The Ontario government honoured 135 citizens in the Kenora-Rainy River Districts yesterday at the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards ceremony in Dryden.
Among the volunteers honoured were 13 from Fort Frances, including:
•Georges Blanc (Ontario Trillium Foundation—Northwestern Grant Review Team)—five years;
•John Cousineau (Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre)—five years;
•Delsie Cumming (Fort Frances Public Library)—five years;
•Janet Egan-Plumridge (Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre)—five years;
•David Kazar (Fort Frances Public Library)—five years;
•Donna McKelvie (Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre)—five years;
•Evelyn Metke (Fort Frances Public Library)—five years;
•Margaret Miller (Fort Frances Public Library)—five years;
•Edith Newman (Fort Frances Public Library)—five years;
•Ian Simpson (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association)—15 years;
•Geraldine Skinner (Fort Frances Public Library)—five years;
•Sandra Tibbs (Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre)— five years; and
•Glenn Whitherspoon (Ontario Trillium Foundation—Northwestern Grant Review Team)—five years.
This year’s theme is “Volunteers Build Communities.”
“Volunteers give their time and energy to build strong, healthy, and prosperous communities,” Citizenship and Immigration minister Dr. Marie Bountrogianni said in a press release.
“The awards are just one way to honour their many contributions.”
Geoff Quirt, assistant deputy minister, Ontario Seniors Secretariat, presented the 2004 Volunteer Service Awards and Outstanding Achievement Awards at the ceremony at the First United Church Hall.
All award winners received a stylized Trillium pin and personalized certificate recognizing their commitment, energy, and years of service in the community.
The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards recognizes five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50-plus continuous years of service to a single organization. Youth are recognized for two or more years of service.
A selection committee consisting of community reps chooses the recipients annually.
This year, the government is honouring more than 8,300 volunteers in 27 separate ceremonies across Ontario.
As well, 17 Outstanding Achievement Awards for Volunteerism are being presented to individuals, groups, or businesses for superlative contributions to the voluntary sector.
The Outstanding Achievement Awards for Volunteerism highlight volunteerism of outstanding calibre rather than years of service contributed to a group.
They are awarded during Volunteer Service Awards ceremonies to individuals, groups, or businesses that have made superlative contributions, or provided significant support, to the voluntary sector.
The ministry’s honours and awards division maintains a database and virtual gallery celebrating the accomplishments of Ontario volunteers. The site can be accessed through the ministry’s website (www.gov.on.ca/citizenship).
In recognition of the contribution that volunteers and volunteer organizations make to the province’s economic vitality and social well-being, the Ontario government supports a number of initiatives to promote volunteer action:
•Good Neighbours
Ontario’s “Good Neighbours” awareness campaign encourages each of us to reach out and help our neighbours, especially those who may need support because of age, medical condition, or disability.
As well, “Good Neighbours” committees strengthen our communities by promoting, recognizing, and celebrating acts of kindness.
•Making IT Work for Volunteers
Making IT Work for Volunteers is a partnership between the Ontario government and the Information Technology Association of Canada—Ontario.
The program is designed to harness the resources and knowledge of the high-tech sector to help not-for-profit organizations become better equipped to operate in the electronic world.
•High School Community Involvement
To encourage civic responsibility and promote community values, students in the high school system are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement prior to graduation—in addition to the 30 credits required for a high school diploma.
•Community and province-wide grants
The Ontario government is delivering $100 million in 2004-05 to eligible Ontario charities and not-for-profit groups.
Eighty percent of this goes to local groups for community projects while 20 percent is available to charitable organizations or projects with a province-wide scope.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation, a government agency, administers the program.
Here are some more facts about volunteers in Ontario:
•More than 2.3 million Ontario residents serve their neighbours and strengthen their communities by volunteering time, valued at more than $6 billion—the equivalent of more than 200,000 full-time jobs.
•Ontario volunteers help their communities through 75,000 charitable and non-profit organizations in the province.
•More than seven million Ontario residents donate more than $2 billion annually to charitable organizations.
•The voluntary sector represents more than nine percent of all paid jobs in Ontario.
•More women than men volunteer (women make up 54 percent of all volunteers), although men volunteer more hours on average.
•Nearly one-half (44 percent) of all volunteers are between the ages of 35 and 54.
•Seniors give more time than the average volunteer from any other age group.
•More than 8,000 voluntary organizations help 19 Ontario government ministries deliver more than 200 government programs.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
