Susan Bienstman wants to see every kid have a chance to do better and quietly does her part to try to make that happen.
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The 70-year-old Chatham woman volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club of Chatham-Kent, the breakfast program at Queen Elizabeth II Public School in Chatham, and the Cyclones minor hockey among other organizations.
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Her commitment to helping kids has earned her the honor of being named 2024 Citizen of the Year by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce.
Bienstman spends a lot of time at Riverview Bingo as a volunteer to help raise funds for youth organizations.
She enjoys the fact “that I’m helping the kids out that need help.”
Bienstman points to the breakfast program where she sees a lot of kids coming in who are hungry.
“It’s nice to know that I’m able to be there to give them something to eat.”
She interacts with the kids, especially at the Boys and Girls Club, to share her wisdom by letting kids know there is more to life than gaming and spending time on the computer.
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“I want the kids to know there’s something out there that’s better than what they’ve got, especially the ones that are down on their luck,” Bienstman said.
Describing herself as a regular person, she readily admits it’s not her style to mollycoddle kids.
“But, they seem to like me,” Bienstman said.
She is also not afraid to be real with kids, especially when it comes to showing respect.
“I’ll do a lot for you, but if you show me disrespect, I can shrug you off really quick.”
Bienstman was shocked when she received a call from the chamber that she was named citizen of the year.
“I’m still in a dither,” she added. “I would have never, ever thought of receiving this honor.”
Although her friends are happy for her, Bienstman laughed, “Oh, they’re teasing the hell right out of me.”
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She will officially be recognized during the chamber’s 136th annual Business of Excellence Awards being held April 11 at the Everest Convention Center in Chatham.
Tickets are $135 each, plus HST and are available online at www.chatham-kentchamber.ca.
Other individuals and businesses that will be recognized during the event, include:
- Maxwell Abraham of Abraham Orthodontics: Young business individual of the year and young entrepreneur of the year
- Greg Hetherington of CKXS 99.1 FM in Wallaceburg: Corporate citizen of the year and business of the year (small)
- Kaleena Cryderman of TekSavvy: Business individual of the year
- Tina Hodgson of Neighborly Care: Entrepreneur of the year
- Dakota Hodgson of Neighborly Care: Business of the year (large)
- Laurie McCarthy of Styled Co./The Paper Bride: Business of the year (medium)
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