74-year-old 'sparkplug' earns national volunteer award
Pat Clifford is the engine that keeps the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Goderich, Ont. running.
“If you need help, that’s the woman to go find,” said co-worker, Anne Marie Foucault.
“If not for her, I don’t think any of this would even be in existence, let alone where it is right now,” added co-worker, Justin Smith.
It’s for those reasons the soon-to-be 75-year-old has earned the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. It’s a national recognition for her 25 years of arduous, continuous volunteering, as the go-to person at St. Vincent de Paul’s store and food bank, to simply get things done.
Pat Clifford, working at St. Vincent de Paul thrift store and food bank in Goderich, Ont. on May 13, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
“If someone’s down when they come into the store, I try to have them back up when they leave. A smile. A hug. I’m a hugger,” she said.
33 years as a waitress, plus her 25 years at St. Vincent de Paul — the past 20 as president — has given her perspective on helping Huron County’s less fortunate.
“I don’t shy away from anybody. Rich or poor. It’s me. What you get, if you don’t like it, well, I’m not changing for you. That’s the way I run this place,” she said.
Clifford, an incredible seven-time cancer survivor, is one of only four Ontarian’s to take home this year’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.
“People can’t believe I work for nothing, day after day, after day,” said the affable Clifford.
Clifford has done everything from fix washing machines to installing security cameras at the St. Vincent de Paul store in Goderich, Ont. She doesn’t climb ladders anymore, but has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
The Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers, presented to Pat Clifford of Goderich, Ont. in May 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
“She just never ever stops. She’s like an electric car, with a solar panel on the roof,” said Smith, who manages Parson’s Used Furniture, a charitable business within the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
“I just love people. I love making them laugh. I love to help people,” said Clifford.
Clifford could have received the award at a special ceremony with the governor general, but instead decided to have the award mailed to her, and awarded in front of her friends and co-workers in Goderich.
Clifford will celebrate her 75th birthday on June 3.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.