Youthfest co-founder is Citizen of the Year

Burlington honours its best at its annual Best Awards

The city has honoured eight of its citizens at the annual Burlington’s Best Awards ceremony. The awards, given out on Thursday, recognize residents who bring honour to the city and make a difference in the community. Citizen of the Year: Dorothy Borovich, co-founder of Youthfest, which promotes youth philanthropy and volunteerism, encourages youth to take on community involvement to gain a sense of belonging. Her fundraising efforts have led to an endowment fund with the Burlington Community Foundation to assist youth in their community endeavours. Senior Person of the Year: Dave Page, volunteer with the Age Friendly Housing Committee, is passionate about the need for affordable, accessible and safe housing for older adults. He played a vital role in Halton HomeShare Toolkit, a guide to help older adults stay in their home and share it with someone who can help with household responsibilities. Junior Citizen of the Year: Mehr Mahmood, a volunteer who has made significant contributions to many local organizations, including the Burlington Public Library, Halton Mosque and the Compassion Society, is dedicated to inclusivity in the community. She is an inspiration and leader of the library’s teen advisory board and its Fusion program for teens with developmental disabilities. Accessibility: The Tetra Society’s volunteers create customized assistive devices for people with physical disabilities to enhance and enrich their health and quality of life. Tetra’s “gizmos” include eating utensils and recreational aides. Heritage: Jim Clemens, a leader in preserving heritage as a member of Heritage Burlington, was instrumental in developing the report “A New Approach for Conserving Burlington’s Heritage,” which led to a heritage tax rebate program in the city. Community Service: Marion Goard co-founded 100 Women Who Care Burlington, in which women donate $100 four times a year to different charities, resulting in $10,000 per charity. Recipients include the local Humane Society, Halton Women’s Place and Carpenter Hospice. Environmental: Kale Black has hand-sorted more waste at 44 Burlington festivals and events than anyone else, diverting 61 tonnes of trash from the local landfill. Black, who has spent nine years championing the environment, has also taught educational “green” workshops to 7,000 Burlington children. Arts Person of the Year: Margaret Lindsay Holton’s short film, “The Frozen Goose,” includes shots of north Burlington and is the only known Canadian film to include Rattlesnake Point and Mount Nemo. She hired a local cast and crew to keep it a grassroots production, to promote local talent and to encourage other filmmakers to consider Burlington’s uniqueness too.