by Tom Sasvari
EVANSVILLE—“The smallest gesture can make a difference in someone’s day or their outlook on life,” said Nicole Middleton of Evansville. “And it makes me feel good and I look forward to the next thing or activity I can get involved in.”
“I am a people person and love to help out, and putting a smile on a person’s face,” Ms. Middleton said.
The first time she did anything in terms of volunteering was as a member of the Mills Youth Group. “This organization did a bunch of stuff for kids in the community, like ball games, cleaning up the township and being active. Kids need to be shown there is more to the world than home, school, television, computer, and their cell phone.”
From there she joined the Burpee and Mills Fire Department, which has been her passion for a long time. She has been on the fire department for 25 years now, working in fire prevention and as an inspection officer for the township.
Ms. Middleton worked at the Manitoulin Lodge Nursing Home in Gore Bay for 17 years. “One of the things I helped to organize and put on was a fishing derby we held for two years with the Lodge residents. How this all started is I love to fish; it is my go-to. Anyway, I was telling one of my residents one day that I had caught a bass. The resident told me they had never been fishing or ever caught a fish. This was during COVID-19, and we were on shutdown. The residents didn’t go out and relied on us to make things good.”
With her boss’s approval, she organized a fishing derby in the Lodge courtyard, with fish donated by Mike Meeker. They purchased a pool from the Canadian Tire and filled it with water. Mr. Meeker hauled all the fish in and provided the oxygen bubbles so the fish could breathe. After the derby they held an outdoor fish fry for the residents, Ms. Middleton said. “The residents and staff had such a great time.”
Ms. Middleton noticed that people weren’t getting out much when pandemic restrictions first began to lift, so she went into action last December. She drives a school bus for A.J. Bus Lines, driving Manitoulin Secondary School students. She had heard the United Church in Gore Bay needed donations for their food cupboard so she got students on her school bus to help her by collecting non-perishable food items.
When things were slow the first week she asked her boss if she could put out an incentive to the students. “I promised them if they could come up with six boxes of non-perishable food items, I would make them homemade pizza and butter tarts,” she explained. “The kids really rose to the challenge and ended up bringing in eight boxes.”
Ms. Middleton has volunteered at many activities through the Burpee and Mills recreation committee and for the annual Barrie Island hunters’ supper, bringing along her children Christopher and Cindy to help.
When Rick Graham, the new fire chief in Burpee and Mills said he wanted it known the fire department was there and active, it was another opportunity to step up. “We started to do some activities like Family Fun Day, with games, chili and homemade rolls,” Ms. Middleton said. “This was in February and some people couldn’t get out, so we delivered 17 meals to local residents. Everything is by donation and all the money we receive goes back into activities in the community. The fire department has hosted a St. Patrick’s Day dance for all ages, including a potluck dinner, and did a township Easter egg hunt.”
“And the fire department has started holding euchre parties on Monday nights,” continued Ms. Middleton.
As if all that isn’t enough, last week she attended a volunteer fair in Gordon/Barrie Island and joined up for Friends of Misery Bay, Community Living and a Gordon/Barrie Island community barbecue.
If Ms. Middleton had to choose a role model, it would be Gloria Hall. “She is an amazing person and volunteer. If we can all do half of what she has done in her lifetime, we will all be good. She goes beyond.”
