Special Features - Community Leader Awards 2014

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Person’s Name

2014

Community Leader

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Awards

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Person’s Name

Person’s Name

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CAPITAL news

2014 Community Leader Awards They are not often recognized and all feel there are others more deserving… these are true

Community Leaders CONGRATULATIONS to the 2014 RECIPIENTS • Publisher: Karen Hill • Editor: Barry Gerding • Sales Lead: Dennis Gabelhouse • Creative Services Manager: Tessa Ringness • Creative Designer: Nancy Blow • Photogrpahy: Kevin Parnell & Laura Millsip • Distribution Manager: Glenn Beaudry •

We all know that there are a large number of people in the Central Okanagan who do a great deal of important work for this beautiful community that we live and work in. They strive to create a better community by putting in countless hours of volunteer work, sometimes having to overcome insurmountable obstacles and ask for nothing in return. These people are truly community leaders and can be found in schools, on a sports field, in care centres, at the food bank and many of the local events that take place in and around our community. Many of these wonderful people have families of their own but still find the time to make a difference by sharing their empathy, enthusiasm, inspiration and energy.

The Community Leader Awards was created to recognize and honour the commitment and efforts that are essential to maintaining this growing community. Some of these

stories will tug at your heartstrings, others will bring a smile to your face, I guarantee every one will leave you feeling grateful that we have dedicated community volunteers! As you read through this section I am hopeful that you will feel inspired and be encouraged to ask yourself, “What more could I do?”

I want to thank our community partners for all their efforts in bringing forward the nominees and then coming together to select the 35 outstanding honourees featured in this section. This was no easy task as every nominee was deserving of this recognition. A huge thank you to our sponsors for helping us honour the wonderful individuals whose stories we are about to share with you.

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Nomination

X3

Categories:

■ Coach

■ Youth Volunteer

Makes a positive contribution to their sport. Is exemplary in developing skills and confidence in participants. A role model who inspires and encourages high athletic achievement.

Makes a positive contribution to youth in the community. Someone who is depended upon and committed to provide direction, programs and/or support to ensure our youth have positive experiences.

■ Mentor

■ Emergency Service

Makes a positive contribution by being a true leader. An influential counselor, teacher or educator that provides support or sponsorship.

Demonstrates a high level of ethics and professional standards, is an inspirational motivator, excellent communicator, good listener and a reliable resource to the community.

Makes a positive contribution to the community by going the extra mile – over and above the call of duty. Is exemplary in the area of emergency services and unselfishly shoulders enormous responsibility while accepting the potential risks and challenges of the job.

■ Courage

■ Service Organization Volunteer

This person has risen above adversity or formidable challenges to become a success. As a result, they have had a positive effect on the people around them.

This individual makes a positive contribution to the community by volunteering their time to one community service organization. This person is well thought of and is significantly relied upon by others in the organization.

■ Above & Beyond

■ Volunteer

This person makes a positive contribution to their community through their work. Someone who goes beyond the requirements of their job to support the community and make it a better place.

This individual makes a positive contribution to the community by volunteering their time to a variety of causes. They are dedicated to making a difference in several initiatives.

■ Environmental Leader Makes a positive contribution to the community by championing environmentally friendly initiatives.

Someone who inspires others to be “green” by being a leader in ecologically sound practices.

■ Community Builder Someone who has taken the initiative to engage a variety of local residents in an innovative or new community project or event. The initiative may assist different groups to work together, address a gap in community participation, or result in a more inclusive, engaged community.

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2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR:

Francis Braam & Fred Bourcier For the last three seasons, coaches Francis Braam and Fred Bourcier have helped to maintain a winning tradition in boys’ basketball at Dr. Knox Middle School. Under the guidance of Braam and Bourcier, the Falcons won the Grade 8 city championship in 2013. A year later, in 2014, the Dr. Knox Grade 9 team dominated the Okanagan en route to the gold medal at the valley championship. The Falcons then captured bronze at the B.C. championship, defeating Lord Byng in the third-place game.

Victories and trophies aside, Braam and Bourcier have drawn praise from the parents of Knox players for their “tireless and generous” efforts in coaching a group of 14-year-old boys.

Coach

“It’s pretty special,” Braam said of the award and recognition for the Knox program. “The kids we coached were a great group. We took them from boys to literally young men and, at the end of it all, they were good friends and competed hard together. It was a great experience, just enjoying it all with those kids.”

For Bourcier, the award is both humbling and a testament to the dedication and commitment shown by the players.

“The truth is, when the kids all really want to be there, it’s lots of fun,” said Bourcier. “In the end, it’s all about the kids and that’s the way it should be. It was a great experience watching them grow as a team.”

Under Braam and Bourcier, the Falcons lost just three games all season against Grade 9 competition.

Braam will once again contribute his time to the basketball program at Knox this season, while Bourcier plans to continue helping grow the game at the minor level in Kelowna.

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Rob Law Rob Law has been a fixture around local ball diamonds for the last decade.

As a coach, director and former president of the Rutland Minor Baseball Association, Law has played a key role in the development and growth of dozens of young players.

As one of the parents said of Law’s contribution to minor sports, “This man is in for the kids of the community, without a doubt.”

Because Law had influential and important coaches during his childhood, he felt compelled to give back, and has done so as a coach and mentor at several age groups within Rutland Minor Baseball.

