Today's Woman 2023

Natalie Ackerman Mother, Business Owner, Spiritual Superwoman Pg. 5

TODAY’S WOMAN 2023

Whether it be a local business owner, community volunteer, CEO or all of the above, these Border City women make us proud to call Lloydminster home.

Kirstyn Elder-Findlay Wife, CCA, Entrepreneur Pg. 6

Lori Haygarth Mother, Wife, Volunteer, Hockey Mom, Role Model Pg. 8

Nancy Hippie Mother, Business Owner, Grandmother Pg. 9

Cheryl Holtby Mother, Active Community Member, Counsellor Pg. 11

Lynne Leard Wife, Founder of the Lloyd Oil Wives Club Pg. 13

Lorelee Marin Mother, Wife, City Councillor, Volunteer Pg. 14

Mallory Oleshko Mother, Wife, Volunteer, Community Supporter Pg. 16

Cheryl Sikora Mother, Wife, Reader, Life-Long Learner Pg. 19

Kristen Traverse Mother, Wife, Stroke Survivor, Consultant Pg. 21

Whether it’s helping a client find the perfect dress for a special night or teaching at-risk women new skills, Natalie Ackerman believes she’s doing God’s work in the Border City.

Originally from Provost, Alta, Ackerman is the owner of Scarlet Thread Boutique in downtown Lloydminster and has used

Doing God’s work right here at home

her skills as a designer and seamstress to teach and empower women from all walks of life, while also operating a successful consignment business.

“Hope is my mission and passion, which is Jesus Christ and the gospel. So many are lost and they don’t know who they are, and we’re all created with purpose,” she said.

After years working in finance, Ackerman knew it was time to pursue her true passion, and in 2013, she went back into business working out of her basement.

“I built a studio much like this one with dressing rooms and everything,” she said. “Business was great as people will come to you when you can do a good job. I knew I wanted to be out in the community in some capacity because I wanted to help women.

I want to teach and train, and I’m looking to build a mission of women together and we’re going to do so many cool things together.”

After her husband passed away, Ackerman started opening up her home to women in need.

“Over the year I’ve taken 10 women into my house,” she said.

“I will literally take them into my house and tell them they have a safe place to dry out. I taught one of those girls how to sew and she was quite successful for a while before getting back into addiction.”

Ackerman is also the founder of Hope 4 More, a mission she created 10 years ago to help battered and abused women from all walks of life.

“Hope 4 More was an evangelist mission. When I lost my husband

I started to read the word of God and it changed my life,” she said.

“I was a party girl like you wouldn’t believe and I could have been dead had I kept going. That’s how I met my husband on the streets of Vancouver, but out of that came my mission to want to help girls because I know where I could have been.

“Hope 4 More came from losing my husband.”

Ackerman explained losing her husband 17 years ago almost caused her to lose her faith, but her mission of helping women conquered that fear.

“I opened the word of God the night he dies and guess what words of hope I get from the Bible? ‘I will sustain the widow and the orphan.’”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Natalie Ackerman Mother, Business Owner, Spiritual Superwoman

“That changed my life and I started reading the Bible every day since.”

Ackerman also explained how she’s able to further give back to the community through Scarlet Thread Boutique.

“A portion of our funds go to women in need and people also donate clothes to us,” she said, noting the store opened roughly nine months ago.

“We’ve been giving to the Interval Home and Residents in Recovery as they mainly focus on women, which is my passion.”

Another special project Ackerman is excited about involves making sure young girls look their best for graduation, even if they can’t afford a dress.

“One girl came in with her friend and her friend couldn’t afford the dress she was looking at. I thought the dress looked so good on her and I wanted to see what I could do to help,” she said.

“We needed to raise $450 for this dress, and through word of mouth we raised enough to cover the cost of the dress.”

No matter who comes through the doors of the boutique, Ackerman knows everyone has a story and doesn’t deserve to be judged.

“We get prostitutes and drug addicts coming in, and many times they’re here to steal, but, I’ll just start talking to them, and as I reach out, some will keep their heads down, but others will open up and tell you their story.

