Frances Tanner - February 2000 Volunteer of the month

It's hard to remember everything Frances Tanner has done for CfSC, because her talents and her efforts are so wide-ranging. Should we start with her term as vice-president and other years on the board where her common sense and strong links to the community helped ensure good decisions? Or should we remember her willingness to do the even the most mundane work of keeping the organization together -- like using her weight-trained muscles to move our overloaded filing cabinets in our last office move.

We have to mention Frances' most recent contribution: she wrote two excellent profiles for the latest issue of the CfSC newsletter, Chain Mail, of Robin Bennett and Geoff Noxon. They were interesting, accurate, and arrived on time -- a godsend for a beleaguered newsletter editor.

Frances comes through in a pinch. When the CfSC Safety and Promotion program desperately needed someone to take over women's workshops at Nortel last summer because of a change in personnel, Frances came through, and got great reviews from the participants.

But maybe the most accurate reviews come from the CfSC staff who worked with her and for her in the last few years. Our former S&P coordinator, Ryan Lanyon, had this to say:

"Frances Tanner is a volunteer you can count on. She's very knowledgeable, devoted, and always willing to lend a hand, even on short notice. It was a real pleasure to work with Frances on a number of projects - from Cycling Women workshops to Kids CAN-BIKE Festivals. Her dedication and preparation is admirable. Congratulations, Frances! You deserve it."

And his predecessor as S&P coordinator, Gavin MacPhail, was equally full of praise:

"Frances Tanner has brought much to CfSC over the past 5 years as a volunteer, board member, and manager of the Safety and Promotion Program. An incredibly bright strategic thinker and planner, Frances has worked many nights... developing innovative and workable solutions to the most intractable problems."

Frances has devoted her extensive leadership skills not only to CfSC's campaigns and programs but also to the development of CfSC's structure, policies and functions, strengthening the organization itself in key areas. She has facilitated board retreats and led the review of policy and procedures that help CfSC run as smoothly as a not-for-profit can.

Most recently, Frances was a key organizer for the Ride for Cycling and was instrumental in the event's great success.

Outside of CfSC's she's been president of a community association, editor of a community newspaper, a community development organizer, municipal watchdog, and a candidate for city council. Whew!

Besides her sharp mind and work ethic, Frances brings her dry wit, good nature and common sense to everything she does, enlivening other volunteers in the process. Thanks for your dedication and spirit, Frances. You will always be a pleasure to work with.

And CfSC hopes to continue to work with Frances for many years in making this community even more cycling-friendly.