Our Featured Volunteer of the Month is Heather Collins

This April we are pleased to announce Heather Collins as our volunteer of the month. You might have seen Heather at last week’s Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser as she was on the planning committee for the event. Heather’s daughter Lilly is in ride 6; she started at summer camp four years ago, completed the junior beginner course, and has been at Lancers ever since. Over that time, Heather has helped out with shavings and hay deliveries and this year she decided step up her volunteering through the fundraising event. Of the event, Heather noted, “This was the first year that we teamed up with Bishop’s Cellar to offer tastings of 12 handpicked types of wines from all over the world. We couldn’t have done it without all the amazing contributions that various Lancer families and local businesses brought in for us to auction or without the other committee members that worked hard planning the decor and getting the venue ready for the evening”. The event was a huge success so stay tuned to another post about that! Heather is a great example of how our fundraising events are a great way for parents to contribute to Lancers, especially if their work schedules are changing or they feel their strengths are in non-horsie tasks.

Heather is from Hants County and her neighbour had a horse that she rode a bit for fun while growing up. While Heather never took riding lessons, it was Lilly’s love of horses that brought them to Lancers. Heather’s favourite Lancer horse is always whichever one Lilly loves at that moment although Jake will always be one of Heather’s favourites. Lilly is currently soul searching for a new love and we know a new horse pal will soon be on the horizon for her. As a parent of a junior rider, Heather enjoys Lancers because everyone is dedicated to helping others and caring for the horses. “It’s a great environment for kids to grow up in”, she added. Heather also enjoys watching the Musical Ride because it reminds her of watching the RCMP Musical Ride when she was a child.

Heather is a flight attendant so her schedule is always different from week to week. At work, she has also volunteered to operate the “Search for Santa” flights that Jazz Aviation does for deserving children in the community. She explained, “we take a flight full of kids up in the air to look for Santa. For many of the kids it’s the first time on an airplane and seeing the excitement on their faces when Santa comes into the cabin is amazing”. When she isn’t flying, she loves to stay active by doing regular boot camps at Evolve Fitness and cooking is her hobby. She loves having a dinner table full of friends and family and lots of food! Of course, Heather is also deeply involved in her children’s other sports. As both of her daughters are on swim teams, Heather has done training to become a Level 2 official with Swim Nova Scotia. This allows her the best seat in the house on the pool deck to watch them swim. Volunteering keeps Heather involved in her children’s experiences and she noted that she hopes to continue to support her kids for many years by volunteering with the clubs and activities that they love. 

Heather, we are incredibly thankful for the time, energy, and valuable contribution you made to this year’s Wine Tasting and Silent Auction fundraiser.