Neil Cook is a most worthy candidate for the Order of B.C. due to the depth and breadth of his volunteer service to Cranbrook, the East Kootenay, and British Columbia.

Cook has clearly demonstrated selfless dedication to making his community a better place for all residents. He has made a positive, life-long impact through the lives of the three children he and his wife, Marilynne, adopted, in addition to the 24 foster children they welcomed into their home and their hearts.

Cook has volunteered much of his time with local non-profits, in areas such as mental health (six years as a crisis line volunteer and six years on the local CMHA board), homelessness (seven years as the chair of the East Kootenay Homeless Coalition, working to build a 24/7 homeless shelter), and community services (seven years on the Cranbrook Family Centre Board, now Summit Community Services, and nine years on the Cranbrook Society for Community Living Board). Cook had the vision, determination, and perseverance to lead the formation of the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation (now the Community Foundation of the Kootenay Rockies).

Cook served as the founding president and then a director on the Community Foundation Board for a total of 17 years. His work resulted in the establishment of an effective and efficient Community Foundation, which now holds almost $2.5 million in permanently invested funds and returns annual grants to eligible community groups, in perpetuity. In all of his volunteer work, Cook has been kind, inclusive, and generous.

Cook has been an active member of local service clubs as well, including Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary (three years), Cranbrook Rotary (two years), and Kinsmen (seven years). His other volunteer contributions in our community include 22 years of volunteering with the Cranbrook Community Christmas Dinner as a fundraiser and chef, as well as 10 years on the church committee at Christ Anglican Church. Cook’s work life also included community service, such as his role as Anne Edwards’ Kootenay MLA constituency assistant from 1992 to 1996 as well as three years as the East Kootenay emergency services coordinator. He also served for three years on the College of Pharmacists for the Province of B.C. and for two years on the City of Cranbrook Planning Council. In the midst of these many contributions to the community, Neil played a key role in supporting numerous community fundraisers and events, including the SPCA, Juvenile Diabetes Association, Kinsmen Mothers’ March, Canadian Cancer Society, and the Cranbrook Children’s Festival. For all of the 26 years that Neil has lived in Cranbrook, he has chosen to volunteer his time with many organizations and projects, all with the goal of helping people and improving our community. The Order of B.C. would be a very well- deserved award for his lifetime of service to others.