Port Coquitlam's best and brightest volunteers had a light shone on them this week as the city honoured their hard work and achievements.
Mayor Greg Moore and city council recognized the volunteers at the 19th annual awards night, held at the Giggle Dam Theatre before about 200 people — including the 40 nominated in the seven categories.
Previous recipients picked this year's winners; however, city council was charged to select the lifetime volunteer. Here are the results (bios provided by the city):
• Lifetime: James Dawson moved to Port Coquitlam 38 years ago and has volunteered for more than 30 of them. A long-standing active volunteer with the Royal Canadian Legion, Dawson has served as the sergeant-at-arms during the city’s Canada Day celebrations, Remembrance Day services and other events. Over the years, he has supported many local services and programs devoted to helping seniors and veterans including those at Hawthorne Lodge and other long-term care centres. Dawson is also a youth mentor especially the cadets.
• Arts, Heritage and Cultural Awareness: Linda Sliworsky started volunteering at an early age and dedicates many hours to volunteer work despite a full-time job and lengthy commute. Her spare time is consumed by committee meetings, events and other activities, which includes serving on the board of the Port Coquitlam Heritage and Cultural Society, co-chairing its display and events committee, taking on new tasks for the Christmas Tree Festival and representing the society at events such as the Hyde Creek Salmon Festival, Canada Day, the Downtown Car Show and the PoCo Grand Prix. Her past volunteer work has included serving on the Spirit Committee and the May Day Task Force.
• Caring and Safety: Nancy McCurrach is a long-time supporter of the Amanda Todd Legacy Fund and a past executive board member of the I Am Someone Campaign to End Bullying. In recent years, she founded the Tri-Cities Refugee Welcome Wagon and has provided extraordinary care and help to new Syrian families. Through her work with Soroptomist International of the Tri-Cities, she helps provide food and support to impoverished women and children. She has also served as a citizen advisor for the city and volunteered for various arts, cultural and civic events.
• Environmental Protection and Enhancement: Christina Saremba began volunteering in Port Coquitlam in the 1980s with groups such as the Burke Mountain Naturalists, Friends of Deboville Slough and the Colony Farm Park Association. She has demonstrated tremendous strength in organizing and planning, and has been the driving force behind a variety of projects, including various manuals and how-to nature booklets for adults and children. Most recently she served a two-year term as vice-president of BMN and is now the volunteer co-ordinator.
• Sports and Recreation: Craig Widmer is a coach and co-ordinator with PoCo Euro-Rite Soccer. As well as coaching his own children’s soccer teams, he has also taken on the role of the girls’ mini co-ordinator and mini-jamboree committee member. His volunteer commitments also include three practices or games per week for each of his two teams, and organizing various team-building events.
• Youth Programs: Dave Lee and Laion Lee both dedicated about 100 hours a year to Wilson Centre’s youth and senior dinner nights, from 2008 to 2016. The program brought together youth and seniors each week to create a meal together and share food, cultures and experiences. The Lees were dedicated to making sure the program was a success, providing both culinary skills and a positive and fun space for youth of all cultures, abilities and backgrounds to engage with their community, seniors and each other.
• U21: Candace Chau, 18, has volunteered more than 250 hours in the past year for a wide variety of causes. In addition to her involvement in her school’s volunteer leadership program, she is a leader in the BC Children’s Hospital Club, an active member in the Green Shirts Volunteer Club, a youth facilitator for the Red Cross anti-bullying program and an active Best Buddy to a student with skills development challenges.
Meanwhile, Mayor Moore and council also acknowledged the Markham family for being good neighbours.
