Special Features - Local Hero Awards 2019

LOCAL HERO AWARDS

2019

Celebrating and Recognizing Amazing Individuals of Campbell River.

MIRROR C AMPBELL RIVER

2 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River is full of heroes, that is what makes it an amazing community, one that Mowi is proud to call home.

Mowi—Farming salmon in B.C. for over 30 years

MowiCanadaWest.ca

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Friday, May 24, 2019 3

Here’s to the Heroes among us Welcome to Local Hero Awards 2019. Once again, we gather to honour people and organizations that have performed exceptional acts that range from courageous to generous and from dedicated to creative.

And everything in between.

For the second year now, the Campbell River Mirror and MOWI celebrate the people that make Campbell River a great place. Here is the opportunity to highlight the special people in our community that give selflessly to good causes or simply help their friends and neighbours.

Once again, we were overwhelmed by the response to our second call for nominations across 13 categories. Out of those nominations to our website, hero.campbellrivermirror.com, a panel of local representatives from public service and community organizations narrowed the list down to three finalists in each category, from which one top honour is named.

They are all winners and our community is a winner for having these wonderful people living amongst us. Congratulations to all the nominees and thank-you to the community at large for participating in this opportunity to honour those who have made all of our lives just that much brighter. Thank you also, to our title sponsor MOWI and the sponsors of the individual award categories.

Proud

to represent and celebrate our community & its many

heroes

Rac chel Blaney

MP for fo North Island-Powell River Rache el.Blaney@parl.gc.ca 250-287-9388

would like to congratulate all finalists and winners of the

2019 Local Heroes Event

www.wewaikai.com

4 Friday, May 24, 2019

MIRROR MIRROR

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

C AMPBELL RIVER

C AMPBELL RIVER

PRESENTS PRESENTS

LOCAL HERO LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019 AWARDS 2019

LOCAL HERO AWARDS

AWARD SPONSORS AWARD SPONSORS

2019

Celebrating and Recognizing Amazing Individuals of Campbell River.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS COMMUNITY PARTNERS

1 LOCAL HERO PHOTOS WINNERS LIST

EVENT PARTNERS EVENT PARTNERS

FoggDukkers Coffee FoggDukkers Coffee

1. COACH OF THE YEAR 2.COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER 3. COMMUNITY BUILDER 4. EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR 5. ARTS ADVOCATE 6.ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP 7.DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVOCATE 8.YOUTH VOLUNTEER 9. SENIORS’ CHAMPION 10. EMERGENCY SERVICES 11. HEALTHCARE HERO 12. COURAGE AND BRAVERY 13. HERO OF THE YEAR

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

COACH OF THE YEAR LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

Friday, May 24, 2019 5

sponsored by:

STRATHCONA REGIONAL DISTRICT

BRYCE COCKBURN

HUGH GURNEY

Bryce Cockburn started playing hockey in Campbell River before moving on to play junior A hockey, in the NCAA and professionally.

Now back home, he is giving back to local minor hockey players and coaches through Next Level Training, started almost a decade ago as a way to share his love of hockey.

“This is our ninth year,” he says.

He ran hockey camps through Next Level part-time for several years while continuing to work a regular job, but for the last two years he’s been doing this work full-time. At present, he is the only Hockey Canada-certified skills coach on Vancouver Island. A couple of years ago, he was chosen for one of 24 spots to go to Calgary to be Hockey Canada certified level three skills coach. His next step is training as an advanced skills coach.

“I just got accepted to do that this year,” he says.

In March he was among a select group of dozen or so coaches chosen for the Hockey Canada Advanced Coaching Program — a group that included NHL skills coaches from the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs. “I was very happy and honoured to get selected,” he says.

Often, new teams struggle, but that wasn’t the case for the North Island Cubs in their first season.

Joining AAA midget baseball in 2018, the team is made up of kids generally aged 15 to 17 from around the region, including several from Campbell River.

On the field, the Cubs, with coach Hugh Gurney at the helm, exceeded what anyone would’ve expected, placing second to the North Fraser Nationals.

“We went right to the finals of the provincials,” Hugh says. “It was a good start for us.”

Hugh credits a strong parent group and the community for helping pull the baseball team together.

“We got some good support and some good backing,” he says. “I haven’t done it all by myself.”

Several players earned all-star honours, and a few played with the provincial team and signed letters of intent to play college baseball.

“It’s nice to see,” he says. “There’s a lot of good talent.”

Hugh, who also coaches ice hockey, credits the coaching he got in both sports growing up, and he is more than happy to take his turn as a leader and example for young athletes now.

“It’s fun. It’s really rewarding,” he says.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

6 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

CONGRATULATIONS To The 2019 Local Hero Award Finalists – Coaches Category

Top Honour Recipient: Roy Tippenhauer with Koreen Gurak

(Strathcona Regional District Representative) epr e) As a sponsor of the coaches’ category of the Local Hero Awards, the Strathcona Regional District recognizes coaches are inspirational role models in our community who create a positive environment for healthy development and instill a life-long love of physical activity.

We celebrate the dedication and commitment of all the exemplary individuals who inspire, innovate and share knowledge of sport with others.

strathconagardens.com www.strathconagardens.com

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

COACH OF THE YEAR LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 7

sponsored by:

STRATHCONA REGIONAL DISTRICT

ROY TIPPENHAUER While Roy Tippenhauer has had success as an athlete, his real passion the last 30 years or so has been passing on what he knows about karate.

He opened his club, Campbell River Shito-Ryu, in 1985, and in that time he’s trained athletes of all ages and levels, including his daughters, to become their best. He typically goes for 12 to 15 hours a week, outside of summers or school breaks.

Some students train for years, while others move on but often think about getting back into the sport.

“I think everybody that does karate at some point in their life still remembers it,” he says.

Over the years, Roy has mentored athletes such as Chad Edberg, who earned fourth- and fifth-place results at the world championships. Roy mentions many other names while browsing through an enormous scrapbook of clippings about his students.

“It took a lot of years, but it’s been a really interesting journey,” he says.

The dojo has earned 12 national champion titles, a Pan-American bronze, and a few top 10 world finishes.

“I don’t take credit for the successes,” he says.

Roy also thinks sports for young kids have gotten too serious, with too much emphasis on results rather than fun and learning. He thinks “free play” is missing for kids all too often.

Edberg pressed him to open the classes to younger kids, so Roy has been working with students as young as five.

“It’s Chad’s fault. He told me we had to start teaching five-year-olds,” he says. “I love the little tots, they’re the most fun.”

Roy has had coaches move on to the national team, and he also coached Team BC’s zone 6 and hosts a large karate tournament in Campbell River each year.

He has a diploma in high performance coaching and summarizes the philosophy behind karate.

“It’s about discipline and respect, not about domination,” he says.

He has served on the boards for Karate BC and Karate Canada, and is active in the community, collecting for the Knights of Columbus Christmas Hamper Fund through the club.

While he’s proud of the honours his students have earned, he emphasizes the club, rather than concentrating all its efforts on a small number of elite athletes, focuses on making each member improve.

Personal growth, he says, is the basis for the culture of Shito-Ryu. “We concentrate on personal bests rather than results,” he says.

8 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 9

sponsored by:

CHANCES

CALVIN RUFUS As sure as Christmas approaches at the end of each year, so too will you find Calvin Rufus ringing a bell at the Salvation Army and wishing season’s greetings.

Calvin enjoys the social interaction he gets through his volunteering for the Salvation Army and for the Big Bike Ride.

Typically, he splits up his volunteering based on the time of year.

“I get to meet old friends and the people I don’t see during the year,” he says, adding, “I make new friends.”

Calvin is originally from the Namgis First Nation, growing up in the Alert Bay area, but he has called the Campbell River area his home for almost 20 years now, and he’s gotten to know a lot of people.

“I do the Big Bike Ride in June,” he says.

There, he takes part in the ride for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He raises fund by getting businesses to pledge donations for his participation in the Big Bike Ride.

Then, in the latter part of the year, Calvin switches and moves over to work at the Salvation Army kettles, raising money to help vulnerable people in the community in the same way the organization helped him.

He is typically posted six days a week outside the SaveOn-Foods in downtown Campbell River, where there is more foot traffic than at an original spot where he manned the kettle.

