The City of Warman and Warman City Council are excited to announce the recipient of the Diamond Citizen of the Year is Darwin Davis.
Davis was nominated for his OK Tire Bus service and the charitable impact he’s made in Warman as a result.
“It’s definitely not an expected thing – what an honour,” Davis said. “I was quite stunned because it never would have even crossed my mind to have been nominated for what we do.”
With the popularity of the bus service, there’s a high probability that every Warman resident has either used it, or knows someone who has, since Davis generously brought the buses to the city.
Davis’s selfless service started out as one 21-passenger bus that he loaned to minor sports teams in exchange for merely a tagged post on social media and as long as the user refilled the tank. Just over half a year after getting that first bus, the bookings filled so quickly he bought another smaller bus to add variety. But, it didn’t take long for him to need another 21-passenger bus to meet the demand and bring his fleet to three prior to the start of 2021.
Davis elevated this already-selfless service to benefit the community even more last year.
Even though he and his staff spent hundreds of hours of maintenance on the buses in 2021 alone, instead of receiving payment for these bookings, Davis began loaning them out under a third condition – that the user donates to Warman KidSport.
Combined, the three buses were used over 100 times in 2021 alone, ranging from weddings to minor sports, from ski and fishing trips to transporting seniors, and everything in between.
Davis was able to raise approximately $16,000 for Warman KidSport through all these bookings. His pace for 2022 is similar, if not better.
“Warman KidSport can’t extend enough praise to Darwin and OK Tire Warman for their tremendous support with their buses,” said representatives from Warman KidSport. “In 2021, the buses raised substantial and vital funds to support the children in our community to play. Congratulations to a well-deserved Diamond Citizen who is a glowing example in our community and someone who has selflessly given to our community.”
This is not an easy, cost-effective service Davis has generously provided without hesitation for the community. To him, the goal is not to make money, but to raise it.
His humility and generosity have touched the lives of everyone from youth to seniors in Warman. And, his donations to KidSport have helped make sports more accessible to all youth in the community.
Davis has played a large part in bringing the tight-knit community of Warman even closer together.
“It means quite a bit for people to notice and to make a point of telling me they think it’s a wonderful thing. It keeps you wanting to keep it going,” Davis said.