Honouring Outstanding Volunteerism In Ontario

Written by Ontario Newsroom on 16 April 2011

April 15, 2011

McGuinty Government Celebrates Exceptional Volunteers

Ontario is recognizing 12 individuals and eight groups for their commitment to volunteerism and service to their communities.

These exceptional volunteers are the recipients of the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism. The award recognizes leadership, innovation and creativity in volunteerism, and community service. This year’s winners include:

The founder of an organization that supports francophone children with learning difficulties;
A university student devoted to helping those with mental health problems;
The founder of an association that provides school supplies to children in Guyana and
A group that mobilized 400 volunteers to serve those affected by the recession.

The award was presented as part of National Volunteer Week, and is one of seven programs the McGuinty government has to recognize volunteers and support the not-for-profit sector.

QUICK FACTS

Late journalist and author June Callwood was one of Canada’s most well-known social activists. She was committed to issues affecting children and women, founding or co-founding more than 50 Canadian social action organizations.
Five million Ontarians volunteer more than 800 million hours annually – equivalent to 420,000 full-time jobs.
Other Ontario recognition programs for voluntarism include the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, the Volunteer Service Awards and the Newcomer Champion – ChangeTheWorld Youth Ambassador.