Sig's Something Special
June 20, 2005
By Cam Tait
It's been a good many years since I first set eyes on Sig Stark. She was handling the fundraising and media relations duties for Goodwill Industries in Edmonton, a North American organization that helps - and is helped by - people with disabilities. Goodwill was embarking on a new fundraising campaign that had a 17th century theme. Sig walked, with paramount grace, through the lobby of City Hall before the event started. She was decked out in costume: a long, light brown dress like the ones we see in movies about that era. Many press conferences try using a theme to get more media and, hopefully, more publicity. Some work, while others fail miserably and almost embarrass the charity, leaving one to wonder why they wouldn't just stick to the basics.
Luckily, Sig's effort was sincere and worked. It wasn't cheesy. It simply did the job. I remember watching her throughout the event and I knew there was something special about the way she did things; something about the way she related to people that was just so caring.
A few years later, Sig left Goodwill and went to work for Meals on Wheels. Over coffee one day she suggested that I accompany a few volunteer drivers some day as they delivered meals. It sounded like a great idea for a story so away I went. Sig came, too. And, again, I was taken with her way with people: the staff, the volunteers and specifically the people who were receiving the meals. She was never in a hurry and was willing to stay as long as the conversation lasted. Sig's eyes would slowly but effectively survey where we were, looking for anything out of the ordinary, and anything that might need to be taken care of. As she pointed out once we were back in the car, the volunteers delivering meals are sometimes the only people who visit the clients.
Yet again, I knew there was something guiding Sig; something that didn't set her apart from the rest, but an inner peace she possessed that spread outward.
During the Thursday rush hour in Edmonton, the Meals On Wheels office, located just on the fringe of the downtown area, had a hello/goodbye party. Sig is leaving Meals On Wheels but didn't want to be in the spotlight. Rather, she wanted an opportunity for her friends to meet her replacement. In the world of fundraising, it is an especially good idea for donors to be introduced - personally, if you please - to a new staff member. The same can be said for members of the media. It makes the first phone call a lot friendlier and even easier.
I have known for some time now that Sig and her husband have a long distance marriage. She's been looking for a chance to join him in Vancouver and that time has come. It will be a loss for Edmonton, but when I think about what her husband does, whom he is helping, and the hope he is certainly bringing to people, all the pieces start to fall into place. I am reminded of Sig's graceful walk, her unfailing care for people, and what propels the way she does things. "I'm going to finally be with my husband where he's pastoring at a new church," Sig says.
Cam Tait is a sports reporter and columnist for the Edmonton Journal. He covered community investments and volunteers for 19 years. E-mail Cam at cam@charityvillage.com with thoughts, suggestions or ideas.
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