Award Category: Community Award

Doug Adair has served the community of Mission for the past 50 years with dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to getting the job done. Whether in his role as district councilor, chair of the school board, board member of the Community Services Society, or activities with the Historical Society and Hospital Board, Doug demonstrates leadership while inspiring others. His recent documentation of the history of Mission’s veterans was a collaborative project to which Doug Adair personally gave 3,000 volunteer hours. Doug Adair continues to exemplify his Rotary Club’s commitment to “service before self”.

Early retirement in 1994 and a passion for bird watching determined the beginning of Jennifer Atchison’s role as a dedicated community environmentalist. Under Jennifer’s leadership, volunteers partnered with both government and the utilities creating a unique union to preserve and rehabilitate the Stoney Creek watershed. For the first time in 70 years, salmon successfully migrated the creek. Jennifer Atchison’s inspired a community to get involved and by doing so created new models for environmental stewardship.

Honorary Captain Gordon Barrett has dedicated 25 years of volunteer leadership to the British Columbia Regiment’s Irish Pipes and Drums. He was the Regiment’s inaugural Pipe Major and successfully built this internationally-recognized band into a vital contributor to the community. Under his direction, the band performs close to 60 events annually for regimental, civilian, charity and multicultural organizations. He now serves as Director of Regimental Bagpipe Music where he continues to promote and share with the community the work of this outstanding musical branch of the Canada’s military.

Devotion to excellence and attention to detail are two of the many outstanding traits John Bergbusch brought to the successful restoration of Bee Creek which feeds into the Esquimalt Lagoon. John’s long history in community service as a teacher, a volunteer and former councilor and mayor of Colwood, served him well as he led a diverse team through the many phases of this project. Whether it was John’s successful fundraising, adherence to deadlines or the assurance that the required work did not harm the heritage of the property, his diligence was an inspiration to all. John Bergbusch’s leadership has repaired a damaged ecosystem and enabled its dependent species to return to a safe haven at Bee Creek.

Learning to love, accept and appreciate yourself for all you can do is a mantra Jo Berry has personally embraced while inspiring thousands of her fellow citizens. Her energy, enthusiasm, and support has made runners out of people who would never have dreamed it possible. Through her RunClub business, Jo Berry created a charitable fun run in Kamloops, “The Daily News Boogie the Bridge Run”. Now in its tenth year, the run attracts 1500 participants and raises money for community programs thanks to the driving force of its founder. Through Jo Berry’s example that… movement is change…. Jo has motivated a city and its people to lead healthier lives.

The extended reach of May Brown’s mentorship to citizens young and old is a testament to her extraordinary contribution to life in Vancouver and British Columbia. For the past 50 years May has served her community in every imaginable capacity. Whether during her tenure as a city councilor, a VSO board member, a Camp Decca founder and director, or as an ambassador and role model for the YWCA, her legacy to each is a healthier, more accessible, kinder and more equitable existence. Canadians and British Columbians have honoured May Brown’s achievements over the years and yet her commitment and contributions never wane. At 87, May Brown continues to be dedicated to her community with an ageless nobility that inspires us all.

Tammy Dao has been actively involved in British Columbia’s Vietnamese community for over twenty years. As former president of the Vietnamese Women Society of Greater Vancouver and co-founder of the Vietnamese Friendship Society in the Fraser Valley, Tammy is a role model in the community. In her current position as president of the La Viet Radio, Tammy informs her audience and promotes BC’s multicultural society. Her ability to host meaningful cultural events such as the Vietnamese-Canadian youth conference has motivated many individuals to gain confidence, seek professional career opportunities and support volunteerism. Tammy Dao is devoted to the betterment of our society by promoting the integration of cultural communities.

Sixteen years ago Judy Caldwell bravely presented her breast cancer story to a federal committee advocating for universal screening and early treatment. Today, Judy’s recommendations remain relevant, meaningful and serve as the cornerstone of the work undertaken by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Since that seminal 1992 presentation in Ottawa, Judy has been a constant presence, building a community of hope through her establishment of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation BC/Yukon division, as a founding paddler of Abreast in a Boat Society and as the first lay member of the Screening Mammography Program of BC. Judy Caldwell’s passion, energy and courage have inspired others to work towards a future without breast cancer.

In 1993, Ken Campbell single handedly raised awareness of the engineering wonder of the Myra Canyon Trestles and, with passionate determination, directed its two-year restoration while successfully securing provincial park status and Canadian heritage site designation. Ten years later, the Okanagan Park Mountain fire destroyed the trestles and Ken Campbell was called upon again to lead its restoration. Ken led the team that saw the project completed on-time and on-budget. Restoring the Myra Canyon Trestles has not just conserved part of our province’s history but through the unselfish leadership and example of Ken Campbell, it has created a groundswell of local volunteer effort devoted to the preservation of our past.

Peggy Chute is described as a catalyst with a vision who makes things happen while transferring her skills and knowledge to a younger generation. Peggy’s accomplishments in her community have permeated all aspects of life and activity in Lytton for the past 50 years. Whether it’s her commitment to education, health care, civic duty or neighborly kindness, Peggy’s nonjudgmental personal charity is the foundation for her larger community involvement. Peggy Chute, fondly known as “Mrs. Mayor”, is loved and revered in Lytton as its resident ambassador. Her work is legendary and she has truly made a difference through her eager volunteerism and whole-hearted promotion of her home.