“In those cases, I give them my card and say ‘Come back and see me if you want out.’ Out of that, people are now donating purses that we’ll stuff with needed supplies and hand out to those in need.”

Ackerman noted the purses will also include a pen and pad of paper for the recipient to tell their story.

“All of these women I’ve helped over the years have the oppor -

tunity to come work here once they’ve done the work and gotten clean.”

For Ackerman, it’s the people of Lloydminster that make it such

an amazing place to live and she can’t wait to see what the future holds for Scarlet Thread Boutique and the women she’s helping to empower.

Kirstyn Elder-Findlay was born in Loon Lake and lived there until she was about eight before moving to the Border City.

At 28 years old, Elder-Findlay is a Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) working with dementia patients and palliative care. She is also a certified End of Life Doula.

Care, respect and comfort at the exact right time

“Currently, my job entails taking care of seniors and giving them the best end-of-life care, respect and comfort,” she said.

“I grew up with my mom and dad, but I grew up watching my grandma and grandpa do a lot of volunteer work in their small Saskatchewan community in the cancer unit, delivering food through Meals on Wheels, stuff like that,” she said.

“I really looked up to them for doing such an empathetic job that can cause heartache, but it needs to be done, and if you can get the right people doing it, it makes a world of a difference.”

Aside from her work with seniors, Elder-Findlay is also an entrepreneur and owns Velveteen Vintage, which specializes in sustainable hand-picked vintage clothing.

“There’s no storefront, that would be a dream, but I’m online right now on Instagram,” she said.

“Making sure the seniors are getting out and have quality of life is also part of my job.”

For Elder-Findlay, working with seniors fills her cup, which stemmed from her childhood.

Not knowing what she wanted to pursue as a career, Elder-Findlay explained the only thing she could see herself doing for the rest of her life was working with seniors.

“I fell in love with it, and I really look up to grandma and grandpa for introducing me to it,” she said.

“I go to tiny towns all over and find whatever I can to stock the online store. I love antique stores, old stuff that has lots of history to it, and I get that from my grand parents.

“I also love fashion, which is what kickstarted everything.”

Elder-Findlay also noted vintage clothing is much more sustainable than some of the stuff being produced right now.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Kirstyn Elder-Findlay

Wife, CCA, Entrepreneur

I grew up watching my grandma and grandpa do a lot of volunteer work in their small Saskatchewan community in the cancer unit, delivering food through Meals on Wheels, stuff like that.

“I think it’s cool to recycle and keep things going. Less is more sometimes,” she said.

Elder-Findlay started Velveteen Vintage roughly four years ago, but she also noted she and her sister, Kienna, started their own jewellery line.

“Velveteen’s been put on the back burner a bit as we’ve been putting all our energy into GIGI Collective,” she said.

“I have a huge love for accessorizing but I couldn’t find the right things that weren’t still vintage, so I wanted to branch out so I could have two separate lines.”

GIGI Collective offers two lines, one vintage and one new. They also have a third-party distributor who makes and designs everything for them.

“Everything is 18K gold plated, it’s waterproof, tarnish-free and hypoallergenic,” she said. “We did quite a bit of research to find

a partner who would back us 100 per cent on our vision, and our jewellery is quite sustainable. We’re quite happy with it.”

With Kienna living is Saskatoon and Kirstyn living in Lloyd, the two share the work and take on different roles.

“It’s been really great,” she said. “It’s really brought us closer together and it’s something we both really enjoy.”

After living in England and Australia for some time, Elder-Findlay explained she never thought she’d move back to Lloyd full-time, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

“I couldn’t believe the amazing community that was here. The opportunities are non-stop, and if you have a passion for something or want to get something done, find the right crew with the right niche, and the sky is the limit,” she said. “I found a lot of comfort in this community.”

An active member of the Lloydminster community, Lori Haygarth grew up on a farm in Alcurve and went to school in Marwayne before getting married to her husband, Danny, and moving to the Border City.

