Pat Bjorum, new Citizen of the Year, has done much to help those most in need
Compassionate, kind and selfless.
Those are some of the most common adjectives used by nominators to describe Pat Bjorum, the newly named “Citizen of the Year.”
Bjorum’s work has extended far beyond that required in her position as pastoral minister at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, note many of those who submitted testimonials to her diligent work on behalf of the less fortunate in the International Falls community.
Bjorum’s involvement in community service projects is extensive. She is one of the leaders in the Servants of Shelter homeless shelter project; has helped organize the Community Clothes Closet; is a North Star Hospice chaplain; volunteers with the community Christmas dinner; and is involved in the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, a non-partisan affiliation of Minnesota churches, mosques, and synagogues to lobby legislation for the state’s most vulnerable people.
Each year, the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce asks the community to nominate someone who is to be “recognized for contributions to the community and in the lives of others during the past year. (These candidates) have made a difference through service to others or involvement in the community, (such as the) individual performed a heroic act or works tirelessly in a special area of need.”
Bjorum will be honored along with the other award recipients at the annual Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet at 6 p.m. May 4 at Thunderbird Lodge.
The chamber shared with The Journal more than 40 nominations received from community members on Bjorum’s behalf. Most respondents noted that it was not only what she did, but the way in which she touches the lives of others that was paramount in making their nomination.
Besides the countless benefits from the projects, nominators noted her sensitive counsel to those in times of need, her positive attitude which propels ideas into reality, and her respect for fellow human beings regardless of situation.
“It is such a wonderful honor to know that people in our community thought I deserved this,” Bjorum said. “I mean, one goes about her business day to day and does not think too much about each step and then comes to find out that these everyday involvements turn out to have made some difference, be noteworthy. It is never why one tries to be a helpful citizen (to win an award), but it is so affirming that these projects we have shared are meaningful to our community.”
Bjorum’s motivation to serve others, she explains, is twofold and has to do with the people she meets working on the projects.
“It is a combination of the motivation and energy of the people I’ve worked (with) — so many people, so much goodness and wisdom — they could each be ‘Citizens of the Year.’ This coupled with the sincerity and gratitude of the persons we are honored to walk beside.”
“There seems to be a natural heart for persons who need companions and assistance here in I. Falls,” she said of the community she has worked with for more than 30 years.
Bjorum said some words she often lives by were told to her as she started a new chapter in her life at a new job. This advice, she explained, has come to mind many times throughout the years as she embarks on a new task.
“It was when I began work here in the parish as a pastoral minister, which was a change from my work of 25 years as an elementary teacher — work that was already invigorating and fulfilling for me. At morning mass on the first day of this new job, Fr. Tom Meyer welcomed me to the parish staff and said (about this new direction for me), ‘The greatest risk is no risk at all.’ I know I had heard that before, but it stuck in a new way. It has been something I have held in my heart as new challenges and possibilities have arisen.”
Grinning from ear to ear, and sitting among bouquets of flowers and office decorations added after the award was announced, the humble pastoral minister seemed to be taking the award personally as she met with The Journal.
“I was overwhelmed,” she replied when asked how she reacted to the news. “I started to cry and couldn’t even tell my husband that I had won this award. I took it completely to heart. I feel like a princess.”
From the nominations:
• “... Pat has been a wonderful role model for people and an example to our community of genuine kindness. Quietly and gently, she has helped our community grow into a better place, one person at a time, by planting seeds of love, kindness and respect and working selflessly to help others be the best they can be.”
— Lisa West
• “Her belief that people working together can change the world is evident in all she undertakes. She organizes so many activities at St. Thomas Church, but far beyond that, she is a servant who provides the less fortunate with food, shelter, clothes and self-respect... Anyone who has ever sat down and listened to Pat knows that simply being with her can improve someone’s life.”
— Molly Pavleck
• “Pat has an unlimited supply of compassion and love for her fellow humans. Even when her own house burned down, she was out working and helping others.”
— LeeAnn Meer
• “Pat Bjorum has worked in a heroic fashion to ensure that the people living on the margins of age, income and love see a person who cares for them and their wellbeing.”
— Michael Gerard
• “Hers is a kind soul who identifies needs among community members and works tirelessly to make immediate impacts and solutions.”
— Sue Fraik
Past Citizens of the Year:
1986 George Esslinger (Deceased)
1987 Nancy Larsen
1988 Otto Kuehne
1989 Ed Waldbillig (Deceased)
1990 Jean Manley
1991 Lucille Anderson
1992 Don Ham (Deceased)
1993 Marge Brunette
1994 Dale Sundin (Honorees: Allen Rasmussen, Lloyd Anderson)
1995 Allen Rasmussen (Honorees: Margarete Kostiuk, Paul Reuter)
1996 Joan Barkovic (Honorees: Margarete Kostiuk, Susan Congrave, and special Darlene LeMoine and Janet Shickell).
1997 Margarete Kostiuk
1998 Dick Swanson
1999 Francis Einarson
2000 Mayor Jack Murray
2001 Babe Baron
2002 Donna Frederickson
2003 Etta Jean and Norbert Goulet
2004 Norma Krats
2005 Carole Schulz
2006 Wayne Sampson
2007 Gary Potter
2008 Ward Merrill
2009 Suzie Best
2010 Lori Lyman
2011 Pat Bjorum