“There’s nothing better than seeing the smile on a kid’s face when he hits a home run or gets his first hit,” said Law, a father of two boys. “That’s the reward, to see when a kid finally gets it after all the hard work. At the end of the day, it’s not about winning, it’s about developing ball players and developing young people.”

Law, who also coached basketball for three years at Rutland Middle School, expects to once again be involved in coaching baseball next season.

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ALL OF US

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have the drive inside to achieve more. Even as young children, we know we are made for something bigger.

It’s our potential.

But you don’t want it to just stay potential, you want

it to become everything it can be…

in every person.

That’s why it’s so important that children have friends, teachers and mentors that believe in them so they can grow up and make a difference in the world. At the YMCA, we believe everyone has a vital role to play in positively impacting today’s youth and we proudly support individuals and organizations who are helping our young people reach their full potential.

The YMCA of Okanagan is delighted to sponsor the Mentorship category and congratulates all Community Leader Award winners and nominees.

YMCA of Okanagan

ymcaokanagan.ca

2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR:

Barb Zeitner

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Parvina Panghali

Dr. Kyleen Myrah

When it comes to influencing and guiding young girls, empowering them with self-esteem and teaching them how to deal with tough issues such as body image, healthy relationships, identity, self-image mental health, racism and girls’ rights, Parvina Panghali is someone many girls in this community and their parents look too.

For five years, Panghali has been a mentor for young girls at the Kelowna Family YW-YMCA and has been so successful with her Girls Only program that even girls who have “outgrown” it remain because of the strong bond they have formed with her.

Running the program, while at the same time studying at UBC Okanagan to be an elementary school teacher, Panghali’s positive attitude and passion for working with youth has made her a standout when it comes to empowering young girls in our community.

“It’s humbling to know others feel what I do has such an impact on the kids,” she said.

In the words of one of Panghali’s nominators, “Parvina is one of those community leaders you wish you could multiply by 10 as she truly believes in empowering youth and giving them her very best every day.”

A professor at Okanagan College’s School of Business, Dr. Kyleen Myrah is well-known for the hours she puts into helping her students prepare for competitions and other initiatives, and for the energy and enthusiasm she brings to the task. As a result, she is a very popular instructor. Working with programs such as Enactus, the Social Entrepreneurship course in Okanagan College’s business program and the B.C. Business Simulation, Myrah has helped countless students over the year excel both in and out of the classroom.

But it is not just at the school that Myrah has made an impact. She has also worked with the local United Way by matching students to projects that help the umbrella organization that funds numerous non-profit organizations in the community make positive change throughout region.

“I always had strong mentors in my life and I am so thankful that I am able to support youth who will one day be business leaders in the community,” she said. For her, mentorship is one of the best ways she can give back to the community.

Mentor

Barb Zeitner came to Kelowna in the 1980s with the dream of helping single mothers attain low-income housing. The Society of Hope was soon born, which started out as a single detached house on Ellis Street in Kelowna with affordable rooms to rent.

Twenty-five years later, the non-profit organization has 15 sites with 487 homes, serving people from Peachland to Lake Country with plans for more growth. And Zeitner has not only been a part of that, she has personally helped a myriad of people along the way. With her nursing background and inherently warm personality, she is described as the most caring, empathetic, selfless and nurturing person you could ever hope to meet.

Often the first point of contact by people in desperate circumstances, Zeitner has a calm way of interacting with panicked, frightened, stressed people who need the support of the Society of Hope. In addition to her work with the society, she has also worked with Job Options B.C., been a facilitator and ran an initiative between the YMCA and Interior Health that helped support young parents.

“I feel very honoured and humbled by this nomination,” said Zeitner, adding such recognition is not why people like her do what they do. In fact, she said, she thought someone was playing a prank on her when she first first heard she had been nominated for a Community Leader award. “It wasn’t until the paper contacted me that I thought, ‘this may be real.’”

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2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR:

Angie Lohr

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Pamela Nelson

Mary Statham

One day Pamela Nelson stepped out on her back deck to throw some potatoes for the deer and hit her head.

Pamela Nelson, standing The ensuing brain injury cost her on the same deck where all of the basic functions of a busy, she fell and acquired a successful life, or so it seemed at first. serious brain injury, the talented artist says she cel“It’s probably one of the hardest, ebrates the many positives but also one of the greatest things the change in life trajectothat’s ever happened in my life,” she ry brought, including more said. time to spend with her A huge advocate for women’s grandchildren. empowerment, she had to give up the work she did for the Women’s Enterprise Centre mentoring female entrepreneurs and her volunteer work at the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. And yet, she’s found new talents in art, and new ways to lend a hand with the United Way Impact Team and the Central Okanagan Pilot’s Association kids event.

“I thought I had it kind of going once, I had this life thing figured out; but when everything is taken away from you and you don’t know who you are anymore, it helps you to really appreciate every little thing.”

Mary Statham is a classically trained pianist. She has written a novel and she’s been rock climbing.

She also had a stroke at age Mary Statham, pictured 30, which cost her the fine motor

by Okanagan Lake, loves skills needed to pursue her music, to climb the hills all over and forced a move to her sister’s in the Okanagan, although Kelowna to recover. she walks with a cane Once in town, sadly life did not and has now suffered two strokes. get any easier as her sister passed away quite suddenly, leaving Statham a 34-year-old disabled parent of a teenager.

Yet rather than despair, she took action, connecting with CRIS Adaptive Adventures, as an active participant and volunteer.

