St. John's Communauté Nouvelles

SPRINGDALE, NL — Volunteering was instilled in Heather Johanson at a young age. She may not have quite understood its value back then, but she certainly does now. Today, in Springdale, she can be found at the heart of many groups and organizations that help make the Green Bay town a better place to live.

This is the ninth year for the volunteer appreciation dinner. One of the people responsible for cooking the meal turned out to be the Volunteer of the Year for Botwood, Terry Hancock. Also receiving Volunteer of the Year awards were: Northern Arm — Fred Butler Peterview — Amanda Sheppard

SYDNEY, N.S. — You couldn’t take the smile off Halle Gould’s face on Tuesday. For as long as Gould can remember, she always wanted to visit Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and that dream will become a reality today.

Bay of Islands Search and Rescue performed a training exercise in the vicinity of Three Bear Mountain in Corner Brook on Tuesday night. The exercise was a mock search based on a scenario that has happened in the past and volunteers expect could likely happen again — an urban search for an Alzheimer’s patient who has wandered, underprepared, into the woods.

Heretofore, too, this is the time of year when beautiful Bay of Islands and the incredible Humber region has long met Old Man Winter head on with degree-defying local winterfest celebrations through the valleys, up the harbours, down the shores and out the bays of western Newfoundland. About half a century on in some places. Do be watching for winterfesting nearer you. Distances factor in. Driving, suspect. Walking, cautious.

Jigger — a not-so-mini mini-pig who loves belly scratches — is looking for a new forever family where he can be top hog. "He's the type he'll come sit next to you on the couch, he loves a belly rub and an ear scratch and he likes to follow you around to see what you're doing," said Jigger's foster mother Heather Ballard, a volunteer with Rescue NL who already has a pig of her own.