“The people are great,” he says. “I’m practically meeting a new person every day.”

He started volunteering in the area by helping mostly with the clean-up the carving competition in Willow Point, and later started helping out with Fibre Fest, greeting visitors at the front door.

Along with volunteering, Calvin spends his time with activities like knitting and sewing, in the process making homemade items like handbags to give to

people he knows.

He’s spent the last eight years or so devoting his time to both the Big Bike Ride and the Salvation Army. Along with being important causes, he says he chose these ones in part for another reason.

“They were close to home,” he says, adding it is not always easy for him to get around the community.

To anyone who thinks there is an organization out there they might like to help, Calvin offers a few choice words: “Just do it. Don’t think, just do it,” he says.

“Life’s too short for shoulda, coulda, wouldas.”

10 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

sponsored by:

CHANCES

ANNE ROBERTS

MARCUS WILLEMS

With so many good causes in Campbell River, Anne Roberts works to help as many of them as she can.

She divides her time between shifts at ReStore, the second-hand store operated

by Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North, or the local thrift store that supports Campbell River Hospice. She also plans to help with the women’s build group for Habitat for Humanity.

She’ll help out the Museum at Campbell River by giving her time for special events, and she also assists the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star with its special events, such as bake sales.

“I’ve done all kinds of other volunteering in the city,” she says. “I’m always busy.”

The Beaver Lodge Forest Lands, with its network of trails, is one of the community’s most beloved recreation areas.

One of the people responsible for looking after this community gem is Marcus Willems. He started working on local trails after he retired some six years ago. He got involved with Greenways Land Trust about four years ago.

“I started off by adopting a trail,” he says.

His work includes clearing brush and other debris, as well as making sure there is proper drainage for the trail network.

“I just really enjoy working on trails,” he says.

“It’s a great interaction between people and the environment.”

He is setting a good example for young people about the importance of stewardship by educating and working with school groups, who help clear the trails. Marcus also volunteers his time with the local hospice society, which he started doing after his wife passed away, and has a walking group for participants in hospice.

Finally, he sits on the Beaver Lodge Forest Lands Trust Committee, which is made up of many stakeholders charged with making sure this natural area remains a prized asset of Campbell River.

She moved to Campbell River in 1950 and started giving her time as a volunteer when she was about 12 or 13.

When asked what motivates her to lend her efforts to many groups, her answer is simple.

“It’s because people need help. They’ll just phone me, and I come up and help,” she says.

“I love giving back.”

Nor Northern Ropes & Industrial Supply Ltd. Indus Congratulations TO ALL

Local Hero Nominees!

259 Puntledge Road, Courtenay Phone: 250-334-3707 • Fax: 250-334-3721

Whale Watching Grizzly Bears

Fishing Charters, Ocean Rapids & more!

2860 North Island Hwy, Campbell River Phone: 250-286-1027 • Fax: 250-286-1024

MOTORS

250.287.2667 • 877.909.2667 Over 50 years Experience

C A M P BE L L RRIVER IVE R CAMPBELL

WHALE WATCHING

Adventure Tours

1.877.909.2667 250.287.2667

campbellriverwhalewatching.com Discovery Harbour Marina Floathouse - Dock E

Congratulations to all of the

2019 LOCAL HERO NOMINEES! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!

1721 Island Hwy., Campbell River www.gordknight.com 250-287-9531

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

COMMUNITY BUILDER LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

Friday, May 24, 2019 11

sponsored by:

THRIFTY FOODS

GEOFF PAYNE

STACEY LARSEN

Geoff Payne is a well-known fixture in the local mountain biking scene. He serves as treasurer for the River City Cycle Club and heads the trails committee, helping to spearhead the construction and maintenance of authorized trails in partnership with BC Parks and Recreation Sites & Trails BC.

Stacey Larsen is a community advisor for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). It’s a role that she says was best summarized by a colleague: “We help people help fish.”

She works with First Nations and other groups on salmon enhancement projects across northern Vancouver Island and surrounding areas including Cortes Island, Phillips River and Gilford Island.

“It’s putting back into something you’re using, and other community members can benefit as well,” he says, adding that credit should go to the club more generally.

Payne works with crews of volunteers, facilitating workshops on sustainable trail construction and maintenance techniques. Since 2008, the club has rerouted roughly 6 km of trails in the Snowden Demonstration Forest and 2 km in Elk Falls Provincial Park to address safety, environmental and sustainability issues, he says.

“We’ve tried to incorporate the new knowledge of trail construction and maintenance techniques, and how to make them more sustainable and require less maintenance into the future, as well as fun for riders,” he says, noting that it benefits not only mountain bikers, but other trail users such as runners, hikers and people that just enjoy being out on the trails.

Larsen is also known for her public service as a volunteer with a variety of environmental groups, including the Greenways Land Trust, Campbell River Salmon Foundation and Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, and for serving as a representative on the city’s Advisory Planning and Environment Commission.

In her various roles, she has bridged the gap between the community and administrative bodies, making sure people’s voices are heard. But she says that a lot of credit is due to the larger community.

“I think that the passion of the groups and the people that I work with is what keeps me motivated,” she says.

Congratulations to everyone who has been bestowed the honour of being nominated.

Much Love

Highest quality service using only new vehicle warranty approved products

Carol

• • • •

Automatic Transmission Fluid Differential Fluid Change Transfer Case Fluid Change Manual Transmission Fluid

Other Services • Performance Enhancers • Oil Change Packages • 21 Point Visual Inspection

975 A Shoppers Row 250-287-8221 acutabovedesign@shaw.ca

YOU’RE BUSY WE’RE FAST

1691 Dogwood St., Campbell River 250-286-4288 Mon - Fri, 8:30–5:30, Sat 9–5, Sun: CLOSED

www.acutabovehairdesign.ca

Thank You to all of our community’s Local Heroes!

1710 Island Hwy, Campbell River • 250-286-6132

www.associatedtire.com

associatedtire@shaw.ca

100% locally owned

The security of All Weather traction

12 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

You’re my Hero!

Thank you to our local heroes that help make this a great community to live and work in.

Thrifty Foods is a proud supporter of the local Heroes Award.

thriftyfoods.com

https://www.thriftyfoods.com

Ironwood Mall: 1400 Ironwood Street

Connect with us Customer Care: 1.800.667.8280

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

COMMUNITY BUILDER LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 13

sponsored by:

THRIFTY FOODS

TARA JORDAN For Tara Jordan, coordinator of KidStart for the John Howard Society of North Island, it’s more than just a job.

She’s known as a tireless advocate for children and families who come to the John Howard Society struggling with poverty and other challenges.

“It’s a big part of my heart,” says Jordan.

Her work involves matching children with mentors.

Those relationships can transform the lives of those atrisk youth for the better. Jordan describes her work as an honour and a privilege.

“I get to see what happens when the child gets to match with a mentor,” she says, “that support person who is their one-to-one, non-judgemental, caring, loving, wonderful person that becomes key to turning their page to a better life” Single mothers often find themselves juggling part-time jobs while burdened with childcare after a divorce or breakup occurs and the father stops paying child support.

Children suddenly go from having two parents to just one who is rarely at home, because she’s busy working.

The children then start getting into trouble at school – and very few government resources exist to prevent them from falling through the cracks.

“If a child breaks the law, if the child hurts someone, then there’s millions of dollars for the judicial system,” Jordan says. “But when there’s a child that hasn’t done any of that yet, but they’re starting to wave every red flag… there’s nothing for them, except KidStart.”

Mentors help children build their self-confidence, improve their literacy and math skills, and provide other kinds of support that single working parents often can’t do.

A flood of community members cited Jordan’s positive and generous spirit in nominations for the Local Hero Awards.

“Her attitude is always positive, and her passion for

supporting families is contagious,” one nominator said.

Many described Jordan routinely putting in volunteer hours beyond her part-time role at the John Howard Society. She’s known for driving families to the food bank and other appointments on her own time.

Jordan said she has 140 children on her waiting list, and they wait an average of 2-5 years for a match.

Above all, she said that KidStart needs men to volunteer a few hours a week as big buddies.

“There’s a lot of families that need this support.”

14 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Educators open young minds and inspire a better future Our youth deserve nothing less than a bright future which is why we are partnering with the United Nations to support its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Action Platform on Sustainable Ocean Development.

Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development. In addition to improving quality of life, access to inclusive education can help equip individuals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems.

We are so thankful for all of our educators who help shape dreams, chase the “what ifs”, and push to challenge the status quo.

We are honoured to support the 2019 Educator of the Year award and would like to acknowledge all of our teachers for the role they play in shaping a better, more sustainable tomorrow

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 15

sponsored by:

CERMAQ

NIC PISTERZI Nic Pisterzi certainly doesn’t consider himself a hero, but he does acknowledge that he approaches his role in shaping the next generation a little differently than some.

“I guess I’m kind of a non-traditionalist when it comes to teaching,” Pisterzi says. “I try to think outside the box and I’m big on innovation. With that comes some issues, for sure, because there are bumps along the way. You have to embrace that and be willing to get through the tough stuff, and bring the kids along through it alongside you.”

Like Carihi Fly Fishing, for example. It was a little project that Pisterzi pitched as one of his innovative ideas, willing to take a gamble.

And the numbers speak for themselves.

Two years ago, the idea of Carihi Fly Fishing began as a little after-school club he started to see if there was any interest in learning the sport.

Over the course of two years, it went from a club to one

class, to two classes, to two classes and a competitive team – members of which, by the way, make up half of the Canadian Youth National Fly Fishing Team as we discovered after their performances at the National Championships last month in Maple Ridge.

“I chose this job to do my bit to make the world spin a little better, a little happier,” he says. “And I think I’m doing that. My approach to teaching is very relationship-based. I’m all about building real relationships with these kids. I don’t just ask them how their weekend was, I actually want to know the answer,” he says with a laugh.

“I don’t want them to just get through school, I want them to get good at life, and whatever I can do to nurture them and get them there, I’m happy to go the extra mile to do that.”

His reward, after all, isn’t the paycheque – because if it was he certainly wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing – it’s seeing the young people he’s been tasked with

helping for a few hours per day develop into people he’s comfortable leaving in charge of the world we’re leaving to them.

“There’s nothing better than the smiles on their faces and watching them go on to make good decisions in life.”

LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

16 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

sponsored by:

CERMAQ

LISA WALLS

PETER UBRIACO

It may not have been the first question she asked when she got her new job at Georgia Park Elementary School two years ago, but it was maybe the second.

“What’s going on with that wooded area over there?” she asked on the first day she was supervising recess.

The area was across the school field, and it wasn’t looking great, but she saw its potential.

“I’ve always been about bringing the kids outside, and when I found out it was owned by the city, I called them and asked them if we could play back there. They said yes, so I asked if we could make it better.”

That began the process that has been the reparations of that parkland.

“We’ve been taking out blackberries, and we made this little bridge, and we got in touch with Greenways and they said they’d help us plant some new trees.”

Because kids, she says, need to get outside a little more often, and they need a safe, ecologically sound place to do that.

“Kids need to connect with nature,” she says. “They’re not going to care about it if we don’t help them learn to love it. We spend time out here every week and the kids get to see the same place through the seasonal changes and it’s amazing the things that they notice that they wouldn’t have otherwise noticed.

“And sometimes, they just need to go play. The playground is great, but this, I think, is better.”

Phoenix teacher Peter Ubriaco vividly remembers what it was like growing up in an environment that maybe wasn’t the most conducive to efficient intellectual development.

“I guess one of the advantages I’ve always thought I have – if you can call it an advantage – is that I had lots of different abuses going on in my house when I was growing up,” he says. “So I feel like I can kinda relate to some of the kids that maybe some other teachers can’t relate to when it comes to the things that are happening outside the school.”

For him, teaching isn’t about transferring information, it’s about building relationships, which is why the nominations that came in all had statements like “I’ve never seen my child so engaged” in them.

“What I try to do is get down to their level and try to remember what it’s like to be a Grade 8 student with a Grade 8 brain and just remember that I have to teach in a way that they buy into what I’m selling,” he says. “They have to believe that what I’m selling has value. I can act like a kid – if there was a camera in this room you’d see me being extremely silly sometimes – but it’s a very delicate balance between being their friend and being their educator and being a counsellor sometimes when you need to, and that’s what I have to do: blend all of that together.”

Congratulations TO THE

2019 LOCAL HEROES OF CAMPBELL RIVER! Proudly supporting local...

#400-1400 Dogwood St.

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

ARTS ADVOCATE LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

Friday, May 24, 2019 17

sponsored by:

BROADSTREET PROPERTIES LTD.

HEIDI CUFF

NADIA REIGER

Advocacy is about passion, and if there’s one thing Heidi Cuff has, that’s it.

Serving as the marketing and programming coordinator for the Tidemark Theatre, she brings that passion to work with her every day. It also kind of spills over into everything else she does.

“I love my job, I love what I do and I love this community,” she says. “When those things line up in life, I think that excitement and passion naturally overflows. I’m also in a really unique position at the theatre, which connects me to many different facets of our community on a daily basis. Those connections have allowed for some pretty rad projects and collaborations.”

And “collaboration” might be the operative word there, because as much work as Heidi puts in to making things happen in the arts scene in Campbell River, she’s the first to admit it wouldn’t be enough without the work everyone else puts in, too.

“There are a whole lot of us creatives in the arts scene ‘trenches’ here,” she says, “all working hard together to help each other and to elevate our collective organizations and practices. It’s one hundred percent a team effort.”

When Nadia Rieger came to town just a couple of years ago now, she didn’t really know what the reception would be like for someone looking to do what she does.

She came here wanting to open a small gallery where local artists could show off and sell their creations, as well as teach art to anyone wanting to learn, so she opened the Crow’s Nest Gallery and Studio in Willow Point. She never expected to be called a hero for it.

“I guess it feels good to know that I’m helping people find or develop their passion for art,” she says, after finding out her name was on the list for this year’s Local Heroes Awards. “People often tell me how I’ve helped them heal from something or get through a hard time and that they’re so thankful that I’m here because now they have an outlet and a place for them to show what they do and share their talents and that I encourage them.”

Because some people, she has come to learn, can’t live without art.

“There are just some people who can’t live without creating, without being artistic, and I have a place where they can do that and I offer it to anyone, of all ages, even if they can’t afford it.

Because I remember when I found out that art was what I needed in my life, and there’s really nothing better than helping someone else find that out, too.”

18 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

ARTS ADVOCATE LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 19

sponsored by:

BROADSTREET PROPERTIES LTD.

KEN BLACKBURN Ken Blackburn has served as the executive director of the Campbell River Arts Council since 2006.

Over that time, he has initiated – or at least overseen – the creation of dozens of programs, initiatives and opportunities within the community that have made it a more artistic and collaborative place to live, work and play.

“I don’t think it’s going too far to say that the arts council has been a pretty big part of some significant shifts here in Campbell River,” he says. “When we were going through the mill shutdown, for example.

It wasn’t a good time to be talking about the arts when people were losing their jobs and the tax base was gone and everyone was saying that the sky was gonna fall, but that’s actually when we amped it up and got to work and said ‘let’s make Campbell River a place that people want to come to. We can’t solve all the problems at once, but we can certainly not get knocked down.’”

He was integral in the creation of the Haig-Brown Lecture Series, which he still oversees after 10 years.

He’s managed the Haig-Brown Festival for the past 14 years.

He created the Living History program at the museum, now having done “at least a dozen documentaries on different aspects of local history, whether it’s been about Camp 5 or war veterans or Sybil Andrews or Roderick Haig-Brown, there’ve been quite a few,” he says with a laugh.

He’s been integral to the creation of both Anne Elmore Haig-Brown Day, Roderick Haig-Brown Day and Sybil Andrews Day, commemorating those figures’ lives and their importance to the community.

He’s initiated programs to get more art into the hospital, worked with a ton of non-profits and social service organizations to get their clients making art and gotten school kids creating more art with new and exciting opportunities over the years.

But like all of the people being recognized in these Local Hero Awards, Blackburn says it’s not really appropriate for him to be the one recognized when it “takes a village,” so to speak.

“I think anyone who says they’re the single reason things change is being a bit high-minded,” he says.

“When we look at the arts sector in Campbell River right now, one of its great strengths is that we work together really well. Whether it’s the Tidemark or Rivercity Players or Spirit Square or the museum or the art gallery, we can pick up the phone, talk to people and make a plan.

