"What I always appreciated about Colleen is that no matter how busy things were, no matter what was going on - changes that she had to implement - she was always so mindful of what was going on in the community. The Citizen over the last six or more years has undergone a lot of change and every time I touched base with her, Colleen would always ask 'what's going on with you or what's going on with this or what's happening there? How can we help? How can we support?' She was always so driven towards the larger picture of what benefitted our community. Anyone would aspire to that level of empathy. We want to thank her for the passion she brings to connecting businesses, to being one of the founding members of our local chamber of commerce but what it all boils down to is that Colleen is probably one of my greatest friends in life.”
- Todd Corrigall, Prince George Chamber of Commerce CEO
"I'm probably not the only one to say this but Colleen and I go back a long, long way - long before Spirit of the North. When I joined Spirit, Colleen was already on the board and she's been a very significant influence both from a media relations point of view but obviously as a woman in business. When Colleen became president of the board she was in her element and did an excellent job," Neiser said. "It was either 'I've got this,' or 'you've got this', and that's where Colleen and I would always joke. But as she moves into her retirement, to the next phase of her life, I admire her completely because I know - she's got this."
- Judy Neiser, Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation CEO
“I thought 'this picture could be called beauty - Colleen - and the beast'. The only reason I did it for the second year was because of Colleen. I would not have done it with anyone else and that's because she's determined and she's excitable and she just wants to do the right thing and that was a beautiful moment for both of us. I wish her everything good. I wish her the best of everything. I wish her much happiness because she provides so much happiness to other people and she should have that in return, always, always, always.“
- Selen Alpay, Canadian Tire Prince George owner/operator
"It was 2006, just after Glacier Media bought the Prince George Citizen, that I first met Colleen Sparrow. From that day forward I knew we had a genuine, caring and focused manager at the paper. Colleen’s commitment to her community and to our paper was as obvious then as it is today. Over the years, Colleen has been a wonderful and inspirational person to work with and to lead our team. I am so glad I have been able to share the last 14 year adventure at the Citizen with Colleen. Over the years, we have shared many experiences, both fun and tough, played a bit of golf, drank a few glasses of wine and shared many stories over lunches in PG on my monthly visits. I will miss Colleen immensely but am comforted that she is close by, always willing to lend a hand and still my friend! Congratulations, Colleen, and good luck in your next adventure!”
- Peter Kvarnstrom, president, community media, Glacier Media
