“If you can see it, you can be it,” so the saying goes.
And with that idea in mind, the Regional Municipality of Grand Falls last month selected John Caldwell School (JCS) teacher Marco Leblanc as one of six recipients of its new volunteer recognition award, Community Grandioses.
The award, first announced in January, recognizes the work of area volunteers, and encourages more people to give of themselves to benefit the community. The award also recognizes heroes—those who perform heroic acts—and ambassadors—those who bring positive attention to the Grand Falls community.
“We want to be sure that the people that actually do the volunteerism are recognized,” said Grand Falls Regional Municipality Councilor Danny Soucy. “By recognizing a handful of people a year, we hope it will encourage more people to volunteer.”
Leblanc got an early start in volunteering and credits his mother for his benevolent nature.
“As a young student, I was on the committee for the regional food bank here in Grand Falls,” said the 2002 JCS graduate. “I did over 10,000 hours of community work and volunteering with them.”
He carried his volunteer activities onto university, organizing food drives, group meals, and game nights for fellow students. So, when he came to JCS in 2015 to teach, Leblanc was well versed in how to organize activities that would both engage his students and benefit the wider community.
“All of my leadership classes say ‘Yes, you need to do some stuff for your school, but you also need to go bigger and do something for your community’, and that’s the goal,” he said.
“They can start small in their school, but they can go bigger in the community, and they should if they can.”
Marco Leblanc
In addition to the Leadership classes Leblanc teaches, he is also the JCS grad and student council advisor and runs a full-buffet breakfast for students every morning. And he is a homestay coordinator with Atlantic Education International.
“He’s spent many years doing extracurricular work at school to promote healthy eating for students,” said Soucy. “He’s volunteered on the national and provincial level with the Student Leadership Association and anti-drug initiatives here in the area.”
Currently, Leblanc’s Leadership students are building a shelf called a “Knights Nook,” a name derived from the school’s Golden Knight mascot.
“The nook is a shelf that has 16 compartments, and in each compartment, there will be some personal hygiene products that will be free to high school students,” he said. “It’ll be whatever they need, from soap and shampoo to shaving cream and deodorant.”
The nook will also provide bottled water and school supplies like pens, pencils, and paper to students in need.
“It’s really important to get students involved from a young age,” said Leblanc.
Leblanc had always been involved with the Grand Falls Association for Community Living, even becoming its president in 2017. However, after the 2018 death of an aunt, Leblanc committed to the full-time care of a cousin with developmental challenges. Caring for his cousin prompted him to volunteer at a community residence Soucy founded for seven adults with developmental challenges.
Simply stated, Leblanc has set a good example for his students and his community, and he wants others to take note.
“I’m hoping that [students] leave my classroom knowing that they can make an impact,” he said. “They can start small in their school, but they can go bigger in the community, and they should if they can.”
Leblanc and the five other Community Grandioses award recipients will be honoured tonight after the 7 p.m. municipal council meeting located in the municipal building, 131 Pleasant Street, Suite 200, Grand Falls, N.B.