Dara McMunn—Community Futures Newsask
Dara McMunn doesn’t know how to do something with a commitment of less than 100%.
Though she and her husband raised three kids while operating a family farm of more than 10,000 acres, she has still found time to volunteer with several organizations. That part of her story isn’t unusual—you can find committed volunteers with busy lives all across rural Saskatchewan.
What sets Dara apart is that she doesn’t just volunteer her time to attend board meetings; she examines the organizations that she works with, asks “What do they need, and how can I help them get there?” and then dives in to make it happen.
With this approach, she spearheaded the conversion of the Star City Community Rink to geothermal heating: researching what was needed for the project, filling out applications, and successfully accessing the grant funding to make it happen.
Her contribution to Community Futures Newsask through her many years on the board have been even more impactful.
While serving in several roles, including Secretary/Treasurer and Vice-Chair, Dara applied her human resources and management experience collected over many years of employment in community colleges to guiding budgetary and governance discussions with her CF.
Her business experience gained with the operation of the farm has helped her gain an understanding of what is needed to be a successful entrepreneur, which has made her an invaluable resource when considering loan applications.
She also took on several major projects for the corporation, including reviewing its insurance coverage, and overseeing a section-by-section rewrite of Newsask’s outdated Policy Manual to ensure that they meet federal and provincial guidelines.
It is this continued level of dedication to her region and her community and willingness to go above and beyond the typical volunteer that make us proud to name Dara McMunn the 2022–2023 recipient of the Community Futures Award for Volunteerism. 2022-2023 WINNERS