Connie Johnston, a resident of Russell for 73 years, received the JP St-Pierre Award—her second award this year.
At the annual Warden’s Banquet by the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) on Saturday, Nov. 23, the 10th annual JP St-Pierre Award was presented to Marcel Belle-Isle, a volunteer with several organizations over the past 60 years, and to Connie Johnston. Johnston has been involved with numerous organizations, including the popular Trivia Nights, which have raised funds for various local causes and charities in Russell since 2005.
The most recent Trivia Night, held on November 23, raised $6,000 for the Russell Association for the Performing Arts (RAPA) to help purchase new equipment, among other needs.
“We started these evenings as a way to help people going through tough times, whatever the reason,” said Johnston.
The first Trivia Night was organized nearly 20 years ago to support the family of a man from Russell who was killed in a car accident.
“He had two small children, so we thought we needed to find a way to help the family. We organized one of these nights at the old hotel we had here, and that’s simply our goal: to help those in need,” Johnston explained.
Since its inception, Trivia Night has raised over $1.5 million for the residents of Russell.
Johnston is also busy as the Director of the Russell Historical Society. She was previously the Director of the Russell Horticultural Society but decided to step back due to her overwhelming schedule.
“I reached a point where I was never home all week, so I had to take a step back,” she shared.
This summer, Johnston published a book compiling stories from Russell residents about their childhoods and lives in the municipality.
Voice of Our Town spans 650 pages and contains 1,800 photos, a project that took Johnston five years to complete.
“It was on my bucket list,” Johnston said. “Unfortunately, I’m one of the last people in the area interested in history, and I thought, if I don’t write it down, like so many other stories, they’ll be lost forever. I was very happy to be able to do it.”
Johnston also shared a connection with former Russell Mayor Jean-Paul St-Pierre, whom she knew before his passing in 2014. They attended the same high school, and their children played sports together, but they became closer when St-Pierre entered politics, and Johnston joined his campaign team.
“We attended all the meetings, and I knocked on hundreds of doors on his behalf when he ran for office, first as a councillor and then as mayor,” she said.
She was also one of the last people he emailed before his death. That night, he told her he would attend the following day’s Trivia Night.
The next morning, Johnston received a call informing her of St-Pierre’s passing.
“I was devastated,” Johnston said. “He was a very, very good friend. I have a lot of respect for Leroux [his successor], but they couldn’t have chosen anyone better to follow JP. JP was such a great friend.”
The next Trivia Night is scheduled for January 25, 2025, to benefit the Russell Optimist Club, a group of parents dedicated to providing entertainment for children in the community.
