2025 Awards Evening
Overall Woman of Influence
Audrey Potrais
The impact of this years’ Overall Woman of Influence is far reaching. She has benefitted not only our
community, but has made a difference at the provincial, national and international level. She was the
founding member of the Lakeland FASD Committee and worked as the Executive Director of the
Lakeland Center for FASD for over two decades. In that capacity, she not only raised awareness but
innovatively developed programs tailored to serve the needs of individuals with prenatal alcohol
exposure and their families. She has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to
excellence and her dedication to advocating for individuals and families with complex needs has not
only impacted our community but has set a standard for her peers. She established the 2 nd Floor
Women’s Recovery Centre, a residential treatment facility for women at risk of having children with
FASD. The desire to provide those women with positive role models from our community was actually
the foundation for this event. She has published numerous peer reviewed articles and served as the
Executive Director of the National Research Network in FASD. She has retired from the Lakeland
Director for FASD and now serves as the executive director of CanFASD, a collaborative, interdisciplinary
research network, with collaborators, researchers and partners across the nation. It is Canada’s first
comprehensive national Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) research network. In 2008 she received
the Provincial Award Celebrating Excellence from the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical
Institutes. 2022 saw her honoured with Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for Alberta and in
2023 she was further recognized with induction into the prestigious Alberta Order of Excellence.
Beyond her work with FASD, she is actively involved in the community, having founded the Lac La Biche
Special Olympics Club and initiated the Lakeland Special Olympics club. She is an incredible role model
who encourages others to contribute and be involved in ways that they perhaps otherwise would not.
Arts & Culture
Aimee Alger
This year’s recipient has made a tremendous impact in the arts community in the Lakeland Region over
the last ten years. She has directed ten plays at the Cold Lake High School and the eleventh is currently
underway. The play she wrote for last years performance was selected as the 2023 winner of the A+
Playwrighting Contest for Teachers and will now be performed by schools worldwide. Working to build
the drama and theatre program at the Cold Lake High School, she has encouraged students to explore
the fine arts. She volunteers countless hours to school productions and role models for her students the
benefits of hard work, dedication and commitment.
Business & Professional
Darah Blandford
This year’s award recipient has effectively made it her mission to enhance the profile of our community.
Through both her employment and her volunteer work, she does everything she can to lift-up Cold Lake
and make it a better place to live. She trumpets the benefits of our City through her position as the
Executive Director of the Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce and has been recognized by her
peers as the Alberta Chamber Executive Director of the Year twice in her career. She has been
instrumental in creating community events such as Feast on the Beach and volunteers countless
hours to help others succeed. She volunteers as a mentor for Community Future’s Smart Start
Business Program and has been involved in the Economic Development Advisory Committee since 2023.
Her dedication to mentorship and advocacy for small businesses has created a ripple effect, fostering
positive change in our community. She possesses a unique blend of vision, tenacity, and compassion.
Community & Volunteerism
Jessie Heisler
This year’s winner is a cornerstone of our community. She works tirelessly to support and advocate for
people who are struggling with homelessness, mental health and other life crises. She mentors and
encourages the people of our community to become strong confident leaders, irrespective of
background and social status. Through her work with FCSS, she creates an environment that is
welcoming and inclusive to people of all walks of life. She has been a strong supporter of 2SLGBTQ+
community. She role models the power of kindness and humility. She runs community drives to
support those in need and partners with other organizations to help the most vulnerable in our
community. She radiates passion and excellence in giving back.
Health & Wellness
Andrea Papalia
Her mission has been to offer inclusive, culturally safe, affordable, accessible, patient
centered preventative oral healthcare. She started out with a mobile clinic catering to homebound patients, seniors, and large families. She expanded into the Elizabeth School, Fishing Lake School and the schools on the Cold Lake and Frog Lake First Nations.
She helped to spearhead Metis Dental Week, where dental students from the University of Alberta came to do cleaning, x-rays and extractions, free of charge.
Through this event, many individuals who lacked dental benefit coverage and otherwise would have gone without oral healthcare were assisted.
She started her master’s degree in 2021 focusing on Metis oral healthcare experiences, using a community driven, Metis research methodology that
centers on Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing that honours love and accountability to the families and communities of the Metis people.
She is expected to graduate this spring with a Master of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene.
Science & Technology
Marla Slavik
Living in Cold Lake influenced this year’s recipient and directed her to aspire to a career in the oil and gas field.
She left home to accomplish that goal, starting in the Petroleum Technology program at NAIT.
When the downturn in the oil industry limited the opportunities available to students, she decided to
further her education. She moved to Butte, Montana, to obtain a degree in Petroleum Engineering at Montana Technological University. She returned to Cold Lake in the summer of 2021 as a Petroleum Engineer.
While at NAIT, she commenced her 4th class power engineering studies. Upon return to
Cold Lake, she worked not only to get the respect of her co-workers but also to get enough hours to obtain her 4th Class Power Engineering Designation. Working in a male-dominated field, she shows initiative and dedication and is respected for her work.
She is tenacious in achieving her goals and is a role model for other women who want to pursue their dreams in the engineering field.
Older Woman (65 years old+)
Heather McFarlane
recipient has worked in her later years to improve the quality of life of seniors in our community.
She has been instrumental in creating the Age Friendly Cold Lake Society, a registered charity
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, dignity and independence of seniors in our community.
She has worked to support and improve the lives of seniors in our community and care facilities. To this end she has helped develop programs and services to help seniors get to medical appointments, received
home visits from trained volunteers, do phone check-ins and provide grief support, programming related
to dementia and nutrition.
She also assisted in the creation of the Men’s Shed, a place for men to learn skills, meet people, drink coffee, share stories, & hit things with hammers!
