NANAIMO — If you’ve ever attended a fundraising event around the local area, there’s a good chance you’ve seen or eaten one of Rose McCulley’s famous apple pies.
McCulley, who will be 77 in November, has been baking and selling apple pies for various local charities for over 30 years, and was recently awarded with one of the highest honours in Canada.
She was given the Sovereign Medal for Volunteers by Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog on Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Extension Community Hall.
Her journey of fundraising and community spirit started almost 40 years ago when she was working as a housekeeper at the Royal Scot Hotel in Victoria, and discovered a neglected gloria mundi apple tree in the back garden.
“I went to the owner of the hotel and they gave me permission to use the apples, and I told them I would do a fundraiser. Make apple pie, sell the apple pies, and then donate the money to non-profit organizations to help people.”
The first place to receive her donations was the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre, where as the single largest contributor at the time, McCulley was able to raise enough to lower the wait list for women who were assaulted to get counselling by two to three years.
Her fundraisers started to grow from there, and McCulley needed some more helping hands.
“I have a feeling that volunteers make the world go around. I started the fundraiser myself, and it got so big I couldn’t keep up with it. I was a mom of four children, a grandma of six children as the years went by, and I worked full-time….but I continued making the pies at night.”
McCulley raised more than $170,000 over the 35 years with her efforts to combat violence against women and children, helping kids participate in sports, and giving to local schools for equipment, trips, and supplies.
When her family moved to Nanaimo, the first charity to benefit was the Nanaimo Family Life Association for their Beyond Blame program, where men would participate in counselling sessions to reduce the risk of domestic abuse.
Peeling apples by hand was also included in those counselling sessions, and countless teenage sports players also helped peel apples when McCulley’s pies were helping them buy equipment.
Money was raised for a new playground at Chase River Elementary, John Barsby Secondary School’s football program, as well as local lacrosse teams which often featured members of her family.
Family, friends, and well-wishers filled the Extension Community Hall to pay tribute to McCulley and her generous ways. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNow)McCulley said volunteers are essential to keep certain organizations going, like charities, non-profits, and schools.
“If people don’t volunteer they don’t have the money to pay people. So people need to volunteer and it keeps your community healthier and stronger and growing. And hopefully, help young families to raise their children and be better citizens.”
All apples used in her pies are also donated.
She said she hasn’t picked a charity yet this year to support, as the apples are just starting to come into season.
The Sovereign Medal is the highest honour for volunteers in Canada and was awarded to just 23 people last year.
In order to qualify, individuals must be a Canadian citizen who have made “significant, sustained, and unpaid contributions” to their community for approximately ten years.
And true to form, moments after having the award pinned to her, with a smile on her face and a tear in here eye, McCulley asked the crowd: “Is there anybody here who would like to volunteer to peel apples?”
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