“Going out with CRIS saved my life,” she says. “One of the first things we did was climb Mount Boucherie and then we went down the really tricky way with me holding on to somebody’s backpack and I was like: ‘Oh my God. It’s not over. There’s so much more to do.’”

Her nephew is now teaching in Japan and Statham represents CRIS in media campaigns, doing her best to share her gifts to benefit others.

Courage

Angie Lohr has courage in spades.

A former cocaine addict and sex worker, she always knew, if she ever got clean, she would start a program to help others achieve the same, hopefully with a safe house.

Now six years into running H.O.P.E. Outreach, an incredible non-profit organization offering direct support to street workers and a house for those caught in the addiction cycle, she is living the dream.

“To see where we are today, I don’t know, I can’t even put words to it. I would never have dreamed,” she said.

In the beginning, her methods did not sit well with some members of the community, but she persevered, winning Kelowna over.

Two years ago, she was awarded Coast Mental Health’s Courage to Come Back Award in the addictions category, and in 2014, Angie Lohr, pictured outside the Streaming Café, founded an the 70 volunteers for H.O.P.E. Outreach and Safe House were organization to help the sex workers who frequent streets like named winners of the Gert Beadle Group Award for their outLeon Avenue, supplying them with everything from toothstanding contributions. The award recognizes the value of the paste to condoms to a friendly ear. invisible work that is done at the community level to enhance women’s equality.

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2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR: Paul

Nesbitt

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Avril Paice

Alison Moscrop

Avril Paice has been employed with the United Way of the Central and South Okanagan Similkameen as the Director of Community Investment since 2010.

In her role with the United Way, Paice works on behalf of many communities and organizations to mobilize and leverage resources to improve the quality of life for citizens.

Paice believes that every person has the power to create the change they want to see in the world and that when we work together, anything is possible. Paice takes this philosophy into everything that she does.

Paice’s coworkers describe her as intelligent and thoughtful, with the wonderful ability to develop positive and beneficial relationships with a wide range of individuals and sectors in the community in order to tackle some very challenging social issues such as poverty, homelessness and health.

As for what drives her to keep going, Paice said it’s simply a matter of doing what she can.

“I’ve been a social worker for 15 years, so I see the needs and I see the difference it makes when someone gives,” she said. “I know I have something to contribute and that I can help.”

A lifelong dedication to volunteerism is the reason why Alison Moscrop was named an honourable mention in the Above and Beyond category of the Community Leader Awards.

Her mother was a devout volunteer, so donating her time was a intrinsic part of her family’s culture.

But, it was really candy striping in her teens that led her to dedicate countless hours of her life to causes she feels passionate about.

“It instilled the desire to volunteer more,” she said. “Some of the most satisfaction I’ve had in my life is through volunteerism, and the people I’ve met through volunteerism.”

In the years since, Moscrop served on the board of directors for the United Way for six years, including two years as the chairperson and she also chaired the Allocations Committeee for two years.

She’s well known for her many philanthropic initiatives including serving as the administrator for the Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation and being a co-founder of the Great BIg Run for Aftica to raise funds for partners in the Horn of Africa.

Through the Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation, Alison has been involved in supporting the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, UBC Okanagan, United Way Success By 6, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club, the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and dozens of other causes.

She genuinely cares about each organization, taking time to get to know their staff and volunteers, and finding out what else can be done to assist them.

Above & Beyond

Paul Nesbitt saves lives in his spare time, and for that he’s won the Community Leader Award for going Above and Beyond.

Nesbitt ensures Kelowna streets are safe weekend after weekend, when he gets behind the wheel of his car as the leader of Designated Driver Dads.

Nesbitt came up with the idea for DDD while watching a MADD ad on TV in 2009.

He turned to his wife to note that dads were strangely absent from the conversation about drinking and driving prevention.

It was a gap that needed to be filled, so he decided to get a taxi license from the city, rally together some fellow dads and get his volunteer chauffeur concept incorporated.

Canadian Designated Driver Dads Inc. came to life May 2009, and since then a few dedicated men started driving the club loop to help young people make the right decision about drinking and getting behind the wheel. In fact, they’ve assisted in getting 9,000 people home safely, which has taken a tremendous amount of commitment from both Nesbitt and all the other volunteer dads.

It’s a free service, although donations are welcome. And for that reason alone it’s not surprising that it’s been a hit.

“It’s almost gone viral with the kids talking about it and giving cards out for it; they promote it themselves,” Nesbitt said, noting that the service ensures that both the drinker and their car make it home safely.

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Kyle G owriluk Severed femoral artery Age 23

The KGH Foundation applauds all of the first responders whose dedication to our community save lives everyday.

Our Be a Lifesaver Capital Campaign has committed to raise $12 million dollars to ensure our hospital’s new Interior Heart and Surgical Centre opens fully outfitted to change and save even more lives. To become a lifesaver yourself, please visit www.bealifesaver.net

EMERGENCY SERVICES AWARD SPONSOR

2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR:

Gayanne Pacholzuk

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Tim Light

RCMP Crime Analysts:

Tim Light has been a mentor to many firefighters in both his professional and personal life, which is why he’s an honourable mention in the emergency services category of the Community Leaders Awards.

According to his coworkers, the platoon captain of the Kelowna Fire Department has always been instrumental in coaching and guiding new members to the association.

