Lil has been an ever-present, quietly powerful literacy force in Williams Lake for many decades. As one of the founders of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy in 1997, Lil continues to keep literacy front and center, promoting early childhood, adult, and financial literacy. With her late husband Bruce, she implemented the “Bright Red Bookshelf”, a book-sharing platform with shelves all over Williams Lake. Her own home has become a mini-library with a “Take a book” box in the front yard. Lil initiated various festivals for families: Baby Fest, Children’s Fest, and Family Fest, where she staffed a table to give away free books, packed in homemade book bags. She was also instrumental in the first “Relay for Life” Cancer Fundraiser held in Williams Lake in 2005. Lil and her daughter Rana brought the “Roots of Empathy” program to the community in an effort to address residential school-based intergenerational trauma. Lil’s “no job is too big” motto helped grow the group to 26 facilitators across the region.
*photo credit – Monica Lamb-Yorski, Williams Lake Tribune
