LAC LA BICHE - When Lac La Biche's Lavon Fleming looks at her King Charles III Coronation Medal, she is reminded of her husband Lloyd.
She didn’t know he had nominated her for the award, recognizing her community spirit and activism.
He didn’t get to tell her.
Just three months after submitting the nomination, written up by a family friend on his behalf, Lloyd passed away. Two months after his funeral, Fleming learned she would receive the award he had wanted her to have.
"I am so grateful, " said Fleming, a Lac La Biche businesswoman, who is a Beaver Lake Cree Nation member, and is known for her roles on several community organizations including the Lac La Biche Legion and the Lac La Biche Pow Wow Days and Fish Derby Association.
Receiving the award from Cold Lake-Fort McMurray MP Laila Goodridge in late February, through tears, Fleming said her community involvement and passion was always encouraged by her late husband. She said as a couple, they shared a strong work ethic and a strong commitment to the community.
Humbled by the award, Fleming said she is only one person in an often-overlooked local volunteer workforce.
“I think there are a lot of other members of our community, many other women, who deserve this as well,” she said.
Goodridge said Fleming is an example of the local heroes who dedicate time and passion to their communities.
“I am so proud to present it to Lavon for all of the community work she has done,” said Goodridge, making a house-call to Fleming to present the award.
The award is one of 20 King Charles III Coronation Medals issued to residents in the MPs riding, each one coming community nominations.
Fleming joins Lakeland area residents like Portage College President Nancy Broadbent, Cold Lake First Nations Language and Culture Director Lynda Minoose, Northern Lights Public Schools trustee Ron Young, Saddle Lake Cree Nation Elder Bernie Makokis and the late Laverne Wilson, a long-time educator and member of the Elk Point Municipal Library Board who passed away in July of 2024.
Across Canada, more than 30,000 residents have and will receive the commemorative medal created to mark the May 2023 coronation of King Charles III. According to the federal government’s official criteria, the award recipients were selected for their “significant contributions” to Canada, their province, region or community.