A mother of four, Haygarth owned and operated Lloydmin -

Never stop doing what makes you happy

ster’s Doodle Bug Play-School for over 15 years before moving on to run the play school at Grace United Church, where she still works today.

“We closed the doors at Doodle Bug for a variety of reasons and I had made a phone call to Lana Lane at Grace United,” she said.

“I knew they had just redone their basement and I had all of this equipment to sell, so I asked if she would be interested in it … her response was ‘yes, and you’re also coming here to work.’”

Haygarth explained not even 48 hours went by before she was employed by the church.

“When I closed the play school, I wasn’t ready to end that chapter in my life. Once the school system started offering free pre-K, it was hard to compete because how do you compete with free?”

Now at Grace United, Haygarth spends her days with 110 students Monday through Friday, something she’s truly blessed for.

been involved in every aspect since before we got married. I was involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“I guess the volunteering all started with my mom and dad. They were always involved in the community and volunteered for basically everything they could, and when you grow up in a small town that’s just what you do, everybody pitches in or it doesn’t get done.”

Community involvement and volunteering have also played important roles in Haygarth and her husband’s lives, something they learned from their parents and passed on to their own kids.

“We’ve been a part of the community forever,” she said.

“My husband coached the junior hockey team and we’ve

It was this example that led her and Danny to raise their own kids with the same sense of community.

“This next generation, I think it’s extremely important to instil those values in your kids,” she said, noting she’s also been heavily involved with the Lloydminster Bobcats for years.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Lori Haygarth

Mother, Wife, Volunteer, Hockey Mom, Role Model

That stems from the example set by my parents, and to me, it’s really important to set that example for my own four kids.

Roughly 32 years ago, Nancy Hippe saw a need for a new canine boarding facility in the Border City, fast forward to the present date and that boarding facility has grown into the Lloydminster Pet Pad Inc., an award-winning business Hippe never imagined possible.

“As a child, I always dreamt of owning a pet store, I just never thought I actually would,” said Hippe.

“I worked for the Battle River School Division with administration and I drove a school bus, and I wanted to do something for myself.

“I’ve always been passionate about pets, so this seemed like a perfect fit.”

Hippe started the Pet Pad as a grooming and boarding facility in December 1990, and it didn’t take long for her to also get into the

Keeping business in the family

retail side of pets.

“I set up a little retail space in town and we still did the grooming and boarding out of town,” she said. “We also had our shuttle service going, which was great.”

Being a family-owned and operated business for 32 years, Hippe couldn’t help but reflect on the community that’s supported her over the years.

“The community has been awesome; very supportive,” she said. “I’m doing more administration work and less hands-on work with the customers now, and I really miss more of the hands-on work, it’s therapy for me.”

Hippe also mentioned the fact it hasn’t just been the business that’s changed over the years, the knowledge the staff carries has also changed.

“When you watch the same animals for roughly 18 years through the boarding facility, you can really start to see what the food they eat does to them over the years,” she said. “I got more into the aspect of learning the products very well. We’re still learning

because you learn every day, but we have a little niche there.”

Family has always been a big part of the business for Hippe, so much so that she now has one of her daughters and two of her granddaughters on the payroll.

“My one granddaughter Jayden has a lot of interest in the business, and who knows, maybe one day she’ll take it over?” she said.

“There’s an expertise with each and every one of them, so there’s lots of diversification.”

The Pet Pad was also a recent recipient of the Canadian Pet Community Awards Independent Retailer Award for all of Western Canada, something Hippe is beaming over.

“I’m still pinching myself, is that for real? We were up against

some pretty big stores and I was just thrilled to receive that award. After 32 that says a lot about the staff, the store itself, as well as our customers.”

“It was a huge win for us,” she said. “There was a lot of gratification winning that award, and I’m still pinching my cheek.”

Not everyone has the drive and motivation to start their own business, but for Hippe, there are no regrets.

“The biggest thing I learned was to always follow your dreams,” she said. “The customers have been great in the Lloydminster and surrounding areas, and they are the reason we continue to grow the way are.”

