The Community Service Volunteer Awards program is not currently active. This information is for archival purposes only.

The Community Service Volunteer Awards celebrate the spirit of volunteerism and showcase the vast spectrum of voluntary service and citizen participation that sustains the vibrancy and well being of our diverse communities. 2003 Photo gallery

Award recipients for 2003:

Sahar Badawy
Children and youth services
Sahar Badawy understands the needs of her community, Flemingdon Park, and has been an active volunteer dedicated to improving the community. Sahar established the community's first children's soccer league. She established the Flemingdon Park Parent Association, a non-profit organization that supports community events such as the Flemingdon Park Farmers' Market. Sahar works with parents, community organizations and the City of Toronto to improve the community. One improvement was the installation of traffic lights at a school intersection.

Sahar works to increase community safety through provision of affordable programs and services for children - a main concern for most families in the community.

Michael Boismier
Housing and homelessness support services
Michael Boismier is a volunteer who uses his actions to heal rather than words. He is empathetic to the feelings of the people who visit the Native Men's Residence (Na-Me-Res). He does not ask people to explain their circumstances, such as poverty; he just asks them what they need.

As a dedicated volunteer with the residence, Michael works hard to develop alliances with other agencies that serve the homeless.

Michael follows a simple method when volunteering. He gives people what they ask for, informs clients of other resources available in the city that may suit their needs, reminds them that they are not alone in their circumstance - there are others in their situation, and encourages community members to unite to fight poverty.

Josephine George
Community and public health services
Josephine George devotes much of her limited free time to being a volunteer at the Dorothy Ley Hospice. Volunteering at a hospice is a demanding job requiring great empathy for those coming to terms with terminal illness and disease, people who are often emotionally and psychologically alone. Her unbeatable and lively spirit, her friendship and her fearlessness in the face of life's tribulations provide great support to hospice clients and their families.

Josephine listens with her heart and soul, offers assurance and allays fears. She enjoys the trusting relationships and caring bonds she establishes with the families, and believes that her purpose is to ease the lives of family members.

Alex Gorlick
Seniors services
As a 17-year veteran of volunteerism, Alex Gorlick understands that an important aspect of the quality of life for seniors is social interaction. He volunteers with Circle of Care, a non-profit home care provider, where he is secretary on the board of directors. He is also the past president of the Association of Jewish Seniors (1991-1993), and is chair and founder of the Alliance of Seniors to Protect Canada's Social Programs.

Through his volunteer work, he organized many functions for senior citizens. Alex also ensures that seniors with no families receive the aid they require and are directed to the proper agencies.

Alex understand that in order for there to be changes to the social and health-care system that will benefit seniors, there must be action. He works with the Toronto Seniors' Assembly, Care Watch, the Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens' Organization and the Canadian Jewish Congress to raise awareness of the issues and bring about change.

Cassandra Lord
Children and youth services
An active volunteer with feminist organizations, Cassandra Lord is now committed to working with youth through Supporting Our Youth (SOY). In 2002, with support of SOY - and the interest of a few youth members - she established the Black Queer Youth Initiative (BQY), having identified a desperate need among youth that identify as being black, multiracial, African, Caribbean queer and/or questioning. The BQY provides a service to a population that is highly marginalized and discriminated against on multiple levels. Cassandra works with the youth to provide opportunities for personal growth and inclusion in the broader community.

Cassandra seeks opportunities on a number of levels to ensure that the needs of some of the most marginalized youth in the community are better understood, appreciated and acknowledged. Her work both increases public awareness of the issues they face, as well as encouraging black queer youth to keep a positive self image, healthy sexuality, strong positive relationships and active community involvement.

Angela Marchese (posthumous)
Children and youth services
Angela Marchese was a volunteer with the Children's Aid Society for the past eight years. In her first volunteer assignment she provide ongoing support and encouragement to a young girl in the CAS's care. After this assignment was completed, Angela assisted in the development of a committee of volunteers known as the Special Events Committee. This committee organizes trips and outings for volunteers and their assigned child, also known as the "Little Friends". These trips, events and outings allow the children to connect with each other while also allowing volunteers to interact with other volunteers. Angela has been an integral part of this committee and also took on the task of committee treasurer.

Throughout this past year while fighting cancer, Angela maintained contact with each of the committee members and managed the committee's budget. She recognized the need for consistency in the lives of the children and wanted to assist in any way that she could. She has been a role model to children going through tough times.

Angela was informed that she was a recipient of this award before she passed away in November 2003. We hope that in some small way, this recognition helped provide comfort to someone who worked hard to comfort others. Members of the Special Events Committee are accepting the award on Angela's behalf.

Dorothy MacKinnon
Seniors services
Dorothy is the type of volunteer who takes action. As a former employee of Toronto Social Services, Dorothy MacKinnon had found a way to integrate her former professional life into her personal life by volunteering her time and advocating for change. On at least two occasions, Dorothy has made presentations to the City Budget Committee on behalf of the Toronto Seniors Assembly. All the groups in which she participates are advocacy groups who support taking action to solve problems. This includes attending meetings, writing letters, calling councillors and members of the Provincial and Federal Government.