He’s the first to step up to any challenge and donate time, not only responding to fire calls but nearly every single fundraising initiative the Kelowna paid on call fire fighters are working on.

His true passion is organizing the Kelowna Fire Fighters to give a day off back to the Boat for Hope, says Deputy Chief Larry Hollier.

“Tim has been the go-to guy for this event for numerous years and countless others,” said Hollier. “There is a term in the Fire Service, lead by example. Tim has truly lived by this term during his career with the Kelowna Fire Department and is an inspiration to many.”

Light was very low key about receiving the honour, noting that it’s part of the culture of the fire department to give back to the community and he’s happy to do so.

Sarah Palmer, Robin Fielding, Daniel Schinbein & Nicole Woods Next time you hear a news story about Kelowna’s shrinking crime rate, remember these four people. Robin Fielding, Nicole Woods, Daniel Schimbein and Sarah Palmer are crime analysts with the Kelowna RCMP detachment, and they’re charting a path to success.

“They’re a huge part of reducing crime in the community,” said Supt.

Nick Romanchuk.

Sgt. Ann Morrison explained that a large component of the local detachment’s Crime Reduction Strategy is that of the RCMP Crime Analyst unit. The unit collects, assembles, analyzes and interprets a wide variety of investigative and intelligence data to support ongoing police investigations, community policing and crime prevention strategies. This includes a statistical report which highlights crime trends, hotspots, prolific offenders and officer safety bulletins.

This data helps direct the efforts of the detachment to focus on key priority issues.

“They’re steering our ship for us,” said Sgt. Ann Morrison.

Each of these honourable mentions have been with the local RCMP from one to two years, and say that the work they’ve done is rewarding.

Summing it up for them all, was Sarah Palmer, who noted that job satisfaction comes from knowing the right people are being arrested.

Emergency Services

Gayanne Pacholzuk earned top honours in the Emergency Services category of the Community Leaders Awards because of a lifetime of public service.

Pacholzuk has been with the Kelowna Fire Department in some capacity since 1997 when she was hired as a paid on call member. Just a couple years later she became an airport firefighter then, in 2006 she started with the Prevention Branch as a Fire Prevention Officer.

Throughout her career changes she’s devoted countless hours to things like the KFD’s public open house, Wendy’s Dreamlift days, B.C. Firefighter’s Burn Camp, Tim Horton’s Camp Day, McDonald’s McHappy Day and the Kelowna Firefighters’ Calendar.

“You have to give back—you just do,” she said.

Volunteering is something that she learned from her mother’s example, and now she’s proud to say that her son has learned from her example, also dedicating personal time to causes that matter to the community.

And he’s not the only one who’s noticed what Pacholzuk’s doing for the community.

Her coworkers say she has a great outlook on her work and life in general, and is one of those people who is great to be around. “She always has a smile on her face and is genuinely a friend to all she meets,” said Lou Wilde, of the Kelowna Fire Department.

“All around Gayanne is a great asset to the City of Kelowna as an employee and to the people of this community and its citizens. She’s great role model to us all.”

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Community Leaders Coach

Anne-Marie Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets; Fred Bourcier; Rob Law; Gavin Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets.

Mentor

Dave Cronquist, YMCA; Parvina Panghali; Barb Zeitner; Dr. Kyleen Myrah.

Courage

Above and Beyond

Jolene Lamoureux, CUPE Local 338; Mary Statham; Angie Lohr; Pamela Nelson; Lee Mossman, CUPE Local 338.

Barry LaPointe, Kelowna Flightcraft; Alison Moscrop; Paul Nesbitt; Avril Paice.

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The first annual Community Leaders Awards was held on Monday, September 22, 2014 at Okanagan College’s Centre for Learning.

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Community Leaders Service Organization Volunteer

Shane Bennett, London Drugs; Troy Becker; Donna Munro (on behalf of Rick & Deb Boyd).

& Bobotie

Al Tiller, Telus; Sheri Jackson (on behalf of Ken Byers); Toshi Yamamoto; Kim and Wende Olfert.

Youth Volunteer

Environmental Leader

Teresa Huscroft-Brown (on behalf of Allison Brown); Navjot Takhar; Livkaran Gill; Tim Dekker, MNP.

Malcolm Robson, Save On Foods; Casey Hamilton; Brenda Rayburn

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X16 2014 Community Leader Awards | October 1, 2014

2014 Community Leader Awards | October 1, 2014 X17

September 22, 2014: A celebration of ordinary people making extraordinary contributions to our community

Community Leader honourees were recognized at this festive evening of food, music and refreshment.

If you know of an outstanding person whose contributions make a difference in the community, plan to nominate him or her in one of the categories for the Community Leader Awards 2015.

STRONG COMMUNITIES CAN CHANGE THE WORLD Congratulations to the Community Leader Award nominees and winners. Thank you for strengthening our community.

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Community Leaders Community Builder

Emergency Services Volunteer

Gene Creelman, Interior Savings Credit Union; Jeff Hoffart (for Sheldon Gardiner); Patty Lou Bryant; Jim Belshaw; Kathy Conway, Interior Savings Credit Union.

Back Row: Sean Pihl, KGH Foundation; Tim Light; Daniel Schinbein; Doug Rankmore, KGH Foundation.

Front Row: Robin Fielding, Sarah Palmer, Nicole Woods, Gayanne Pacholzuk.

