New Pathway.
MPP Yvan Baker hosted constituents from Etobicoke Centre on Sunday, January 10, at his Holiday Levee where he presented the 2015 Community Recognition Awards, according to insidetoronto.com. Recipients were honoured during a special awards ceremony at the Plast Huculak Centre in Etobicoke.
The Etobicoke Centre MPP recognized the award’s 2015 recipients for their selfless contributions in four different categories:
• Outstanding volunteer service to the community
• Outstanding volunteer service to seniors
• Outstanding volunteer service to the community by youth
• Outstanding service by professional staff
“Every year we recognize 30 or more recipients, but there are hundreds – if not thousands – of people in our community who do this type of work. We should be able to hold this event for decades to come, and never come close to even scratching the surface of the wonderful work that’s happening here in Etobicoke Centre,” Baker said in an interview with the Etobicoke Guardian.
Recipients were recognized for their volunteer service to the community and included individuals and groups from a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
“Every day in our community there are people who dedicate themselves to helping others, to making a difference and to making our community even stronger” said Yvan Baker. “I was so proud to recognize some of those people and organizations today to thank them for their service, to help ensure that people are aware of the wonderful work that is being done in Etobicoke Centre and to encourage others to get involved with some of the wonderful organizations that serve our community.”
According to insidetoronto.com, several organizations were honoured for their volunteer service to seniors in the community, among which was the Congregate Dining Volunteers. Six individuals were singled out for their commitment to seniors at local care facilities, including the Village of Humber Heights, the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre and Wesburn Manor. The many volunteers who make up the transportation team at Etobicoke Services for Seniors (ESS) Support Services were commended as well.
Etobicoke youth making a difference in the community were also recognized during the awards presentation for their civic-minded service. Baker also celebrated young people for their contributions in the riding, recognizing five youth for their volunteer work: Marina Galeno and Joseph Nguyen from Michael Power/St. Joseph High School, and Mensah Lettica, Gabriel Sobral, and Andrea Tenuta from the Village of Humber Heights.
While the Awards primarily recognized the contributions of Etobicoke Centre’s dedicated volunteer community, awards were also given to professional staff, who have given back to the community in significant ways through their work.
Finally, a special recognition was given to the Rotary Club of Etobicoke and the Rotary Club of Toronto West for their legacy gift to Microskills Rotary Youth Centre to expand their services to youth in Etobicoke.
Among the recipients were Helen and Eugene Dziuba, Olha Hawryluk and Mary Semanyshyn who received recognition for their Outstanding volunteer service to seniors. They were nominated by Irene Dounets on behalf of St. Demetrius and the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre.
According to Yvan Baker MPP's office, Helen and Eugene began volunteering in 1996. They have contributed more than 3285 hours of volunteer time. Every Sunday you can see their smiling faces. They porter and support the residents to the Sunday liturgy. They want to make a difference in the lives of others and to do something that gives meaning to their lives. Irene says that they are an inspiration to us all.
Olha has been volunteering since 2013. Olha porters and serves at weekly sing song groups, bus outings and special events. She has never missed a bazaar at the Care Centre, baking and selling the goods. She loves being with people and is always willing to help. She finds volunteering very rewarding and she says it keeps her young at heart.
Mary began volunteering in 2008 when she applied to be a volunteer assisting with activities such as the newsletter mailing program. A few months later, she began to assist with the gift shop, organize the library, bake cakes for the bazaar, participate and assist with special events and then the Bingo program. Mary never says no and goes above and beyond to help the residents without asking for anything in return.
Roman Czarnota was nominated by Marie Truelove, the co-Chair of the St. James Food Basket. Roman has been a volunteer and member of the Steering Committee for many years and is a tireless advocate for those who use the Food Basket. He gives his time three days a week helping with loading and unloading of food, preparation and the supervision of meals. He is a friendly person who gets on with everyone and also mentors the youth volunteers. Marie commented that they believe that Roman is very deserving of this award.
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