The Rotary Club of Invermere chose Beva and Jordie Kirk as citizens of the year and awarded them each a Paul Harris Fellowship on Wednesday, June 17. Don Steedman nominated the couple, who have been together since grade nine and have been actively working to keep the community active. The Kirks lead runs and bike rides, help with all kinds of self-propelled races, and volunteer with cross-country ski events and more.

In his nomination, Steedman wrote: “this couple has contributed thousands of hours of volunteer time to greatly enhance the life of our valley residents and visitors… They are an inspiration to myself and many others of the value and importance of healthy lifestyle activities that we can enjoy in our valley because of what they do.” In addition to their business, Crazy Soles, which Beva runs, the Kirks are involved with the Columbia Valley Cycling Society, the Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club, Greenways Trail Alliance and film festivals that celebrate outdoor adventures.

As she presented the Kirks with the honours, Rotarian Yvonne Redeker said: “we like to support and recognize those folks that exemplify our ideals of service and community involvement.”

“We think what we do is normal,” Jordie said in his remarks, adding that it’s really fun to encourage others to join them outside. “So many people volunteer… it makes this valley a great place to live and we’re thankful for that.”

Jordie said he grew up in a family that looked for solutions when they came across problems.

“You figure it out and make something happen. You don’t sit around and wait for someone else,” he said. Their son Solomon, 16, offered a few words in praise of his parents, saying: “It’s really cool what you guys have done to grow the community of people running and biking.”