Airdrie resident Anna Koch will be this year's Parade Marshal for the 2022 Canada Day Parade, which is returning to Main Street on July 1 for the first time since 2019.
Airdrie Parades revealed Koch as the Parade Marshal for the upcoming Canada Day event on June 21. According to a written statement, Koch is a 10-year resident of the city and has become a keen volunteer throughout the last decade.
A message from Airdrie Parades indicates Koch's active volunteerism and love for her community was the reason she was chosen among the pool of potential marshals submitted on the Airdrie Parades website.
"I moved to Airdrie in 2012 and took some time to learn about the city and the various groups in Airdrie," Koch wrote. "I have been fortunate enough to be able to volunteer and participate in various events in a volunteer role since 2014."
Koch doesn't just talk the talk, but she walks the walk. Among the many Airdrie organizations and community events she has aligned herself with over the years include the Airdrie Festival of Lights in 2014 and 2015 and the then-called Airdrie Boys and Girls Club (Now BGC Airdrie Club) from 2014 to 2016, with whom she helped organize various events, including the AirScares haunted house.
In 2018 and 2019, she assisted with the planning and set-up for the Airdrie Princess and Pirates Gala. She also participated as an actor and singer as Mary Poppins in the last gala.
"I believe that you should give back to your community, to assist whenever you're able and to help enrich the lives of others," she wrote. "Volunteering provides that opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, learn new skills, to give back and in the process learn a lot about yourself , your community and the people you volunteer with."
Politically, Koch wrote that she was involved with various political campaigns from 2015 to 2018, helping organize events, knocking on doors, and scrutineering at polling stations on voting days. Most recently, she said she was a volunteer coordinator for a council candidate in the 2021 municipal election in Airdrie.
Away from her busy volunteering schedule, Koch works with Rocky View Schools (RVS) as a lunch time supervisor at Coopers Crossing School and as a before- and after-school programming coordinator for Community Child Care Inc. at Northcott Prairie School. Koch also took part in RVS' graduation banquets in 2017, volunteering to help plan the event and assist with set-up and decorations, as needed.
In the last five years, Koch has expanded her community involvement even further through her participation with Volunteer Airdrie Society, Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society, and and various other events, including the Canada Day Parade and the Airdrie Pro Rodeo.
She is also a volunteer with Coopers Crossing's hot lunch program and, since earlier this year, has been contributing articles to the Neighbours Along 8 Street magazine.
As an advocate for the local arts, Koch was the volunteer coordinator for Create Airdrie's Mayor's Night of the Arts event and sat on the board of directors. She is also the client liaison and a volunteer driver for Airdrie Meals on Wheels Society.
Airdrie Today has reached out for an interview with Koch and will be updating this article when an interview has been completed.