The Pet Pad is located at #2 4010 50 Ave., Lloydminster, Alta.

Nancy Hippe Mother, Business

Owner, Grandmother

As a child, I always dreamt of owning a pet store, I just never thought I actually would.

HAYGARTH

FROM PAGE

“I was the billet coordinator for the Bobcats for six years, plus we billeted,” she said.

“We’ve actually been involved with the team in every aspect as my husband coached them when they were the Blazers. He was an assistant coach for two years then the head coach, then we started billeting... three weeks after we started billeting I was asked to be the billet coordinator.

“That was supposed to be a short-term gig, which turned into six years of volunteering, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”

Haygarth has also been called ‘the best hockey mom in the rink,’ for reasons she isn’t quite sure of.

“I don’t take any credit for being a good hockey mom, we were a good hockey family. All four of our kids played hockey growing up, so we were always at the rink and doing our best to make sure the kids were where

they had to be.”

In her current role, the best part of Haygarth’s day boils down to the kiddos she gets to see every day.

“I think preschool is the best, and I know a lot would disagree with me, especially if you teach junior high or high school because it’s not their forte,” she said.

“The kids love being here, so how can you not love it back? They’re excited to come through the door, they’re excited to tell you about their weekend, they’re excited about their dog ... they just love being here.”

So, what makes Lloydminster such a great place to live for Haygarth?

“For us, it’s our friends and family,” she said. “Both sides of our family are here, we’ve got amazing friends, and both our kids have grown up close to family, so you can’t really ask for

more than that.”

possible with family and friends before getting back into another year of play school at Grace United Church. 8

If you think it’s too late to follow what makes your heart truly happy, ask Cheryl Holtby her thoughts, she might just change your mind.

Holtby grew up on a farm four and a half miles east of Marshall and spent over a decade teaching English and phys-ed at Bishop

Always chase what makes your heart happy

Lloyd Middle School, E.S. Laird Middle School and College Park School before deciding to completing change careers and follow her true passion.

This passion became a reality through Holtby Professional Counselling, which started in September 2020 and specializes in mental health counselling in couples therapy and youth with anxiety and depression.

“My purpose is to inspire and support others to live their best life, and when I live on my purpose, life is good,” she said.

“I was a teacher before then and decided to start the business in the middle of a pandemic, but I’ve never let circumstances get in the way … if it’s a passion, it’s getting pursued, no matter what.”

Holtby explained her love of helping others, although always

there, became very apparent through her years spent in the classroom.

teaching the kids more, so I needed to figure out a way for kids to move forward, better.”

Personal growth has always been very important to Holtby, who explained she’s constantly trying to figure herself out.

“I’ve always done my best to make people see the best in themselves, not the worst because I do believe we automatically go there.

“I saw my classroom, and regardless of whether it was academics, athletics, the arts, music, whatever the kids were into, it wasn’t their ability or skills that were holding them back, it was their mental health,” she explained.

“I decided that’s where my passion stood. I always loved teaching the subjects, but I loved

“I wanted people to live their best life.”

Aside from professional counselling services, Holtby also runs a small personal growth seminar business out of Calgary. The three-part series has participants work on communication, relationships and personalities, as well as core values and purpose.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Cheryl Holtby

Mother, Active Community Member, Counsellor

My purpose is to inspire and support others to live their best life, and when I live on my purpose, life is good.

“I believe connection is what keeps us healthy and disconnection keeps us unhealthy,” she said. “I believe when we’re connected a lot of our mental health is looked after.”

the world better.”

Having lived in Lloyd for many years, and raising her three adult children here, Holtby is proud to call the Border City home and gives a lot of credit to the people of the community for making it such a great place.

“I think Lloyd is so good because it is filled with such good people,” she said.

Holtby is also proof it’s never too late to pursue what truly makes you happy.

“You always have to chase what in your heart you know you’ll be good at, and my wish would be for everyone to be a life-time learner,” she said.

