Sheldon Kennedy named Citizen of the Year
EX-NHLER helped launch child advocacy centre
Child advocate Sheldon Kennedy is one of 16 recipients to be honoured at this year’s Calgary Awards.
The former National Hockey League player and victim of sexual abuse gave his name to a child advocacy centre that brings together police, doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists and prosecutors in an effort to avoid making child victims repeat their story of abuse over and over again.
Kennedy was given the title of Citizen of the Year at a ceremony Wednesday evening.
“It is difficult for us to remember that when he started the journey, you couldn’t talk about this kind of abuse, especially if you were a man,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
“I think it is fair to say he almost single-handedly changed the conversation of the country and made it much easier for victims to come forward.”
Other recipients of the community achievement awards include Dr. Eldon Smith, Grant Reddick, Darrel Janz, Dr. Mary O’Brien, John Kerr and Sheliza Kassam, as well as Calgary’s Child Magazine and the Fresh Start Recovery Centre.
Winners of the environmental achievement awards are home builder Avi Urban, Ryan Scott, the Calgary Folk Music Festival and the Calgary Board of Education.
The signature award — which recognizes a single individual who has brought significant recognition to the city — was given to Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean GrandMatire.
Calgary author Marcello Di Cinto received the W.O. Mitchell book prize. TotalCardiology took home the award for accessibility.
The Calgary Awards were established in 1994 as a means to honour the work and achievements of extraordinary local citizens and organizations.
The awards pay tribute to people who improve the city’s quality of life, Nenshi said.
“They really acknowledge amazing citizenship in a variety of ways, whether it’s preserving culture or the arts or advancing Calgary’s reputation in the world,” he said.