Arne Lindberg had only been discharged from the hospital for a month when he peered out his window to a touching sight.
A five-year-old with a shovel bigger than him was determined to clear off his 85 foot driveway.
Lindberg learned the boy had shovelled five driveways in total that day for people who couldn’t do it themselves.
He wanted to make sure the young man was recognized, and nominated him for the City of Prince Albert’s Golden Shovel Award.
Mayor Greg Dionne presented the award to Bohden Kuzma on Thursday morning in front of his kindergarten class.
Bohden’s parents, teachers and the École Vickers principal clapped as he shyly smiled for photos.
“It was nice for me to do,” said Bohden about shovelling the driveways.
With a choice between a number of prizes, there was no denying Bohden would pick a pack of Prince Albert Raiders hockey tickets.
He said he loves to play hockey, particularly being the goalie.
Bohden’s dad, Tyler Kuzma, said it gave him a sense of pride to watch the presentation.
“It’s great that he’s paying it forward and just thinking about other people past himself. It’s really nice to see as a parent,” he said. “That’s something his grandpa has always done, is shovel people’s driveways, so he’s seen that within his family.”
The city has a policy asking property owners to shovel off their sidewalks within 48 hours after a snowfall for the safety of the public.
“We have lots of seniors in our community that can’t shovel sidewalks,” said Dionne.
He handed out pins and temporary tattoos to the entire kindergarten class, hoping to encourage them to be good citizens—whether it’s shovelling snow or simply not disposing of a candy wrapper on the ground.
“I think it’s important that we lift everyone up in our community, not just our adults, but our kids because they’re our future,” emphasized Dionne.
Just before Christmas, Lindberg had a hip replacement.
When he saw Bohden, his dad and a couple others shovelling his driveway “(he) thought, ‘Yeah, this is what prairie spirit is all about.’”
Linderberg said it’s clear Bohden has the drive to help people, which is instilled by his family and teachers.
“That’s a trait I think we should celebrate and really nurture and encourage. It was beautiful to see.”
