2017 Volunteer Awards

Published in The BANAR November 2017.

It’s always a great honour to present awards to people in our community who go above and beyond to make Blackburn Hamlet a better place to live for everyone. The winners of the 2016-2017 Volunteer Appreciation Awards, presented at the community hall in September, having done so many incredible things for the community, it would take up the whole BANAR for me to mention them all. So here is a short sample of what these amazing volunteers have been working on recently:

• Chelsey Wynne is the Blackburn Community Association Youth Director. She has spearheaded many youth and family-oriented activities for the community, including the Bring Your Own Board Game nights at the Blackburn Hamlet Library Branch.
• Evelyn Budd is a committed volunteer who has spent the majority of her life giving back to the community. A short list of her lengthy volunteer resume would include her role as publisher and editor of the BANAR since July 1997, long-time Girl Guide leader, and active member of Blackburn Ladies Ringette.
• Mike Murphy received this award in recognition of his efforts with the annual Fun Fair and the recent Harvest Moon event. His expertise and musical talent benefit many community events and he’s even been known to perform at street parties! He is always willing to lend a hand when needed.
• Barb Sweazey organized the annual BCA spring cleanup for many years and has been a driving force behind many local tree planting initiatives. She also provided her expertise to the BCA board by facilitating a recent priority setting session.
• Brent Lawrie is the Chair of the BCA’s Fun Fair Committee. In addition to working with the Fun Fair team and reporting back to the BCA board each year, he was instrumental in making the 2017 Fun Fair bigger and better than ever in recognition of Canada’s 150th celebrations.
• Jeff Miller has been part of the Blackburn Community Association for many years and has held various roles, including Membership Director and, currently, Vice-President. He is always available to help out and donates his time to help organize and execute events such as the Fun Fair and Hockey Day in the Hamlet.
• Belinda Leung not only serves as the BCA’s secretary, she’s also involved in organizing many of the community associations events, a few of which include the Cancer Chase, the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, the Santa’s Pancake Breakfast and many others. Belinda and Chelsey work on projects to break down socio-economic barriers
  enabling all Blackburn Hamlet residents to feel welcome at BCA events.
• Bruce Lavellee was nominated for his dedication to maintaining the Orient Park outdoor community rink during the winter months giving area residents a place to skate. He is also a dedicated volunteer with the Blackburn Stingers and recently made a water bottle station holder for the Blackburn Stingers IP Program.