Organization & History

What Are The Willow Awards? – Regina Teachers’ Convention Presentation March 2021

Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards is a volunteer-run, non-profit, registered charity begun in 2001.

The mission of SYRCA – Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards – The Willow Awards, Inc. is to promote reading and celebrate Canadian literature. Each year, Saskatchewan children and youth vote for Willow Award recipients from finalists nominated in three award categories.

The three categories were established to encourage participation by all children, regardless of the level at which they are reading. They include:

The Shining Willow Award for books written for young readers
The Diamond Willow Award for books written for upper elementary readers in grades 4 to 6
The Snow Willow Award for books written for readers in grades 7 & up

Participation in the Willow Awards is free to Saskatchewan children and youth. They may vote for their favourite book in any category in which they have read the minimum number of books required. Individuals may vote. Teachers, librarians or teacher-librarians can submit tallies of votes made in their buildings.

In the first year of voting, 2002, more than 5,000 voters participated. In recent years, the number of votes collected has increased to more than 15,000.

Ballots and how to vote for the current Willow Awards may be found under the VOTE tab on the home page.

SYRCA publishes posters, bookmarks, and award stickers. We also manage a website to provide activities and information related to the nominated books, authors and illustrators.

The Willow Awards Gala is held annually where authors of the students’ favourite books are presented with their Willow Awards.

Each fall, schools and libraries are invited to submit the ideas and activities they have conducted around the Willows to be eligible for book prizes.

Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice – The Willow Awards Inc. depends on membership donations and sponsorships to operate. Please consider a membership donation. Our charity business number is: 87530 3919 RR0001. Download a donation form from our home page. Tax receipts are issued for donations of $25 or more and for donations under $25, upon request.

“Thanks for giving us the opportunity to participate! I get so much positive feedback from both the students and teachers!”

Adele Green, Outlook Elementary School

Author Ashley Spires 2012 Shining Willow Award Winner for Small Saul

History of SYRCA

Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards

– The Willow Awards, Inc.

2000-2022

Introduction

The current board of SYRCA – The Willow Awards, Inc., (2021-2022), has collaborated over the last 2 years to bring together a variety of activities to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the Willow Awards in our province. These include:

An anniversary logo
Posters (online) recognizing the 20 years of winners in each of the categories
Contests for teachers to win author visits/readings for their classrooms
An advertisement in the the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation publication, The Bulletin
Press releases and history documents posted online (Part 1 in September 2021, Part 2 in April 2022, and Part 3 in June 2022)
PDF documents of all 20 years of the Annual Reports and posters uploaded to the website

The purpose of these anniversary activities has been to celebrate The Willows’ longevity with our readers and to acknowledge the work of the many volunteers who have held board positions, served on reading committees, and supported our fundraisers over the years. As well we wanted to acknowledge our corporate sponsors. The Willows could not have had such a sustained impact without these individuals, businesses and corporate entities. We also wanted to encourage continued involvement in The Willows and enlist new interest in these awards. We have gathered historical documentation not only to celebrate this milestone but to provide a point from which the organization can move forward.

These documents have been compiled from reports and from the memories of a variety of individuals. Some inconsistencies may appear as a result of these different perspectives. This doesn’t change the richness of The Willows’ history.

Part 1 of the history documents key dates and happenings in the formation of The Willow Awards. Part 2 outlines details of the work during the ensuing 20 years including copies of posters, information about sponsorships, launches, galas, the 10th anniversary celebration and more.

Changes in the organization have included several iterations of the website, a few versions of the logo, various marketing approaches, outreach, and fund-raising events including Buffet and Books, Noodles and Books, Books at the Bistro, and the 2021 Mystery Book Grab.

Throughout the years, there have been ongoing additions of policies and practices. An example is the addition of live streaming the gala which has brought this exciting celebration to students throughout the province. Recently, the impact of Covid-19 on the gala resulted in moving the whole event to an online format.

Most importantly, through this recount, we offer gratitude to the many people who have shared a vision of providing student and adult readers with recommendations around high quality Canadian children’s literature. As you read the documents, you will find that many activities have been initiated, changed, adapted, and retried. These changes don’t alter the mission and objectives of the organization.

The strength of The Willows is in the solid foundation, clear purpose, and commitment to the vision that began over 20 years ago.

Here’s to the future.

Board of Directors
SYRCA – The Willow Awards Inc.
March 2022

Part 1 – The Initial Years

2000 – Early in 2000, an idea began percolating in the minds of the executive of the Saskatchewan School Library Association. It was recognized by the president at the time, Carol Thiessen, that many provinces had a Children’s Choice award, and perhaps it was time for Saskatchewan to develop a similar award.

