SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Gerda Groothuizen says there are a lot of people who deserve more praise for their volunteer work than she does.

"There are a heck of a lot of people in Yellowknife who do more than me," said the deputy fire chief.

During the day Gerda Groothuizen is the deputy fire chief of life safety and prevention for the Yellowknife Fire Department and in her spare time a volunteer with three organizations: the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, NWT Civil Air Search and Rescue Association and as president of the NWT Fire Chiefs Association. She was recently picked as the most compassionate person in Yellowknife by Mayor Gord Van Tighem. - Heather Lange/NNSL photo

She was picked by Mayor Gord Van Tighem as one of Yellowknife's most compassionate people last week. Groothuizen had been the volunteer president with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Yellowknife for the past six years. She recently stepped down due to other volunteer commitments, but remains active with the society.

"She got the society off the ground," said current president Robert Schmidt. "If it wasn't for her, there would be no Society of St. Vincent De Paul in Yellowknife,"

The international society is more than 100 years old. Its mandate is to help people who are in distress such as when there is no food on the table or they don't have a place to live, for example. There are currently 20 society members in Yellowknife and 10 active society members.

Groothuizen said the society steps in and offers non-judgmental support and a hand up, not a hand out. They are not meant to be used in the long term, but to guide families in the right direction.

"We are not there to enable them, but there so the families can get on their own feet and manage their own finances," said Groothuizen.

When asked what is the driving force behind her volunteering with the society, she said, "just knowing that they know that somebody cares about what position they're in."

"It's giving back to the community," she said. "I have so much and so many people have so little. It's by the grace of God."

The society is run solely through donations with no government support. Through the Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op, the society offers food coupons to families in need.

Last year the organization helped 156 families in Yellowknife. The society raises money twice a year by bagging groceries at the Co-op and having food vouchers available at the Co-op for customers to purchase.

The money from vouchers sold goes directly to the society.

Groothuizen said sometimes life is about taking chances, especially for those families or people stuck in the cycle of social assistance and may be scared to pursue work.

"Take that step," she said. "Even if you are fearful, take that step. At least you tried."

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