YMCA Kingston and guest speaker Tom Jackson are looking for local heroes to receive a 2019 Peace Medal Award.
Across Canada each year, YMCAs recognizes people who – without any special resources, status, wealth or position – give their time and effort to make our communities better places to live.
The local YMCA is seeking nominations for this honour, saying it could be a person who “volunteers to run a medical clinic in a developing country or works here to make sure that people don’t go hungry. It could be the young person who raises money to build a school or who mentors younger children here at home.”
According to the YMCA:
Peace isn’t just the absence of violence and conflict. It’s the work to create and keep conditions of fairness, inclusion, empathy, security and respect for diversity.
Peace-building is core to the YMCA’s commitment to strengthening healthy communities and is built into the YMCA of Eastern Ontario’s programs and services.
Recipients can be young or old, individuals or groups, who have ‘demonstrated a commitment to building peace within our local community or communities elsewhere in the world’.
Nominations must be received before October 15 and the Kingston YMCA will be awarding the Peace Medals on November 1 at the Four Points by Sheraton.
The ceremony’s special guest speaker will be Tom Jackson, an Officer of the Order of Canada actor, recording artist, activist and philanthropist.
Jackson is best-known for his portrayal of Billy Twofeathers in Shining Time Station and playing Chief Peter Kenidi in North of 60. He is also a Juno and Gemini Humanitarian Award winner, a 10-time honorary degree recipient, a winner of the 2014 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and is an ambassador for the Canadian Red Cross.
Make your recommendation by submitting this nomination form (pdf).
You can also purchase tickets to the presentations ceremony by emailing Anita at anita_mercier@kingston.ymca.ca or at YMCA Kingston, 100 Wright Crescent.
Photo: 2017 media release by YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce
