Award Category: Community Award

Gerry Nellestijn is a founder and trailblazing force behind the Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society (SWSS), an organization that promotes research, awareness and restoration of threatened fish and wildlife and their habitat in the Salmo watershed and beyond. Described as the lynchpin of SWSS, Gerry has worked to change attitudes within the local community by using his skills to leverage funding support to ensure critical instream habitat restoration work in the Salmo watershed. This has led to several long-term fisheries monitoring projects being funded for over 20 years while protecting the watershed for generations to come.

Gerry has organized and coordinated the multi-stakeholder Watershed Technical Committee and the Watershed Planning Team to produce a comprehensive action-based Salmo/Pend d’Orielle River Watershed-based Sustainability Plan Report: Setting Watershed Priorities. In addition, he has volunteered as a director for the Columbia Kootenay Fisheries Renewal Program and the White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative, and is a Salmon Ambassador for the Ktunaxa Nation, touring elementary, high schools and colleges in the region to talk about salmon and their recovery. Gerry is dedicated to collaborative approaches engaging stewardship ethics, principles and values.

Meeka Morgan has given thousands of hours volunteering as the founding Artistic Director of Tl’kemtsin 2 Rivers Remix (2RMX), BC’s first Indigenous-led festival of contemporary Indigenous music and culture. Under Meeka’s guidance, 2RMX has become one of the largest all-Indigenous contemporary music festivals in Canada. 2RMX has remained a free, grassroots event reflecting the diversity of all Nations, and to date more than 100 Indigenous artists have been showcased.

In 2021, a fire destroyed much of the festival site, along with homes and equipment. Meeka persevered and delivered the 2RMX Movable Feast, an Indigenized re-imagining of cultural presentation that enables small Indigenous communities to actively participate in creating their own local cultural events with the support of 2RMX. The Movable Feast collaborated in 2022 with eight different small Indigenous communities to showcase local artists alongside national award-winning Indigenous artists. Meeka’s passion for music and community link back to her own band, The Melawmen Collective, and her master’s thesis that investigated how the Secwepemc people maintained a sense of family in the 1950s and 1960s despite residential schools.

Simon Daniel James, also known as Winadzi, is an internationally renowned artist who works across many mediums. A member of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation, Simon began carving cedar at the age of 15 and trained under the guidance of his father. Simon has worked on numerous community engagement and public art projects across Canada, the USA and Japan. His impact on local communities and students is immeasurable as he uses his creativity and compassion to inspire and nurture young learners.

In addition to carving and physical art, Simon is a gifted filmmaker and storyteller. He attended The Vancouver Film School and has worked with National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival since 2004. He was the first recipient of the National Geographic All Roads Film Grant for Raven Tales, a ground-breaking, animated Indigenous storytelling series. As the co-creator and co-producer of Raven Tales, Simon uses his unique gifts to share and pass down stories through an innate visual and oral tradition.

Jack Gin has dedicated an exceptional amount of time to uncovering and telling the story of Frederick Lee, a fallen member (1917) of the Kamloops Rocky Mountain Rangers. Jack’s award-winning documentary Finding Fred Lee, tells of Frederick’s unique experience as one of only a few Chinese Canadians in the military in World War I. Through years of research and heartfelt storytelling, Jack has been able to inform the community of Kamloops about a long-lost son, and an under known reserve army regiment.

In addition to putting the film together, Jack ensured that Frederick Lee’s origins were included at the Hill 70 Memorial in France and its feature walkway named after him. Sharing Frederick’s sacrifice has instilled pride within the Chinese community in Kamloops and Vancouver while raising awareness. Jack has made Frederick’s story, and that of the Rangers, part of local memorial efforts in schools. Thanks to Jack’s efforts, students learn about Frederick’s participation in World War I and how he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

James Harry Sr. has consistently dedicated himself to building more resilient communities in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood and in Indigenous communities across British Columbia. James works with conviction to provide holistic and culturally relevant supports to Indigenous people struggling with addiction, mental health and homelessness. In 2017, James became the Haisla First Nation’s first urban outreach and peer support worker. In his role, James has implemented a trauma-informed approach centered around trust and respect for cultural considerations.

In 2020, when navigating two public health crises, COVID-19 and an increasingly toxic drug supply, James mobilized a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members to establish the All Nations Outreach Society (ANOS). ANOS continues to expand the scope and scale of culturally relevant supports available to people in the DTES. At the beginning of the pandemic, ANOS started its Feed the People program and quickly grew in size thanks to the support from other Nations and businesses. The volunteer-driven program now feeds over 300 people a week. James’ work sets an example and encourages Nations to come together, share their resources, and support each other in providing for their most vulnerable members.

Dr. Amy Gilchrist is a naturopathic physician and Clinical Director of the Family Naturopathic Clinic (FNC), a teaching facility that offers free naturopathic care to young, low-income families. With a diverse background in the areas of education, poverty reduction, and naturopathic medicine, Dr. Gilchrist has dedicated her career to improving the lives of those in need.

