submitted by Susan Hanna
On February 2, 2019, Almonte resident Mary Lou Souter was presented with the President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement at the Ontario Library Association (OLA) AGM in Toronto. In his remarks, Kerry Badgley, president of the association noted that the selection of an award winner is at the full discretion of the president of the OLA and is given only if there is something of true historic significance to recognize.
Mr. Badgley lauded Ms. Souter’s achievements and her commitment to her local public library and libraries in general. He noted that Ms. Souter has served on the Mississippi Mills Public Library Board for more than 20 yeas including a stint as chair. Her engagement with provincial organizations has resulted in a well functioning board that enjoys good relations with the community and with the library’s CEO. He noted that she champions library staff and listed among her accomplishments:
- her successful application for a Trillium grant for have the Almonte Branch ,
- her assistance in obtaining funding for the Pakenham Branch’s space needs assessment
- her contribution to the Municipal Canada 150 grant for the Pakenham branch’s expansion and her spearheading of fundraising efforts
- her close work with municipal staff
