PROVIDENCE BAY—When Islanders talk about volunteers, a name that comes up very often is Angela Johnston.
That is not surprising, as this amazing Providence Bay woman has done a great deal to ensure that youth have an opportunity to play many sports and receive coaching at the same time.
The first place Ms. Johnston volunteered when she and her husband Mike returned to Manitoulin in 2011 was the Providence Bay Fair, which started in 1884. She had grown up with the fair and did a little bit of everything in the beginning. She then set up a ‘kids’ zone’ at the fair to give youth the chance to do something besides go on the carnival rides. This area had a big box filled with corn and toys like tractors for the younger kids to play with, a maze made with hay bales and an obstacle course.
Ms. Johnston is the director in charge of the kids’ zone and the junior section of the exhibit hall on the grounds on fair weekend. She is also the second vice-president of the Providence Bay Agricultural Society. She also did volunteer training and worked with the Cloverbuds, the six to eight-year-olds in the 4-H program.
Ms. Johnson has a passion for curling and has played the sport since she was 11. She also coached junior curling while she was at university in Calgary. She now coaches the Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) curling teams and is an organizer and coach for the Providence Bay curling program. She is also the Northern Ontario Curling Association (NOCA) representative for the Providence Bay Curling Club.
Ms. Johnston is also a member of the Providence Bay/Spring Bay recreation committee and has done a great job organizing activities at the arena and grounds for youth and adults alike. There would be an adult drop-in soccer one evening and drop-in basketball the next. Badminton was also an event. Nerf Wars were a tremendous hit with the kids, and 70 are lined up for soccer, which will begin this weekend, on April 30.
Ms. Johnston is thankful to have three soccer coaches and is very grateful to the Wahl family members who are such a help with Nerf basketball and basketball but she says she can always use an extra hand.
Ms. Johnston was born and raised on Manitoulin. She received a BSc from the University of Guelph, which is where she met her husband Mike, a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology form the University of Calgary, and a B.Ed. form Western University in London. She taught in Ottawa for three years and then returned to the Island. She now teaches science and chemistry at MSS. She is also a Central Manitoulin councillor.
Husband Mike Johnston also gives of his time and worked with 4H at the Providence Bay Fair to show the process of milk production to the fair-goers. He is the president of the Ontario Agricultural Association (OAA) and operates a farm along with his father-in-law.
The Johnstons have two children, Spencer, who is 11 and Parker, who is nine and they participate in every sports program offered. These activities need more volunteer help and Ms. Johnston is happy to welcome anyone who wants to be involved. She invites those who wish to help to reach out to her at almjohnston@gmail.com
