A long-time Airdrie resident and local business owner was recently awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award – a commemorative medal marking 7,000 Albertans' significant contributions to the province throughout 2022.
The award was created to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada, and as a way for Albertans to pay homage to Her Majesty’s lifetime of service.
According to Wendy Bates, owner of the Hair Lounge salon in Airdrie, receiving the award on Oct. 6 was a complete surprise. Blake Richards, MP for Airdrie-Banff, presented Bates with the award at an Airdrie Breakfast Club (ABC) meeting in front of 24 other club members and local business owners.
“He came there and presented it to me as a surprise – it was really nice,” Bates remarked.
She said it was an honour to be recognized for her community involvement and charitable efforts alongside other volunteers and notable members of the community.
“All the volunteerism in this community is amazing,” Bates said. “People love Airdrie and they support Airdrie 1,000 per cent and I’m just glad to be a part of it – it's just great.
“There’s a lot of community involvement here – lots of great people in Airdrie.”
Bates said when she first moved to Airdrie in 2003, she wanted to embrace the “community culture” in the city.
“A way I did that was through giving back and just being a part of the bigger picture,” she said of her community involvement.
Over the years, Bates has sat on several boards and foundations including the Airdrie Food Bank and BGC Airdrie Club. She also served as a member of the Airdrie Rotary Club for nine years and most recently is a member of the ABC – a group of business owners and entrepreneurs looking to give back to their community.
“We get together every Thursday and it’s a breakfast club,” she said.
Bates added her business aims to raise a lot of money and give back to the community through volunteerism.
Bates also hosts a $10 haircut event each year and donates a live auction item to the Airdrie Health Foundation every year in conjunction with the salon’s Girls' Night Out package.
The local business owner of 14 years said she hoped to stay involved in the community after the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on many in-person events and fundraising efforts.
“[I've been] getting reengaged back in the community – I think we all are,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being a part of the future of Airdrie.”
