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Melissa Batchilder’s home might be in Massachusetts, but her heart is in eastern PEI.
The Georgetown native has always made sure to remember where she came from and lend a hand to those in need.
In doing so, Ms Batchilder was recently awarded the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in recognition for her contributions to her community and as a volunteer.
“At home, the messages we received from our parents were to always lend a hand and think of other people before yourself,” Ms Batchilder said.
Those key messages are what guides her still today, and were the driving force behind her crusade to save Georgetown Elementary School.
In 2009, from her home in New York, Ms Batchilder facilitated the community’s successful effort to keep Georgetown Elementary open, at a time when the school board was looking to consolidate some schools.
“We lobbied the school board and befriended them to a point where they could understand why the school should stay open,” Ms Batchilder said. “And when the vote came down, we won.”
In 2005, she donated $10,000 to improve the school’s library and resource centre. The funds came from an award she won through her employer at the time, which recognized employees who showed the spirit of giving back to the community.
And that’s exactly what she did with her winnings.
“I’m very, very passionate about Georgetown and Georgetown School,” Ms Batchilder said. “I wanted to share my many blessings with the kids.”
Ms Batchilder hasn’t just helped her hometown, though. She’s also lent a hand to those in need in the cities and communities around the world where she’s lived and visited.
She donated a wheelchair lift to a community in Cape Breton where people with disabilities live collectively, and organized a trip to New York City for its residents. She collected weaving looms and travelled to India to help a community begin a weaving program.
She led a faith-based support group in a women’s prison, helped raise funds to build a church in Harlem, and she’s even welcomed homeless people to stay in her house over the years.
“If there’s something I’m passionate about, I’ll dive in and help,” she said. Ms Batchilder was unknowingly nominated for the award by her brother Chris, who felt she deserved recognition for her many acts of kindness over the years.
“My brother was just kind enough to feel I should be recognized for what I feel is doing what my creator asks of me. It was very, very sweet of him,” Ms Batchilder said of her brother’s gesture.
The award recognizes individuals who volunteer their time to help others and build a smarter and more caring nation. It is the only award for volunteerism given by the Governor General.
“When I got the e-mail, I thought my mother had won an award ...it was addressed to ‘Mrs Batchilder’. I had no idea until my brother told me to read the e-mail,” she said.
Ms Batchilder said she was excited when she received the news, but said she was moved more by the letters of recommendation her supporters submitted on her behalf.
“There are some really beautiful sentiments in them. They were overwhelming,” she said, placing a hand over her heart to show how touched she was by the comments.
Although Ms Batchilder moved away from Georgetown 17 years ago to pursue a career in communications, appreciation for her hometown is still evident in the ways she continues to support the community where she grew up.
Every year she dips into her own pockets to uphold an award she established at Georgetown Elementary entitled the ‘Spirit of Youth’ bursary.
“Kids from eighth grade write an essay every spring that asks them to talk about what makes them love and be proud about the community they were raised in,” she said.
She also continues to support the King’s Playhouse, where she worked as a stage manager and production assistant as a teenager.
“If somebody is doing a community-based production, a lot of the time all they need is $250 to make it happen,” she said, adding that she inherited her community pride from her parents, Paul and Rosemary, who were very active in the community themselves when she was growing up.
Although Ms Batchilder is unsure when she will receive her award, she’s certain she will make the trip to receive it in person, wherever and whenever that may be.
“I just feel so blessed,” she said.
Until then, she continues to live life guided by her own words of wisdom.
“Listen with your heart. If you do that, you have no worries.”
Photo: Melissa Batchilder stands in front of Georgetown Elementary, the school she attended as a child and which she still supports today through her various donations over the years. She was recently awarded the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award for her volunteer efforts and contributions to her community. Melanie Jackson photo
First appeared in The Eastern Graphic May 29, 2013
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