Leader of the Year ~ Jerry Schwartz ~

Jolene Lamoureux, CUPE Local 358; Mary Statham; Angie Lohr; Pamela Nelson; Lee Mossman, CUPE Local 338

Heather Schneider, Okanagan College; Jerry Schwartz; Kathy Butler, Okanagan College.

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2014 Community Leader Awards

Thank You!

The

CAPITAL news is grateful for the support of these sponsors who share our sense of pride in the community we all call home.

YMCA of Okanagan

Standing tall together!

Thanks also to our Community Partners and Judging Panel 102 – 2055 Benvoulin Court Kelowna, BC V1W 2C7

YMCA of Okanagan

of the Central and South Okanagan / Similkameen

We couldn’t have done it without you! of the Central and South Okanagan / Similkameen

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Proud

supporter We are strong believers in giving back to the communities we serve to make them a better place for everyone.

Some of the initiatives we support in Kelowna include:

• United Way • JDRF • SPCA • Variety

• Kelowna Food Bank • Lake Country Food Bank • Be a Santa to a Senior— Home Sense

• MADD • DDD—Designated Driving Dads • Kelowna Rockets • Just for Seniors—Health Care Event

Congratulations to all the Community Leader Award nominees who make a difference in our community.

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2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR:

Troy Becker

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Rick & Deb Boyd Rick and Deb Boyd both wish there wasn’t a need for women’s shelters.

As it is, the Kelowna couple devote much of their spare time trying make lives better for women and children who suffer from domestic abuse.

Not long after moving from Edmonton five years ago, the Boyds began volunteering their time at the Kelowna Women’s Shelter Thrift Store.

Deb and Rick’s duties include sorting, organizing, pricing, customer relations, hauling goods, or anything asked of them by the staff.

Rick’s considerable carpentry skills have also been put to good use at both the Thrift Store and the Kelowna Women’s Shelter itself.

KWS executive director Karen Mason calls the Boyds “Wonderful people who give selflessly while remaining ever humble.”

As for volunteering her services three days per week at the Thrift Store, Deb said she feels compelled to give a hand to those in need. “I do it because I see a need in the community,” she said. “I hear about the horrific and violent acts against women, I know how lucky I am and I feel I need to give back. I love the work and I love the clients.”

And while Rick Boyd is grateful for the recognition he and Deb have received, he said it’s the actions of all people at the Kelowna Women’s Shelter Thrift Store who deserve the accolades.

“It’s about the team, the 20 fantastic volunteers and the staff members who make all of this work,” said Rick Boyd. “We’re just one part of what happens here. If our recognition advertises the role of volunteers and stimulates others to do the same, then that’s wonderful.”

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Rene Dingler When it comes to washing dishes for a worthy cause, few do it more tirelessly or with more conviction than Rene Dingler.

Since November 2012, the Kelowna man has been instrumental in helping the Gospel Mission manage its supper-time meals by keeping dishes, cups, bowls, and utensils clean.

For 365 days each year, the Gospel Mission serves between 150 and 200 supper meals.

More often than not, Dingler is there to wash the dishes and keep the production line rolling.

According to the Gospel Mission staff, it may not be a glamorous position but is a very necessary and important one.

“When people come into the kitchen, the dishwasher is often overlooked as he has his back to the audience with his hands in the water,” said Sonja Menyes, a member of the Gospel Mission staff.

Menyes considers Dingler a “great example of someone who has very little and cannot make a financial donation, but gives so much and more than most to our community.

Service Organization Volunteer

Since 2001, Troy Becker has helped to enrich the lives of dozens of people with physical and mental disabilities, both inside and outside the Okanagan.

Through the Community Recreational Initiative Society’s (CRIS) Adaptive Adventures, Becker and his team of volunteers and staff provide a wide range of outdoor recreational activities for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity. With the use of adaptive equipment CRIS offers hiking, cycling, kayaking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, among other services, to people with a broad spectrum of disabilities.

Over the last seven years, Becker has volunteered over 5,000 hours of his time towards facilitating and carrying out trips throughout the Okanagan, and as far away as Alberta, Vancouver Island and the U.S. Under Becker’s guidance, the non-profit CRIS Adaptive Adventures has grown in leaps and bounds in 13 years, and has served close to 100 individuals in the last year.

“Troy has never faltered in his commitment to ensure that all people have the ability to access nature,” wrote CRIS program co-ordinator Eric Rampone.

As for the award, Becker said it’s a reflection of the work done by CRIS as a whole and the difference the volunteers have made in the lives of many disabled people.

“It’s an opportunity to showcase not what I’ve done, but to showcase the potential of what we have with CRIS, and to let people know that the service is there,” Becker said. “If it creates more awareness and interest in what (CRIS) is doing and the barriers it’s breaking down, then that’s great.”

For more information on CRIS Adaptive Adventures, visit adapativeadventures.ca

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We give where we live.

®

At TELUS, we’re strong believers in giving back to our local communities. We’re proud to sponsor the Kelowna

Community Leader Awards.

Every customer helps us give where we live. Thank you. telus.com/community

TELUS, the TELUS logo, and the future is friendly are trademarks of TELUS Corporation, used under license. © 2014 TELUS 14_00570

2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR:

Toshi Yamamoto

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Kim & Wende Olfert Do you know how well maintained the Beasley Park soccer pitches are?