May 2000 – At a Saskatchewan School Library Association (SSLA) board meeting following the AGM and conference, the secretary, Judy Nicholson, agreed to strike an Ad Hoc committee that would review options for a Saskatchewan children’s choice award and make recommendations to the SSLA board.

October /November 2000 – A committee of four was struck and met in the Thunder Creek School Division board office in early October. In November, the SSLA board accepted the report and made a decision to contract Marion Perry to study the feasibility of creating an independent association and determining the necessary process.

Winter 2001: A Grassroots Project as a Pilot – Judy Nicholson applied for a Grassroots grant to develop a website as a pilot for the Willow Awards. Members of the committee, Stephanie Olsen, Lori Rog, Lynn Gilbert, and the website developer selected books for three age categories: Kindergarten to Grade 3, Grade 4 to 8 and Grade 10 to 12. Each list of books contained at least one Saskatchewan author. The website was used to share information and register votes. By the conclusion of the pilot, there were about 30 teachers involved and votes collected from approximately 600 young readers across the categories.

August 31, 2001 – SYRCA was established as a non-profit organization.

September 15, 2001 – The Inaugural Board Meeting – The following people were the first members of the Willow Awards Board.

President – Marion Perry
Vice President – Lynn Gilbert
Vice President – Claire Issac
Secretary – Liz Roberts
Treasurer – Margaret Steger
SSLA Rep – Carol Thiessen
SLA Rep – Caroline Selinger
Director – Judy Nicholson
Director – Lori Rog
Director – Maureen Erlendson

At this meeting, the purpose of the Willow Awards was formally established. The mission of SYRCA would be to promote and celebrate Canadian literature. Each year, Saskatchewan children and youth would vote for Willow Award recipients from finalists nominated in three award categories.

Funding was provided in the start up year by: SSLA ($5000) and Saskatchewan Library Association (SLA) (committed $500-$1000). The board decided to use SLA’s email policy of the day. As well, the board applied to receive charitable status.

March 2, 2002 – It was determined that there would be a media launch of the Willow Awards on Saturday, October 19th, 2002 in conjunction with Saskatchewan Library Week. The first awards ceremony was held at Dr. John G. Egnatoff School in Saskatoon on May 30, 2003.

April 27, 2002 – Attendees at the Saskatchewan Library Association (SLA) Conference appeared interested and excited about the Willow Awards. Both library board members and librarians took packages back to their respective libraries. Saskatoon children’s librarians had already had a meeting and discussed the awards and how they might become involved.

Liz Roberts sent a thank you to SSLA for its support in initiating this project and providing financial support for the first two years. SSLA was given special recognition at the first gala. .

SLA determined that a link to the Willow Awards website would be created from the SLA website and there would be information about the Willow Awards in each issue of The Forum (SLA journal).

September 28, 2002 – An article about the Willows was shared. It was written by President Marion Perry for The Forum. Link to pdf.

The marketing committee planned media kits that included a bookmark, a copy of the Forum article, a one-page document that linked the Willow Awards launch to both Education Week and Saskatchewan Library Week, and other information.

Vice -President Claire Issac suggested to members of SLA that they could select The Willow Awards as the theme for the next summer reading program through the public library system.

October 19, 2002 – This marked the launch of the first Award Cycle at Grant Road School in Regina, coinciding with Saskatchewan Education Week and Saskatchewan Library Week.

Grant Road School was so honored to be chosen to host the first Launch of the Willow Awards. Teacher-Librarian Janice Flaman, Middle Years Teacher Phyllis Mulvenna, and Grade One Teacher Donna Koch helped to plan the event. It was held in the school library on Friday, October 18, 2002, and was attended by invited guests.

The entire school was involved in some way. Every class read the Willow nominated books, and helped to decorate the hallways and bulletin boards with wonderful art related to the books. Older students volunteered to do “Book Fair” projects and display and explain them in the library before and after the Launch ceremony. Mrs. Koch’s Grade One class did a skit acting out the nominated book “Emma’s Cold Day” by Margriet Ruurs.

Marion Perry unveiled the actual Willow Award, made by Cupar Glass artist Jacqueline Berting, that would be presented to the winning authors. The Board members of the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards were introduced, and the media and School Boards helped to spread the word about the Awards to the general public and to schools throughout the province. Link to Leader Post Article.

November 2002 – SYRCA became a registered charity.

