Heidi VanLith
Special to The Chief
Natural - that's exactly how Brian Marchant describes volunteering. The 50-year old Squamish resident was presented with the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award last week for his 30-some years of outstanding voluntary service, most notably in the arts community.
Marchant has selflessly given his time and energy to the Squamish Arts Council, Howe Sound Performing Arts Association, Wild at Art, Art and Soul, and the Film Festival along with countless hours of coaching football, boosting local sports, and serving as a member of the Kiwanis Club.
"I'm not so interested in the accolades so much as promoting other people and the community," said Marchant, modestly adding the names of inspirational community members Joanna Schwarz, Rob Ryan, Paul Kindree, and Stu McLeod. "It's a shared award as far as I'm concerned, particularly in the arts."
Marchant is a passionate music buff and long time bass player who has gone as far as building a 24-track studio in his home to encourage local musicians and young rockers to perform and to feed his need for gears, faders, knobs, and dials."Music has always been my passion, a huge part of my life," he said.
After the illness and loss of his first daughter, Marchant felt the drive to give back to an organization that helped support his family through their tragedy - The Kiwanis Club. He began volunteering with the Kiwanis in the early 1990's and held presidency from 1992 to 1994.
Marchant's drive didn't stop there and he has since become an instrumental member of the Squamish arts community in nearly every capacity.
"It's just the work that you do," explained Marchant, adding that the need for helping others is a part of his heritage. In fact, McNamee Place was named after his grandfather to commend his generosity and benevolence while the Margaret Marchant Library in Don Ross Secondary School was named after Marchant's mother, an active member of the school board.
Naturally, Marchant is hard at work with the upcoming Wild at Art festivities scheduled for Feb. 24 to 26. "Our goal is to do 17 days of festival by 2010, so the whole time the Olympics are on people can take part in the activities happening in our community."
This year's indoor and outdoor event takes place at the Squamish Adventure Centre.
