'I love this town': Hometown Hero dedicates her time to rejuvenating Radville
A Radville woman has earned the title of Hometown Hero because of her efforts to rejuvenate and preserve the history of the town.
Eighty-year-old Jeannette Verhelst is spearheading multiple projects in the Radville, including helping run the CN Station Museum.
In 2004, the Radville Chamber of Commerce was discussing converting the old train station building in the centre of town into a museum.
“To tell you the truth I got a little fed up with spinning our wheels and I said I will spear head it if everybody backs me up,” Verhelst said. “The chamber really did. Everybody stepped up.”
The building was run down as it had been closed for many years. Verhelst said the basement was full of rain water and windows were broken.
She and other community members restored the building and started collecting historic items, opening the museum in 2010.
“It’s the heart of our town,” Shauna Bourassa, chief administrative officer with the Town of Radville, said. “The other side of that, it’s also our history. It’s the community of how we [became] Radville and all the information in there provides a story of who we are.”
Tourism Radville said the museum attracts people from all over the country, as well as people from local communities.
But her work at the CN Station Museum isn’t the only thing that makes Verhelst special.
Bourassa said Verhelst opened a second hand store in 2015 that donates all the funds to the community. More than $100,000 has been donated since opening day.
She added that Verhelst also came up with outdoor activities for community members during COVID-19 lockdowns to keep people active and engaged.
“Jeannette is truly an inspiration to the community and the community would definitely not have the beauty, the amenities and the services without Jeannette’s drive and enthusiasm,” Bourassa said. “She is a woman with a vision and won’t take no for an answer.”
Verhelst said she wouldn’t be able to do what she does without the support of the community where she was born and raised.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.