St. Catharines honours its top volunteers

While recognizing more than a hundred of St. Catharines’ top volunteers, there were two who stood out among the crowd.

Mayor Walter Sendzik and city councillors honoured the volunteers during the 29th annual Volunteer Recognition Night, held last week at the Holiday Inn and Suites Parkway Conference Centre.

The evening’s top awards went to: Brooklyn Smith, who earned the Margaret MacLennan Youth Volunteer Award for going above and beyond, while working as a volunteer at Albright Manor, a non-profit long-term care facility in Beamsville; and Linda Marie O’Hagan, who has dedicated much of her life to helping others in her community, raising funds for worthy causes, who received the Mayor’s Volunteer of the Year Award.

Smith was nominated for the youth volunteer award by staff at Albright Manor, where her enthusiasm for helping residents there has made a big difference in their lives.

“Brooklyn comes in whenever she can on her days off and lots of weekends. She helps nursing staff and dietary staff whenever she can,” said the lhome’s volunteer services manager, Pamela Mataseje.

“Of goodness, in the last year she has put in over 300 hours and she’s a full-time student.”

Even when Smith isn’t hard at work in Albright’s tuck shop or serving residents tea and coffee, she spends her time just keeping them company.

“She’s just been a delight. The residents just beam when the see her coming,” Mataseje said. “You don’t get that many young people so dedicated. It’s very nice to have something like that.”

O’Hagan, the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria parish council president, has focused much of her time working with several faithbased organizations that strive to improve the lives of people in the community, including the Catholic Women’s League working locally as well as across the province.

She has also led fund raising efforts for St. Mary of Assumption parish, and worked with the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the Niagara Region accessibility advisory committee and the local accessibility advisory committee.

In a media release, Sendzik called the event an “opportunity to recognize the contributions of volunteers who make a difference each and every day.”

“Many of the volunteers also demonstrate what a compassionate city is all about — sharing their time and talents to make a difference,” he said. “Thank you to all of the volunteer nominees for their leadership and commitment to our community.”