You may have noticed that this feature has not been in the newsletter for some time. Surely there are hundreds of Glamorgan residents with stories to tell, but they have not been coming forward. In order to continue, we need your help to identify possible folks to interview.
Do you know an individual or organization that you would like to see in this feature? Contact Loretta Biasutti at [email protected] or 403-249-5945 or drop off a suggestion at the community centre.
Susan Fatovich is a shining example of the power of resilience and of community. Time after time, when Susan encountered obstacles to her goals, she was flexible to change direction, and in the process, discovered new talents and interests.
Susan grew up on a farm near Tisdale, Saskatchewan, surrounded on neighbouring homesteads by grandparents and aunts and uncles. There were seventeen grandchildren who grew up together, and friends used to tease them that the family had its own little colony.
Susan left the farm to enrol in SAIT in 1990. When she graduated as a Medical Laboratory Technician in 1992, during the Klein-era hiring freeze, she was unable to get a job in her field. For two years, she worked a variety of odd jobs in Calgary, Tisdale, and Kananaskis. She eventually found work as a lab assistant at a Medical Clinic. Susan reminded me that, at that time, many clinics had their own small lab. Her duties went beyond the lab to include receptionist duties and some office management and accounting. She discovered that she liked accounting, and subsequently applied those skills as part of the accounting team at the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. A perk of the job was four free ski tickets monthly, a benefit that thrilled her boyfriend (now husband), although Susan was less enthusiastic. As she said, “I was from flatland Saskatchewan – I was terrified!”
Susan and her husband, Dave, have lived in Glamorgan since 1997. Their son, Luke, is a software engineering intern and their other son, Mark, is studying criminal justice at Mount Royal University.
After another stint as a part-time lab assistant where she had previously worked, with little prospect of obtaining full-time work as a lab technician, a young family, and with Dave’s job requiring frequent travel, Susan decided not to continue working outside the home. She found herself socially isolated and suffered from depression, which was eased with the help of a supportive family physician and with gradual increased involvement in the community.
In Susan’s case, involvement is an understatement. For years, she has served the schools that Glamorgan children attend, from kindergarten to Senior High. She served on the Board of the Glamorgan Community ECS (kindergarten) for many years and was instrumental in recommending the wonderful space at Glamorgan Church when the program was moving out of the school.
Susan moved on with her children to Glamorgan School, where she was an active volunteer. She was eventually hired as a lunchroom supervisor and helper to individual students. She also coordinated the volunteers who helped create the mosaic mural that adorns the school hallway. Susan then served on School Council at Bishop Pinkham Junior High and helped with the band program at Western. She is still involved with the Friends of Western and the band program. For the last several years, she has worked for the Calgary Board of Education during registration times for adult learning programs.
Susan’s impact on young learners was recently highlighted when she was volunteering at the graduation activities at Western. She was approached by two students who remembered her fondly from their days in elementary school when she was helping the recently arrived twins from Colombia with reading.
Susan is modest about her contributions, and says, “Being part of the community helped my mental health. It’s worth it to get involved and get to know your neighbours. You’ll have support when you need it.” And Susan is the kind of neighbour who others can count on as well.
Today, Susan finds herself in a new stage of life. “Now is my exploring time. I need to find something I’m passionate about.” She is taking up new hobbies, like flower arranging and jewellery making. Working with life coach, Jennifer Powter, she has lost fifty pounds and her “mindset has completely changed”.
Thank you, Susan, for all you have done to enrich the school life of so many Glamorgan children. And may you enjoy whatever new adventures you embark upon.
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