Active in more than eight community organizations, there seems to be no limit to volunteering and giving back for Rick Lewall.
Lewall was presented with the 2016 Citizen of the Year award last Friday night at the Delta Chamber of Commerce Hats Off to Excellence gala at Tsawwassen Springs.
The banquet honoured individuals and businesses in nine categories.
A resident of Tsawwassen since 1979, Lewall has been active in the community right from the start.
He said to receive an award of this stature is quite humbling.
"I was very honoured and a little overwhelmed, to say the least," he said.
"I was certainly very honoured just to be nominated and then to receive the award on Friday night was certainly an honour and quite humbling."
His wife Carlene, the driving force behind Delta Gymnastics, received the same award a few years back.
"It's nice to have a bit of a family affair," he said with a laugh.
Lewall said he loves to give back and make the community a better place for all.
"You get known around the community for helping out. I hope I've been able to do my part. I think we've done a pretty good job and I do enjoy it," he said.
"I'm not working, so that helps to be able to do lots of things, but all of these groups and organizations require a team of people," said the father of two and grandfather of five.
"You can't do any of these things as an individual, so I guess part of my ability is to empower others to take on the workload and make these things viable. I'm by far from a one-man band."
A Tsawwassen Rotarian, Lewall has served as president of the club as well as the lead on several committees over the years. Lewall said there are different factors and motivations for volunteering for different groups and organizations.
"The KinVillage board that I'm serving on really came about because of my mother and mother-inlaw in health care and not particularly happy with the level of service that they got. They felt there was a better way and felt that KinVillage was doing a better job in terms of health care," he said.
"Obviously with Delta Gymnastics and my wife's involvement that was a natural and Operation Red Nose, I just really believe in what they are doing and again, with the club's involvement, it all just kind of fits into place."
His community service dates back to the 1980s when he served on the board of the Boundary Bay Bluebacks, including three years as president, and on the fundraising committee of Delta Gymnastics, which eventually built a facility at the South Delta Recreation Centre.