“I love when people get curious about what they can do to make

“Look at how much fundraising this community has done over the years … I think we have the best people. They are kind, they are generous, and they want nothing but the best for the people that live here, and they’re willing to donate their time, energy and money to make that happen.”

Cheryl Holtby has a Kinesiology degree and a bachelor of education from the University of Saskatchewan as well as a diploma in applied psychology counselling.

Holtby Professional Counselling can be reached at 780-800-2902.

HOLTBY FROM PAGE 11

Photo courtesy of Jessie Mann Photography

“You always have to chase what in your heart you know you’ll be good at, and my wish would be for everyone to be a life-time learner.

Lynne Leard was born in Saskatoon and grew up on a family farm until she was eight years old when the family moved to the city. She lived in Saskatoon for a while before moving to Swan Hills, Alta when she was in her early 20s.

Lynne and her late husband, Brian, moved to Lloydminster in 1979 as Brian was the head safety

Making women feel safe, included, and at home

guy for Husky Oil.

Leard is also the founder of the Lloydminster chapter of the Oil Wives Club, which is under the Association of Oil Wives Clubs (Canada).

“We moved to Swan Hills in 1972 and in the fall I was asked by a lady who went to the Oil Wives Club of Swan Hills if I would like to go to a meeting,” she said. “I went to the meeting and joined the club for the seven years I lived in Swan Hills, then when I moved to Lloydminster in 1979, one of my first questions to the welcome wagon was ‘Is there an Oil Wives Club?’ Which there wasn’t.”

Leard got in touch with Bunny Coutney from Estevan, who had also recently moved to Lloyd and was interested in starting a Lloydminster chapter of the club.

“We started talking to peo -

ple we knew to see if there was interest in starting a club and by March we decided to open it up to the public and see what kind of a response we’d get,” she said. “That’s what lead to the start of the club.”

I went to the meeting and joined the club for the seven years I lived in Swan Hills, then when I moved to Lloydminster in 1979, one of my first questions to the welcome wagon was ‘Is there an Oil Wives Club?’ Which there wasn’t.

Oil Wives Clubs have been around since the 50s and were started as a friendship group for women whose husbands work in the oil industry.

“Now, we meet every month and have a dinner meeting,” she said. “We have our dinner meeting and then some form of entertainment. Once a year we also all get together to meet for a convention.”

This year’s convention is to be held in Brooks, Alta.

“In total, we have 511 members

across Alberta and Saskatchewan, but at one time we had people from all over the world that had clubs,” she said.

“Through the years a lot of them have disbanded, but Lloyd’s club is still going strong.”

Leard was also recently honoured for 50 years of service with the Lloydminster Club.

“I’m the first one in this club to receive this honour, but there are many clubs who have members with over 50 years of service,” she said.

Looking back, those 50 years of service taught Leard many things, and despite all the things that have changed in that time, the need for Oil Wives Clubs still remains.

“Things have certainly changed since I started, especially technology,” she said. “For some folks who are originally from here and grew up with people in the area, it’s easier, but when you just moved to a new town or community, it’s tougher to make new friends and meet people.

“If you’ve been an oil wife from somewhere like Calgary, Edmonton and you moved here, you’re automatically welcomed into our club ... you are always allowed into a new club when you move.”

Leard also noted in order to become an oil wife, your husband has to work in the oil industry.

Lynne Leard

Wife, Founder of the Lloyd Oil Wives Club

Originally from Regina, Lorelee Marin and her husband moved to Lloydminster in 1994 and lived in the County of Vermilion River until 2017 when they relocated to Lloyd.

Marin’s also one of the many Border City residents who can confidently say they never

Ensuring the future has strong leaders

planned on staying here for as long as they did.

facilitator – addiction and mental health with AHS.

She’s worked with the Lloydminster Youth Council for a number of years and has been the community developer for the Canadian Cancer Society for over 11 years.

Marin started her working career as a banker and while working in finance she started getting the education needed to become a teacher.

dian Cancer Society in 2001 and that came about because my husband is a two-time cancer survivor. I recognized I really needed to support people in the region to have better access to supports and services, as well as to advocate for healthy public policy,” she said.

