Local heroes applauded at 2010 VLA event
All nominees of the 2010 Victoria’s Leadership Awards (VLA) were lauded last month as local community heroes. The annual VLA program is like an Academy Awards for local community dedication and commitment, and the inspirational talents of Victoria’s most tireless champions were celebrated at the sixth annual fundraising reception on Jan. 28.
VLA is a partnership between Leadership Victoria, the Victoria Foundation, the University of Victoria and the Rotary Clubs of Greater Victoria to recognize outstanding contributions to the city’s vibrancy.
The University of Victoria Community Leadership Award went to David Burns as former executive director of Greater Victoria’s Child and Family Counselling Association for his ceaseless commitment to building bridges between the association and community-based researchers particularly at UVic.
Tom Downie, assistant director of UVic’s Campus Security Services, was nominated in this same category for his unstinting efforts on behalf of the UVic campus community and for his 400–500 hours of volunteer time each year with Canada’s Reserves.
Lydia Kasianchuk, manager of the Lafayette String Quartet—the four-member artists-in-residence group at UVic’s School of Music—was another highly regarded nominee for the UVic award.
Several other nominees, particularly in the youth award category, are directly affiliated with UVic and represent the newest generation of local leaders. Nominees included Jonathan Morris, UVic alumnus (child and youth care), selfless “anti-stigma” advocate and past UVic Blue and Gold Award winner who also appears in this issue as recipient of an Andy Farquharson teaching award (see p.4); UVic alumna (business), 2009 Business Co-op Student of the Year and environmental champion Chantal Orr; UVic alumnus (business) and sustainability entrepreneur Joshua Schmidt; UVic alumnus (biology), author and mental health educator Matthew Norman Ward; and UVic alumnus (English) Lee Herrin, the Leadership Victoria Alumni Award nominee and executive director of the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group.
Katie Shaw, UVic alumna (sociology), current UVic graduate student, indefatigable social justice activist and highly respected youth mentor, was the recipient of the 2010 VanCity Youth Award. Charlayne Thornton-Joe, recipient of the 2010 Rotary Community Leadership Award, and Laura Walsh, recipient of the 2010 Leadership Victoria Alumni Award, are also both UVic alumni.
The 2010 Leadership Victoria Lifetime Achievement Award went to Rev. Tom Oshiro, director of the Mustard Seed and long-time devotee to a ministry of care for the hungry, the addicted and the homeless; and the 2010 Victoria Foundation Community Leadership Award went to the Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre, the remarkable team of staff and volunteers that leads social change in Victoria against sexualized violence.
For a full list of nominees: www.leadershipvictoria.ca
