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Meet Penticton super volunteer Louise Hivon

Louise spearheads ALERT’s recycling fundraising, collecting bottles from anyone, everywhere
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Louise with another load of bottles for ALERT. This super volunteer helps ALERT in so many ways. (Submitted)

Meet Penticton super volunteer Louise Hivon.

Louise volunteers in operations with Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT) and during non-disaster times she has spearheaded their recycling fundraising, collecting bottles from anybody and everybody.

This has proven to be invaluable to ALERT because of all the cancelled fundraisers due to the pandemic.

In addition, Louise is their volunteer who collects the Nature’s Fare till receipts from shoppers. A few times a year, ALERT can redeem them for a three per cent payout.

When Louise isn’t volunteering for ALERT, she is behind the counter at Home Hardware in Penticton and always greeting everybody with a smile.

“She’s a great representative of the organization,” said Deborah McBride, ALERT Director of Operations.

Louise is also their volunteer to celebrate during National Volunteer Week (April 18 - 24) with a theme of “the value of one, the power of many.”

This year, during National Volunteer Week, ALERT will be featuring a volunteer a day on their Facebook page as their “Goodnight” post.

ALERT is still seeking new members and is continuing training in small classes throughout the pandemic. As well, ALERT is seeking foster homes for cats, dogs, horses and other livestock. If this is something that interests you, please reach out via email to info@alertcanada.org or call the Director of Operations at 250-809-7152.

Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen Chair Karla Kozakevich presented a cheque for $4,500 to ALERT’s director of communications Daryl Meyers and ALERT treasurer Lesley Ross for the purchase of a seacan.

The seacan will provide ALERT with a place for their central logistics. Since 1994, ALERT has gathered a considerable amount of equipment and supplies including fence panels, kennels and crates, wheelbarrows, troughs, etc. The seacan will provide an opportunity to amass everything in one place and eliminate the need to use up volunteers’ garage space.

ALERT has been the emergency animal response team in the South Okanagan since the Garnet fire of 1994.



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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