Award Category: Community Award

The Cmoliks believe in both the dreams of young people and the power of education. For example, they have initiated and funded a program for Grade Five children at an inner city school that provides all-day field trips as a way to expand the childrens’ horizons. This Horizons program is reinforced by five-day summer camps at the SFU Surrey Campus, where the students explore everything from business marketing to physics and digital media. The Cmoliks also provide post secondary scholarships for students who are financially challenged and who have overcome an obstacle. The payback to the community for the Cmoliks support is that the students are asked to give back to their community when they are able to do so. The story of the Cmolik’s generosity is inspiring for its unique approach to fostering aspirations and encouraging educational possibilities for students in their community.

Vancouver business leaders and philanthropists Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia and Sergio Cocchia embrace every opportunity to give back to their community. Together Wendy and Sergio have contributed enormously to BC’s economy positioning their Century Plaza hotel and Absolute Spa Group as the Canadian leader in the luxury spa industry. There are progressive employers who demonstrate that creating a healthy workplace culture is key to business success. Equally important, is their inspiring work in building a strong and healthy community. Long associated with Variety, The Children’s Charity, they have raised over $1million through the annual Century Plaza media golf classic. Their focus is now a “first” for BC families – the vision for a Pacific Autism Family Centre. Wendy volunteers as the elected Chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade and trustee of the Vancouver Police Foundation. Sergio is President of the Mediated Learning Academy and the Variety Learning Centre. Wendy and Sergio demonstrate the tremendous power of two committed volunteers in strengthening the fabric of their community.

Evva Chy-Kovska-Higgins is an associate professor of linguistics at the University of Victoria with a special interest in language revitalization. A researcher of the Salish languages of southern Vancouver Island, Evva is honoured today for her work as principal investigator for the completion of the Community-University Research Alliance Project known as the Coast Salish Language Revitalization Project. She created a model of collaboration that was respectful, ethical, healing and instructive between five First Nations groups and the University of Victoria. As a result two Coast Salish nations are on the path to reclaiming their languages and making them fully alive again. This remarkable outcome is credited to the perseverance and respect of this dedicated academic.

Ambo Dhaliwal devotes time and energy to the betterment of her community. Arriving in Kamloops in 1952 as a young bride, Vancouver-born Ambo quickly saw the need to bridge the cultures of Canadian-born and newly arrived Indo-Canadians. She provided integration needs long before these services were available to new immigrants. A founding member of Kamloops Multicultural Society forty years ago, she still plays an active role and regards diversity and multiculturalism as necessary to the health of a community. She is longtime member of the Kamloops Cariboo Immigrant Services Society and the Ladies Evening Auxiliary of Royal Inland Hospital. Volunteerism is Ambo’s way of life…she is a role model for her family AND…for the wider community.

Commitment, dedication and hard work describe David Dickson. He is the Safer Communities Coordinator at the Williams Lake RCMP. He has initiated a Business Watch program, the Mounted Citizens on Patrol, increased the volunteer component of Citizens on Patrol and spearheaded the Positive Ticketing Program that rewards young people for being good citizens. The results of these and other of his efforts have greatly contributed to a substantial reduction in the community’s crime statistics. David is also a member of the Board of Governors of Thompson Rivers University, a volunteer Training Supervisor with the Canadian Red Cross and a member of the Emergency Social Service team in Williams Lake.

We are honouring Dr. Andrew Eisen today for his immeasurable contributions in BC to the field of neuromuscular medicine. He established the first ALS Clinic in Western Canada in the early 1980’s at Vancouver General Hospital and was a founding director of the ALS Society of BC over thirty years ago. His unwavering support and consistent guidance of patients, families and caregivers, through the ALS Society has truly had an impact on the quality of life for those in our province who deal with ALS. His legacy in the ALS community is immense. From pioneering research to teaching to training and mentoring the next generation of physicians, technicians and researchers, Dr. Eisen’s positive influence will be felt for years to come.

Al Etmanski and Vickie Cammack are visionary social thinkers. They are co-founders of PLAN, the Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network, a non-profit which has changed the lives of thousands of families who have a loved one with a disability. They responded to the question…”Who will care for our sons and daughters after we are gone?”. Al advocated for solutions to enable BC parents to plan the financial future security for their children most recently spearheading the Registered Disability Savings Plan. Vickie led the development of a family succession plan, a model of personal support networks that would replace the many roles fulfilled by parents while alive. Adopted across Canada and around the world, PLAN and its related organizations Tyze Personal Network and PLAN Institute for Caring Citizenship have transformed the lives of thousands of families.

Every small community needs a Joyce Fraser with her caring and forward looking attitude. In the early 1970’s, aware of serious gaps in social services in the Princeton area, Joyce helped to create the Princeton & District Community Services Society, where she was administrator for close to thirty years. Joyce initiated programs to support seniors and marginalized citizens with adult day care, transit services, meals on wheels and home support. Of particular note is Joyce’s strong support for persons with developmental disabilities, which included the establishment of a Mini-Chef restaurant as a training centre. She also spearheaded one of the first assisted living complexes in BC. Now retired, Joyce continues to take an active role in community events and issues.

Lorna Gibbs is a vibrant, articulate, passionate leader in bringing about positive change, whether it is for seniors, the local environment, or securing additional park or daycare spaces. Tenacious in her efforts to improve the lives of seniors, she has served as President of South Vancouver Seniors Arts and Cultural Society, Chair of the Seniors of South Van Neighbourhood House and President of Southeast Vancouver Seniors Centre Society. Through the South Vancouver Seniors Council she has been a tireless advocate for a dedicated Seniors Centre for South Vancouver. Lorna tackles every issue with enormous energy and focus, inspiring her peers to get involved. In her own words, Lorna says that her work makes her life worth living and in turn she hopes it enriches others.

It is her smiling face, her loving spirit, her compassion and patience that make Anne Hebert stand out as one of the most dedicated volunteers in Trail. For eighteen years, since her retirement from COMINCO at age 65, Anne has volunteered every week at Kate’s Kitchen, a lunch program of Trail’s Salvation Army. They can always count on her to be there … to make the soup and sandwiches, to interact with the clients, to train new volunteers. She is a regular, too, at the care home, Poplar Ridge Pavilion, assisting with birthday celebrations. She makes others feel good, her happy attitude is contagious. Anne continues to do all of this at the young age of 85.