and realize what’s important. She did a few projects such as making snowmen and knitting. She also kept busy with jigsaws, walking and staying in touch with others in her building. Connie’s community was and continues to be a little town south of Calgary. She and her family lived in the police barracks until she was 10 years old. She enjoys the close-knit community and remembers a time when
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it paid off for her. She had just gotten her drivers license and was working downtown at the Memorial Centre when she realized she had forgotten something at home. She dashed over to her father’s workplace and asked her father if she could borrow his vehicle. He replied that he had to work that day; but no sooner had he said that, the boss came around the corner dangling his keys in his hands and told her to take his car. That’s the trustworthiness of small-town folks. Connie helped form the original Kinette Club as the treasurer and is still active at the United Church as bookkeeper. She also worked for the 1988 Olympics for the Speed Skating venue and met a lot of volunteers. As a little girl, Connie was referred to as the third string athlete but she loved cheering others on. Her dream of marrying a farmer and having a family did come true and for 25 years, they had a farm north of town. Her 4 children all live in Alberta and have given her 12 grandchildren. After a divorce, she
Seniors — Winter 2021
moved to Olds, but came back to High River where she plans on staying. Connie believes that the biggest change in our world from when she grew up is technology. 85% of the time, it’s positive and used to connect people with Zoom and cell phones, but it can also be detrimental because so many people rely on it and one can become a prisoner to it. Facebook and other social media sites can also be used for gossip. It depends on the person using the technology, but cell phones have opened up a whole other world. Connie feels very blessed and thankful for all the opportunities in her life. If she could have three wishes, they would be to win the lottery as money can be tight; have more peace in the world, during these anxious times; and that politicians would work together for all of us. Connie is a motivated woman who is an asset to any community she chooses to live in.