Kim and Wende Olfert Kim and Wende Olfert can tell you all moved down from Prince about it. In fact, as part of the dedicated team making Lake Country Youth Soccer George in 2005 and have become a core part of the Association a driving force in the Okanagan, they can tell you just about anything soccer community. you need to know about the field, its clubhouse, the teams playing and the equipment.

“For me, it’s giving something back to the game and giving something back to the community,” said Kim. The Olferts encourage their kids to volunteer and they spend hours and hours of their own time managing the equipment for the program. This meant sourcing balls from China which will have the team’s logo built right into the ball, so it won’t come off no matter how many times it’s kicked. It means organizing kids’ gear to ensure everyone has what they need to play a game and taking time off work during peak organizing periods to focus solely on soccer.

“It’s hard not to volunteer when you have a facility as nice as this,” Kim said. “And if we left it solely to the municipalities, the cities what have you, it just wouldn’t happen. They don’t have the manpower, the budgets and so forth. You need people to step up.”

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Ken Byers Ken Byers has been a valuable volunteer with Kelowna’s Gospel Mission since May, 2013. It is rare that you find a volunteer who gives so much time for such little glory. Ken has lived in Kelowna for over twenty years and survives on a disability pension. He loves to keep busy and loves to help.

Ken comes to Kelowna’s Gospel Mission’s thrift store every weekday morning for about an hour to sweep and wash our floors, wash our windows and clean the bathroom.

He is a faithful, quiet, hard working individual who asks for nothing in return. Ken may not think he is one of the most valuable volunteers at the Gospel Mission thrift store, but since he began volunteering, the staff, who would normally have to take on the cleaning task, can spend their time planning, training and displaying merchandise, creating a beautiful thrift store where people love to shop. All proceeds from items sold go directly back into helping feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and help the hurting in Kelowna.

Ken assumes a huge volunteer responsibility and Kelowna’s Gospel Mission feels blessed to call him their volunteer!

Volunteer

Ministering to the less fortunate has taken Toshi Yamamoto all over the world and all over this community.

Volunteering at The Bridge Youth & Family Services detox and treatment centres, the Salvation Army, NOW Canada, Karis Support Society and Alexander Gardener House, to name but a few of her many stops, she washes the feet of those who are treated the worst by society.

“I treat them like a queen,” she said.

Yamamoto believes she has a prophecy over her, that God has spoken to her, imploring her to help the many prostitutes discarded by society to find happiness.

She tends to her clients with great care, giving them a massage and washing their feet, offering a special bit of pampering.

It is not her job to tell the women she meets to get off the street or to pass judgeToshi Yamamoto has a case of ment in any way, she stresses. She is there only to offer the kindness and love missing supplies when she ventures off to her from their lives. volunteer jobs to wash the feet of Her positive attitude and warm and welcoming spirit add a sense of calmness to the clients, like those at The Bridge Youth environments where she works. & Family Services detox centre.

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Leaders Stand Apart Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees Success in business requires strong leadership and a healthy, vibrant community.

MNP commends all of our outstanding community leaders on their vision, hard work and positive contributions to the community. We look forward to working alongside you as you continue to build success.

As an entrepreneurial firm built for entrepreneurs, MNP is proud to sponsor the First Annual Community Leader Awards Contact Tim Dekker, CPA, CA, Regional Managing Partner at 250.979.2589 or tim.dekker@mnp.ca

2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR: Navjot

Takhar

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Livkaran Gill

Allison Brown

When Livkaran Gill was a young middle school basketball player, he found himself sitting on the bench for a number of games in a row. The experience sparked something in him and as soon as he reached Grade 12 he started coaching youth basketball himself, vowing to give every player an equal chance.

“That had a big impact on me and I promised myself when I coached I would give everyone the same opportunity,” said Gill, now in his fourth year of studies at UBC Okanagan and a volunteer coach since 2011. “If we are going to win we are going to win with everyone.”

Gill, now 20, continues to coach in the Kelowna Minor Basketball Association, mentoring kids about not only sports but life as well. When not studying micro-biology, he spends plenty of his time supporting various Kelowna events like the Ski to Sea race, the Centre of Gravity, Keloha and the Apple Triathlon. He works part time at Interior Health and volunteers at the coffee shop with profits going to Kelowna General Hospital.

A first generation Canadian whose parents immigrated to Canada from India, Gill credits his family for his volunteerism.

“Kelowna has been very good to my family,” he said. “My parents didn’t have these kinds of opportunities growing up so when these come up I really want to give back to the community.”

During her Grade 12 school year at Mount Boucherie Secondary School, Allison Brown, 18, was involved in many charity events.

She helped to arrange a 24-Hour Famine fundraiser involving dozens of student participants, raising $3,000 for Hope Outreach Kelowna. She arranged promotion, prizes and activities throughout the evening.

Brown was also involved in a school fashion show as well as spear-heading a penny-swag campaign, where old pennies were used to make jewellry for sale. Funds from her various projects were donated to Free the Children’s Brick by Brick campaign to build schools in Kenya as well as to other water projects in developing countries.

Brown also participated in the West Kelowna Mayor’s Youth Forum, looking to help displaced youth in the community and presented the forum’s findings to West Kelowna council.

“I’m very flattered to be recognized by the community leader awards,” said Brown, also a member of Rotary. “Rotary’s motto is service above self. It just makes you feel good to help other people. I would hope if I was in a similar position someone would help me out.”

