Results of the Fatality Inquiry

Valerie Kovacs Wolski 1969-2011

Today, the Fatality Report into Val’s death was published. (Click the link to read the report.) Check the NEWS tab for media responses to the inquiry.

Fatality Inquiry Begins

Today, a fatality inquiry into Val’s death began in Camrose. Check the NEWS tab for updates throughout the week. Please be warned that there are disturbing details in some of the articles.

Introducing the Recipient of the 2014 Valerie Wolski Memorial Award

Denise (l) and Annie-Henrika (r) 
2014 Augustana Awards Banquet

We are delighted to announce the recipient of this year’s award, Annie-Henrika Krook, who received $1250 toward her BA program at Augustana.

Each year, one of Val’s old college friends attends the annual Augustana awards banquet. This year, Denise Hawkins was delighted to meet Annie-Henrika, who is in the fourth year of her psychology program at Augustana. Annie-Henrika was born in Holland and at the age of seven, she moved to Wetaskiwin, which is where Val grew up. Annie-Henrika has worked for the Boys and Girls Club and the Camrose Women’s Shelter, and she is currently working at Sifton School facilitating a support group for children of divorce. Denise says, “She is an amazing and charming young lady. She is exactly the type of person this award is meant for. I am so pleased to see that Val’s award will truly make a difference.”

The Third Anniversary of Val’s Death

It’s been three years since Val’s death, and many of us still think of her every day. Thinking of her evokes conflicting emotions: We feel grateful that we knew her, we feel sorrow for her death, we feel sympathy the family that still feels her loss every day, and we feel anger because the people in the agencies responsible for her death have not taken responsibility. The official inquiries did not bring about justice for Val or changes in the system she worked in. Her family members are left to carry on the fight themselves through the legal system. This responsibility should not fall on their shoulders. They should be able to grieve in peace, knowing that our government and its agencies are doing their best to establish responsibility for Val’s death and ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen to someone else. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This anniversary should be at time for all of us to grieve quietly, and remember the many wonderful things about Val: her laugh, her smile, her generosity, her curiosity, and her friendship. Instead, our memories are tainted with outrage that so little has been done, and fear that before the system is fixed, another family will lose a loved one.

2013 Valerie Wolski Memorial Golf Tournament, July 16

Canadian Mental Health’s Valerie Wolski Memorial Golf Tournament is coming up on July 16 in Camrose. Registration begins at 11:30 with a shotgun start at 1:00. Call (780)672-2570 to register.

Not a golfer? Would you like to volunteer? Please contact the above number.

The Second Anniversary of Val’s Death

Valerie Kovacs Wolski
1969 – 2011

As we mark the second anniversary of her death, Valerie has been in the news again the past week.

First came the report from Occupational Health and Safety’s investigation into Val’s death and its finding that no government agency would be held accountable for her death. This was obviously a great disappointment. There will still be an inquiry, but an inquiry cannot assign blame.

A few days later, Val’s husband Craig and her mother Elizabeth initiated two lawsuits against the Alberta government and the Department of Persons with Developmental Disabilities. (To learn more about the lawsuits and to see the full text of Craig’s statement of claim, click on the NEWS tab above).

A silver lining in the midst of this gloomy news was learning that the 2013 Valerie Wolski Memorial Award will be given to Julie Sawchuk of Camrose, who is a fourth-year Augustana student.  We’ll post an update about this in a couple of weeks, after Augustana’s annual scholarship banquet. (To learn more about this award, click the  SCHOLARSHIP tab above.)

Good News!

We received some good news today from Augustana’s Development Office: the total amount in the endowment fund for the Valerie Wolski Memorial Award is now $29 200. We’re only $800 away from reaching our goal of raising $30 000!

Many thanks to the recent donors who have generously given in memory of Val.

Val had such an effect on the people she encountered–from her family (who feel her absence every moment of every day) to former clients (whose lives she changed) t0 strangers (who never met Val but were moved by the story of her death).

Through the  Valerie Wolski Memorial Award, Val’s legacy will live on in Camrose, the place she called home, and at Augustana, the university where she impressed professors, made lifelong friends, and met her future husband.

We, Val’s old college classmates, are getting close to reaching our fundraising goal, which will allow Augustana to provide an ongoing $1250 annual scholarship in Val’s name. We hope to meet our goal of $30 000 before the second anniversary of Val’s death, which is coming up in February.

