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Dennis and Val Beasley have been
volunteers in the Pass since before they even moved here, but since
retiring and relocating to Coleman they have been as busy as ever and
strongly involved in different community areas.
Dennis worked as a loans officer and Val
as a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society in the Lethbridge area
where they lived.
After Dennis retired in 2000 and Val in
2002, they began to look at new opportunities in their life.
Val opened a ceramics teaching class in
Lethbridge, but by 2005 she no longer had the space to do what she
wanted. It was then that they decided to move to the Crowsnest Pass, and
they spent the first half of the year building a house in the Bushtown
area of Coleman, including a dedicated space for Val’s ceramics studio.
They were familiar with the Crowsnest
Pass through many years of recreating in the area.
Dennis had been a member of the
Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad since 1999, and in 2003 they both helped as
road block security during the Lost Creek Fire. Dennis has been involved
with the Quad Squad almost since its creation ten years ago.
After retiring he took an ATV Riders
Instructors Course and taught ATV safety for four years. He started a
school safety program that has since been adopted province wide with
three different instructors and possibly soon a need for a fourth.
Since the program started, more than
7000 Grades Five and Six students have gone through it in Alberta.
The program is funded through the Canadian Off-Highway Vehicles
Association.
Now the Vice-President of the Quad
Squad, Dennis coordinates their bridge building efforts with the club’s
many volunteers. They acquire grant funding from many different sources,
and this year intend to build another ten bridges to improve local and
area trails.
The Quad Squad has seen a lot of growth
over the years, including the opening of their new office in Coleman,
which employs one full-time person and one part-time person. There is so
much work to be done that between Dennis and Quad Squad President Glen
French, they spend as many as 200 hours a month at the office working.
One thing Dennis is focused on right now
is organizing a Novice-Family Trail Day for July 5 in the Carbondale and
Lost Creek area. It will be a day for beginners and families to come out
and try out some level yet windy trails together.
In addition to her successful ceramics
business, Val has become well known and has met a lot of people through
her work as coordinator of the local Relay For Life. She was contacted
by the Canadian Cancer Society three years ago about starting up a relay
in the Pass, because of her experience as a fundraiser for them.
The Relay was a great success in its
first year last summer. More than $70,000 was raised for the Canadian
Cancer Society, with 242 participants, 22 cancer survivors, and 95
volunteers taking part in the event. This year’s Relay will be held on
June 13th through the 14th, and Val and her fellow organizers are
already planning ways to improve on last year.
This year there will be heated tents at
the Relay to help people keep warm in the cool hours of the night. A hot
breakfast will be served, and they are looking at arranging
entertainment for the entire night.
The Relay for Life takes up a lot of
Val’s time, but she feels very strongly about its benefits. It is an
event that provides a true sense of community spirit, as everyone knows
someone who has been affected by cancer. Val is currently looking for
volunteers, participants, and survivors to sign up for this year’s
event.
Beyond the Relay, Val has been part of
the Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas in the Mountains festival, and
both she and Dennis help out with the Blairmore Lions. Val has several
of her ceramic creations on consignment at the Art Gallery, the
Crowsnest Museum, and at Copy Magic. She also enjoys quilting, and has
volunteered as part of Bonnie’s Colors of Courage fashion show.
Between them, Dennis and Val have six
children and eight grandchildren, who love to visit them in the Pass and
see the wildlife and scenery. They enjoy the small town atmosphere and
are glad to be a part of the Crowsnest Pass.
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