The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) has awarded Gravenhurst resident Arleigh Luckett its prestigious Lois James Volunteer Award for 2022. Luckett was elected President of the GPO Parry Sound-Muskoka Constituency Association in 2018 and has worked on behalf of Green Party candidates and initiatives for 14 years, including as campaign manager for two campaigns.
Every year the GPO recognizes an outstanding volunteer whose dedication and service has significantly advanced the values and policies of Green Party constituents, supporters, and voters.
“Arleigh Luckett is a most deserving recipient and has been instrumental building campaign successes in Parry Sound Muskoka, most recently with Matt Richter winning 40% of the vote and narrowly missing the win,” says Linda Mathers, volunteer coordinator for the local organization.
“The key to success and volunteer retention is true teamwork,” Luckett said. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with more than one highly motivated team within the Green movement.”
Luckett moved to Muskoka in 1970 after finishing university. While living in Ryde she and her partner Larry Shirk built a geodesic dome, developed an organic garden, made hand-crafted candles and maple syrup and raised two daughters. Luckett’s career took her from hand-crafting candles to working with children with disabilities and their families into agency management. At the time she retired she was a consultant in client information systems implementation, training, and data analysis.
Most recently, Luckett served on the Matt Richter campaign leadership team with responsibility for data management and the Gravenhurst area. She has established a long history of volunteerism with various Ryde community organizations, Girl Guides Canada, Syrian Refugees Gravenhurst, and more recently the Gravenhurst Against Poverty community gardens project. In 2016, she received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Lifetime Achievement.
She is currently working with fellow CA members and other volunteers to organize opposition to Doug Ford’s push to build Hwy 413, open up the Greenbelt and rush through Bill 23, The Build More Homes Faster Act before new councils are taking up governance. “All three threaten not only the green spaces critical to our food supply and climate resiliency but drastically alter land use planning giving power to the Provincial Government to overturn local municipal planning policy and decision-making,” says Luckett. “The work of holding MPP Graydon Smith and Doug Ford to account can’t wait four more years.”
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