Award Category: Community Award

Dr. Bonnie Ledbeater, Professor of Psychology at the University of Victoria, is being honoured today for her work on anti-bullying programs for primary and middle school children. She is well known for her part in enhancing W.I.T.S., a program that means: WALK AWAY; IGNORE, TALK IT OUT AND SEEK HELP. Launched in Victoria, WITS is now in 170 schools around the Province and 500 schools across Canada. The program trains students, law enforcement, teachers, parents and families to be responsive to children’s requests for help. Bonnie and her team have also made inroads into the challenges of cyber bullying. Bonnie’s evidence-based research and dedicated leadership make our communities stronger and healthier.

Bessie Lee became an activist in the 1960’s when her neighbourhood was threatened by demolition, urban renewal and freeway development. Bessie was a tireless campaigner to save Strathcona, home to Chinatown and a predominance of non-English speaking residents. Bessie helped with founding and organizing the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association, the citizen’s movement that successfully stopped the City of Vancouver from changing the face of the neighbourhood. Bessie is a soft spoken, respectful but determined force who is clearly effective and persuasive. Because of Bessie’s leadership role in her community organization, Vancouver’s first neighbourhood is a thriving and livable one today.

Grade 12 student, Morgan Leung, has demonstrated care and concern for her community. She achieves this through her many school activities and her wider community fundraising. She was the leading youth fundraiser in BC and the Yukon for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She is an advocate for Me to We and Free the Children. Morgan was recognized as one of Delta’s ‘20 under 20’ in 2013 for her role in developing the “Bracelets for Baby Food campaign” which, by selling hundreds of hand made bracelets, raised enough money to purchase 1,000 jars of baby food for her local food bank. Morgan is a volunteer student teacher of ballet and is indeed a role model for youth in her community.

Larry and Jason are innovators. Recent graduates of UBC’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and its community pharmacy program, they created a non-dispensing pharmacy called Clinicare Pharmacists which provides enhanced patient-centred care through collaborative work with physicians, nurses and other health professionals. In other words, Jason and Larry can help each of us understand our medicines, consider best practices for our chronic diseases, educate us about our medical conditions and ensure our patient safety. Larry and Jason have successfully incorporated this model in several Aboriginal communities where access to pharmacies is limited. Both are lecturers in their specialty at UBC and together they have set a high standard for clinical pharmaceutical care in BC.

Don Lindsay has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to supporting British Columbia communities. He led the BC Children 's Hospital Foundation's successful $200-million capital campaign to build a new acute care hospital, the largest healthcare not-for-profit initiative ever undertaken in the Province. As President and CEO of Teck Resources Limited, Don has championed many other important causes including BCIT, St. Paul's Hospital, the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Aquarium.

Since 1998, Gordon Marks has volunteered and grown the sport of Powerchair Football, also known as Powersoccer. The sport is played by individuals in power wheelchairs and parallels the outdoor game of soccer. Coach, referee, development trainer, administrator, board member and fundraiser, Gordon's extraordinary commitment has led to the success of Powerchair Football in British Columbia.

Michael McCoy provides innovative and effective social service solutions to issues facing families and individuals of all ages and cultures in the city of Richmond. He has been executive director of the Touchstone Family Association for thirty years. He is a strong believer in community partnerships for both support and funding. Among the programs he has initiated are the Restorative Justice alternative, the Front Porch Program providing barrier free counselling and the Eating Together campaign to encourage the importance of family mealtimes. His dynamic leadership has resulted in Touchstone Family Association receiving national accreditation for best practice in social services. Michael’s opinions and innovative ideas have been, and continue to be, the catalyst for positive change within the community of Richmond.

Business leader John McLernon is the driving force behind the Streetohome Foundation, a community organization that addresses the needs of the homeless in Vancouver. John has chaired the organization since its establishment in 2008. John has also served on numerous city boards including the Vancouver Opera and the Vancouver Foundation.

Ethel’s Smith’s award is a tangible thank you from the people of Loon Lake, a small Caribou community. For 38 years, Ethel Smith voluntarily operated a first aid post at Loon Lake. She aided hundreds and hundreds of people, permanent and summer residents, tourists and guests. Whether it was an embedded fish hook, or a suspected heart attack, or care when someone was discharged from hospital, Ethel treated them all. It was comforting to know, given that Loon Lake is located about an hour’s drive from the nearest emergency room in Ashcroft, that Ethel was there with her first aid kit and training if any medical or first aid situation arose. For her generous devotion to the well-being and health of her community, we honour Ethel today.