Brown is currently in Italy for a year as part of a Rotary program and she says she hopes to continue giving back to the community in the future.

Youth Volunteer

At just 19 years old Navjot Takhar already has a long history of giving back to her community.

Takhar, an Okanagan Mission Secondary graduate, discovered her passion for volunteering at Kelowna General Hospital where she served in the Kelowna Auxiliary Snackery and now delivers tea or coffee to patients who don’t have mobility privileges.

“It’s nice because for some of these patients I will be the only visitor they have all day,” said Takhar. “Their faces just light up.”

A former Kelowna Lady of the Lake (2012) much of Takhar’s community work centres around youth. She is on the board of directors of the non-profit Wild Neighbours Society, an organization that promotes environmental education in youth.

“I’m trying to promote volunteerism for youth,” she said. “With our demographic we are very focused on establishing our careers. A lot of volunteers are from older generations but as youth we all need to step up and fill the void. There is a huge age gap in volunteerism.”

At UBCO, Takhar is in her second year studying for her Bachelor of Science degree with a goal of getting into pediatrics.

This fall she was a volunteer orientation leader for new students entering UBCO. She also represents the area on the province wide B.C. Ambassador program, promoting Kelowna on a provincial scale.

She says there is nothing like giving back to the community.

“The fulfillment that you get out of volunteering is amazing and I don’t think (enough) people have experienced it.”

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Proud to Support the ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER Category.

Your incredible contributions involving sustainability and the environment make our community a better place to live.

In 2013 the Overwaitea Food Group stores in the Central Okanagan...

REDUCED – • 2538 Cubic Yards to the landfill • 1634.1 Te CO2e Carbon Dioxide Emissions

SAVED – • 2989634.9 kWh of energy • 16079405 litres of water • 1785.6 barrels of oil (petroleum) • 10,315 mature trees

We have a history of taking the lead when it comes to sustainable stores and we’re focused on continuing to do the right thing in every area of our business.

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2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR: Casey

Hamilton

This year the Tree Fruit Project became a member of the Okanagan Car Share Co-Op and shares a truck to haul boxes of fruit to charitable foundations in the community. Hamilton is passionate about making a sustainable difference in the community and also works to promote green building practices among her various volunteer endeavors.

“I’m so involved because I care so much,” she said. “I think it’s important to put your efforts where your heart is.”

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Brenda Rayburn In her nine years as the director of sales and marketing at Kelowna’s Best Western Hotel, Brenda Rayburn has been a driving force in the hotel’s movement towards green alternatives.

She credits hotel ownership for pushing the envelope of becoming a sustainable member of the community but Rayburn has taken the ball and run, putting into practice many green alternative programs at the Best Western hotel.

“It’s all about doing what you can, when you can,” said Rayburn. “I’m passionate about the environment. I made a choice to take on this role of education and awareness. It’s impactful and it affects our community.”

Among the green alternatives the Best Western has put into practice are an environmental wing that is certified LEED silver by the Canada Green Building Council. Its rooms use reclaimed carpeting and wall coverings and feature infra-red sensors, geo thermal heating and cooling, master light switches making it easier for folks to turn off the energy consuming lights and an electric car charging station.

The hotel has a green committee and a five year sustainability plan. It features a salt water pool, reflective film on its windows and LED lighting in its parking lot. It was the first hotel in Canada to have blue recycling bins in rooms and in 2011 Interior Health named Best Western its preferred hotel, based on sustainability.

A grandmother of six kids, Rayburn says it’s important that everyone tries to do as much as they can for the environment.

“Hopefully we can be leaders for the next generation,” she said.

Environmental Leader

Casey Hamilton has always been about helping people.

Whether it was volunteering in Vancouver’s troubled downtown Eastside when she was a student at UBC or getting involved in community food projects after moving to the Okanagan, the 34-year-old Hamilton puts community above self.

“I think I have always been driven by helping people,” said Hamilton.

“I didn’t really start to become actively community involved until my late twenties but when I was younger I was into helping people.”

Educated as a dietitian, Hamilton earned a bachelor of science in nutrition before moving to Kelowna to begin her career.

Working at Interior Health as a community nutritionist, it soon became evident that there was a huge need to help people in the community.

Hamilton founded the Central Okanagan Food Policy Council in 2010 which two years later spawned the Okanagan Tree Fruit Project, collecting un-used fruit and distributing it in the community.

Last year the organization collected and delivered over 17,000 pounds of fruit that would otherwise have gone to waste.

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Congratulations to all the honorees and their outstanding local contributions.

We are proud to play an active role in helping to grow and positively impact each and every community we serve.

We have lots of branches.

But we also have lots of roots.

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2014 Community Leader Awards

TOP HONOUR: Patty

Lou Bryant

HONOURABLE MENTION:

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Jim Belshaw

Sheldon Gardiner

Jim Belshaw is a man who believes in acting when he sees a need.

The Kelowna businessman behind the phenomenally popular Soles4Soul Canada campaign, which is aiming to collect one million pairs of shoes over the next few years to donate to people in need both here at home and abroad, was prompted to act after seeing the devastation caused by a massive earthquake in Haiti in 2010. The owner of Roy’s Shoes downtown, Belshaw saw Soles4Souls as a perfect fit for his way of helping others. In the first year of the campaign here he set a goal of collecting 25,000 pairs of shoes. He received more than 40,000. Since then the numbers have continued to rise each year. In addition to providing footwear to clients of the Kelowna Gospel Mission, Now Canada, the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and other social agencies, shoes are also shipped to the Soles4Souls international distribution centre in Nevada, where they are sorted and shipped around the world.

