Those who have chosen to give their time to others are being recognized this week.
Saturday morning, Volunteer & Information Centre of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (VIQ) celebrated its 2022 Volunteer of the Year awards and breakfast at the National Air Force Museum of Canada.
(04/30/2022 – Rock 107’s Buzz Collins performs his mentalist act to start the award presentations.) Photo by Andrew Clarke / Quinte News
The awards coincided with National Volunteer Appreciation Week in Canada, April 24 to 30.
(04/30/2022 – Brenda Snider, executive director at Volunteer & Information HPE announces award nominees and winners.) Photo by Andrew Clarke / Quinte News
VIQ Executive Director Brenda Snider, says volunteers have had a massive impact on the region and even more so throughout the pandemic.
“Volunteers are what make every agency and organization program and service run. Through COVID it proved more than ever that the dedication of the volunteers in our community put us through COVID whether it was making PPE, or delivering meals, or whatever was happening at that time when we put that call out, they came out.”
Here are the winners of VIQ’s Volunteer of the Year awards 2022:
(04/30/2022 – Sharon Urquhart is the 2022 Ruth Burrows Volunteer of the Year award winner.) Photo by Andrew Clarke / Quinte News
Ruth Burrows Volunteer of the Year Award:
Sharon Urquhart — winner
Sharon is a lifelong volunteer that has always contributed to the improvement of her community. Over the past almost 10 years, she has been devoted to the improvement of health care in the Quinte West region attending over 100 events to collect signatures for the TMHF membership, been a major volunteer for TMHF fundraisers and through the Pandemic made more than 10,000 masks, caps, and other PPE for frontline staff. Her willingness to say “yes” has made our community a better place to live.
(04/30/2022 – Anna Siwakoti, on left, is the Businessperson Volunteer of the Year award winner.) Photo by Andrew Clarke / Quinte News
Businessperson Volunteer of the Year Award:
Anna Siwakoti – winner
Anna is the owner of Fearless Wellness Centre and as a proud military family member, she has been an amazing resource and outstanding volunteer with the Trenton MFRC for over five years. Anna uses her knowledge and offers business resources and services to help in a variety of ways, highlighted by the Veteran Family program and her involvement with Canada’s Wing-Wide RCAF Family Connections program. She continually shows extensive leadership skills, not only by connecting with families, but also providing mentorship to other businesses for the RCAF Family Connections program.
(04/30/2022 – Kailie Galpin, on left, is the Maurice Rollins Community Leader Award for Youth winner.) Photo by Andrew Clarke / Quinte News
Maurice Rollins Community Leader Award for Youth:
Kailie Galpin – winner
When a youth shows leadership and a commitment to improving her community starting at age three, we must take notice. Affected by her dad’s fight with cancer, Kailie decided to make a difference, looking to work in health care. She started contributing to her community by donating part of her paper route money to her church’s Sunday school. She has since worked with the CDC, Good Baby Box program, organized the youth fundraising group “Real McCoy C-31 Challenge”, volunteered with the Alzheimer’s office and Hasting Manor Auxiliary, and was member of Create Change Quinte. Through the pandemic, she created thank you signs to health care workers, helped with a food drive for Grace Inn and is currently volunteering at the Executive Social Vice President for Beating Burnout for Ottawa U’s nursing program.
(04/30/2022 – Quinte News and Rock 107’s Tim Durkin presented during VIQ’s Volunteer of the Year Awards. Durkin was honoured as Volunteer of the Week by VIQ.) Photo by Andrew Clarke / Quinte News
Quinte News and Rock 107’s Tim Durkin was awarded with the Volunteer of the Week award at Saturday’s presentations.
