By Reporter Neil Judson njudson@squamishchief.com Owen Carney has been a endless source of energy for Squamish for decades. Besides building Carney's Waste Systems from the ground up, decades of community and far-reaching contributions make Carney stand out as the next Squamish resident that deserves to be celebrated by the Squamish Rotary Club, and they're doing so at a gala fundraiser at Quest University next Saturday (Nov. 22).
"What strikes me is just his energy and perseverance over the years that I've known him," said Squamish Rotary president-elect Ian Davis. "He is very self-made." Squamish Rotary directors decided to keep a great thing going after last year's tribute to Dr. LaVerne Kindree raised $200,000 for the Squamish Health Care Foundation Society. Carney received Business Person of the Year awards in Squamish and Whistler and has contributed to countless organizations and charities over 40 years living in Squamish. His unrelenting desire to do good for the community is central to the many awards his business has collected for innovation and contributions to the environment, said Squamish Rotary program director Denise Imbeau. A former Carney's employee of 17 years, Imbeau remembers the day 20 years ago when he brought the first recycling bin into the office and announced the start of recycling. "I think everyone just thought it was crazy and nobody would ever do it - that this is what we do, we just throw things away. But the thing about Owen [...] once he gets set on a higher moral ground nothing fazes him." Carney's care also extends beyond his community. Carney was awarded a Queen's Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work, which is as far-reaching as Guatemala. He's also had a longstanding connection to Loggers Sports, as a successful competitor and steadfast volunteer. And Carney was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame for his leadership of the Whistler Weasel Workers, a non-profit organization of alpine workers dedicated to the sport's advancement in British Columbia. Davis worked as a Weasel Worker and attests to Carney's inspirational character. "He's a guy that inspires a lot of loyalty," he said. "It's his openness and honesty that foster that loyalty and his leading by example. He doesn't ask others to be out in the trenches unless he's out there alongside you." The celebration includes a dinner as well as live and silent auctions focused on "Owen Experiences." All proceeds go to the Linda Carney Rotary Cares Foundation, which covers the cost of uninsured medical expenses for residents of the Sea to Sky Corridor, and the Squamish Rotary Foundation. Locally, the funds from the event will primarily go toward the new Seniors' Centre in Squamish and refurbishing the Rotary clock in downtown Squamish. Internationally, the money will be directed to eradicate polio world-wide and provide funding for a fulltime nurse in the Casa Colibri medical clinic in Guatemala. Tickets cost $150 per person and $1,000 for a table of eight.