Milt Kruger of On Line Collision was surprised Tuesday when he was named the H.D. Stafford Good Citizen of the Year.
Kruger was called up to the podium by Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce president Scott Johnston, who gave a lengthy list of causes Kruger has worked on.
“Behind the scenes, this person is a quiet volunteer willing to contribute time and effort to the Langley community, dedicating personal and professional time and resources to advance causes and issues critical to the health and well-being of our community and citizens,” Johnston said.
Kruger thanked those who had selected him, but directed most of his praise to the previous winners who stood behind him, and to others in the community.
“I know so many people in that room who do so much more, in my opinion, than I do,” Kruger said.
There are hundreds of people in the community doing volunteer work, he said.
Milt’s wife Kim said they were completely surprised by the honour.
Kruger, a past Langley chamber president, was congratulated by longtime chamber executive director Lynn Whitehouse.
“You did a lot of mentoring of me,” he said.
Kruger first got involved with business-focused volunteering through his trade association, then through the chamber of commerce.
“From there you start to meet a lot of folks,” he said.
The list of causes he has worked on includes his own On Line Collision Playgrounds Initiative, the Langley School District Foundation, the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation, Operation Red Nose, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and both the B.C. Summer Games and the B.C. Seniors Games in Langley.
The Playgrounds Initiative helps local school Parental Advisory Councils raise money for new playground equipment.
The cost of a new elementary school playground can easily hit six figures. The initiative has been funding playgrounds since 2013.
