– by Susan Simosko –
Friends & Neighbours is about the people who quietly enrich our lives personally and collectively every day. They distinguish themselves by the incredible things they do, whether or not we even notice. It is my pleasure to introduce you to a few of these remarkable people and to share something of their stories.
Sheilah Fea makes people happy. A lot of people. As President of the Peninsula Celebrations Society (PCS), Sheilah and her team bring smiles to over 40,000 people each year. With those footsteps comes an enormous boost to the local economy too.
Sheilah is the driving force and prime organizer behind an extraordinary list of Sidney events: the Christmas and Canada Day parades, the fireworks, Sidney Days, the Polar Bear Swim, the Easter Egg hunt, and Summer Sounds, to name just a few. “These are true community events,” Sheilah says, “made possible through the significant financial and in-kind support of local organizations and individuals.” Sheilah tells me that most people think the Town of Sidney pays for everything, but as she says, “We appreciate all the Town does for us – they have so many competing priorities – but are grateful that other organizations such as eninsula Co-op, the Victoria Airport Authority, Salvador Davis and others help out too. Each year we squeak through!”
Before becoming President four years ago, Sheilah served on the Board for several years. “The Society’s mandate is to provide free fun and recreational opportunities to families and children,” Sheilah tells me. “What’s not to love about a mission like that?” Under her leadership, Sheilah and her team of 12 volunteers harness the commitment, creativity and time of literally hundreds of people to ensure the success of every event. This year, the PCS has taken on another event: Access Awareness Day, June 7th. Sheilah believes that “working with others on this important event provides yet another opportunity to collaborate and build a stronger community.”
And let’s talk about the pig! Anyone who has attended a Summer Sounds concert knows the pig needs feeding to help pay the musicians and keep the concert series running from year to year. Although Tom Watson generously donates his time to organize and emcee the concerts, PCS must pay each group. “We needed a mascot that would help people to understand the importance of making donations at each concert,” Sheilah tells me. “We looked around and found just the one we wanted – in Edmonton. The float takes several minutes to blow up, but doesn’t he make quite the statement? Kids and adults love him!” The big pink pig reminds the audience to “feed” the little piggybank that volunteers pull around during each concert.
Mentioning money, Sheilah tells me that because of a lack of funding, North Vancouver and Port Alberni have had to cancel their parades. “I so hope nothing like that happens here,” she says, “because in many ways the parades demonstrate the very best of our community – our creativity, community spirit, and sense of tradition.”
Although Sheilah devotes most of her time to the PCS, she also serves on the Community Development Committee, an organization that provides advice, when asked, to Council. Previously she served on the School Board and North Saanich Council and ran a successful business with her husband, Dennis. One of her proudest efforts, she says, was serving on the Memorial Parks Society Board during the building of the Mary Winspear Centre. “It was an exciting time,” she says. “I learned so much and fought hard to get all those stalls in the ladies’ washroom! That’s Sheilah: standing up for what she believes in and helping to make it happen.