If you would like to take part in creating a legacy in Val’s name and and if you would like to help deserving students, please make a tax-deductible donation. To learn more about donating, click the Memorial Scholarship tab above, or click here to donate online now.

Thank you. We are grateful for your help.

–Pam Chamberlain  and  Denise Hawkins, on behalf of all of Val’s old college friends

Creating a Legacy

Valerie Kovacs Wolski
1969 - 2011

It’s still overwhelming, even a year after her death, to realize what an effect Val had on a wide range of people–from her family (who feel her absence every moment of every day) to former clients (whose lives she changed) t0 strangers (who never met Val but were moved by the story of her death).

There is some small comfort in knowing that through the  Valerie Wolski Memorial Award, Val’s legacy will live on in Camrose, the place she called home, and at Augustana, the university where she impressed many professors, made several lifelong friends, and met her future husband.

We, Val’s old college classmates, are getting close to reaching our goal of providing an ongoing $1250/year annual scholarship at Augustana in Val’s name. We still need to raise another $2200 to reach this goal, and we need your help.

If you would like to take part in creating a legacy in Val’s name, but have not yet done so, now is your chance! By making a tax-deductible donation to Augustana, you can help us reach our goal.

There are two ways you can help. One is by making a one-time donation of any amount.

The second option is to make a three- or five-year pledge to make an annual donation. This is a good option if you want a smaller donation to have maximum impact. Even $20 or $40 per year over three or five years can make a difference in the life of a university student.

To learn more about donating, click the “Memorial Scholarship” tab above, or click here to donate online now.

Thank you. We are grateful for your help.

–Pam Chamberlain and Denise Hawkins

Thanks to the Donors!

We were moved to receive a note from Maxine Overacker, the aunt of David Shantz, the Augustana student who was recently awarded the first annual Valerie Wolski Memorial Award. Ms Overacker visited this website and wrote,
“After reading comments about Valerie and the person she was, I know she would be happy David was chosen to be a recipient of this scholarship. I have made a $1000.00 donation to the scholarship fund in memory of Valerie Wolski.” We are very grateful for her generous donation.

We thank, too, the many, many other donors who have made this scholarship possible. There are too many to name, but they include Val’s husband Craig Wolski, her parents-in-law Eugen and Rita Wolski, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Millet Lions Club, Camrose Animal Clinic, Camrose Totem, Dave Chamberlin (Sun-Life Financial), as well as dozens of people–some who knew Val, and some who didn’t–who were touched by Val’s spirit in life, or moved by the story of her death.

In just a year, we have raised over $25000 to establish the Valerie Wolski Memorial Award. This endowment fund guarantees that each year, in perpetuity, an Augustana student will receive $1000 to help with university studies.

Our goal is to raise $4000 more, to bring the endowment fund to $30000 and enable us to increase the annual award to $1250. If you haven’t yet donated to the fund, we would appreciate it if you would consider making a donation. If you gave after Val’s death and would like to continue to help, please consider making a second donation or a five-year pledge for annual giving. And if you’ve already donated as much as you can, we do thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your part in the success of this fund. We are pleased to know that Val’s name and spirit will live on at Augustana, thanks to you!

The First Annual ‘Valerie Wolski Memorial Award’

David Shantz
recipient of the
2012 Valerie Wolski Memorial Award

On February 29, Augustana student David Shantz was awarded the first annual Valerie Wolski Memorial Award  of $1000.  I had the privilege of attending Augustana’s awards banquet with my dear friend Shannon. We were the first of Val’s college friends to present the the award in-person to a deserving student on the campus where we met  many years ago.

It was a surreal experience to attend the banquet as a donor and to sit across the table from this accomplished university student. Many things have changed since Shannon, Val, and I (and a number of other girls who would become our dear friends) lived in Hoyme Hall. I fondly remembered sitting on the opposite side of the table at the awards banquet when I received an award in my first year at Augustana (then Camrose Lutheran College). Although it was over 20 years ago, it seemed like yesterday.

I truly appreciated the opportunity to attend the banquet and to meet the award’s first recipient. David Shantz was raised in Wetaskiwin, as were both Val and I, and I felt an immediate connection with him. David shared his career plans as well as his gratitude for receiving the award. It was reaffirming to hear that he had also visited the website to learn more about Val.

I am sure Val would be proud to know that an award in her name is making such a positive impact in the life of a student.

Val’s chosen career field was about making a difference. It is comforting to know that her life and her memory will continue to help other students this year, and in years to come.

–Tracy Mills