May 23, 2003 – The first Awards Gala, attended by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, was held at Dr. John G. Egnatoff School in Saskatoon.

Since that first Awards Gala in 2003, the Willow Awards have continued much as they were originally planned. SaskEnergy sponsored the Gala and has continued its support to the present. While there have been slight variations in the annual cycle of the awards and the policies and procedures have evolved, the Willow Awards continues to provide a venue to expose the young readers of Saskatchewan to quality Canadian literature.

Part 2 – Some Highlights From the Last 20 Years

2011 – Celebrating 10 Years!

2011 was a special year for SYRCA as this was the 10th year of nominees and award winners. To celebrate, the Board chose two main initiatives. First, they wanted a special poster that would go to all schools and public libraries, which would have meaning for all. They felt that Gainer the Gopher, the Saskatchewan Roughrider mascot, would be representative of all of Saskatchewan. As they were promoting a “Reader Nation”, they chose a group of children that would represent gender and ethnic diversity, reading with their buddy, Gainer. The poster was entitled “Huddle Up With Willow Books”. A copy was also given to each child attending the Gala in Moose Jaw on April 27, 2012.

Gainer 10th Anniversary Poster

The second initiative invited adults (teacher librarians, technicians, teachers and others) to submit their intention to participate this year. These names were then entered to win an author visit and a complete set of 2011 nominees, and books by the visiting author. Over 100 entries were received, from which 10 winners were randomly drawn, to represent 10 school divisions. The winners were:

Alycia Duplantie, Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation School Loon Lake. Visiting author – Leah Dorian
Donna Lee Austring, Central School, Swift Current. Visiting author – Rebecca Grambo
Angela Nordstrum, Red Wing Elementary School, Prince Albert. Visiting author – Alice Kuipers
Laurel Kentel, Churchbridge Public School, Churchbridge. Visiting author – Maureen Ulrich
Charmaine Stouse, McClurg School, Regina. Visiting author – Peter Eyvindson
Adele Green, Outlook Elementary School, Outlook. Visiting author – Ashley Spires
Carol Edquist, Valley View School/Beauval Public Library, Beauval. Visiting author – Leah Dorion
Leanne Miller, Pleasantdale School, Estevan. Visiting author – Alison Lohans
Melody McPherson, Pilot Butte School, Pilot Butte. Visiting author – Maureen Ulrich
Diane Barsi, Holliston School, Saskatoon. Visiting author – Dr. Beverly Brenna

Past Presidents

2001-2005 – Marion Perry
2006-2007 – Claire Isaac
2008-2010 – Florence Barton
2011-2014 – Ruth Garnett
2015-2016 – Cassandra Mireau/Amy Korver
2017-2021 – Erin Walton

The SYRCA Recognition Award Recipients

The SYRCA Recognition Award is available to an individual who has brought considerable benefit to The Willow Awards or who has assisted with a program or project important to The Willow Awards. A suggested minimum of three years significant service must have been rendered to qualify for this award. The Board has gratefully acknowledged the efforts of the following individuals who have received this award.

2007 – Muriel Drew, Eleanor Matz, Elsbeth Dormuth, Kathy Sharman
2013 – Margaret Lipp
2014 – Jocelyn Provost
2018 – Donna Lindstrom & Erin Walton (gala liaisons acknowledgement)
2019 – Donna Lindstrom
2021 – Heather Dolmage

The SYRCA Distinguished Service Award Recipients

The SYRCA Distinguished Service Award was created to recognize extraordinary service, effort or example by an individual, which resulted in outstanding benefit to a program or project important to The Willow Awards. A suggested minimum of five years distinguished service must have been rendered to qualify for this award. The Board has gratefully acknowledged the efforts of the following individuals who have received this award.

2007 – Carol Thiessen, Chris MacLennan
2008 – Deborah Mervold
2009 – Marion Perry
2010 – Claire Isaac, Margaret Steger
2011 – Wilfred Burton
2014 – Naomi Kral, Val Gerrard
2015 – Florence Barton, Donna Koch
2016 – Ann Atchinson, Ruth Garnett
2017 – Cassandra Mireau
2019 – Melody Wood, Yvonne Denomy
2020 – Amy Korver

Past Financial Patrons, Sponsors and Friends of SYRCA

The Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards – The Willow Awards has been fortunate to be supported by many businesses and corporations over the last twenty years.

From 2000 to 2002 the Saskatchewan School Library Association provided funding to research and initiate the concept of a young readers’ choice award for the province, and then to contract Marion Perry to develop and launch an organization to make it a reality.

