Community Living Wallaceburg hosted their 63rd Annual General Meeting and Appreciation Awards evening on September 26th, where staff and volunteers were honoured for their contribution to building inclusive communities.
During the AGM portion of the evening, the Members elected a new board director for 2019/2020. Carol Markham is a retired nurse with experience in intensive care and community nursing. The Agency is thrilled to welcome Carol to the Board of Directors and looks forward to her contribution to the Agency’s vision over the next year.
Congratulations to the following people who received awards during the evening:
Emer & Dale Dudley Distinguished Service in Support of Inclusive Communities Award – Sandra Reilly
This 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.
Sandra, whose daughter lives in a home run by Community Living Wallaceburg, was instrumental in bringing intervenor services to Wallaceburg. Intervenors are specially trained professionals who act as the “eyes” and “ears” of the individual who is deafblind through the sense of touch. Not only has Sandra also dedicated her time to over 25 years’ voluntary service with the Agency, she is heavily involved in other charitable activities in the community.
It Takes a Village Award – Marsh Line Team
The ‘It Takes a Village’ is a new award that recognizes a Community Living Wallaceburg team of employees that has worked together to help a person “dream big”, pursue their dreams and ultimately reach important goals.
The Marsh Line Team received this award for their perseverance as a team for helping their residents live a more fulfilling life. It’s easy to get discouraged when times are challenging and it takes a strong team working towards a higher goal to stick it out and succeed. We’re extremely proud of the work this team have done and are excited to see your next team effort!
Standing Ovation Award – Sandra Thorne
The Standing Ovation Award, a new award, recognizes a Community Living Wallaceburg employee who is a true team player whether front and center or behind the scenes. This person has an enthusiastic and positive attitude within their team and inspires others to strive for the health, happiness and achievement of goals of the people they support.
Sandra received this award for her dedication not only to our Agency but to individuals we support. She is constantly looking for ways to improve processes and procedures – which leaves more quality time with the people we support. Her door is never closed and she always has a warm and patient smile – no matter what the request. Congratulations Sandra and thank you for all that you do!
The Above & Beyond Award – Kathy Caron
The Above & Beyond Award recognizes a Community Living Wallaceburg employee who works diligently as a champion for positive teamwork and promotes collaboration and consultation within the team. By making a valuable and constant contribution to the successful functioning of the team, this person makes a significant impact in the creation of an upbeat and constructive work environment for all.
Kathy received this award because she is the personification of the characteristics defined in this award! Her colleague described her as, not only the most knowledgeable person at her location, but also the person who is willing to take the time to ensure that her colleagues feel valued and empowered to do their role to the best of their ability.
Core Competency Award – Kim Dixon
The Core Competency Award recognizes a Community Living Wallaceburg employee who regularly exemplifies one or more of the ten core competencies which enables the people we support to live more dignified and full life in their community.
Kim received this award for her ability to not only demonstrate our Core Competencies but to motivate others to do the same. She is highly respected by her colleagues and was described in her nomination as inspirational, friendly, confident, empathetic, open-minded and respectful.
Outstanding Achievement Award – Charlie E. & Eugene B.
The individuals involved with our Agency who have been nominated for this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award have all attained significant personal goals or achievements this past year. They have they demonstrated what is possible through dreaming big and having the determination to get there!
Charlie received this award for never giving up on his goal. He worked hard on the correspondence courses and put in the work to achieve his Grade 12 diploma. The sky is the limit for him now and we cannot wait to see what he achieves next – congratulations!
Eugene received this award for his dedication and commitment to creating a beautiful vegetable garden out of a barren plot of land. His hard work is certainly paying off and he have something quite remarkable to share with the community! Congratulations on becoming quite the skilled gardener!
Spirit Award – Dan T.
This new award – The Spirit Award, recognizes individuals involved with Community Living Wallaceburg who exemplify the Agency’s vision of “People Participating Proudly”. The nominees are consistently involved in community events and activities, demonstrate a positive attitude, and do not let their challenges get in the way of their passion for life.
Dan received this award for always putting others before himself. He shows great dedication by providing assistance within our community, whether it be helping direct traffic at 3Rivers Roll or by donating blood. Dan was recognized by Canadian Blood Services in 2018 for making more than 50 blood donations and has been recognized 5 different times for his outstanding volunteerism and work ethic!
There was also an opportunity to recognize and congratulate 27 staff members who achieved significant milestones working for the Agency. These ranged from 5 year to 35 year service awards.