“That’s how my advocacy career started and my work to engage with the community at a very meaningful level.”

“We thought we’d move here until the economy in Regina recovered and move back there … but we’ve been here for almost 30 years and it’s been really good to us,” she said.

A woman of many hats, Marin is currently a member of Lloydminster City Council and also spent many years as a health promotion

“Banking was really good to me so I stayed in that, but I also took the masters program in asset based community development,” she said.

Community has always played an important role in Marin’s life, but she said her work with the Canadian Cancer Society was what kickstarted her advocacy career.

“I started working for the Cana-

Marin served as a staff member of the Canadian Cancer Society for 12 years, and as a volunteer, she was part of the original provincial budget council for cancer in Alberta and served there from 2011-2019.

“In 1999 they gave my husband a 25 per cent chance of survival and here we are in 2023 and he’s healthy,” she said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Lorelee Marin Mother, Wife, City Councillor, Volunteer

I recognize I have some extraordinary opportunities, and some of that comes from being very engaged in community and having a passion for community.

“We’ve had a wonderful life together, we’ve raised our three kids and have grandbaby number six on the way. We never thought that was possible for our family and we’re so blessed.”

Volunteering has always also played an important role in Marin’s life as it’s something she’s very passionate about.

“Opportunities like that have been amazing and continue to fill my cup and encourage me to continue my work as a volunteer,” she said.

“I recognize I have some extraordinary opportunities, and some of that comes from being very engaged in the community and having a passion for community.”

Marin has also been involved with the Lloydminster Youth Council since its inception and has loved every minute of it.

“I’ve been working with AHS in

community addiction and mental health since 2014 and through that, we developed the Lloydminster Youth Council,” she said.

“We did this to recognize the fact we really need to invest in our future, which is the youth of our community. We created a youth council so we can build the skills and help our youth become those future leaders, get them involved in community, and they’re also great volunteers for many organizations in our community.

“Our goal is to build those future leaders.”

As a member of Lloydminster City Council, Marin has also learned a lot from the experience since being elected in 2020.

“The role of City Councillor was definitely much more than I had expected, but it’s been amazing,” she said.

“I appreciate the fact our council knows each other quite well and we get along quite well

together.”

For Marin, Lloydminster is the place to call home for a number of reasons, but mainly, it’s the people.

“Have you ever seen a community that can rally and raise money like Lloydminster? It never seems to matter where the

need is, the support is always there,” she said. “From raising money to support the most vulnerable in our community to supporting sports teams and the arts ... people come forward and invest in the great assets we have in the community, and they really invest in the future.”

Originally from Estevan, Sask., Mallory Oleshko moved to Lloydminster in 2019 after her husband, Chris, accepted a job here.

The couple packed up and relocated to Lloyd with their two kids, ages 10 and 11, and it wasn’t long before Oleshko found herself in the role of business man -

Creating a home-away-from-home for hockey players

ager and game-day operations for the Lloydminster Junior A Bobcats.

“I set up the rink prior to the game and I make sure all of our volunteers are in the right positions for game days,” she humbly said.

If you ask Bobcats head coach and GM Nigel Dube what Oleshko’s job entails, he’ll be a little more descriptive.

“The Bobcats pride themselves on being in the community, whether it be reading at school, Trick or Trunk, wrapping Christmas presents, shovelling snow, or on the ice with minor hockey, it wouldn’t be possible without the commitment Mallory shows in the hours she puts in organizing and finding events for our players to be a part of,” he said.

Prior to working with the Bob -

cats, Oleshko was a stay-at-home mom and daycare provider in Estevan.

young hockey players aren’t at home, so we try to create a home atmosphere for them when they come in.

“I got involved with the team after we started billeting here, just to get more involved in the community, and Nigel approached me about working two days in the office, and that turned into a full-time position.”

Oleshko explained she loves being a part of the community and her role with the Bobcats

helped her get to know more people throughout Lloyd.

As a junior hockey team, the Bobcats have always played an important role in the community, but there’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes many might not know about, including baking fresh cookies for the players on cold winter days.