In 2002, the Saskatchewan Library Association donated $500 to the fledgling SYRCA Willow Awards. Other associations made in-kind donations.

In 2003, the Saskatchewan Schools Library Association donated $5000 as seed money to launch the awards and provide for a Gala celebration. SaskCulture awarded the Willows a grant of $6,800 with the expectation that it be used to develop a self-sustaining program.

It is also notable that in 2003, SaskEnergy, our longest-standing Patron, began supporting the Willow Awards. In response to their generous donation, the yearly awards ceremony was named “The Willow Awards SaskEnergy Gala.” From that time until present day, a representative of SaskEnergy has been invited to speak at the Gala.

In 2004, another long-standing donor, United Library Services, began donating funds to the Willow Awards. In the years that followed, ULS not only donated funding, they also donated a full set of the next year’s nominated books to the school or library hosting the Gala.

Beginning in 2009, The Willow Awards recognized five different supporter levels: Gold Patron $5,000 or more; Silver Patron $3,000 – $4,999; Bronze Patron $1,000 – $2,999; Sponsors $500 – $999; and Friends $100 – $499.

To recognize our Patrons, Sponsors and Friends, the Willow Awards promote their name and company logo on our website. Patrons who donate $1,000 or more are further recognized by having their corporate logo added to The Willow Award poster, bookmarks and AGM booklet.

We are grateful for the support of our sponsors which allows the The Willow Awards to continue to provide Saskatchewan children with quality Canadian literature, encouraging them to read and find their own voices as they choose a winning author.

2002

Patrons – Saskatchewan Library Association;
Sponsors – National Book Service, Direct West

2003

Patrons – SaskEnergy, Saskatchewan School Library Association, SaskCulture;
Sponsors – Teachers Credit Union, Saskatchewan Library Association, SaskEd;
Friends – Saskatoon Kinsmen

2004

Patrons – SaskEnergy, Book & Brier Patch, SaskCulture;
Sponsors – Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan, Regina Public Library, Saskatchewan School Library Association;
Friends – United Library Services, National Book Service

2005

Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, SaskCulture, SaskEnergy, Saskatchewan Lotteries;
Sponsors – Saskatchewan School Library Association, McNally Robinson Booksellers, National Book Service

2006

Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, SaskCulture, SaskEnergy, Saskatchewan Lotteries;
Sponsors – McNally Robinson Booksellers, National Book Service

2007

Patrons – SaskEnergy, Saskatchewan Smart Literacy Commission, Book & Brier Patch, Regina Leader Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix;
Sponsors – National Book Service

2008

Patrons – SaskEnergy, Anonymous Donor, Conexus Credit Union, TD Waterhouse, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Sask Smart Literacy Commission, Book & Brier Patch;
Sponsors – Regina Leader Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, SaskTel, National Car Rental;
Many individuals made small donations as well

2009

Gold Patron – SaskSmart Literacy Commission
Silver Patron – Conexus Credit Union
Bronze Patrons – Evraz Inc., Book & Brier Patch, Garnett Industries, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Quantum Capital Corporation, SaskEnergy
Sponsors – United Library Services, Regina LeaderPost, Saskatoon StarPhoenix

2010

Gold Patron – Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
Silver Patrons – Conexus Credit Union, SaskEnergy
Bronze Patrons – Regina Leader Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, Book & Brier Patch, Evraz Inc., Garnett Industries
Sponsors – United Library Services

2011

Gold Patrons – Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
Silver Patrons – Conexus Credit Union, SaskEnergy
Bronze Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, Evraz Inc., Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, Regina Leader Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, United Library Services, LDM Foods, Garnett Industries Ltd., McKercher LLP Barristers & Solicitors

2012

Gold Patron – Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
Silver Patrons – Conexus Credit Union, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader Post, Access Communications Children’s Fund, SaskEnergy, RBC Royal Bank
Bronze Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, Evraz Inc., United Library Services, Garnett Industries Ltd., Cameco, Areva, Mitch of Canada
Sponsors – Saskatchewan Ministry of Education

2013

Gold Patron – PotashCorp
Silver Patrons – Evraz, SaskEnergy, Regina Leader Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Conexus Credit Union
Bronze Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, United Library Services, Garnett Industries Ltd., Cameco, Areva, Redhead Equipment, SGI

2014

Gold Patrons – PotashCorp, HJ Linnen Associates
Silver Patrons – SaskEnergy, Evraz Inc., Conexus Credit Union, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader Post
Bronze Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, Areva, Cameco, Garnett Industries Limited, SGI, Redhead Equipment, United Library Services

