Louise Nesterenko (BADM ’05) is an inspiration — last year, at age 74, the former SAIT Accounting instructor was named Outstanding Masters Athlete of the Year by the CALTAF Athletic Association.

“It was such an honour,” she says of the award, which recognizes track and field athletes over the age of 35. “I think I won because I inspire people when they hear how active I am at my age and how much I’ve done.” And her winning streak continues — at the Sherwood Park Track Classic in July, she won three bronze medals for women’s discus, javelin and hammer throws in the 60–74 age division.

But her decade-long path to competitive throwing — which includes javelin, shot put, weight, hammer and discus — was anything but a straight line. A long-time runner, Nesterenko suffered a broken right leg, not once but twice. She taught herself how to walk again after these setbacks and began throwing as a way of staying active without further injuring her leg.

Then, in 2018, she endured three strokes that left her blind in one eye and partially paralyzed on her right side. After four months in hospital, she once again relearned how to walk. With time, hard work and modified throwing techniques, Nesterenko was able to resume competitive throwing in 2020, practicing daily at the private throwing area her husband made for her.

“I love throwing. It melts stress away,” she says. “I miss running dearly, but as long as I’m moving, I’m happy. Being active is the reason I lived after my strokes.”

She stays plenty active around Books Between Friends (BBF), her Calgary-based, volunteer-run, second-hand bookstore. For six hours a day, six days a week, she helps carry and sort boxes full of donated books that she sells for $1 to $4, with proceeds benefiting charities, causes and athletic clubs.

In 2003, BBF started off as a single bookcase of used books for sale in the back of Alberta Computer Cable, a business Nesterenko owned at the time. Since then, BBF has grown, filling 3,900 square feet of retail space with puzzles, knick-knacks and 55,000 books. As of January 2025, it has donated over $1 million to charities like Calgary Veterans Services Society, Alberta Guide Dog Services, Four Feet Companion Foundation and Helping Families Handle Cancer.

The store is a labour of love where Nesterenko forms connections with her volunteers and regular customers (whose kids often call her Nana Louise). Her charitable nature can be traced back to her childhood — Nesterenko’s mother had experienced poverty, a disability caused by polio, and limited opportunities to meet others or make friends. Knowing how social interaction might have improved her mother’s life sparks Nesterenko’s drive to give back and create community today.

“I have a need to help others because of where I came from,” she says. “I help because I should and because I can.”