YORKTON — For four years, Richard Winters has been a constant presence on the sidelines of Yorkton Minor Football.
Now, his dedication has been formally recognized, as the program’s selection committee unanimously named him their Volunteer of the Year.
Winters' journey into coaching began when Tyrell Maclean, head coach of the Lady Gridders, approached him about joining the program.
"Tyrell asked me if I wanted to coach football and I said, 'yeah, I'd be interested,'" Winters recalled.
That initial conversation led to what has become a passion.
"I do love it. It's great," said Winters.
"With the girl's program specifically, it's very ground-breaking. You've got kids that are starting to take their place in sports," added Winters.
Winters, who grew up in Humboldt, said he recognizes the uniqueness of Yorkton Minor Football’s structure and the opportunities it provides young athletes.
"People don't recognize how lucky they are to have a program that's ran like that. Coming from the town of Humboldt—we never had minor football," said Winters.
But Winters’ contributions extend far beyond the football field. He is involved in several community initiatives, including Operation Lifesaver, a rail-safety outreach program. He recently joined the Kinsmen Club in November and, within months, was installed as its new registrar.
"They’re a really good group. They do everything," said Winters of the Kinsmen, "I get to be part of them. They're a great group. They help our football program out immensely."
Winters also volunteers with the St. Alphonsus School Community Council, helping plan events, including an upcoming barbecue on June 11.
His support for Canadian Wrestling’s Elite involves organizing school visits with professional wrestlers to speak about anti-bullying, as well as ensuring that children from less fortunate families can attend wrestling events.
His commitment to sports is evident in his time coaching basketball at Yorkton Regional High School alongside Yorkton Minor Football President, Roby Sharpe. He also contributes to the 49 North Football Camp, an initiative aimed at developing young athletes.
His involvement with CN Rail’s Melville Terminal is another key part of his life. Leading the Bunkhouse Committee, Winters was recently selected as one of two unionized employees to represent the terminal at the CN Service Awards Gala in Florida, where Melville was recognized with the Terminal of the Year Award for its high operating efficiencies.
"It was pretty interesting. I'd never done something like that before. To be one of two to represent 400 people is pretty special too," said Winters.
During the gala, Winters was struck by how many people approached him to express their appreciation for his contributions.
"I was at this awards festival—obviously these are high-up CN people—people are walking up and shaking my hand ... thanking me for the work I put in," said Winters.
That support extended to his volunteer work as well, with CN’s Railroaders in the Community grant program recognizing his efforts. Through the program, Winters secured funds to construct player benches at Kinsmen Century Field, with more upgrades in the works.
"The next thing on the burner is putting a score clock up—kind of working on that right now," Winters said with a laugh.
Reflecting on his commitment to community service, Winters acknowledged that volunteering is second nature to him.
"My unfortunate thing is that I can't say no," said Winters with a laugh, "if I'm going to do something, I'm going to try and make sure I do a good job of it."
It is a mindset reinforced by his upbringing. Winters credits his father—a “selfless person trying to better people's lives”—for instilling in him the value of giving back. He also noted that his gym teachers in Humboldt, Cal Hobbs and Shaun Gardiner, along with his uncle, Kelly Servinski, played significant roles in shaping his work ethic.
Today, Winters’ entire family embraces the same spirit of volunteerism.
"My family is a big support of it too—I can't say that enough," said Winters, adding, "maybe I was the volunteer of the year for YMF, but my family are the ones that allowed me that opportunity to do it."
His wife, Jocelyn, is equally active in the community, and Winters emphasized that their household’s commitment to volunteering is a collective effort.
"It's not just one person, it's a family effort," said Winters.
After living in Yorkton since 2004 and working at CN for 18 years, Winters continues to devote his time to initiatives that strengthen the community.
"Usually when something ends, there's something new beginning right behind it," said Winters.
Whether it's sports, safety advocacy, school programming or workplace leadership, Winters is never far from an opportunity to make a difference.
"If there's something, I'm usually one of the first people to get involved."
