Andy Beesley (l) is awarded the Prince George Community Foundation’s 2013 Citzen of the Year by President, Ray Noonan (r)     250News photo

Prince George, BC – To a standing ovation, Andy Beesley accepted the Prince George Community Foundation’s Citizen of the Year award for 2013 in the ballroom at the Coast Inn of the North last night.

After hugs from his wife and son, Beesley told the full house he felt "honoured and awkward" to be accepting the award. 

He said he was so honoured to be nominated alongside such high quality people – Selen Alpay, Betty-June Gair, Alison Hagreen, and David Halikowski – who have made such tremendous contributions to the community.  But he said he felt awkward in that picking a winner was like trying to judge an art contest. 

"It’s been such an honour for me over the years to represent such high-quality organizations – Big Brothers/Big Sisters, which is near and dear to my heart and has been for so many years; the Cariboo Cougars, with my friend, Trevor Sprague and others that have done such a fantastic job; the Crisis Centre;  DARE BC, Mike Morris, I know, is in the audience and was so involved with that; and so many other organizations."

Beesley said he felt awkward, too, because like all the many volunteers in attendance at last night’s celebration, he gets self-satisfaction out of his involvement with these local groups.  "And it’s awkward to be honoured for doing, really, what all of us love to do and it’s so much enriched our lives."

The 2013 Citizen of the Year said the evening was about celebrating a really positive aspect of the community – the volunteers who contribute so much.  He said he’s honoured to think that all the volunteers in the room, ‘including myself in my own little way’, have left Prince George just a little bit better than they found it.