“I’m very honoured and humbled to be nominated,” said Belshaw, who was quick to point out that he, like others who find ways to help, do not do it for recognition but rather to make life better for those in need.

“That’s why this nomination is so shocking to me, he added.

“Overwhelming would sum up how it feels.”

Sheldon Gardiner grew up around volunteers. Born and raised in a small Saskatchewan town, his mother and father—in his words— volunteered for everything.

“It was instilled in me from a young age, you have an obligation to make your community as good as possible,” he said.

And that is what he is trying to do in Kelowna. A leader in many ways, he helped establish Venture Okanagan, an “angel” investment forum in conjunction with Okanagan College’s School of Business and also helped start Okanagan Changemakers, a non-profit group working to foster social entrepreneurship here.

Inspired by a speech given by school teacher Rhonda Draper, chairwoman and founder of Month of Love, at Tedx Kelowna in 2012, Gardiner was taken by her idea that spawned Month of Love. Draper asked her elementary students to empty their pockets one day so they could pool their money to see what kind of difference they could make in the community. The idea is the same behind Okanagan Changemakers. By working together, the whole community benefits.

“It’s very humbling to be nominated for this award,” said Gardiner. “Humbling and not expected at all.”

Community Builder

Since 2009, Patty Lou Bryant has been helping feed Kelowna’s kids. Founder of Food For Thought, a free nutrition program that provides a healthy breakfast for more than 2,000 local school children each day, Bryant saw a need in the community and acted.

Statistics show 23 per cent of children in Kelowna go to school hungry each day, so Bryant developed the program that picks up perfectly good food from chains such as Starbucks and other cafes and coffee shops, food that would otherwise be thrown away, and delivers it to 23 of the 37 schools in the city with the help of 43 volunteers.

She said she hopes to have all city schools included in the program by the end of this year. Last year, the program collected more than 80,000 pounds of food, including muffins, bagels and oat bars. It also provides milk, fruit and yogurt for the kids.

And coordinating the huge effort is the selfless Bryant, who said when asked about her nomination, she was honoured but her goal is to raise awareness about the program, not herself.

“It’s not about me, it’s about getting Food For Thought out there and letting the community know about it,” she said modestly.

And, as one of her nominators put it, the Bryant has developed a program that has drawn together individuals, schools and businesses for a great cause.

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Leadership is (l)earned Congratulations to all those nominated and recognized as leaders in our community.

Inspired by the desire to help, fueled by the will to improve, and driven by skills that draw others along on the trek, good leaders are those who learn as they lead. Great leaders are those who pass the lessons along.

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Okanagan College’s mission is to transform lives and communities. The Okanagan College Foundation focuses on powering the promise of our students. We are proud to support and be a source of leaders and learning.

2014 Community Leader Awards

LEADER OF THE YEAR:

Jerry Schwartz is a quiet man with a kind heart, an unsung hero who literally goes the distance for the Kelowna Community Food Bank every week.

Now 80 years of age, Schwartz started volunteering with the food bank nearly 30 years ago during a recession.

In between jobs as a bricklayer in December of 1984, Schwartz heard an ad on the radio about the need for volunteers at the food bank.

“I was unemployed at the time and looking for something to do,” he recalled.

He returned to his duties as a mason with the change of seasons, but he continued to volunteer his time at the food bank. After retiring, Schwartz made the food bank his second home and the staff his second family.

Volunteering with the food bank, Schwartz says, gives him a reason to wake up every morning and be excited about the day ahead of him. “As a volunteer, it helps keep your life purposeful and you feel useful, helping to make a difference.”

Schwartz rides the transit bus from Rutland to be at the food bank by 8 a.m. four days a week, working until 2 p.m. each of those days.

For the past five years, Schwartz has been the driving force behind the food bank’s Food Runners initiative, a perishable food donation recovery program.

Food bank officials say the program would not exist without Schwartz’s weekly time and effort. He drives some 300 kilometres weekly, collecting perishable food items and prepared food from vendors and delivering it to partner agencies such as the Food For Thought Society, the Kelowna Gospel Mission, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club and KiLow-Na Friendship Society.

The food that he delivers would otherwise go to waste,

food that is finding a new purpose to help feed those in need.

Schwartz says the need of people to rely on the food bank continues to grow, noting that he is working at his fourth food bank facility since he started volunteering at the United Church basement location on Bernard and Richter.

“It seems every time we move, it’s to a bigger place and you think this is huge, then we run out of space and are moving again. But you can see by the lineup of people who are facing hard times at our current location, the need keeps growing,” he said.

“It is very rewarding to be able to help those people out, and many of them get back on their feet and end up coming back to volunteer to help others. I don’t think the public are often very aware of that. People who come to the food bank to get help often will come back and volunteer for us.”

Local MLA Norm Letnick describes Schwartz as the epitome of “wanting to make a difference without asking for anything in return.” He is a man who lives his values by his actions rather than his words, the MLA added.

Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray said Schwartz is a humble and hardworking volunteer who would probably feel embarrassed to receive the Community Leader of the Year Award, which Gray says is “exactly why Jerry so deserves it… everyone benefits from his service and dedication and we can all learn from his example.”’

Leader of the Year

Jerry Schwartz

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