“I guess that comes down to the fact these young hockey players aren’t at home, so we try to create a home atmosphere for them when they come in,” she said.

Oleshko also touched on the importance of volunteerism both in and out of the rink.

“If we didn’t have our volunteers there would be no one there to help out with the games.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Mallory Oleshko

Mother, Wife, Volunteer, Community Supporter

These

“We rely on volunteers for the box office, the frisbee table, our 50/50 people, the bar people, they’re all volunteers and help game days run smoothly for us,” she said.

For Oleshko, the best part of her day is the fact no day is ever the same.

“I don’t come in and work on a computer all day,” she said. “I could be going down to the rink to get merchandise for people, during COVID we were driving around and surprising kids with our mascot Bob The Cat for birthdays and stuff ... so it’s always different, which I love.”

As a mother of two herself, Oleshko also has a love for kids, which makes the job that much better.

Oleshko also explained she and her family have found Lloydminster to be very friendly and welcoming since moving here.

“Everyone’s super friendly.”

To Oleshko, an inspiring woman is someone who has a drive to be better as well as make our community better as a whole.

“I find someone who’s a driven hard worker and just wants to do better for themselves and the community is inspiring to me,” she said.

“I think the fact the team gives back to the community as much as they do is so important and I hope people see just how giving this community is.”

Coming from the smaller community of Estevan, Oleshko said she thought she’d lose that sense of community in a bigger centre, but she was wrong.

“I was blown away at how giving this community is and how everyone jumps at the opportunity to help out whenever and wherever they can,” she said. “I also never thought I’d be working in a role like this, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”

Photo courtesy of the Lloydminster Bobcats.

After spending over two decades as the Learning Resource Coordinator with the Lloydminster Catholic School Division, Cheryl Sikora started a new chapter of her life in September 2022 when she was appointed director of the Lloydminster Public Library.

Sikora has always had a love for

Bringing people together through a love of reading

reading, and her work in libraries ironically started while she was attending the University of Regina.

I was asked if I would be interested in working at the campus college library, and that was a great fit for me,” she said.

“It was a very unique and diverse position and I really found my calling in libraries supporting people in whatever they needed in that moment. It was a really good feeling for me.”

Sikora worked at the college library for four years before moving to Edmonton to work at the Edmonton Public Library for two years while doing her masters in library and information studies.

And after over two decades with the LCSD, Sikora found her new passion within the stacks of the Lloydminster Public Library.

“When the position of library director at the public library came

up, it really felt like the next logical step in my career.”

She explained the best part of public libraries is having the opportunity to meet people and help them, while asking nothing in return.

books for their reluctant readers to try to excite them. I never know what patrons will say when I ask how I can help, but it’s super exciting to work with that kind of diversity and creativity in my job.”

As a self-proclaimed “band geek,” Sikora grew up in Regina and was a member of the Regina Lions Band when she met her husband, Aaron.

When Aaron was offered the role of band director with the LCSD 21 years ago, a combination of love and a good job brought Sikora along, too.

“When I ask, ‘How can I help you today?” The answer can be extremely varied,” she said.

“Sometimes they need a book recommendation, sometimes they need help finding affordable housing, sometimes they want to find

“The LCSD kindly offered me the role of learning resource coordinator,” she said.

“I didn’t ever intend to be in Lloydminster for this long. This is my 21st year here and I expected to be here for two years and then move on to a larger centre.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Cheryl Sikora

Mother, Wife, Reader, Life-Long Learner

I really found my calling in libraries supporting people in whatever they needed in that moment. It was a really good feeling for me.

But it was the people and her love for her job that kept her here.

“Half of the job was supporting teachers as they create their units and lessons. I liked to look at my role as allowing them to focus on what’s most important in their jobs and focusing on the needs of their students rather than having to find the resources they needed to do so,” she explained.

“The other half of the job was working with the library technicians to support the school libraries,” she said.

“I did a lot of ‘best-practice scenarios’ and support for the school libraries, as well as a good portion of the book purchasing for the libraries.”