“It’s not possible without healthy connections.”

But that’s what Blackburn does. He pulls people together.

“I may be a catalyst, I guess, but I’m certainly not the one doing all the work on the ground,” he says.

20 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

We would like to

Congratulate all the NOMINEES, the FINALIST and the TOP HONOUR WINNER.

Donna and Will are delighted to

In our business we strive to promote and encourage sustainable and healthy living.

ENVIRONMENTAL

THESE NOMINEES SPEND THEIR LIVES ADVOCATING FOR ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGICALLY SOUND PRACTICES.

FOR THE

Thank you for your commitment to the future of our community.

www.healthywaynaturalfoods.com

1121 Cedar S Street,, Campbell River 250-286-6011

SPONSOR THE

HERO AWARD 2019 LOCAL HEROES

Store Hours Monday to Friday 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-6pm Sunday 10am-5pm

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

Friday, May 24, 2019 21

ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

sponsored by:

HEALTHYWAY

MIKE GAGE Mike Gage founded the Campbell River Fishing Guides Association in 1966.

He’s been a member of the Tyee Club since 1975, serving as president from 1980 to 1993. The only reason he stepped down was so that his presidency wouldn’t be longer than Dr. Richard Murphy’s 14 years at the helm of the club out of respect for the man who kept the club afloat financially out of his own pocket when it looked like it would fold.

He’s been an active member of the Campbell River Sports Fishing Advisory Board for over 25 years.

He founded the Campbell River Salmon Foundation with Kris Mailman back in 2007 and has been an active member – including as vice chair – since stepping down as the chair of the foundation five years after its formation.

He’s almost single-handedly responsible for the current program of replacing gravel in the Campbell River to support salmon spawning. He was the driving force

behind the Nature Conservancy of Canada finding the money to purchase Baikie Island from Raven Industries for $1.8 million, allowing it to become a protected site and allow restoration to begin after decades of industrial use.

It’s safe to say that Mike Gage is one of the powerhouses in the Campbell River ecological fight for what is good in the world, especially when it comes to fish and fish habitat.

“I came out here in 1959 – 60 years ago this October – and worked for UBC down in Oyster River clearing land, then I went out into the woods (in forestry),” Gage says. On the weekends, he guided for Painter’s Lodge, taking guests out fishing.

He’s got a soft spot for salmon, that’s for sure. You can see it in his eyes when he talks about making the world a little better for them.

“We raised five sons here, and they were, and still are, keen fishermen,” he says. “Fishing has been really

good to us. Three of them put themselves through university on the money they made as fishing guides.”

But what he’s possibly most proud of is his decadelong fight with BC Hydro over the removal of the Salmon River Diversion Dam, which finally happened in 2017. It’s one of the greatest things to happen to salmon habitat in our region in quite some time, he says.

“The best thing we got out of that is the extra 42 km of extra river for the fish,” he says. “And the water we got comes from right up in the last place the snow leaves Vancouver Island. It’s cold and it’s the most perfect water for salmon. That could be the best thing I’ve ever been involved in.”

22 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

sponsored by:

HEALTHYWAY

CHERYL FREEMAN

DAVE CUNNING

“Oh, I just lend a pair of hands and make sure the children don’t go wandering off and get eaten by bears,” says Cheryl Freeman, modestly showing off some of the work she’s been doing in her spare time these days helping Greenways Land Trust take care of the new saplings that have been planted out on Baikie Island.

When Dave Cunning retired as a commercial fisherman, he wanted to give back in a way that would show his appreciation for the natural resource and environment in which he made his living.

After moving to Campbell River from Coquitlam three years ago, Cheryl wanted to do something that was the polar opposite from what she’d done her whole life while finding a way to give back to the new community she would call home.

Cynthia Bendickson, he’s been taking care of the fish and waterways of Campbell River.

“He’s just a great, great guy,” Bendickson says.

So for the last, “many, many years,” according to Greenways Land Trust executive director

She’d spent her entire career inside offices as an accountant. So she wanted to get out into nature.

“It’s my new home, and it’s where we’re going to be until we’re not breathing anymore, so why not help out? It’s really, really rewarding, and, like I said, it gets me out when I’ve been cooped up for 30 years in an office.”

“I love working with him,” agrees Josie Simpson with Greenways. “He just cares so much about the environment. He’s basically running the restoration work on Baikie (Island) transforming it back into a natural ecosystem after it was basically run over by industry, and his work on Simms Creek and the fish fence has truly been amazing. He knows it like the back of his hand and he just has a rhythm about knowing when and where things need to be done.”

And she couldn’t have asked for a better group to get involved with, she says.

Dave’s one of those people who never turns away from an opportunity to help, either.

“Greenways people are so wonderful,” she says. “They’ve got the experience, they’ve got the knowledge, they’ve got the experience, they’ve got the tools, but then when someone like me comes along and has none of that, they’ve got the patience to show me and let me help them, too.”

“It’s not like a 9-5 Monday to Friday thing for him,” Simpson says. “If he thinks something needs attention, he’s there doing it, whenever it needs it, which is really inspiring.”

www.campbellrivermirror.com

LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

Campbell River Mirror

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVOCATE

Friday, May 24, 2019 23

A western store & so much more.

sponsored by:

FINALIST

GRIEG SEAFOOD

JOHN HOLLYWOOD

Be a Leader

John Hollywood is the creator and manager of the band Inclusion, which is well known for performances that have raised funds for community groups and brought light into people’s lives through music.

It’s part of Hollywood’s commitment to a more inclusive world for people with disabilities.

“I was finding that people often aren’t included in things that are going on, and sometimes wind up segregated,” he said. “I wanted to see if there was a way to change that.”

He worked professionally in empowerment for people with disabilities in Ontario. Years later, at a community singalong in Campbell River, Hollywood met a young musician with a developmental disability who played an instrument called a Qchord.

Hollywood knew about another musician in the community who played the keyboard, and decided to see what would happen if they sat down together to make music. They played their first gig in May 2005.

Since then, the band has grown to include between eight and nine members. As the name Inclusion suggests, the band isn’t restricted to people with disabilities or to any particular group.

The band has raised funds for individuals and wide array of groups including the Campbell River Foster Parents Association and the Campbell River Syrian Refugee Support Committee.

“The goal of the band is to give back,” Hollywood said.

A lot of people who don’t “fit the mold” have special gifts, he added. It’s important to find ways for them to realize their potential and thrive.

“That’s a real need,” he said.

920 Island Hwy., Campbell River V9W 2C3 250-286-3554

24 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Proud to sponsor the

Diversity & Inclusion Advocate Award

email us at community.relations@griegseafood.com

griegseafoodcanada.com

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

Friday, May 24, 2019 25

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVOCATE LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

sponsored by:

GRIEG SEAFOOD

JUNE JOHNSON June Johnson is an Indigenous Elder who is making a difference for young people in Campbell River.

A member of the We Wai Kai First Nation from Cape Mudge, she’s an Elder-in-residence at North Island College, where she teaches language and culture.

“I’ve been doing language for I think more than 10 years now for the community,” she said. “It’s about bringing back culture to our communities and anyone who wants to learn, we’re inclusive. It doesn’t matter where you’re from.”

Participants include many First Nations foster children who live with non-Indigenous parents, she said.

She teaches them about culture and protocol of the Big House, so they’re familiar with it when they attend a potlatch. She also teaches dances, she said.

Children as young as two years old take part in the cultural activities, along with teenagers, young adults and Elders.

She teaches Likwala-Kwakwala language, and a semester was just wrapping in mid-April, when Johnson spoke about her work in an interview.

She’s known as someone who doesn’t discriminate by band or whether or not someone is Indigenous – she feels that we are all one.

“Half of our class is non-Indigenous, and they’re doing awesome,” she said. “It’s really important for people to learn about our peoples and our territory. We all live together in the community, and it’s nice for everyone to learn.”

Johnson also teaches doctors and nurses about traditional plants and medicines, holding workshops at North Island College and putting in a Healing Garden of indigenous plants at the hospital.

“The forest was always our pharmacy for hundreds of years,” she said.

She’s also well-known for giving to many causes, and baking for family and friends. It’s something that she considers an everyday role.