In 2007, Dr. Gilchrist founded FNC as a pilot project to provide accessible naturopathic healthcare. She expanded FNC to become a teaching clinic, facilitating much needed pediatric care experience to naturopathic interns supervised by licensed naturopathic doctors. Student interns at FNC gain clinical experiences important to completing their education and insight into providing care to those living in low-income, marginalized communities. Over the past 15 years, FNC has served more than 5000 patients in the community and provided clinical training to more than 300 interns because of Dr. Gilchrist’s vision and innovative leadership.

Connie Cocchia’s advocacy within the autism community has helped change the lives of countless individuals and families. When few resources existed for those who have a sibling with autism, she created Growing Together. Anchored in personal experience, Connie built a sibling support group with tenacity and compassion aimed to connect siblings. Growing Together has hosted various sibling panels, workshops, fundraised and built a Games Room in Pacific Autism Family Network’s Hub. Growing Together also hosts an Annual Sibling Support Day, which has provided thousands of families with an inclusive movie theatre experience.

Connie combined her advocacy and profession as a filmmaker to write, direct, and produce her first feature film When Time Got Louder. The film had its World Premiere at the prestigious Frameline International LGBTQ+ Film Festival in San Francisco, followed by the Canadian Premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Connie’s efforts for inclusion are shown through authentic casting and including members of the autism and LGBTQ+ community both in front and behind the camera. The film has been featured in over twenty international film festivals, won numerous awards, and received incredible reviews for its authentic and deeply moving narrative. Her film continues to enlighten audiences on the profound impact autism has on families, the importance of inclusion, and the unconditional love between siblings.

Kiranjot (Kiran) Kaur Toor is the co-founder and President of the KidsPlay Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides sport, education, mentorship, and counselling opportunities for youth in communities across British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, and internationally in India and Colombia. Since inception in 2015, KidsPlay has been working to prevent children and youth from getting involved with drugs and gangs by giving them access to free programming and support services.

With a degree in Education from Simon Fraser University, Kiran uses her expertise to help keep youth engaged in sport and community projects. To date, over 100,000 youth have gone through KidsPlay’s numerous programs. Kiran has overseen all events and projects that have taken place. With roots grounded in her South Asian background and the Kalgidhar Trust, Kiran has carried across the ethics of service and faith in her work at KidsPlay to serve and support young people in her community.

In 2006, David Lemon founded the non-profit Health Arts Society (BC), which through its Concerts in Care program has become one of the largest performing arts organizations in the province. It has now reached over 600,000 people in care facilities, mostly frail elders. This often-overlooked segment of the population, on its inevitable trajectory of ageing, has been able to enjoy in their residences exceptional concerts typically performed by one to four paid musicians. During the pandemic these were facilitated through online streaming, making the concerts even more accessible.

David has attracted significant involvement from some of Canada’s best known concert artists, arts organizations, luminaries, funders, and volunteers. He, and his colleagues have raised the funds needed to deliver top-notch musical experiences to individuals who might not otherwise be able to enjoy them. David has also led replication of the BC society’s success throughout Canada. Now there are seven sister societies covering ten provinces, gathered together under a national association, of which David is founder and chair.

As the founder and Executive Director of Living Lakes Canada, Kat Hartwig has demonstrated unwavering commitment to freshwater protection in B.C. for the past two decades. Recognizing that global water challenges caused by climate change need to be addressed at local community levels, Kat’s desire to empower communities to find climate adaptation strategies has tripled water monitoring activities in the Columbia Basin alone. She had an instrumental role in many large-scale, environmental conservation initiatives. Kat was one of the initiators of the Jumbo Wild campaign, a key grizzly bear and wildlife corridor located in the Purcell Mountains. She continues large-scale conservation work for the Columbia Wetlands, one of the longest undisturbed wetland ecosystems remaining in North America.  

Her work has had positive effects locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.  Kat contributes advice to many groups including Global Water Futures, BC Water Leaders Consortium, and the Canadian Water Coalition. She sits on the board of German-based Global Nature Fund, the parent organization of Living Lakes International. An advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous voices in water management and Indigenous Knowledge in water policy and science, Kat has prioritized strong working relationships with First Nations. Her commitment to water stewardship is interwoven with a desire to empower young people to make a meaningful contribution towards addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis facing their generation.   

Kat Hartwig was named the 2023 Mitchell Award recipient. Named in honour of Keith Mitchell QC, the Mitchell Award recognizes an individual who, through his or her work and volunteer activities, has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to elevating the community in which they live, and those who serve it. The recipient has a unique and selfless leadership style that encourages and inspires the full participation of those he or she leads. Keith Mitchell served as the BC Achievement Foundation’s Founding Chair and guiding light for 13 years. A leader by example and a mentor at heart, Keith brought clarity to the role of the Foundation in its mission to celebrate excellence in British Columbia.