KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops YMCA-YWCA has chosen retired school teacher and accomplished athlete Charlie Bruce as the 2016 Peace Medal Award recipient.
Bruce received his award at the Kamloops Y Annual General Meeting Tuesday evening.
“I don’t know that I do anything extraordinary or out of the ordinary,” Bruce said prior to the ceremony.
However, Kamloops YMCA-YWCA CEO Colin Reid believes Bruce’s years of volunteerism and his many contributions to the community have certainly made him worthy of the title of local peacemaker.
“You know, Charlie is one of those people in our community that throughout his lifetime has been giving to the community,” Reid said. “He’s been influencing young people when he was a school teacher and administrator, and he’s been involved in coaching, and supporting people to reach their personal goals.”
Originally from North Carolina, Bruce spent some time in Prince George before moving to Kamloops with his wife, Sandy, in 1980. It was there that he began giving back to the community through his work with special needs students at Fitzwater School.
“That really opened my eyes to the potential of all human beings,” Bruce said, “especially youngsters that are so severely involved … It was a great deal of satisfaction watching those kids progress.”
Bruce’s passion for working with people has often intertwined with his passion for sport. He has been involved in organizing various high-profile sporting events including the 1993 Canada Games, the 2006 B.C. Games, and the B.C. Senior Games in 2013.
Bruce has volunteered with the Kamloops YMCA-YWCA for the past 15 years.
According to Reid, this marks the first time someone directly linked with the Y is receiving a Peace Medal in Kamloops.
“He is well-known,” Reid said. “He’s been a fixture around our swimming pool and coaching people how to swim. He’s been involved with triathlon clubs in the past when the Y was involved in that, and he’s currently a long-time yoga volunteer here at the Y.”
Despite the recognition he is receiving for the good work he continues to do for the community, Bruce remains a humble man.
“The attributes that the peace award stands for I can certainly support those attributes, but I don’t see myself embracing all of them to the level that I’m being recognized today.”
