In a full house at the Activity Centre on Sunday (April 18), 200 of the most important people in Jasper gathered to celebrate.

They weren’t well-known heroes in Jasper that make the headlines every week, but heroes nonetheless.

Indeed, these 200 people were at the Volunteer Celebration Banquet to honour each other and the work that they have done to keep organizations afloat and the social structure of Jasper intact.

In conjunction with National Volunteer Week, the event, ironically put together by four volunteers, wasn’t to honour any specific person in Jasper.

“It’s a town that, if someone really needs help in volunteers, just come to Jasper, because they are always ready to work on anything, it’s a great town,” said Janet Barker, a long-time Jasper resident and volunteer. She currently sits on three boards as a volunteer.

“Every organization in town has volunteers that work for them. And a lot of those people work for two or three different ones,” Barker said, who has been on every volunteer board in town except the library. “But, I’ve slowed down a lot, because I’m getting old.”

She said she doesn’t see a rise in the need for volunteers this year, because Jasper simply always needs volunteers. They are getting old, and the community needs to replace them with younger ones, and it’s happening, she said.

Mayor Richard Ireland compared the crowd of charitable workers to the volunteers at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, only more important.

“They came to the scene, they saved venues, they saved events, they saved the Games, they saved the country. Those volunteers made us proud. But from my perspective, they simply represent the same spirit of volunteerism that each of you carries within,” Ireland said.

“They confirmed what we all know, but we sometimes fail to take time to acknowledge, and that is that no significant social undertaking, whether an event like the Winter Olympic Games, or more importantly, the effective functioning of a community can succeed without volunteers,” he said.

While some may aspire to be on the podium, volunteers aspire to build the podium and let someone else enjoy the recognition, Ireland added, and Jasper could not succeed as it does without the selfless contribution of all of its volunteers.

In conjunction with National Volunteer Week, the Jasper Adult Learning Centre has been holding free workshops for volunteers, which anyone can register for.

A beginner’s fly-tying workshop for men will be held today (Thursday, April 22) from 6:30-9:30 p.m. A colour spectrums workshop providing educational insights and entertainment in a process of self-discovery will run on Saturday, April 24 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Events are free, but registration is mandatory. Call 780-852-4418 for more information.