Dorothy takes a keen interest and is skilled in speaking out on a number of issues. She speaks out "loud and clear" on areas such as health care, housing and financial need. Dorothy includes the community through supportive involvement, is always on the go, and is a good follower as well as a leader.

Miranda Pinto
Immigrant and newcomer services
Miranda Pinto has volunteered for more than 22 years in a variety of areas including housing and community development services. However, it is for her work as a volunteer with immigrants and newcomers that she is being recognized. Miranda has worked on a number of initiatives to bring about changes that benefit the needs of immigrant and newcomer communities.

Miranda has been involved with and developed a number of organizations and initiatives, one being the Scarborough Network of Immigrant Service Organizations. This network, which has more than 28 member groups, addresses the needs, concerns and programs of immigrant communities in Scarborough.

Miranda consistently champions anti-racism, diversity and equity for visible minority communities through advocacy, community development work and positive messages about community empowerment. She brings attention to the needs of immigrant and refugee communities at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government in partnership with other community-based sectors by advocating for changes. Miranda is known as a strong community advocate who has worked very hard and has contributed a significant amount of time in dealing with the issues of immigrant and refugee populations. She is also well known for getting the job done with efficiency and effectiveness.

Roger Roberts
Community development and community centres
Roger Roberts has been volunteering in the community for the past 54 years, offering services to numerous organizations.

Based on his own experience, Roger works to improve the lives of people with disabilities in the areas of transportation, with the Wheel-Trans Advisory Committee, and housing with Tobias House. Roger is also active in the Toronto City Council's Disabled Issues Committee, which is responsible for bringing forth issues and advice from members of the community.

In 2002, Roger was the recipient of the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health Courage to Come Back Award in general medicine.

SACC Web Site Team:
Shirley Broekstra, Manager, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care
Dianne Brett, Russell Bronson, Kiran Dhaliwal, Thanancheyan Ehamparam, Damian Novacco, Sirisenthuran Sivananthan, Umiyal Sivananthan, Elanthiryan Sivapathasundaram, Gowsikan Thevamanokaran and Casthoory Viswanathan
Community and public health services

The Sexual Assault Care Centre Web site team are a group of youth and mentors from Scarborough who wanted to share their expertise and help their community by providing a means for youth in Scarborough to obtain information and seek help on sexual assault issues.

The team members are creative, enthusiastic and dedicated, meeting in the Scarborough Hospital, Grace Division's computer lab every week to develop the design, discuss content and work on the layout of the site. The team members all come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and their experiences and cultural perspectives shape the Web site, www.sacc.to. To offer assistance to youth on the subject of sexual assault, the team designed mouse pads that were sent to every high school in Toronto, and have recently designed a poster advertising the Web site that was also disseminated in Toronto high schools this year.

The Web site has been translated into 26 different languages, and experiences more than 500 hits daily. Requests for information and praise for the Web site has come from all over the world, including assistance in establishing a sexual assault care centre in Durban, South Africa.

Peter Sealy
Immigrant and newcomer services
Peter Sealy is a volunteer who understands the difficulty of being a new immigrant and the isolation and the sense of being overwhelmed by new surroundings that it brings. He helps children of immigrants learn to speak English and he provides referrals to other programs and services. For adult immigrants he assists with ESL instruction, obtaining foreign documents, provides counselling services and friendship. For senior immigrants he offers friendly visits to ease their isolation, especially when other family members are working.

For more than two decades, he has played an integral role in setting up programs across Toronto to facilitate cross-cultural understanding. Peter has volunteered with the Cross Cultural Communication Centre (CCCC) and the Metropolitan Housing Authority. His volunteer work at Brookfield Middle School (formally Jane Junior High) allowed Peter the opportunity to work one-on-one with students and accompany students from over 40 different nationalities to government offices.

Peter's volunteer work also includes work with the Dufferin Mall Youth Services where he assists newcomer youths, and their parents, through counselling. He works with parents, teachers and community members to problem solve issues such as depression, legal problems and anger management, faced by newcomer youths.

Mark Shapiro
Housing and homelessness support services
Having dedicated more than 13 years to supportive housing issues, Mark Shapiro is a leader in this volunteer sector. He was instrumental in developing the Board of Mental Health Housing Services (BMHHS) a coalition of more than 23 agencies. Mark is a member of the Dream Team, a group of psychiatric consumer survivors and other users of supportive housing, their family members and representatives of BMHHS. Mark is also a board member on Habitat Services Inc.

Mark understands the needs of the people he helps as part of the Dream Team and has become a tireless advocate for more affordable housing for the homeless and mentally ill. Tapping into the networks of politicians and community groups, he ensures that the community speaks for itself and voices its concerns.

Garth Yarde
Community development and community centres
Garth Yarde is an intake worker and mediator for the Community Mediation Program in the Conflict Resolution Service at St. Stephen's Community House. On a daily basis he speaks to people in conflict throughout Toronto, many of who have no other place to turn.

He has an excellent understanding of clients' needs and interest, and has demonstrated great skills and sensitivity in working with clients in crises. The Conflict Resolution Service works under the premise that conflicts are opportunities to learn about each other, explore our differences and try new ways to relate to one another. Garth embodies this philosophy in the work he does.

Garth works closely with more than 60 community volunteers - assigning them to cases, overseeing their work, debriefing and then evaluating the mediation they provide.