At the time of the interview, she was fundraising for the Paddle to Lummi, a celebration of the Coast Salish people and culture. Some 100 canoes are expected to travel the traditional highways to Lummi Nation in Washington State in July.

“It’s a healing journey, and it’s really great when we bring the youth,” she said, adding that she participated in a similar expedition last year.

“I was the oldest,” said Johnson, who will be 73 this year. “We paddled from Port Angeles to Puyallup, I think it was about a week.”

That’s a distance of some 185 km by road, according to Google Maps. She isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

“I said, ‘Maybe I’ll retire when I’m 80,’” she said.

“Everybody just laughs at me. They said, ‘I don’t think so. You’ll probably still be there.’”

26 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Congratulations to the

YOUTH VOLUNTEER AWARD NOMINEES: Sylas Thompson and Carihi Fly Fishing

Auto l Home l Business l Life l Farm l Recreation Dogwood #700-1400 Dogwood St

Willow Point 80H Westgate Rd

Quadra Island 2-654 Harper Rd, Quathiaski Cove

250-287-9184

250-923-2288

250-285-2333

waypoint .ca

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

YOUTH VOLUNTEER LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 27

sponsored by:

WAYPOINT INSURANCE

SYLAS THOMPSON A young polar bear swimmer showed true community spirit by plunging daily in the cold ocean this winter for two local community groups.

Sylas Thompson, 11, showed true community spirit by raising more than $37,000 for two local groups that support people struggling with poverty, the Women’s Resource Centre and Grassroots Kind Hearts.

The campaign began on Feb. 1, when he pledged to swim everyday in the ocean until he’d gathered $30,000 in donations. He ultimately surpassed that goal by a long shot.

“I’m not trying to brag or anything, but I feel proud of myself that I could do that, that I could push myself to do that and go in the water everyday,” said Thompson in April.

His polar bears swims continued for 36 consecutive days amid low temperatures that broke records stretching back to 1958. Those included Feb. 10 (-13 C), Feb. 11 (-15.5 C), Feb. 26 (-10 C) and Feb. 27 (-10

C). Overall, the month was also colder than an average February and was marked by extraordinary snowfall.

Thompson was unfazed by these frigid conditions.

The campaign also shone a light on poverty in Campbell River, raising awareness about the struggles of homeless people during a period when the resources of local shelters were stretched especially thin. Children learned about some of these issues as Thompson spoke about his campaign in two schools.

Thompson’s updates on Facebook and YouTube also helped generate awareness, and people from throughout the community showed their support with donations. Some brave individuals even joined him for a swim.

The effort may well inspire future fundraising initiatives.

Thompson followed in the footsteps of his late uncle “Polar Bear” Jake Hebenton, who previously raised funds for the BC Elders Gathering and the local food bank by swimming off Tyee Spit in the early 2000s.

After Hebenton’s death in 2011, his cousin Eddy Cliffe launched another polar bear swim campaign at the same spot.

The groups that Thompson’s campaign supported provide critical services. Grassroots Kind Hearts provides a daily hot meal to homeless people and others struggling with poverty.

The Women’s Resource Centre offers a wide range of services, including a poverty relief program that provides essentials like personal hygiene products, clothing and linens.

Thompson said he’s thinking about doing another campaign, likely in 2021. He said more efforts are needed to help people struggling with poverty.

“There should be more money raised,” he said. “This should keep on going on…There’s gotta be more money to get more resources for homeless people.”

28 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

www.campbellrivermirror.com

YOUTH VOLUNTEER

FINALIST sponsored by:

WAYPOINT INSURANCE

Thank you

to each and every

hero

CARIHI FLY FISHING The kids in the Carihi Fly Fishing program won’t call themselves heroes, so their instructor Nick Pisterzi (who himself is nominated for an award in the Educator category) will do it for them.

“They’re inspiring role models,” Pisterzi says. “They’re young conservationists at heart. Yes, they appreciate the sport of fly fishing, but they’ve gone well beyond that now and have started to acknowledge and appreciate that without a clean environment and functioning ecosystem, there wouldn’t be the opportunity for that, because there wouldn’t be those fish out there.”

They’ve cleaned up riverbanks, estuaries, streambeds and neighbourhoods. They’ve rebuilt salmon habitat, released fry, removed invasive plants and installed bird boxes.

“Basically, they’re giving a (expletive deleted) about our community,” Pisterzi says. “When most kids are sitting around playing xBox or Playstation, they’re out there picking up garbage and improving our community.

“That’s why I think they’re heroes.”

(250) 287-2227 1250 Dogwood St, Campbell River

www.dairyqueen.com www.facebook.com/crdairyqueen

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

Friday, May 24, 2019 29

SENIORS’ CHAMPION Congratulations to all of the award nominees and winners!

FINALIST sponsored by:

BERWICK BY THE SEA

www.crmuseum.ca

The Haig-Brown House Bed & Breakfast is now open for the season!

For information about booking and garden rentals go to

470 Island Highway 250-287-3103

Be the office Hero! quality printing t on time | on budge

www.haig-brown.bc.ca

Your local full service print shop!

Where we design, print and finish everything in house graphic design | digital | offset bindery | wide format | vinyl signs laser cheques

#2 - 1040 9th Ave, Campbell River 250-287-2427 | www.rhprinting.ca

DANNY BROWN Danny Brown was a man with knack for bringing history alive Danny Brown’s passion for the history of the mid and North Island was evident to all who came in contact with him.

And it was something that he loved to share. As a volunteer for the Museum at Campbell River for many years, Danny was known for his enthusiastic presentations and engaging conversations.

And he came by his knowledge honestly after 39 years of working in the forest industry. He would call on that knowledge and experience when conducting his presentations on area pioneers and the history of the fishing and logging industries. He was particularly fond of the museum’s restored 1930 Hayes-Anderson logging truck. Because of Danny’s diligent care and maintenance of the historic vehicle it was able to regularly appear in parades and local events.

Besides presentations given at the museum, Elder College and elsewhere in town, Danny also narrated the museum’s historical boat tours and fascinated many with his presentation on the Yorke Island West Coast defence site that he created for the Year of the Veteran.

Brown was not just active with the museum, he was also a longstanding member of the Knights of Columbus, getting involved with them first in 1963 and was a mainstay of the Community Christmas Hamper Project Committee. With the Knights, he also helped with special celebrations, coordinated bursaries and participated in fundraisers that helped the less fortunate.

Coastline Mazda is thrilled to welcome

SANJAY SHARMA to their team as Sales Manager!

Stop by and let Sanjay and his team show you why you should drive a Mazda home today!

He was also active in other community groups, including St. Patrick’s Parish, Employee and Family Assistance Program, City of Campbell River Parks and Recreation, the Age-Friendly Committee and the Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association.

In 2017, Danny received the Medal of Good Citizenship from the Province of British Columbia for his service to Campbell River and his countless hours of volunteerism.

When he received the medal, Danny said, “I am truly humbled to have been chosen to receive the prestigious Medal of Good Citizenship for volunteering my time with people in our community of Campbell River. I benefit, as a person, and appreciate the opportunities to interact in the day-today lives of the young and the young at heart.”

CAMPBELL RIVER, 2280 Island Hwy. (Across from the IDEAL CAFE)

1-888-307-5728 www.coastlinemazda.com

30 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL LOCAL HEROES Striving to make Campbell River a better place.

Your home.

Our hospitality.

Find out more about The Berwick Way™ Ask one of our Senior Living Experts Today!

Wendy Mayers Community Relations Manager

Let’s start a conversation today.

250-914-8055 http://www.berwickretirement.com/ Visit BerwickRetirement.com

1353 16th avenue, campbell river 250.850.1353

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

SENIORS’ CHAMPION LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

MARY ASHLEY Mary Ashley is always striving to make her community better. This woman does not sit still and serves as a role model, a mentor and an inspiration for those who strive to build a positive future for Campbell River.

She was Campbell River’s first female mayor, a City councilor before that and is a Freeman of the City of Campbell River. She has served on numerous boards in the non-profit sector, most notably the Campbell River Community Foundation – which she essentially founded – and the Island Corridor Foundation and many others. She also sat on the board of the Coastal Community Credit Union for nine years, only recently retiring from it. She has a three-page CV of community organizations she has been involved in.