2015

Gold Patrons – PotashCorp, Evraz Inc.
Silver Patrons – SaskEnergy, Cameco, MGM Communications
Bronze Patrons – Book & Brier Patch, Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, United Library Services

2016

Gold Patrons – PotashCorp, Reading Sparks
Silver Patrons – SaskEnergy, Cameco, HJ Linnen Associates
Bronze Patron – Book & Brier Patch

2017

Silver Patron – SaskEnergy
Bronze Patrons – P3A, Book & Brier Wholesale

2018

Gold Patron – Access Communications Children’s Fund
Silver Patron – SaskEnergy
Bronze Patrons – Book & Brier Wholesale, Cameco, P3A, SaskTel Pioneers, United Library Services
Sponsor – McNally Robinson

2019

Gold Patron – Access Communications Children’s Fund
Silver Patron – SaskEnergy
Bronze Patrons – Cameco, P3A, United Library Services
Sponsor – McNally Robinson

2020

Gold Patron – Access Communications Children’s Fund
Silver Patron – SaskEnergy – unlisted on poster due to elections
Bronze Patrons – Cameco, SaskTel Pioneers,
Sponsors – United Library Services, Hi-Tec Profiles Inc., Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan
Friends – Saskatchewan Literacy Network

2021

Silver Patron – SaskEnergy
Bronze Patrons – Cameco, SaskTel Pioneers,
Sponsors – United Library Services, Hi-Tec Profiles Inc., McNally Robinson
Friends – Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan – Regina Chapter, Saskatchewan Literacy Network

20 Years of Voting History

The Willow Awards has shown a remarkable increase in the numbers of votes submitted each year. We are thankful for the help of our financial supporters who have made this possible. We especially want to acknowledge the adults in school settings, libraries and homes who have gone the extra mile to encourage their young readers to read Willow finalist titles. Your creativity and hard work is greatly appreciated!

Our numbers have fallen sharply in these last few years as everyone has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning was interrupted through these years and the logistics of students signing out books was more complicated. Taking books home to read was not always possible. We fear that the voting numbers may also have been affected by a decrease in teacher-librarian and library support personnel time across the province. teacher-librarians were once our biggest promoters and we are noticing fewer vote submissions made by teacher-librarians and library technicians in these last years. We are seeking further ways that The Willows can be introduced and promoted in schools.

Year	Teachers/ Adults	Schools	Libraries	Communities	Snow	Diamond	Shining	Total Voters

2002-2003	180	83	2	59				5,000
2003-2004	195	114	1	61				7,514
2004-2005	129	84	5	73				5,523
2005-2006	151	132	4	65				7,262
2006-2007	204	207	3	74	189	839	7,059	8,087
2007-2008	185	148	1	68	237	783	8,688	9,708
2008-2009	206	161	0	77	262	769	9,059	10,090
2009-2010	189	166	2	83	526	1,239	9,326	11,134
2010-2011	215	183	1	100	520	1,252	10,582	12,354
2011-2012					593*	1,400*	12,270*	13,263*
2012-2013					602	1,145	10,871	12,618
2013-2014					423	1,092	11,839	13,354
2014-2015					572	866	12,680	14,118
2015-2016					307	883	9,901	11,040
2016-2017					398	1,230	13,898	15,524
2017-2018					181*	941	11,144	12,266
2018-2019					320	1,061	11,213	12,594
2019-2020					181	448	3,652	4,347*
2020-2021					144	440	5,728	6,312*
2021-2022					208	626	6,700	7,534*

*2011-2012 These numbers are approximate as there is a slight discrepancy between reports.
*2017-2018 Snow numbers were reported in the Annual Report inaccurately but corrected in the following year’s report.
*2019-2020 We know that the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected participant numbers.
*2020-2022 COVID-19 continued to present challenges for learning.
	As well, our numbers may have been affected by a decrease in Teacher-librarian time across the province.

Launch Winners

In the fall of each voting cycle, we have encouraged teachers, teacher-libarians, librarians, library technicians and parents to submit short explanations and/or pictures of how they have or will introduce the new Willow finalists to their readers. We have had some creative submissions! Initially, winners were chosen to host a launch event and win a set of Willow finalist books. In later years, we began to randomly select schools to win sets of Willow finalists. Here are the schools that have hosted launch events or won books over the years:

Launch Events

2003 – Ecole Wagner Community School, Nipawin
2004 – Kincaid School, Kincaid
2005 – Kennedy Langbank School, Kennedy
2006 – Little Red River School, Montreal Lake
2007 – Elizabeth School, Kindersley

Launch Book Recipients