A LITTLE ABOUT MARY: As owner of WordArt WebArtistry, Mary has specialized in helping businesses and organizations locally, across Canada and overseas to establish/enrich their online presence – since 1997. From the initial personal, friendly conversation identifying and evaluating existing and future needs, she works closely with each client (the decision-makers and the admin/users) to identify they unique needs, envision, design and finally develop customized, effective online marketing strategies. A traditional website is only part of a good overall marketing strategy… Mary’s job is to make sure your web-presence enhances and enriches your goals (the “call to action”). To do that, she takes some time getting to know you, so she can fully understand you and your business/organization. Once you both understand the purpose of your website (and yes, each website is unique in its purpose), her favourite task begins! to bring that vision to fruition in an attractive and useful way.

Experience! Mary earned her Associate of Communications early in career and has been marketing using new technologies ever since. While working for the United Nations/World Health Organization in Information Technologies, Mary was online transmitting files to locations around the world via the Internet before the World Wide Web was even invented. Back in here Canada, she published her first website in the spring of 1995, and has been designing and publishing online ever since! The WordArt portfolio reflects only some of the websites she has developed over the years. Passionate about this technology and the incredible opportunities perpetually revealing themselves, Mary stays current with emerging technology/trends — not because she has to, but because she loves it! Mary finds tremendous reward in helping others succeed — indeed WordArt’s motto is “we succeed by helping others succeed” — and so, she also offers one-on-one consulting as well as workshops for small groups.

Here is what Mary says about herself and her community; Coming from a long line of volunteers and community-minded ancestry, I can’t even imagine not giving back to my world. I currently sit on the board of directors for Canadian Mental Health Association, and on the executive board with Daybreak Rotary Club of Salmon Arm. I have previously sat on the board of the Shuswap Women in Business since it’s inception and was active with the Shuswap’s Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative. I believe strongly in the value of literacy at all ages, and as “the Booklady” I founded and ran the successful “Books for Kids” program for a decade, and am a member of the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS). For many years, I volunteered at the Roots & Blues music festival, and for even more years sat on school parent councils (representing SD83 district provincially). And, well, “once a Guider, always a Guider”… I do love to volunteer with the youth in our community through Girl Guides of Canada on special projects.

In 2009 I was very honoured and deeply humbled to have been acknowledged as Shuswap Woman of the Year, in recognition of my contributions to my community and my professional successes. Wow…. blown away. In 2015 I received honourable mention for Salmon Arm 2015 Community Leader Award – volunteer.

Spare time? Family family family! I am a very proud grammy to one wee lad, and mom to three terrific young adults. My partner in life and fun, Wes fills my heart. And you bet there is spare time — here’s what I do to for fun. I practice yoga regularly and I belly dance. As soon as it’s warm enough, I am on the water kayaking and I dragonboat with the Dr’Agonize team. I enjoy photography and travel … neither of which do often enough!