In this series, The Citizen profiles locals who strive to make our little corner of Manitoba a better place. Each month, we feature a person, family, or business that helps brighten the world in some way. If you have someone in mind for a future month, please nominate them: jlavin@nivervillecitizen.com.
Children’s television host Fred Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
This month’s Super Citizen is Lisa Letkeman of Niverville and she is truly one of those helpers.
“Growing up, I had this book to keep school memories in,” says Letkeman. “For each year, there were a bunch of questions to answer, and one of them was, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ From kindergarten right up to high school, I always wrote, ‘I want to help people.’ When I hear of a need, I just want to do what I can to fill it. I really love helping people. It brings me so much joy!”
As part of a church family, Letkeman says she started helping in traditional ways by providing meals, serving at funerals, working in the church kitchen, and taking on other acts of kindness.
“These are all wonderful things to do, but I always felt like I wanted to do more, or something different,” she says. “Something that was more ‘me.’ Now that my kids are adults, I feel like I have time to do all the strange and wonderful things God asks me to.”
When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, Letkeman decided to become part of the charitable organization Samaritan’s Purse. With a group of other volunteers, she went to Texas to help with the aftermath of the hurricane.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, and I was scared! But knowing I was doing what God asked me to made it easy to go. I spent my time in Pearland, Texas mucking out houses. It was incredibly hot there, so the flooded homes were covered in mould. We had to carry out all the damaged furniture and put it on the side of the street. We also pulled out floors, drywall, insulation, bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinets—anything that was damaged by the water. Sometimes cockroaches would rain down on us as we pulled the drywall off. It was a hot, dirty job and I just loved it!”
Soon after her trip to Texas, Letkeman took on another deployment with Samaritan’s Purse. She then became a member of their Site Leadership Team and kept going where help was needed.
“I knew disaster relief was what I wanted to spend the rest of my life on, even after I came face to face with a moccasin snake in Florida!” she recalls. “In the past five years, I’ve been to Texas, Florida, New Brunswick, Ontario, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island.”
Letkeman hasn’t stopped engaging in her local acts of kindness, though. The Niverville MCC Thrift Store has been lucky enough to have her as a volunteer for 15 years. Store manager Merris Dyck says that Letkeman is an invaluable part of their team.
Just this month, Letkeman created and hung dozens of Valentine’s Day hearts on the tree outside the Niverville Post Office and posted a sign welcoming people to take one home with them.
Local mom Ruth Bergen says, “On February 14 when [my kids and I] arrived at the post office and saw a tree covered with handmade wooden valentines alongside a sign that read ‘Take one,’ we knew instantly who had created this beautiful gift to our town.”
Bergen says that the hearts were exactly the kind of loving deed she had come to expect from Letkeman.
“Lisa has been a huge blessing in my life and in the lives of my children,” Bergen says. “I’ll never forget her kindness to step forward and spearhead an event, alongside her sister, to raise funds for us as we hired a lawyer to gain guardianship of our son. [Her] life has brought me so much strength and encouragement.”
Letkeman says that one of her favourite things to do is to tip the people who clean tables at the mall.
“I watch them do their job and sometimes you can see they are just having a bad day,” she says. “When you pass them some money and tell them to buy themselves a coffee on their break, their faces light up! Even a simple ‘Thank you for keeping the eating area so clean for us’ produces a smile. I want people to know they matter. It really takes so little to put a smile on someone’s face.”
Letkeman’s sister Bonnie Sookermany says that Letkeman is just always willing to help.
“[Lisa is] always supportive and ready with encouragement and kind words,” Sookermany says. “She is always thinking of ways to cheer up and send love to those in the community. Lisa is kind, loving, and thoughtful and always puts others before herself.”
Letkeman’s daughter Olivia echoes Sookermany’s sentiments.
“My mom is one of the most caring and hard working women I know,” says Olivia. “She is constantly trying to find ways to help and bless others. A few years ago on Christmas, we went to St. Boniface Hospital and handed out flowers in the cafeteria. I’ve helped her pick up and drop off donations for multiple charities and families in need. Whether the action is big or small, my mom loves to help anyone who needs it, and she finds ways to bless those around her.”
Letkeman says that she is honoured to be recognized as a Super Citizen. However, true to her character, she immediately pivots to the good deeds of others.
“Niverville is a community that loves to bless its neighbours in big and small ways. The town Facebook page is filled with posts with people thanking the person who paid for their Tim’s order, pulled them out of the ditch, shovelled their driveway, or provided food for someone in need. I just love it! Kindness is a part of everyday life in Niverville and I’m proud to belong to such a great community.”
