Community Living Wallaceburg hosted their 62nd Annual General Meeting and Appreciation Awards evening on October 16th, where staff and volunteers were honoured for their contribution to building inclusive communities.
During the AGM portion of the evening, the Members elected two new board directors for 2018/19. Catherine Day, who is the Manager, Financial & Information Services at St. Clair Catholic District School Board in Wallaceburg and Marcia Peters, who works at Bkejwanong Biiweziimag Kinomaagziwaad, Ojibway for ‘Family Place of Learning’. The Agency is thrilled to welcome both Catherine and Marcia to the Board of Directors and look forward to their contribution to the Agency’s vision over the next year.
Congratulations to all of the following award winners, who received their awards during the evening.
2018 EMER & DALE DUDLEY DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD – DAVID KATZMAN
David Katzman, former Executive Director of Community Living Wallaceburg, was the 2018 recipient of the Emer & Dale Dudley Distinguished Service in Support of Inclusive Communities Award.
The award, named after Emer & Dale Dudley, who have dedicated a substantial amount of time and effort in promoting the goals of the Agency, was established in 2017 to recognize those people who make important contributions to an inclusive community.
As Executive Director of Community Living Wallaceburg for over 25 years, David was instrumental in leading the charge to close down institutional living, offer those with developmental disabilities a home in Wallaceburg and in turn grow the agency to what it is today.
2018 INSPIRING POSSIBILITIES AWARD – AARON VANDORSSELAER
The Inspiring Possibilities Award recognizes a Community Living Wallaceburg staff member who provides exceptional care and support to individuals by always going above and beyond the required expectations.
Aaron VanDorsselaer was nominated by his colleagues for his long-time commitment to the Wallaceburg Wolves baseball team, showing exceptional care and support to every player. As coach, Aaron constantly adjusts the way he provides support to team members: some players just need a few words of reassurance; others need help to hold and swing the bat or run the bases. People in the community, families and friends are welcomed and accepted equally on the team. Through his enthusiastic coaching and acceptance of all abilities on the team, Aaron promotes community inclusion at its best.
Aaron volunteers his time on a weekly basis throughout the summer, going above and beyond to make sure everyone has an opportunity to catch a ball, hit a home run, and touch all the bases, and he is always there to give that important high five at home plate.
2018 CORE COMPETENCY AWARD – COLLEEN BARNIER
The Core Competency Award recognizes a Community Living Wallaceburg employee who demonstrates key core competencies on a regular basis. Core competencies such as, Collaboration, Creative problem-solving and decision making, Interpersonal relations and Respect are cornerstones of our work, as we strive to deliver a high standard of service and support to individuals who are involved with Community Living Wallaceburg.
Colleen Barnier received this Award for constantly demonstrating a high standard of service to the people we support. Colleen has worked hard on building relationships and understands that in order to best provide quality support it requires a positive relationship and good communication with everyone involved with that individual. She actively promotes participation in the local community and is constantly seeking new experiences for the people we support. As a team leader, Colleen knows the importance of promoting a positive attitude and is known to always have a smile on her face even when at times her workload is a little challenging.
2018 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – STEVEN MARCHAND
The Outstanding Achievement Award is presented annually to individuals supported by Community Living Wallaceburg recognizing their outstanding achievement of personal goals over the past year.
Steven Marchand’s personal goal this year was to grow his successful can-crushing business focusing on setting and achieving monthly targets. In order to achieve this, Steven produced marketing materials such as flyers, posters, and t-shirts which he used to promote his services to local companies. He then managed the agreements to focus on the longevity of his business.
2018 FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP AWARD – HANNAH PETRANIK
The Family Scholarship Award is presented each year to eligible children or grandchildren of Community Living Wallaceburg staff, who are entering post-secondary education. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, service to community and demonstration of leadership skills.
This year’s recipient was Hannah Petranik, who is currently attending St. Clair College in the RPN Program – Nursing.