Port Coquitlam's most prized volunteers were recognized last night (Thursday) by the city.
A total of 41 people were nominated for a volunteer award this year, an event that carried the theme "Volunteers Are Priceless."
But only eight went home with accolades following the presentation at the PoCo Recreation Complex. They are:
• Irene Brown, Lifetime Volunteer: Co-ordinator of Port Coquitlam's Remembrance Day service, Brown is currently recording secretary of the PoCo Legion and has held the titles of president, vice-president and membership chair with Branch 133. She helps with the poppy fund and is an active member of the Wilson Centre, Honeycombs entertainment group and Business Improvement Association;
• Geoff Scott, Arts, Heritage and Cultural Awareness Volunteer: The founder of Tri-Cities Community TV, Scott films local events and guides volunteers (also nominated: Pandora Ballard, Colin Craig, Beth David, Janine Davies, Alexine Law, Pia Longstaffe, Ray Melville and Rae Yano);
• Sandy Burpee, Caring and Safety Volunteer: Burpee, a Coquitlam resident, is chair of the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group and a member of the Coquitlam Search and Rescue Society (also nominated: Dave Collins, Bruce Hansen, Ingrid Heinrich, Karen McDiarmid, Mavis Nembhard);
• Shane Peachman, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Volunteer: Peachman is noted for his countless hours with the Hyde Creek Watershed Society (also nominated: Linda Dore, Shawn Lam, Jeff Rudd and Christina Saremba);
• Eric Svingen-Jones, Sports and Recreation Volunteer: A dedicated volleyball enthusiast, Svingen-Jones works with the BC Christian Academy High School’s girls teams, Focus Volleyball Club, PoCo Panthers and others (also nominated: Mike Bowen, Joe Collins, Steve Dunlop and Renee Kinnear);
• Tonya Pankratz, Youth Programs Volunteer: Pankratz dedicates many hours to working on behalf of children, from planning events to teaching about the environment and managing a soccer team (also nominated: Anthony Calori, Dave Lee, Laion Lee, Ryan Mak and Julie Yu);
• and Ashley Laurino and Haaris Mahmood, U21 Volunteers: Laurino, 20, was an active teen volunteer for causes including bullying, a prayer group, fundraising to build a school in West Africa, and church activities while Mahmood, 20, started volunteering in his teens for many causes, such as BC Children’s Hospital, trail cleanup, coaching and the Michael Cuccione Foundation (also nominated: Shehzeen Arshad, Emma Forster, Shauna Lyall, Cuccione Foundation, Kiarra Murray, Ian Ortega, Jake Seed , Zoey Taylor and Alex Zacharias).
jwarren@tricitynews.com
