A night to honour the volunteers in the community, the City of Greater Sudbury’s Civic Awards were held April 20 at the Northern Watersports Centre.
The annual awards recognize the contributions of individuals and groups in Sudbury for their “meritorious service, voluntary contributions, personal efforts and exemplary community development.”
Hosted by Cindy Dent and with several city councillors in attendance, each award-winner receiving their award from Mayor Paul Lefevbre.
“First of all, thank you for your dedication to commend your contributions to making this community work,” said Lefevbre in his speech opening the ceremony. “Our community thrives because of volunteers. Those who donate their time, their energy, their expertise.”
The winners included 16-year-old Adam Selamatzidis, who has been actively volunteering since he was 14 with a focus on environmental health and restoration, including as the founder of the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee Youth Council.
Alex Tétreault was recognized for his work in arts, culture, advocacy and social justice.
Barbara Courtin, a dedicated volunteer for more than 40 years was recognized for her work in bringing skiing and sailing to Sudbury, and Dean Aelick, founder of the Sudbury Disc Golf Club, won an award for his work to fundraise and design the disc golf course at Selkirk Park.
Enzo Pavan, a volunteer with the Réseau ACCESS Network was honoured for his tireless efforts in harm reduction, support for people who are homeless and his dedication to the Bundle Up in Red campaign for AIDS awareness.
Paul Haynes, a volunteer with Rainbow Routes Association who is know for his guided local history walks through the city, was honoured, as was Paul Van Zutphen, a 50-year volunteer in Sudbury who has been a part of the Walden Winter Carnival since its inception in 1973.
Also awarded was Sudbury.com publisher Abbas Homayed, who was honoured for his commitment to the community, a part of several boards including the Maison McCulloch Hospice, the Sudbury Food Bank and and the United Way.
Several Groups were honoured as well, including the Percy Park Association Volunteers (the park is now known as Claude Charbonneau Park). For more than 50 years, the volunteers have created a fieldhouse and outdoor rink as well as refereeing games, organizing carnivals and operating the canteen.
Richard McKay and the 25-member GT Team (Giant Tiger) were honoured for their fundraising and food drives, as was the Rockview Older Adults Club, a 200-person organization that works to improve the quality of life for their members through services, programs and activities were awarded for their efforts.
The St. John’s Cemetery Improvement Group, a group of 19 individuals who maintain the cemetery in Garson, were honoured for more than 30 years of dedicated work. And the Ukrainian Centre volunteers were also awarded for their efforts to promote healthy living for the residents of the centre, bringing Ukrainian culture to Sudbury, as well as hosting many local festivals,including the Blueberry festival and at one time, the Garlic Festival.
Also awarded was the Walden Winter Carnival Executive Planning Committee, in operation for 50 years as they dedicated themselves to one of Greater Sudbury’s longest-running community events.
“As I look across this room, I'm so proud to celebrate with you. For some people, volunteering is about giving, but for the people in this room, it's a way of living,” said Lefevbre. “Once again, to all those being recognized this evening, congratulations on all you have accomplished, and please, keep going. Thank you for your commitment to making our community a better place.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com
