Erland Lee Award

              Erland Lee Nomination
The Members of the Cottonwood Women's Institute are pleased to
nominate Norrie Cunningham for the prestigious Erland Lee Award. Nome
began his involvement with the Cottonwood Women's Institute at a very
young age as his mother Mrs. Ivy Cunningham was the first President of that
branch. Norrie is the husband of the former District Five Director, Blanche
Cunningham.
Norrie was born February 21, 1940, the fourth child of Don and Ivy
Cunningham, early pioneers of the Cottonwood District. Norrie attended
Women's Institute meeting at a very young age with his mother. He fondly
remembers his father driving his mother and the children in the democrat
over very muddy roads to attend the local Women's Institute meeting.
Norrie married Blanche Dallaire in December of 1960. Together they
raised one son Michael and one daughter Anne on the family farm in the
Cottonwood District. Blanche became an active member of the Cottonwood
Women's Institute in 1967 where she is a Branch Life Member today.
Norrie has supported all of Blanches many endeavors through the last 46
years.
Norrie is always available to help set up tables and chairs for any
Women's Institute function and provide the much needed assistance of
removing these items after the event. On many occasions he has willingly
sold tickets for raffles, fundraising events, or peeled potatoes and vegetables
for events that the branch has catered to. Norrie can be easily found at a
Women's Institute event preparation session cutting grass or shoveling snow
from the sidewalks. He is always willing to provide the needed equipment
even if this involves hauling the needed machinery to the event.
During the Quilt Block Challenge Norrie willingly put up with
hundreds of quilt blocks through out their home. By the completion of the
Quilt Block Challenge Norrie was snipping threads off of the back of quilts,
hanging quilts and building the needed equipment to hang the quilts. Norrie
traveled to the Legislature Buildings in Edmonton to view the Centennial
Quilt. Again on the trip to Edmonton, Norrie was busy lending a hand to
any of the senior members who needed assistance in any way.
Norrie has also been a strong supporter of all Constituency and
Provincial Activities that Blanche was involved in. Norrie and Blanche
together have provided funds to help with the annual Constituency
Handicraft Day on a number of occasions.
The charter day of the Cool Crafts Girls Club was very special for
Norrie and Blanche as two of their grand- daughters were charter members.