Following the retirement of Michelle Boyer at the end of 2020, Brook Swanson has been appointed as the Village of Beiseker’s new Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) coordinator – a role she said she has been interested in for some time.
“I am just thrilled to be a part of the Village of Beiseker,” she said. “I am really excited to offer some different program options and gain partnerships within the community.”
Swanson said she has spent the last 17 years in community recreation. She started her career in the fitness industry, with a focus on recreation administration. Formerly a long-time employee of Genesis Place Recreation Centre in Airdrie, she said she recently began to search for a job that featured a different concept of recreation.
FCSS, according to its website, works to not only strengthen and maintain a system of networking and sharing of information and expertise among communities, but also provide community advocacy and education through programs and community engagement. An example of such programming is a babysitting course that FCSS facilitates for youth in Beiseker and the surrounding areas.
“The FCSS role is about giving back and really connecting with your community,” Swanson said. “It was like that in Airdrie, but the city is so large, it’s getting bigger and giving back to a small community was so important to me. I was purposely looking for something that would allow me to transfer my skills and experiences to a smaller town and community – I was so excited to find this role.”
For Swanson, a huge motivator for her is continuing to find ways to connect with people.
“I think for me, I am looking forward to helping the community and revitalizing volunteering,” she said. “I want to support the community with different grant options and see Beiseker flourish and grow.”
Swanson started the job shortly after new public health restrictions were enacted in Alberta. The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has made for an interesting start to a job that focuses so much on community engagement.
“It has been very different,” Swanson said. “I am a very outgoing person and I love to connect with people and work as a team. Working through a pandemic has been a challenge. I would say it is a welcomed challenge, as it really allows me to think outside of the box.”
She has also signed up to worth with the Rural Crime Prevention Project, adding it is an endeavour she is looking forward to. According to Swanson, the program – which Beiseker was picked as a pilot site for – aims to create a community safety plan for residents.
“We are just starting off, but we have some members of the community and administration who are going through training on rural crime,” she said. “Probably in February, we will be starting an action plan that will include a lot of people from Beiseker to support the framework. It’s really exciting.”
She said she has felt welcomed since joining the team in Beiseker, and added the time spent already in her new role has been refreshing.
“It has been a really great transition,” she said.
In its January newsletter, the Village of Beiseker welcomed Swanson to the position and wished Boyer a happy retirement.
"The Village staff will miss Michelle's positive and enthusiastic personality in our office, as well as her unfailing commitment to her position," the newsletter stated. "She has made it clear that, although she will no longer be involved in an official role with the Village, she is still in the area and we are sure all of us will still enjoy her company and involvement in and around town."
Swanson can be reached at [email protected]
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
