MOOSE JAW — The Saskatchewan Literacy Network has given one of its most prestigious awards to the late Christine Boyczuk, who was heavily involved in building children’s literacy skills with the local chapter.
The network held its annual Literacy Awards of Merit in Regina on May 7 at Government House. Her Honour the Honourable Bernadette McIntyre, lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, presented the awards to six people.
The Saskatchewan Literacy Network presented Boyczuk with the Literacy Legacy Award, with her sister, Paula Green, and friend, Chris Turcotte, accepting on her behalf.
A biography of Boyczuk’s literacy efforts was included in the program, which is reprinted below.
“Christine was a dedicated volunteer, passionate community advocate, and literacy professional who always led by example. When she passed away suddenly on Feb. 10, 2025, she left behind a legacy of impact in her home of Moose Jaw, across Saskatchewan, and beyond,” the program said.
“The Saskatchewan Literacy Network received inquiries asking if Christine could be nominated for an award. The Network, with permission from her family, is honoured to present this Literacy Legacy Award in Christine’s memory.
“Among her many, many contributions in organizations, committees, and events in Moose Jaw, in Saskatchewan, in Canada, and internationally, Christine worked as a volunteer with the Moose Jaw Literacy Network for years,” the biography continued.
“In this role, Christine brought together diverse groups, fuelling meaningful impact by building on the strengths of everyone involved. Christine had a talent for making things happen, even (doing things) so smoothly that few realized how she had orchestrated these things to happen.
“Every success was one she shared with all involved, and she was always ready to share the strategies for these successes with anyone,” the biography said. “This spread the impact well beyond her own community, such as with the Touch a Truck event, which directly inspired similar events across Saskatchewan.
“When asked about presenting this award to Christine, some thought, ‘Why wasn’t Christine nominated before?’ and the answer might be because of the incredible humility with which she approached her work and its impact, or even her own accomplishments, like quietly finishing her PhD in recent years, when many didn’t even know she had started!
“Christine knew the transformative power of education, and the essential role of literacy, especially family literacy, in addressing complex social challenges,” said the biography. “In answer to why one such challenge existed, a local community forum identified connection to family as the source solution.
“We believe that Christine viewed everyone as part of her broader family — her community — (and worked) tirelessly to help it grow and thrive through literacy and lifelong learning.
“Though it seems impossible to imagine filling the spaces left by such a stylish, energetic woman of deep knowledge and incredible commitment, we know we do not need to,” the biography added.
“Christine’s legacy inspires us to move forward and work together, to learn from each other, to celebrate with joy as we achieve together, to look ahead to the next challenge, and to always remember that everything we have grows stronger as we share it.”
The program thanked those involved in Boyczuk’s life — her family, friends and colleagues — for making the award recognition possible. It also thanked her for her efforts since her inspiring work and the approach she took was a “powerful legacy” that the Saskatchewan Literacy Network was honoured to recognize.
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