As a newcomer to Campbell River in 1970, she got involved in community service, partly as a way to get to know people but also because it was a tradition in her family. Besides that, it is something she enjoys doing and she loves to give back to the community a little of what she and her family have gotten from it.

“We have received so much from this community,” Ashley says.

Friday, May 24, 2019 31

sponsored by:

BERWICK BY THE SEA

Ashley’s service is fueled by her boundless energy and sustained by her ability to work with people.

“I am a people person,” Ashley states simply.

She credits her time on City Council for developing a lot of her abilities.

“I learned a lot of that from being on City Council,” she says. “It had its challenges but it was a really positive experience.”

Ashley found being on council and then being mayor demanded all of the skills she had developed in her years of community service. In fact, it was, in some way, the ultimate community service work.

“I found it to be sort of the culmination of every kind of volunteer thing I have been involved in,” she says.

Her time as mayor was a period of significant challenge.

It was the time when the Beaver Lodge Lands were discovered to be a parcel of land bequeathed in the 1930’s to the Province for forestry research and pulled the rug out from under the City’s plan to develop and subdivide the area for much-needed housing. It was a difficult time for the community that generated a lot of

division, Ashley says. But the community found a way to adapt to the challenge.

Much like Ashley, who is never daunted by change.

“Luckily, I enjoy working with change. Some people don’t but I consider it a challenge. I think it’s exciting, change can be really exciting,” Ashley says. “And I never want to be stuck in a groove.”

And that’s what keeps Ashley going and showing no signs of stepping back from pushing herself and her community forward.

“For me and for the community too, if you think that there’s nothing that needs to be improved and you want everything to stay the same, I think you are on the wrong track. You should always be thinking about what’s coming in the future and what we can do to mitigate problems and to encourage well-being in the community amongst all people who live here.

You’re never going to run out of ways of improving situations.”

32 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

S

D OF ICE U O OR RV R P NS SE O CY SP EN G ER EM

Congratulations Rick Wall

TOP OP HONOUR FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES AND ALL THE NOMINEES! NOMIN

Campbell River McDonald’s Restaurants Locally Owned & Operated by Jens & Mary Rolinski

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

EMERGENCY SERVICES LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 33

sponsored by:

McDONALD’S RESTAURANT

RICK WALL Rick Wall spent about 40 years in the navy, mostly in the regular force, and he retired in 2008, or so he thought. He did another four years in reserves, which ended in 2013.

He also had started helping with Emergency Support Services, which seemed like a natural fit.

“I got to know emergency management because that was my job in the navy,” he says. “I had whole nine months off…. I got used to carrying around a phone with me and being on call.”

As a volunteer with the Campbell River Emergency Support Services, he looks after people in distress in the immediate aftermath of incidents, such as house fires. The focus of ESS, he says, is on those first 72 hours during which they also liaise with the Red Cross, which takes over after three days.

“We do response, they do recovery,” he says. “We’re part of the emergency response.”

This ESS program focuses on getting people the essentials of life – a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food in your belly – and Wall says the program has set up arrangements with local suppliers, restaurants and hotels to help out.

And this need can arise anytime, such as when Wall and the local ESS team arrived about 2 a.m. when the Quinsam Hotel caught fire in June 2017. There, they arranged for the people to get out of the cold and into short-term accommodations.

As part of his volunteering, Rick gives presentations with grab-and-go bags, pointing out the items every home should have in the event people get the call to leave their homes.

He was one of the founding members of the North Island Emergency Preparedness Society, which was set up nearly 10 years ago to provide an annual training workshop for Emergency Support Services

directors on Vancouver Island. It’s grown and now gets participants from through B.C. He’s also been seconded to go elsewhere because of wildfires. In the summer of 2017, he was deployed to the B.C. Interior for a 19-day stretch. Initially, this was supposed to be in Prince George at the largest reception centre, but he asked to go to 100 Mile House when he heard about the dire situation there.

However, he expects he will be sticking close to home this summer and be ready to help out, should the need arise.

“At the moment, I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

34 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

EMERGENCY SERVICES LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

www.campbellrivermirror.com

sponsored by:

McDONALD’S RESTAURANT

AMANDA & BARRY GLICKMAN

GRANT CROMER

Amanda and Barry Glickman realized emergency communications service was lacking on Cortes Island a few years back.

From their time at sea they had experience in the field, so they decided they could help expand the network of people trained to provide emergency communications.

Having signed on with Campbell River Search and Rescue (CRSAR) in 1992, Grant Cromer is now one of the longest-serving members of the team.

“We believe in this issue,” says Amanda.

They started by training local amateur radio operators but understood there was a lack of sufficient infrastructure, and that for an emergency system to function properly the region would need to have to train other operators, beyond Cortes.

“We went off to various communities and taught courses,” says Barry. “We now have exercises that cover the whole region.”

This training has expanded throughout the communities of the Strathcona Regional District, including Campbell River, Tahsis, Gold River, Zeballos and Sayward.

Early on, with no financial support, the couple taught many courses at their own expense. Typically, Barry and Amanda volunteered a couple of thousand hours each year.

Eventually, enough people were trained to set up volunteer communications teams in the SRD, and funding was leveraged to cover some expenses and provide emergency equipment.

“When people realized it could work, money started coming in,” Barry says.

“Nobody told me to leave,” he jokes.

“I’m still here.”

Grant, who is a career nurse, serves as one of the managers and also handles some of the ground search and rescue training, focussing his efforts on rope rescues and swift water rescues.

He remembers his training as pretty informal when he joined up. In the time since, things have advanced significantly, as members typically take part in certified courses now.

“The whole training program has come a long way,” he says.

The CRSAR team has also grown and has just added 17 new recruits to the team of about 40 — all the more important because search and rescue is nobody’s day job and not everyone may be readily available to help out when duty calls.

“We’re all volunteer, so we make do,” he says.

As well as working out of the local office, Grant has devoted time to working with the provincial organization and recently finished his term as North Island regional director for the B.C. Search and Rescue Association.

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

HEALTHCARE HERO LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

Friday, May 24, 2019 35

sponsored by:

CR HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

CR HOSPICE BUILD TEAM It takes a team to build a hospice facility In Campbell River, there is a place that provides care for people facing end of life illness or for folks grieving the loss of loved ones. It’s the Hospice Care Centre run by the Campbell River Hospice Society.

To think that this organization was very close to being homeless is unimaginable.

But we have this wonderful facility and organization thanks to a team of caring Campbell River residents who said this service cannot disappear and so they rolled up their sleeves and got to work raising funds or in-kind service. With no government money, this team built an $800,000 hospice facility, providing a permanent home for the society and the services it provides.

That team has come to be known as the Hospice Build Team and consists of Brian Stamp, Darcy Frankland, Jim Dobinson, George Stuart, Gerry Griffin, Brett Giese and Jill Hanson.

“I was reading the (Campbell River) Mirror one day,” Brian Stamp recalls, “there was an article in the Mirror, it was telling the story of the problems that the hospice society was having.”

The society was having to move out of their rented space.

“The article said ‘What are we going to do?’” Stamp said.

Stamp picked up the phone the next day and talked to the executive director at the time and asked what were they going to do? Then a small group met with the society shortly afterwards

and heard some ideas the society had about raising money to buy an old house and renovating it.

“We immediately said as a chorus ‘no, don’t do that, you need to build a purpose-built facility,” Stamp said. “And that was the start of it.”

A subsequent round of phone calls pulled together the Build Team and the first order of business was finding a piece of land, but there was one condition about that piece of land.

“And the ground rules were, we didn’t want to pay for it,” Stamp said with a chuckle.

A number of ideas were explored and through the engagement of then-City councillor Andy Adams (now mayor), a parcel of City owned land was found and given to the project as a serviced lot.

“That was a huge hurdle to overcome,” Stamp said.

There were more to come but, in the end, numerous individuals and businesses in the community contributed to the project and on Sept. 21, 2017, the members of the Hospice Build Team officially turned over the new Hospice House building at 440 Evergreen to the Hospice Society at a celebration

36 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Your children were born here, a grandparent lives here and your friend’s life was saved here. We understand that often we forget the impact health care has on our lives unless we are in the center of a crisis.

Together, we can ensure quality health care, close to home.

When you give, you make a significant difference in the lives of patients and their loved ones.

