Ricki grew up in the community of Nieuwlande, in the Province of Drenther. She was a small child during the war, but she was told that a few neighbours were shot by the Nazis because they harboured Jews, or they had joined the underground resistance movement. Many city people come to their farm looking for food. The German soldiers constantly came around to search the farms and homes in their community.
Her uncle was involved with a resistance group. Her father was jailed for a period of time when the Germans wanted to know the location of her uncle. Her father did know his location, however, and so he carried on with his farming.
Her father wanted to immigrate to the United States before he was …show more content…
During her summer holidays she worked at the local egg grading station . She worked at the Royal Bank at Drayton, Toronto and Montreal. After working at the Drayton branch for three years, she applied to attend Calvin College and was accepted. She took the job in Toronto because she was not sure how to utilize her interest in Art. After a number of months in the city, she decided to give teaching a try. She took the job in Montreal while attending Calvin College. She attended this private college in Michigan because this college was affiliated with the Christian Reform Church which she attended. She took her teachers training at McArthur College in …show more content…
At that time the teaching of Art had become a popular program in Ontario schools. While she had the opportunity to teach anywhere, the small town of Meaford appealed to her more than a school in a city. She also taught her subject to adult students in the evening. She taught in the school from 1970 to 1985 and then she married Robert Thompson of Collingwood.
Having retired from the class room, and representing Collingwood Township, Ricki has thrown herself into the task of working as a Trustee on the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Board. She was a director on the Hospital Foundation since 1988. As Chair of the Donor Recognition Committee from 1994 to 1999, she was instrumental in creating the Benefactor System which was unveiled in 1997. The Donor Wall has generated substantial gifts from donors.
The Future Campaign by 2002 raised $ 6,100,000 surpassing their goal of six million. The hospital now has the state of the art CT Scanner, Bone Density Unit, Mammography Unit, and Echocardiography Unit. They now have an Educational Endowment which is to give community health awareness programs and patient education programs. The hospital has added a Complex Continuing Care Unit. The annual Christmas Tree of Life Fund made $ 203,000 in 2001, surpassing their goal of $ 150,000 to buy a PAC