Suzie Soman
Tell us about your business and why you should receive this award!
Hi there, I guess you could say my business is Community Service!
My name is Suzie Soman, and I am honoured to have been nominated for the Bill Manson Citizen of the Year award.
I have been working for over 30 years in community service. I started my career in Smithers BC, and for the last 24 years I have lived in Squamish and first worked for Sea to Sky Community Services as the Early Child Development Services Director, and for the last 5 years with PearlSpace Support Services as the Community Program Manager for Squamish programming in our Drop-In on Third Avenue.
PearlSpace Support Services is a very unique place to work and I am so lucky to work with amazing inspirational people who's values align with my own and make the work so much more meaningful for everyone as well as the people we support.
Over the years I have worked tirelessly to advocate for affordable childcare in the community and worked in partnership with SD48 to access our local schools for before and after school care and then also a couple of the SSCS preschools were also able to be in the schools and eventually through a provincial grant the childcare building at Garibaldi Highlands was also built on the school grounds. Before I left SSCS we also partnered with SD48 and Squamish Municipality to apply for a grant for the new municipality-owned Childcare Centre Menmens ta smanit that recently opened in Valleycliffe.
I have a passion for work that brings people together and I have watched Squamish grow into the amazing community we have right now. I am so lucky to have my husband of 37 years and 3 grown children who also live and work in Squamish, and we are so grateful to live, work and play on Squamish Nation land. Our two daughters have given us 8 amazing grandchildren and my best day is any day that I get to spend with the grandkids and our family, affectionately known as the “goat rodeo” when we are all together.
You will also learn that my nick name is “No Facebook Suzie” as I have never opened a social media account and will have to use a different account if there needs to be specific social media? Having said that I am sure we can make it work as long as I don't need to sign-up to Facebook.
Both PearlSpace and Squamish Community Foundation are members of the Chamber as well.