Because of you we are able to purchase vital medical equipment, support staff education and fund special projects the help build a healthier community.

Thank you for your support.

From left to right: Bobbi Frederick (Office Manager), Stacey Marsh (Executive Director), Keltie McKale (Event & Communications Director)

Thank you

Campbell River Hospital Foundation Team

Campbell River Mirror for the honor of being involved in this years Local Hero Awards!

We’re here for you.

P 250.286.7164 | Toll Free: 855.550.2418 | F 250.286.7143 375-2nd Avenue, Campbell River, B.C. Canada V9W 3V1

www.crhospitalfoundation.ca

E EVENT C AL

N DA R

Join us at these great upcoming fundraising events!

Scrap Metal Challenge Summer 2019!

September 7th, 2019 Golf. Because You Care.

February 8th, 2020 Trivia Night

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

HEALTHCARE HERO LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

HOSPITAL ICU

ICU staff give an institution heart.

It takes teamwork to be an angel.

That’s the discovery you’ll make if you spend any time with the Campbell River Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and its team of angels.

The ICU is not a place where you want to be but if you have to be there, you’ll come to appreciate the ICU staff. They not only get patients through their treatment under frequently trying conditions, they also help the families get through the ordeal.

“It’s not just the medical needs, it’s also looking after the family, supporting them through some of the really hard times when a loved one is sick,” said Connie Walters, ICU Clinical Coordinator. And that support involves helping a family get through the worst kind of news that can sometimes be the reality of medical care.

The Campbell River ICU is an adult care unit that looks after anyone from 18 years old to 90 years old who are dealing with a variety of health issues. After treatment has been applied in emergency or some other ward, they are sent to the ICU to continue treatment and or recovery.

Friday, May 24, 2019 37

sponsored by:

CR HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

It’s because the patients and families are enduring some of the most difficult times, their emotions are raw and open. The ICU staff at the Campbell River Hospital are frequently the recipient of some of the most heartfelt gratitude that can be expressed and that even comes through when the path of an illness comes to an inevitable but tragic conclusion.

As one person who nominated the ICU for a Local Hero award said, “When you are at your absolute worst, this band of angels is at its absolute best, 24/7.”

But it’s not just one person who provides this support it’s a diverse group of medical professionals that include doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, admitting personnel, cleaning staff or what have you.

There’s a special spirit in the ICU and it finds it’s heart in the diverse group of medical professionals that staff the unit. But it goes beyond credentials, training and qualifications. It stems from a caring attitude that permeates the whole unit. Everybody takes their job seriously but never lose the human touch.

Despite the Campbell River Hospital being still a brand new, state-of-the-art medical facility, it doesn’t lose

sight of the fact that this is a community hospital. And it’s a personal connection for the ICU staff.

“It truly is a community hospital,” says Craig McDermid, a Respiratory Therapist at the hospital. “These are people you would see out in the community.”

“People you would know if you grew up here,” adds Melissa Egan, a Nursing Unit Assistnt.

One of the strongest characteristics of the ICU is the sense of togetherness amongst the staff. Everyone works together and everyone’s input is cultivated and respected. Everyone is valued.

“It truly is a team,” says Egan.

And that positive working environment is picked up by the patients and their families. The care the ICU team gives is always appreciated. Families frequently send letters or cards to the unit thanking them for the care that a loved one received.

38 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Steve Marshall Ford’s 2018

F150 BLOWOUT!

BEST PRICE OF THE YEAR! HURRY IN! ONLY 3 LEFT! 2018 Ford F-150 LARIAT 4x4

Black Leather • Voice-activated Navigation • Sync Connect • 2nd Row Heated Seats • Power Deployable Running Boards • Twin Panel Moonroof • Adaptive Cruise Control Stop & Go

SuperCrew stck#584930

SAVE $19,500 MSRP - $75,248

BLOWOUT PRICE xxxxxxxxx

$55,748

stevemarshallfordcampbellriver.com www.stevemarshallfordcampbellriver.com 2300 N. Island Hwy, Campbell River | 1-877-581-7922 • 250-287-9171

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

Friday, May 24, 2019 39

COURAGE AND BRAVERY LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

sponsored by:

STEVE MARSHALL FORD

ANDREW SMITH & REBECCA HARTLEY Three Campbell River residents who attended the scene of an alleged assault in Campbell River saved the victim’s life, according to a constable with the Campbell River RCMP. Andrew Smith and Rebecca Hartley are the winners of the Local Hero Award for Courage and Bravery, while a third brave individual declined the award.

Few details can be released about the incident, but it involved a woman allegedly being assaulted by an armed man in Campbell River earlier this year.

Rebecca Hartley was just returning from work when she heard a commotion.

“I figured it was actually my neighbours’ teenage boys… and then all of a sudden I just heard this blood curdling ‘help me!’”

When Hartley looked across the street, she saw a violent incident unfolding nearby. Moments later, she called 911 to alert police and get medical attention for the victim.

In an interview, Hartley recalled putting the phone on speaker mode in her pocket, so her hands would

be free and emergency dispatchers could listen to what was happening. She then crossed the street to confront the man.

“I just ran over, screaming at the top of my lungs, telling him to stop,” she said.

Her yelling alerted other people in the area to the incident, according to the Campbell River RCMP constable who nominated Hartley.

As for the woman who declined her award, Hartley said she helped confront the assailant.

“I remember she just walked up, totally no fear… now both of us are screaming at him,” she said.

Meanwhile, Andrew Smith was in his front yard working with his daughter on a school project when he heard someone down the road screaming and yelling.

“I poked my head out onto the road to see what was happening,” he recalled. “I could see a bit of commotion happening down on my street… about four or five houses down.”

He ran down to see what was going on, initially thinking it was a dog fight, since someone attending the scene had been walking her dogs. Instead, he found himself at the scene of a violent incident.

Smith provided first aid to the victim and helped keep the assailant at bay until police and paramedics arrived.

“I don’t think I need a nomination for anything,” said Smith. “I was just doing what normal people do, I guess.”

But the police officer praised the extraordinary actions of the local residents, saying their “bravery and courage to step into this violent situation prevented further harm to the victim.”

40 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

COURAGE AND BRAVERY LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

sponsored by:

FINALISTS

STEVE MARSHALL FORD

JESSE HUFFMAN

JANNY BIRD

Jesse Huffman was staying at the Salvation Army’s Evergreen House in January when he extinguished a fire that could have devastated the homeless shelter.

When Janny Bird intervened in a dog attack in March 2017, she took control of a situation that could have turned out much worse.

Huffman had just emerged from the shower when the incident took place. He recalled smelling smoke and investigating with a staff member. They found a mattress and blanket on fire in a bedroom, and the room was filling with smoke. An occupant of the room was present at the time.

“There was fire all over the bed, and it was starting to catch on the top bunkbed,” Huffman said. “I just turned around, dropped my stuff, grabbed the fire extinguisher and emptied it on the bed.”

Campbell River Fire Chief Thomas Doherty, who nominated Huffman, said there were 25 occupants in the shelter at the time of the fire. The fire nearly spread to the upper bunkbed, Doherty said.

“Had it not been for the quick action and bravery by Jesse Huffman, the fire would have grown rapidly, putting the life and safety of not only the occupant in the room in danger, but all other occupants in the building at risk.”

Doherty added that the shelter would also have sustained “significant damage, displacing all occupants” for an extended period of time.

Caroline Kennard and a friend were walking their leashed dogs when the incident took place. They noticed two loose dogs coming up the street. One of them approached and attacked Kennard’s dog, clenching its teeth on her dog’s hind legs. After a struggle, Kennard said, she was able to throw her pet over a hedge. Moments later, Kennard’s friend tried to protect her own small dog, holding it in her arms, as the much larger dog attacked.

Janny Bird, who was at home nearby, heard screaming. She grabbed a leash hanging by the door and ran towards the noise.

“I could tell what was going on,” said Bird, who is a dog trainer and a medical exercise specialist.

She found the large dog on top of the woman, its jaws clenched on her arm and shaking her.

Bird managed to restrain the attacking dog, which weighed perhaps 70-80 pounds, by wrapping the leash around its waist, lifting it off the ground and pulling it away from the woman. The dog turned and tried to attack Bird, but she was able to keep it at a distance and suspended from the ground.

