Lawyer, outreach worker honoured as top citizens
Gary Benson, Kelly Taverner among those receiving civic awards
Acommunity-minded lawyer and a dedicated volunteer outreach worker won top honours at Kelowna’s civic awards ceremony last night.
Kelly Taverner was named Woman of the Year for her efforts to help Kelowna’s homeless and exploited women.
She volunteered an average of more than four hours a week last year doing nighttime work to connect with vulnerable women. Taverner is a volunteer with HOPE Outreach, and also works to raise public awareness of homelessness, sexual assault and ovarian cancer.
Gary Benson was named Man of the Year for his long volunteer involvement with groups such as the Uptown Rutland Business Association, the Rutland Unified Stakeholders’ Team, East Meets West Orphanage Foundation and Central Okanagan Indian Friendship Centre.
A lawyer, Benson has donated more than 1,500 hours of pro-bono legal counsel to people and groups such as the Knights of Columbus, Serbian Society and First Nations groups.
Murli Pendharkar, a retired teacher and school superintendent, won the Anita Tozer Award for outstanding community service. The long list of community organizations he has supported includes Rotary, Red Cross and RCMP victim services. Other award winners: — Kelowna Gospel Mission, Volunteer Organization of the Year
— Gabriela Rubio, Young Female Volunteer of the Year
— Andrew Kates, Young Male Volunteer of the Year and Teen Honour in the Arts
— Spider Agile Technology, Champion for the Environment (Business)
— Nancy Mora Castro, Champion for the Environment (Individual) — Karen Close, Honour in the Arts — Rostam Turner, Male Athlete of the Year
— Taylor Ruck, Female Athlete of the Year
— Kendall Gross, Bob Giordano Memorial Award (contribution to amateur sport)
— Ashlyn Day, Augie Ciancone Award (female high school athlete of the year)
— Flynn McCarthy, Augie Ciancone Award (male high school athlete of the year)
— KSS Owls Senior AAAA Boys Basketball Team, Bryan Couling Memorial Athletic Team of the Year
— Costco Wholesale, Large Business Award
— Third Space Coffee, Small to Medium Business Award.