The Northwest Territory Métis Nation would like to congratulate beneficiaries Melissa Johns and Mary Poitras on the awards they received from the Town of Fort Smith. On July 1st, 2023, Melissa was recognized as Fort Smith’s ‘Citizen of the Year’ for her hard work and dedication to the community, and Mary was recognized as Fort Smith’s ‘Elder of the Year’.
We are incredibly proud of our beneficiaries and their achievements. Their recognition as Fort Smith’s ‘Citizen of the Year’ and ‘Elder of the Year’ respectively is a testament to their unwavering dedication, hard work, and profound impact on the community. We applaud their success, and we look forward to their continued contributions to society.
The following notes were gathered from the presentation given by the Town of Fort Smith when Melissa was announced as ‘Citizen of the Year’:
“Melissa consistently displays great work in many areas in the community including community service, arts and entertainment and sport! Melissa Johns regularly spends her free time volunteering in the community to help create opportunities for children in our community. Melissa also helps encourage the people she works with, including to commit to personal development and caring for our fellow community members. Many of the successes in her area of work are because of Melissa’s continued commitment to inspire and motivate her co-workers and colleagues.
A good example of Melissa’s commitment to the community is last year’s Hawkey Hut Canteen! Not only did she organize people, French fries, and popcorn chicken, but the countless volunteer hours spent behind a hot grill helps to keep the registration costs low for ALL participants of the Fort Smith Minor Hockey Association.
Melissa’s skills are numerous and impressive, and she continues to impress us all with skills and traits like: Passion, Leadership, Problem‐Solving, and Interpersonal skills. We are so excited to honour her today and recognize her for the incredible contributions she brings to Fort Smith.”