Bird told the other women to get away from the scene, and then alerted her neighbour, an off-duty policeman who happened to appear nearby. Police, ambulance and animal control soon arrived. “Without the quick, brave, smart action of Janny Bird, a terrible situation would have turned tragic,” Kennard said.

Congratulations to all Local Hero Hero Award Award nominees and recipients!

Thank you for your valued contributions to our community!

Congratulations to all our local heroes!

Thank you for all of your valued contributions.

301 St. Ann’s Road Campbell River, BC V9W 4C7 Telephone: 250-286-5700 info@campbellriver.ca www.campbellriver.ca

www.northisland@sussexinsurance.com 1477 Island Hwy | 250-286-1171 | northisland@sussexinsurance.com

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Campbell River Mirror

HERO OF THE YEAR LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

FINALISTS

Friday, May 24, 2019 41

sponsored by:

MOWI

GREENWAYS LAND TRUST

TARA JORDAN

Greenways Land Trust is a registered charity and conservation organization that works to enhance the community through the creation and management of greenways networks, based on principles of stream and land stewardship. They act as an umbrella organization that works together with local stewardship groups, community organizations and local governments. And they support the activities of volunteer streamkeepers and stewards.

Tara Jordan is certainly doing something right, because she garnered amongst the highest number of nominations for any category. As coordinator for KidStart, Tara Jordan is a tireless advocate for children and families struggling with poverty and other challenges. Jordan’s positive and generous spirit is contagious and she sees her work as an honour and a privilege.

y b k c a B r a l u p o P and m e D

Hummingbirds Fearlessly seeking the sweetness of life, the hummingbird is a messenger of joy and courage

We raise a glass to all our heroes!

Home Brew Factory 250.287.2611 Ho & Wine Boutique LOV E YOUR W INE. GUARANTEED.

www.winexpert.com www.winexpert.com

#109-250 Dogwood Street

979 Shoppers Row In the Discovery Inn

250-286-6421 www.prestonjewellers.ca

42 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

Congratulations to Sylas Thompson, Campbell River Hero of the Year!

Mowi—Farming salmon in B.C. for over 30 years

MowiCanadaWest.ca Sylas Thompson pictured here with Dr. Diane Morrison, Managing Director, Mowi Canada West

Campbell River Mirror

www.campbellrivermirror.com

HERO OF THE YEAR LOCAL HERO AWARDS 2019

TOP HONOUR

Friday, May 24, 2019 43

sponsored by:

MOWI

SYLAS THOMPSON Eleven-year-old Sylas Thompson raised $37,217.48 for the Women’s Resource Centre and Grassroots Kindhearts with his daily swim off Tyee Spit for 36 consecutive days during one of the coldest Februaries in some time.

At a ceremony in March, Thompson and his grandmother Sheryl Thompson unveiled the grand total at Rose Harbour with friends, family and supporters in attendance. Sylas was showered with affection, gratitude and gifts from the two organizations he pledged to help.

Sylas’ goal was to raise $30,000 but he beat that by $7,217.48.

Sylas gave credit to the community at large. In addition to contributing money, he was joined by fellow students, individuals and community organizations on many of his daily swims.

“I just want to thank the community because without the community I wouldn’t even be able to raise $1,” Sylas said.

Sylas was able to bring the community together to support these two causes. In all, 181 individuals, businesses and organizations donated to Sylas’ swims.

Sylas was inspired to do the swims because his grandmother volunteers with the Women’s Resource Centre and contributes to the meals for the homeless that Grassroots Kindhearts provides.

44 Friday, May 24, 2019

Campbell River Mirror

GET A

ROGUE SPECIAL EDITION

ROGUE

FOR ONLY

3

$

PATHFINDE R

MORE PER WEEK

LEASE^ A 2019 SV ROCK CREEK FROM $515 MONTHLY WITH $3,595 DOWN THAT’S LIKE PAYING ONLY

119 4.6% 0% 48

$

LEASE^ A 2019 S FWD FROM $298 MONTHLY WITH $2,795 DOWN THAT’S LIKE PAYING ONLY

69

$

AT

WEEKLY

PLUS GET AN ADDITIONAL

0.9%

1,000* TOWARDS A GAS CARD

WEEKLY

PLUS GET AN ADDITIONAL

PLUS GET AN ADDITIONAL

Special Edition FWD model shown

MONTHS

750*

$

TOWARDS A GAS CARD

SV Rock Creek model shown

ARMADA FINANCEs A 2019 SL AT

2.9

%

* TOWARDS

A GAS CARD

0% 60 $4,000 FOR

APR

APR FOR 60 MONTHS

1,000

$

APR FOR 39 MONTHS

FOR

LEASE^ A 2019 S FROM $359 MONTHLY WITH $0 DOWN THAT’S LIKE PAYING ONLY

83

OR

APR

ALTIMA AWD AT

AT

WEEKLY

APR FOR 36 MONTHS

$

$

www.campbellrivermirror.com

MONTHS

OR GET UP TO

STANDARD RATE FINANCE CASH

Platinum model shown

ON OTHER SELECT MODELS

PLUS GET AN ADDITIONAL

Platinum model shown

2,000* TOWARDS A GAS CARD

$

VISIT CHOOSENISSAN.CA or your LoCAL NISSAN DEALEr • OFFERS

END MAY 27

Offers available from May 21 - 27, 2019. *Gas Card offer of $2,000/$1,000/$1,000/$750 is applicable only to customers financing or leasing any new and previously unregistered 2019 Armada/2019 Rogue/2019 Altima/2019 Pathfinder through an authorized Nissan dealer in British Columbia between May 2127, 2019. Use of gas cards is subject to the terms and conditions of the issuer. Offer available for a limited time and may change without notice. Offer has no cash surrender value and cannot be applied to past transactions. Consumer may choose to forego the gas card in exchange for an equivalent discount deducted from the negotiated selling price after taxes. ^Payments cannot be made on a weekly basis, for advertising purposes only. Representative monthly lease offer based on a new 2019 Rogue S FWD/2019 Altima S/2019 Pathfinder SV Rock Creek/2019 Rogue S FWD at 0.9%/2.9%/4.6%/0% lease APR for 36/60/39/24 months equals monthly payments of $298/$359/$515/$468 with $2,795/$0/$3,595/$0 down payment, and $0 security deposit. Lease based on a maximum of 20,000 km/year with excess charged at $0.10/km. Total lease obligation is $13,506/$21,567/$23,675/$11,325. Representative finance offer based on a new 2019 Pathfinder S/2019 Armada SL. Selling price is $36,494/$68,473 financed at 0% APR equals 60 monthly payments of $907/$871 monthly for a 48 month term. $0 down payment required. Cost of borrowing is $0 for a total obligation of $36,494/$68,473. +Standard Rate Finance Cash discount of $4,000 is applicable only to customers financing a 2019 Armada Platinum model through NCF at standard rates. Offers are available on approved credit through Nissan Canada Finance for a limited time. The cash discounts cannot be combined with lease or finance subvented rates or any other offer. Certain conditions apply. ▲Models shown $29,738/$45,538/$36,838/$74,973 selling price for a new 2019 Rogue Special Edition FWD/2019 Pathfinder SV Rock Creek/2019 Altima Platinum/2019 Armada Platinum. All Pricing includes Freight and PDE charges ($1,815/$1,815/$1,815/$1,950), applicable fees, tire tax, manufacturer’s rebate and dealer participation where applicable. License, registration, insurance and applicable taxes are extra. Offers are available on approved credit through Nissan Canada Finance for a limited time, may change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers except stackable trading dollars. Vehicles and accessories are for illustration purposes only. Offers are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Taxes extra. See your participating Nissan dealer or visit Choosenissan.ca for details. Certain conditions apply. ©2019 Nissan Canada Inc.

DL# 40069

NORTH ISLAND NISSAN’S BEST INVENTORY SELECTION WITH OVER 100 NEW VEHICLES IN STOCK.

Mike Ball

General Manager

1-855-291-4335

Brian Quan

Finance Manager

2700 North Island Hwy., Campbell River

Sean LaFleur Sales Manager

Colin Woodside Sales Consultant

Colton Smith

Sales Consultant

Hayley Wood

Sales Consultant

Larissa Finch

Sales Consultant

Shanda Palliser Office Manager

www.northislandnissan.ca