Since starting her role with the Lloydminster Public Library, Sikora has increased programming, expanded offerings, wid -

ened the collection as a whole to include books in Ukrainian and Tagalog, as well as made strides in community partnerships.

“I’ve really tried to meet the needs of our community,” she said.

“We started a community crafting cupboard, which is basically a free library. If you have crafting supplies in your house you no longer need or want, you can drop them off at the library and we’ll organize them and put them together in a way that could be useful to others. Other people can also come to the library and take whatever supplies they need, and it’s all completely free.”

Sikora also talked about a new maker space at the library, designed for families to come out twice per week and participate in a featured activity.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new Lloyd Library

in the LloydMall, Sikora recommends you check it out.

“It’s beautiful and bright and open,” she said.

“We have lots of designated areas as well. We have the program room, the meeting space, and the study pods, and the public is welcome to use all of those. We have a beautiful children’s

area with lots of fun toys and creatively organized books, as well as lots of public computers for people to access for free.

“We also have some new seating for people and we’re looking forward to getting some couches and comfortable chairs in the future as we build a little space with a fireplace.”

Originally from Kitscoty, Kristen Traverse is a registered nurse, an Anat Baniel MethodNeuroMovement practitioner, and a health and wellness educator and coordinator with Hunt Psychological Services as well as a consultant with the Lloydminster Catholic School Division.

Overcoming obstacles to better others

Her passion is to help people experience true holistic health and well-being.

Traverse has a background in all types of acute and rural nursing and wellness coordination. She has spent many years in hemodialysis, neurology, disease prevention and education and chronic disease management.

She is also a certified respiratory educator and has various certificates in mental health, cardiovascular care and mindfulness and meditation.

Traverse didn’t always consult for the LCSD or work for Hunt Psychological Services as things changed for her in March of 2015 when she had a serious stroke.

“It was quite a severe stroke, and we still don’t know what exactly caused it,” she said.

“I was quite healthy at the time

of the stroke and was even a marathon runner, and one day I woke up and couldn’t speak or express myself.”

Traverse explained her stroke didn’t leave her with any phys -

ical symptoms, so at the time, the physician thought it was a migraine and was hopeful her speech would come back.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Kristen Traverse Mother, Wife, Stroke Survivor, Consultant

“I could understand everything, but I couldn’t speak, read, write or communicate ... all of that was taken away from me,” she said.

“At the time, my life consisted of rehabilitation and figuring out what life looks like.

“I was a new mom and had a career, and I think being a nurse and being smart were part of my identity ... I had to figure out who I was without any of that.”

For anyone going through something similar to Traverse, she explained her best advice would be for that person to take all the time they need.

“Ask for help, get all of the resources you can, and give yourself grace,” she said.

“I think society pushes us to recovery as quickly as possible, and a quick recovery is also often praised ... but when people tell you you’re, inspiring it’s tough to

tell them you’re scared.

“I think being honest and open and asking for help is the biggest thing.”

lot of people have that and I feel lucky,” she said.

“And if I can do something to help someone else out, that’s all I can ask for.”

Since her stroke, it’s safe to say Traverse has been an inspiration to many, but what makes someone inspirational to Traverse?

“People reach out to me daily with things they want to talk about such as chronic health issues, a stroke, cancer, you name it,” she said.

Traverse also explained how, since she had such a great recovery and resources, she continues to look for things to educate herself on to this day.

“I have education, I have a phenomenal husband and a phenomenal family, and because of those things, I’m recovering well. Not a

“They’re getting up and doing the activities of daily living such as making their kids’ lunches, which can sometimes feel like it’s too much, but, they’re doing it and they’re also reaching out and asking for help.

“That‘s what inspires me. It doesn’t have to be a big grand gesture.”

Traverse and her husband, Craig have two kids together, a 13-year-old and a nine-year-old.

I think society pushes us to recovery as quickly as possible, and a quick recovery is also often praised ... but when people tell you you’re inspiring, it’s tough to tell them you’re scared.