Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Photo by Curt Knoke Matty Mathison tries to exercise at least six days a week, and when she’s not working on her own health, she’s involved with organizations to better the health of others. Mathison’s efforts earned her the 2016 Health Care Volunteer Award from the Shawano Area Community Foundation.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of five articles profiling winners of the Celebration of Giving awards presented annually by Shawano Area Community Foundation Inc. for outstanding volunteerism. The winners will be honored at a gala April 12.
The image that springs to mind for some when thinking of a health care volunteer could be a candy striper, someone who visits with patients or someone who plays the piano at a nursing home.
The actual definition, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is “the field concerned with the maintenance or restoration of the health of the body or mind.”
The description fits Matty Mathison to a tee, which is why she will receive the Shawano Area Community Foundation’s Health Care Volunteer Award.
Gregory Sturm nominated Mathison for the award because of her involvement in a number of activities and projects that directly or indirectly improve the health of Shawano County.
“The Shawano area is blessed to have many dedicated citizens who devote time and talent to make this a healthier place to live, but I feel Matty is a one-of-a-kind volunteer,” Sturm said in his nomination letter. “Her relentless pursuit in creating a healthier population is not just a part-time pastime or something she does in her spare time. It is more like a full-time job with her.”
Sturm noted that, even when she is relaxing, Mathison is constantly thinking about the next project, program or event encouraging people to live a healthier lifestyle.
Mathison’s body of work includes the following:
• She joined the Community Health Action Team when it was formed three years ago and is still serving. Her involvement with the group includes serving on an ad hoc committee looking at changing school start times for the Shawano School District.
• She has been a part of Shawano Pathways since it incorporated in 2011, including a stint as the group’s president. Mathison wrote a number of successful grant requests to support the group’s goal of increasing trails in Shawano County, and she was involved in developing bike loops in Shawano and the town of Wescott.
• She was the mastermind behind creating the Bike the Barn Quilts event held in the fall for the last three years. In 2016, the project will work with Shawano Area Matthew 25, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club to organize 5K and 10K runs and walks to coincide with the bicycling event.
• She represented Shawano Pathways on the Born Learning Trail project, a collaborative effort involving eight agencies with the goal of using walking as an educational tool to help children ages 1-6 learn a variety of things, including colors, music, numbers, storytelling and more.
Besides encouraging good health, Mathison practices it, too. She engages in a regular exercise regimen six days a week, whether it’s a distant bicycle ride, an hour of water aerobics or a cross-country skiing journey across rural parts of the county.
“Contrary to most other people, I enjoy exercising in the winter. The cold’s not a problem for me,” Mathison said.
However, nature sometimes poses a barrier. Mathison recounted one incident when she was rollerblading and collided with a deer while skating on a decline.
“It was kind of like a slow motion thing. I saw the deer coming, but I couldn’t stop myself in time,” Mathison said.
It took several conversations with the insurance company to make agents realize she’d been injured by a deer and not a car. While she was recovering, she had to temporarily change her attire, as well.
“I don’t usually wear dresses, but after the road rash I got from crashing into that deer, I was wearing dresses for a while,” Mathison said.
Mathison said she was surprised by the SACF honor, noting that there are a lot of people who work to bring healthy alternatives to the community through Shawano Pathways and CHAT.
“I wish I could share this award with them,” Mathison said.
In a way, she will be. Mathison said she planned to use the $1,000 that comes with the SACF award to help further Shawano Pathways projects.
Mathison acknowledged Shawano County has made progress in improving its health, but with the county consistently ranking in the lower half of counties in the state, there’s still a long way to go.
“Obesity and poor health is an issue in our area,” Mathison said.