I don't know any volunteers who seek personal recognition for their work and that can certainly be said about Cochrane resident David Legg.

David has joined the likes of a few other Cochranites who have been recognized for their volunteerism by receiving the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

The Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and the Honourable Robert E. Wanner, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, hosted the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers awards ceremony in Edmonton on Monday, October 15th.

Thirty-one individuals were recognized and David shares he was nominated for his long-standing work with Canada Paralympics. "I was nominated by the Canadian Paralympic Committee of which I was the President as a volunteer for four years and then I sat on their Board of Directors for another twelve or so. I am probably downplaying it a bit, I was deeply honoured, there's no question about it. It was nice to be thanked and recognized." 

Choosing to get involved with Paralympics was an easy decision shares Legg. "My dad had a disability, my dad had multiple sclerosis and I guess the level of severity would be considered significant. He had to be fed, toileted, dressed and all those things, so I grew up in a family where that was just part of our day to day lives and I think I had a familiarity and a comfort with disability. I did a physical education degree at McMaster University in Hamilton and in my physed program I took an adapted physical activity class and the instructor talked about the benefits and importance of sport, recreation, and physical education for people with special needs and I totally bought into it."

Doing a practicum for children with special needs, David, an athlete himself, paired his passion of sport with his interest in providing opportunities to those with disabilities. When inquiring how David must have witnessed some incredible triumphs, he brought up a great point. "It is funny, I don't know if the athletes with disabilities see it that way. I don't think they want to be perceived as being extraordinary for overcoming a disability, I think that what they want is to be showcased and recognized for their athletic achievements and to be treated as a 'regular' person for pursuing sport or physical activity."

With that being said David does say challenges exist for individuals with needs but they may not always be what you think. Cost, travel, knowing about opportunities, and even limitations due to demographics can make joining sport for individuals with a disability difficult. "When you drive around Cochrane you see signs for say the Timbit soccer program and you know about the Cochrane Rockies hockey program but if you are a parent with a child with a disability in Cochrane you sometimes just don't know about other opportunities that may exist or there just aren't enough children in Cochrane to create the economy to scale to host, say a sledge hockey team, as an example, so then you have to go into Calgary to do that."

David can't deny how great it is to see the many efforts that are being made in town to create an inclusive community. One really neat aspect is that one of his students he taught adapted physical activity to, Andrew Walker, is now one of the leads with Variety Alberta which was constructing the new inclusive playground at Centennial Park last weekend. "There was him and probably five other students there on Saturday building a playground that I had taught. As a Professor, I don't think I could have been more proud of seeing students that I taught in a class and then seeing them volunteering to build an accessible playground."

While David's volunteering has not been limited to only volunteering with Canada Paralympics, he was very mindful when it came to discussing his community volunteering in Cochrane. "I don't want that to be a focus because there are people that do a lot more than I do. I think we all try to pitch in and do our part. It is the communities that we create and the connections that we make with people that make it such a tremendous place to raise a family and be."

The Legg family has been involved with Footstock, Cochrane and Area Humane Society and his volunteering efforts are being carried on by his three sons as well. The youngest Legg, Cade, plays for the Cochrane Pipe Band and is seen performing at many events as well as volunteers at the Bethany Care Centre. Middle son, Issac, volunteers with his mom (Julie) and helps children with special needs learn how to skate as well as with other programming, while the oldest Legg, Jackson, has been a volunteer for years at COP helping to coach skiing and mountain biking. "My wife and I aren't preachy about it but I think our kids see us doing these things and internalize this is just what we do, this is how you live your life."

When it comes to giving back to the community, Legg says although it may sound cliche, you get out what you put in. "I am fairly certain I got a lot more out of it than I put in. I have benefitted both professionally and personally from the volunteering that I have done. I could probably track any significant event in my life to some sort of volunteering and that might even include meeting my wife. To me that is the crux of it, I have benefitted and gained so much."

The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers award pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers and recognizes their achievements in the community.

Right now David is following the bid for Calgary to host the Canada Olympic/Paralympic games in 2026 quite closely and encourages people (Calgary folks) to help bring the bid to town by voting in the plebiscite on November 13th but shares there are many ways you can involve yourself by going HERE.