Yarmouth County residents Jeff Little, his wife Erika and children Emma and Alex were honoured at Monday’s provincial volunteer awards ceremony in Halifax by receiving a special award for volunteer family of the year.
Jeff Little also received the representative volunteer award for the Municipality of Yarmouth.
The Little family has been living in the Yarmouth area for 11 years and during this time they have more than made their mark in service to the community.
When they first arrived in 2008, they took to volunteering as a way to meet new people.
In his role as a board member with the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation, Jeff created the annual WE CARE Radiothon, a fundraising initiative that he chairs and which benefits the Yarmouth hospital. Erika, Emma and Alex also volunteer their time for this event. To date, $300,000 has been raised to purchase much-needed hospital equipment.
Jeff also co-founded and chairs the 100 Guys That Share Yarmouth County, which has donated more than $130,000 to local charities.
As parents, Erika and Jeff use volunteering not only to give back to their community but also to set an example for their children, promoting leadership and social responsibility.
Emma turned her small high school Rotary Interact Club into the largest in Atlantic Canada.
Alex – with help and inspiration from Emma and Erika – then worked to create a new Rotary Interact Club at the junior high level, where he leads the club as president.
As for Erika, in addition to her commitment to Rotary and the Interact Club, she has volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the chamber of commerce, the local 100 Meals program and school advisory councils.
The entire Little family has been involved in Scouts Canada and Girl Guides of Canada.
When asked why they volunteer as a family, the Littles say giving back not only benefits the community but also gives them the chance to connect with each other and have fun.
