‘Such a great honour’
Unique award given to Sarah Pittoello
Grand Pre resident Sarah Pittoello has received the unique Patrick Conner Award.
The dual award also went to theatre professional Georgina Beaty.
Conner, a Toronto actor and director who died in 2012, left the annual award to straddle the two worlds that were essential to him: theatre and sustainable living, including the sustainability of food production. Both winners received a cash prize of $2,500.
Pittoello is a counsellor, teacher and organic farmer. She has taught courses on sustainable food systems and community development at Acadia University.
A faculty member and farmer-in-residence at the Just Us! Centre for Small Farms, she grows a market garden for the Just Us! cafes while teaching and supporting farm interns. She is also a yoga instructor at her family business, ReRooted.
Pittoello holds degrees in physics from Queen’s University, holistic science from Schumacher College, and a MEd. counselling from Acadia.
She says the award has “been such a great honour,” especially because it was named after her late uncle. Pittoello said he, “became highly involved with the Big Carrot Co-op in Toronto and was a huge advocate for organics, non-GMOs, and farmers. The award was designed to support people in both or either of these areas.”
“My uncle Patrick was, and still is, a really significant person in my life, and receiving an award that carries his spirit and heart, not to mention that of the incredible board of this award, really brings weight and commitment to my own work.”
Pittoello has a specific project in mind that, “I am only just beginning and am taking plenty of time to write and get my ideas and thoughts down on paper first.”
“One of the most valuable things that this kind of award offers is time,” she says, “good, focused time can be set aside to work on these kind of projects rather than trying to squeeze it into spare moments.”
Beaty, the other award winner, is the artistic co-producer of Architect Theatre, creating research-based plays that engage with the human stories behind contemporary issues. Her work includes ‘ Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show’ and a new work in progress about the proposed Northern Gate Pipeline.